Corn Sugar: As tasty as it is healthy!

[Sky]

Panfried trout (with the skin) is just amazing. I've never had the nerve to try filleting one, so I just fry it whole. Lite dusting of flour, a little seasoned salt, fried in butter.

It was really easy, but I have a wicked sharp fillet knife. One upward and one downward cut on each side of the ribs, then remove the cartlidgey bits around the fins.

[LK]

Sadly things are getting busy for me so I ordered Nutrisystem again since my diet was starting to get out of control. But I'm still down to cook things from time to time.

[dusematic]

You guys are broken.  Given a choice between eating crickets and blue cheese, crickets wins in a landslide.  Blue cheese and Feta are just too powerful of a flavor.  They overwhelm my palate with the tiniest amounts.  

Not everyone is into bland foods guy.  But I hope you enjoy your noodles with butter sauce next time you dine out! 

[dusematic]

Sadly things are getting busy for me so I ordered Nutrisystem again since my diet was starting to get out of control. But I'm still down to cook things from time to time.

Hey man, whatever fucking works for you, y'know?  The important thing is that you're being responsible.

[Nebu]

Not everyone is into bland foods guy.  But I hope you enjoy your noodles with butter sauce next time you dine out!

What?  

There's a difference between flavorful and pungent.  There's also a huge difference in taste profiles between people.  Hell, you may be so taste blind that you need strong flavors so that you can at least taste something... I have no idea, I don't know you.  At all.

[dusematic]

Not everyone is into bland foods guy.  But I hope you enjoy your noodles with butter sauce next time you dine out!

What?  

There's a difference between flavorful and pungent.  There's also a huge difference in taste profiles between people.  Hell, you may be so taste blind that you need strong flavors so that you can at least taste something... I have no idea, I don't know you.  At all.

Most adults I know are into cheese.  Especially over bugs.  Don't act like you're so fucking normal with your "I prefer the taste of cricket to that of feta" routine.  You're in a weird little botched minority there.


edit: besides, I was kidding around, no one really gives a fuck what your flavor profile is, as long as they don't have to choose a restaurant with you.

[Stillwagon]

I've also noticed that American cuisine often tends to use fats to flavor food, whereas Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine seems to rely more upon herbs and spices for flavoring.  A Pakistani friend of mine referred me to Desi Cookbook for fairly authentic Pakistani recipes.  I haven't had occasion to try these recipes yet (though I'm hoping to knock one out this weekend), but figured that it might be of interest to some of the folks here.  Not that all of these recipes are ultra healthy, but I suspect that these are generally more healthy than what you are likely to find in the Betty Crocker cookbook.

The big drawback here might be availability of ingredients.  There are some ingredients in these recipes that you aren't likely to find in your local US supermarket.  But, I'm sure you could get any of this on the internets and if you live in a large metropolitan area you are likely to find specialty Indian/Pakistani shops that would carry these items.

[Nebu]

edit: besides, I was kidding around, no one really gives a fuck what your flavor profile is, as long as they don't have to choose a restaurant with you.

 

True story: I got a cricket in my food once at a chinese place in San Fran.  I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be there or not.  It did get me a free meal though!

Don't you think that blue cheese and (to a lesser degree) feta are on the stronger tasting end of the cheeses?  Perhaps it's a more aromatic than taste thing with me to be fair.  Brevibacterium linens has a way of turning me off to blue cheeses.  Taste does rely heavily on olfaction. 

[Furiously]

I could eat tomatoes and blue cheese all day. And I suppose I do like my food bold.

[Mrbloodworth]

Don't you think that blue cheese and (to a lesser degree) feta are on the stronger tasting end of the cheeses? 

Yes, thats why I love them though, a good stinky cheese.

[dusematic]

edit: besides, I was kidding around, no one really gives a fuck what your flavor profile is, as long as they don't have to choose a restaurant with you.

 

True story: I got a cricket in my food once at a chinese place in San Fran.  I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be there or not.  It did get me a free meal though!

Don't you think that blue cheese and (to a lesser degree) feta are on the stronger tasting end of the cheeses?  Perhaps it's a more aromatic than taste thing with me to be fair.  Brevibacterium linens has a way of turning me off to blue cheeses.  Taste does rely heavily on olfaction. 

Well sure they are (on the stronger side).  It's probably why I like them.  Then again, I also like mild cheeses.  Are you generally a picky eater or is it just a few weird things?  Once I dated a girl who would only order chicken fingers or noodles with melted butter.  It didn't last long.  

[Segoris]

This thread is supposed to be about HFCS Corn Sugar, I just remembered.

It still is, only now it's turned into a smarter thread about how easy it is to avoid Corn sugar.

As for blue cheese: yes please. It's tough to find good blue cheese imo, but when you do it is worth it. Otherwise, I'm all about the asiago. Asiago on some grilled chicken with tomato/green pepper with a side of rice is one of my favorite things to make that is incredibly fast and simple. When I find some really good blue cheese again, I'll try that instead but I doubt I'll go with a permanent switch to it.

