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Food Thread: Ketchup On A Hot Dog! Confirmation of Parkinson's Law Of Trviality!

That's disgusting!

How does one screw up a great American (in the case of course, for the crunch!) hot dog? It's pretty much the perfect casual meal!

There is one way...ketchup. There are two ways...ketchup and relish! There are three ways... a Chicago Dog. And there might be four ways...chili dogs are right on the cusp!

But ketchup is the arch criminal in this strange American gang that refuses to recognize that the hot dog is great and pure and simple when eaten with mustard and sauerkraut. Or, just mustard for you purists.

Ketchup is far too sweet and overpowers the dogs delicious, meaty flavor. And it soaks the bun too quickly and makes it a sodden mess. it is on par, or maybe even worse, than shaking a Manhattan, or (shudder) putting maple syrup on French Toast!

Horrid...just horrid!

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I needed some flour for a batch of pita, and I had, inexplicably, run out! Off to the local supermarket, where I bought their house brand, mostly because the stuff I usually buy was $8 for a five-pound bag. Yeah, this place has some interesting prices.

Anyway, it was terrible. How does one f*ck up flour? Clumpy, not milled as fine, and that probably caused the real problem, which was the incredible laxness of the dough. It had no structure at all, and I had to use a scraper to put it on the peel to transfer it to the oven.

That's nuts!

The pita wasn't bad, but it definitely wasn't my best effort. And all of this could have been avoided had I been less of a wimp as I drove past the King Arthur Flour store on my way back from shooting in New Hampshire. It was raining, so I decided not to stop.

P*ssy!

Oh...it was crap as a sourdough feed too! Probably because it was bleached.

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What? You don't know what UNIDO is?

Yeah, I didn't either until I read this article.

UNIDO revises food safety approach

UNIDO launched its Food Safety Approach 2.0 at the Vienna Food Safety Forum earlier this month. The plan calls for robust food safety systems, acknowledging the complexity and numerous stakeholders involved, and emphasizes the relevance of shared responsibility.

Challenges such as a shortage of qualified auditors, rising certification costs, and diverse regulatory requirements can disrupt supply chains. Because of increasing economic pressure, decision-makers in authorities and industry are often trying to save costs related to food safety.

What blathering nonsense, and what ridiculous overreach and duplicative effort and cost. The UN is, at best, a pathetic waste of time and money, and at worst is a malign influence in the world.
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Speaking of sourdough, this is from commenter "Joe Kidd," who snapped the photo of a friend's kid's effort on the bread-baking front. Nice looking loaf, and I especially like the subtle adornment. That stuff is fun, and can be amazing looking.

Or stupid, to which most of my efforts can attest.

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Well, here is something quite useful! it is tempting to assume that high quality and high price go hand in hand, but there are very few categories of goods in which that holds true. Sure, there is a correlation, but it is nowhere near 1!

I'm going to buy one of the two that seem to be the best, and I will run it through its paces and get back to you.

[Hat Tip: Weasel]

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This is my base for roasted rack of lamb. I play with it a lot, and really, it's a standard recipe that can be found anywhere.

Garlic Herb-Crusted Roast Rack Of Lamb

But it has occurred to me that I should probably try it with pork racks! Mustard, garlic, Parmesan, Rosemary? That will be great! obviously a different cooking technique, but still...

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I thought France would have good garlic, but the Frogs seem to have the same problem we have in the U.S. At least they don't import filthy garlic from China. Pork is great here, but no game, so send all of your extra antelope to: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com.

Who are those poor deluded souls We know who shakes their Manhattans! These are the same people who drink fine bourbon with coke, and probably shake red wine with ice too.

$1,200 for a bottle of bourbon is just stupid, insulting, and a ghastly affront to most people's palates and wallets. I think the sweet spot is $40-$60 for excellent and interesting bottles, and bumping that to $100 gets you an incremental improvement in quality, but nothing mind-blowing. More than that and I think you are paying for hype and rarity, which may look good in your liquor cabinet, but doesn't translate to more quality in the bottle.

The problem...or the solution...is to buy lots of bourbon, take tasting notes, and eventually arrive at your favorites! It should take forty or fifty years, but it is worth it!