[Nebu]

Not picky.  Love ethnic.  I just have a hard time with intense flavors.  For example I can only eat small pieces of really sharp, aged cheese or my mouth gets overwhelmed.  It's the intensity coupled to the long duration (due to fat) that does me in.  

Being a vegetarian also limits my options, but you'd be amazed how flavorful you can make food without meat (see Ethiopian, Thai, and Indian).

[Segoris]

Don't you think that blue cheese and (to a lesser degree) feta are on the stronger tasting end of the cheeses?  Perhaps it's a more aromatic than taste thing with me to be fair.  Brevibacterium linens has a way of turning me off to blue cheeses.  Taste does rely heavily on olfaction. 

I'm curious, do you also avoid spicy food as well and lean towards enjoying more bland food? I saw/read somewhere about people with tastebud counts that are really high don't like bold, spicy, or non-bland foods as the flavor is much more enhanced. As a result, they tend to not eat anything spicy or bold and stick to very basic but usually healthy meals.

[dusematic]

This thread is supposed to be about HFCS Corn Sugar, I just remembered.

It still is, only now it's turned into a smarter thread about how easy it is to avoid Corn sugar.

As for blue cheese: yes please. It's tough to find good blue cheese imo, but when you do it is worth it. Otherwise, I'm all about the asiago. Asiago on some grilled chicken with tomato/green pepper with a side of rice is one of my favorite things to make that is incredibly fast and simple. When I find some really good blue cheese again, I'll try that instead but I doubt I'll go with a permanent switch to it.

DUDE.  Once I was in Alabama and I stopped at some homestyle dive joint, and they had homemade bleu cheese.  I jizzed all over the place.  Best ever.

[Segoris]

I'm speechless with jealousy at this time.

[voodoolily]

Don't you think that blue cheese and (to a lesser degree) feta are on the stronger tasting end of the cheeses?  Perhaps it's a more aromatic than taste thing with me to be fair.  Brevibacterium linens has a way of turning me off to blue cheeses.  Taste does rely heavily on olfaction. 

I'm curious, do you also avoid spicy food as well and lean towards enjoying more bland food? I saw/read somewhere about people with tastebud counts that are really high don't like bold, spicy, or non-bland foods as the flavor is much more enhanced. As a result, they tend to not eat anything spicy or bold and stick to very basic but usually healthy meals.

Supertasters.

Some people are just sensitive to strong flavors. Sauced likes spicy food and blue cheese just fine, but he can't eat raw onions, hot mustard, wasabi, horseradish, etc. or he can't taste anything else in the food. It just burns out his palate.

[Samwise]

I just want to chip in here and agree with Nebu that stinky cheese is yucky.  I'm not in general a picky eater, having been raised with an ethic of eating whatever's on my plate, but blue cheese in particular is so pungent that if I eat a sizable chunk of it, my tastebuds register it as a poisonous chemical or something rather than food.  In diluted form (like in dressing) it's okay and I can see the appeal, but I tend to avoid it altogether just because it's so noxious in high doses.

That "supertaster" article is interesting.  Olives, capsaicin, and whatever it is that makes fish taste fishy (trimethylamine?) are all flavors that I seem to be more sensitive to than most folks.  But I love raw onions, raw garlic, hot mustard, wasabi, and horseradish.

[Lantyssa]

You can learn a LOT about food, cooking, and eating by doing a little survival training.  I'm a very picky eater by nature but will quickly change my song when I'm forced to live off of the land.  After three or four days without food, you become a lot less picky.  I recommend the experience to anyone.

I'd have every mammal in the area dead.  Screw crickets and grubs.

[Pennilenko]

I'd have every mammal in the area dead.  Screw crickets and grubs.

Well said.

[Segoris]

Supertasters.

Some people are just sensitive to strong flavors. Sauced likes spicy food and blue cheese just fine, but he can't eat raw onions, hot mustard, wasabi, horseradish, etc. or he can't taste anything else in the food. It just burns out his palate.

Thanks, that was what I was thinking of.

[Paelos]

This thread inspired me to try and make my own version of red beans and rice. It was a decent first effort, but I still have issues making rice without a rice cooker. I don't make it enough to justify the purchase.

[Numtini]

I don't make it enough to justify the purchase

You might find that making the purchase will change that. It's just so easy to toss stuff in and forget about them. That Sanyo above is only $47.

I'm never happy with my red beans and rice. I can do black beans like crazy, but the red just never come together. It's like I'm missing one ingredient that's costing me some subtle bit of flavor.

[SnakeCharmer]

Probably the right kind of sausage.  Andouille (from Louisiana) or Conecuh (from here in Alabama) make THE best sausage for red beans and rice.  Failing that, get some Zatarains seasoning.

[Lantyssa]

This thread inspired me to try and make my own version of red beans and rice. It was a decent first effort, but I still have issues making rice without a rice cooker. I don't make it enough to justify the purchase.

I can do perfect rice without a cooker, but it's a pain to clean the pot and you have to watch it pretty closely.  Getting a cooker is worth it.

[dusematic]

Probably the right kind of sausage.  Andouille (from Louisiana) or Conecuh (from here in Alabama) make THE best sausage for red beans and rice.  Failing that, get some Zatarains seasoning.

Try chorizo.

[KallDrexx]

I've been making home-made sushi lately.  We have a good fresh fish market, so I went to an oriental store and bought a huge bag of sushi rice, seaweed, and the bamboo mats.  It's actually extremely simple to make, and while you may not have as much of a variety of sushi as you would going out it's actually extremely cheap, filling, and delicious.  And it's fun to experiment with your own variations of sushi types.

[Sky]

Try chorizo.

Beat me to it. Chorizo, beans and rice is amazing and can go with so much. I've been on a big 'learn to cook with beans' kick lately.

[voodoolily]

This thread inspired me to try and make my own version of red beans and rice. It was a decent first effort, but I still have issues making rice without a rice cooker. I don't make it enough to justify the purchase.

I'm telling you, that pressure cooker is the joint.

[Paelos]

Yes, perhaps the pressure cooker is the answer for it's utility. The beans turned out awesome. I used a smoked sausage with the trinity and beans, then added homemade chicken stock and reduced it without a cover for 2 hours. When most of the liquid was close to gone, I smashed 1/3 of the beans up against the side of the pot, making it creamier, and added the rest of the seasonings for a final 20m of cooking.

Good stuff.

[RhyssaFireheart]

Hope you're all pleased with yourselves.  I made a salad for lunch today instead of giving into the craving for Dr Pepper and fast food.  One chopped up heart of romaine, a few fresh mushrooms, 2 slices chopped up ham (lunchmeat), and just a bit of lite ranch dressing.  That's it.  And I'm drinking water.  I'm pretty sure the lunchmeat and dressing weren't the best choices, but they are what we have in the house.  I probably could have gone with the chickpeas instead, but I forgot I had them.

Question though - since we're talking about rice here, how long does it last if you keep it in the fridge?  I have a container of mixed wild/brown rice I bought from Costco ummpity months ago and I've kept it in the fridge the whole time.  I honestly don't remember how long it's been in there, so I'm not sure if rice keeps well in situations like that or what.  Or how long you can keep it once it's been cooked. I'd made up a big batch of rice when I first bought this and split it into plastic containers to keep in the fridge, taking out half to add to stir-fry veggies for meals, but I was never sure how long it would last once you cooked it.

I know the husband and I need to eat better, especially at home, but honestly cooking is just not something that interests me.  He does more cooking than I do.  If I'm in a mood, I'll cook for us, but so much of what I make consists of "let's see what we get when I add this to the mix" versus actual recipes.

[proudft]

so much of what I make consists of "let's see what we get when I add this to the mix" versus actual recipes.

That IS cooking!   

[Sky]

I'm pretty sure the lunchmeat and dressing weren't the best choices, but they are what we have in the house.

Ham's fine in moderation. I eat a couple ham sandwiches a week - ham off-the-bone and swiss on pumpernickel with my current mustard of choice - sweet chipotle, some hippy organic stuff that's wicked. You can also use tricks to reduce the impact of the dressing, we like it on the side and dip forks so the tines have dressing on them. You can also put a small amount in the bottom of a bowl and toss the greens in it, you'll get a bit of coating throughout without drowning the greens as if you'd poured over the top.

I only use rice second day after cooking, as well. And that very rarely, it usually gets eaten as leftovers the next day or tossed. Ironically, my mother gets care packages from me, I give her the previous evening's leftovers for lunch the next day to keep her away from mcdonalds.

For the time-constrained or uninterested cook, you can get steam-in-the-bag frozen veggies that can be cooked in 5-7 minutes. There's also microwave rice, but once you've had good rice...that's why I'm looking for a rice cooker (pressure cooker!), I got spoiled eating at a thai place in LA.

[Ard]

Uncooked rice doesn't need to be stored in the refrigerator.  It lasts a long time on it's own, although I can't give you exacts, google probably can.  Our usual route is to buy a 20lb bag of it, portion it up into freezer sized ziploc bags, and store it in a sealed bucket until we need another bag of it, but we eat a lot of rice.   People more serious than I vacuum seal the bags.  White rice can go 6 months or so without, and years with, from what little I remember.  Brown rice not nearly as long.

[dusematic]

Nothing wrong with ham, although lunchmeats are bad for you and loaded with bullshit.  If you can get real ham you're better off.  The key with salads is dressing.  You gotta find something tasty yet low in calories, and then (this is key) toss the salad.  That's important to thinly but evenly coat the salad to get the most mileage out of it, so you don't end up using more than necessary.  If you use too much dressing you may as well just eat fast food.