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Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Benjamin Grimm Apr 10 2020 06:49 AM

It would appear that COVID-19 is worthy of several threads. Let's devote this one to how we've been feeding ourselves and our families. Finding a delivery slot where I live is virtually impossible. I've ventured out to supermarkets a few times, trying to go when it's less likely to be crowded. (A half hour before closing seems to work pretty well.) My local Shop Rite, which I don't normally shop at because it's not the nearest option, has had some pickup times available and I've done that a couple of times. (Pull up under the awning, pop the trunk, and they load it up for you.) But those slots are becoming harder to find as well. InstaCart has been a total wipeout. Every time I check, there are no slots available. I think their delivery people are maxed out. I have a decent stockpile of non-perishable goods. Cans of soup and chili and vegetables. Frozen veggies and some P.F. Chang frozen stir-fry dinners. And lots of boxes of pasta and jars of Prego and Classico spaghetti sauce. And plenty of Pop-Tarts! I add more of that stuff whenever I can arrange a pickup time, and have ordered a few things from Amazon, like cat litter. The main thing I have to keep replenishing is the fresh stuff. I like to include broccoli when I do a stir-fry. And I like to have boneless chicken breasts and tenderloins, pork, and sausage. (I now have too much sausage! Some of it will have to go in the freezer.) Haven't been doing too much takeout, but I did a drive-through at Popeye's a few days ago. Got sixteen pieces of chicken and my two kids and I devoured it all in less than 24 hours. The grocery stores seem to have a good supply of the perishable stuff, like milk, eggs, meat, and fresh vegetables. The packaged stuff isn't being replenished as quickly. A look at the pasta aisle shows which varieties are less popular. Shells and elbows are the last to sell out, other than lasagna noodles, which nobody seems to want. How's it going with you? How are you eating? Any challenges? Any tips to share?

Fman99 Apr 10 2020 06:55 AM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Our routine has not changed too much. We're eating more lunches at home, now that the kids and I are here all day. And we have not eaten out once since this all blew up. Normally we'd get take out once a week or so but I don't really want to have other people handling my food. I know I should be supporting local eateries right now but we didn't eat out much to begin with. I am still supporting my favorite micro-breweries by getting a growler to go once a week or so. I still do a once a week trip to Wegmans to get the groceries I need. Most weeks I can find 90-95% of the things I'm looking for. The biggest thing is that I've cooked dinner each night for 3-4 weeks now without a break. That's what I miss - the takeout affords me a night where I don't have to cook and I have not had that any time recently. We may have to get something tonight in fact just so I can have a break.

Willets Point Apr 10 2020 07:58 AM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

I don't have much to say about food but as the family dishwasher it is amazing how quickly the dishes pile up when you have four people eating three meals a day (and snacks) at home.

Ceetar Apr 10 2020 08:05 AM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

food wise, stores are running out of stuff and Amazon keeps delaying my monthly toilet paper delivery, but otherwise much the same. Doing delivery a bit more, especially for more local restaurant stuff, though not really much more often than usual. been ordering more though for leftovers, seems to be wise, limits contact by bulk. two pizzas instead of one, extra dish at the chinese place, an extra side, etc. agree on the dishwasher load too. plus i keep experimenting with sourdough and water/flour is sticky and annoying to clean.

metsmarathon Apr 10 2020 09:22 AM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

our biggest change is the lunches and the snacks, though that's not much of a driver, i guess. we generally cook for ourselves most nights, and we're doing that a little more frequently, i suppose, with a weekly dining out cut down in half, i'd guess. grocery stores by us are fairly well stocked, except for paper products. pasta and canned tomato products were wiped out early, but are coming back. we're typically able to pick up ~90% of what we normally would get on a pre-pandemic shopping trip. one thing that i'm glad i started doing before this hit, was keeping track of the meals we cook each week. i'd been doing it off and on, mostly off, for years, and the habit never stuck. but this year, i started doing it again and it's been going strong since new years. it gives me the opportunity to look back on different things that i've cooked and helps to not fall into a pattern of rote repetition. i also have space for notes on what did and did not work about a particular meal, so that i can either identify modifications to recipes or figure out which things should never be made again, and which need to be added to a more regular rotation. when we do our weekly meal planning, i thumb through the book to find things we haven't made in a while that most everybody liked, or that the little guys tolerated, and mix in the "usuals" around them, and adjust if there are any shortages, or spontaneous buys. happily, also, my wife and i are both generally equally adept at cooking. she has her specialties and i have mine, so we're able to split the cooking chore between us so we don't get burnt out. at least not on that particular task... food is the thing we've probably got the best handle on in these times. homeschooling, work productivity, and sanity-keeping, on the other hand....

MFS62 Apr 10 2020 09:27 AM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Our town's website has the local restaurants, with hours, and type of service (take-out only, curbside pick-up, home delivery). So far, we haven't taken advantage as much as we would have liked. Later

Ceetar Apr 10 2020 10:26 AM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

my wife keeps panic buying when she does the shopping (and considering shes' still going into work and I'm not, it makes sense for her to do it) extra ground beef, extra cutlets, pre-packaged stomboli type things. Kids only eat dinosaur nuggets though.

Benjamin Grimm Apr 10 2020 10:33 AM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Ground beef is in rare supply where I live. Chicken and pork are much more readily available than beef, especially the ground variety.

Johnny Lunchbucket Apr 10 2020 10:35 AM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Haven't taken out a single meal since this started. We cook most nights anyway but had already started cutting back on takeout due to unease with the delivery services we spoke about previously. We do miss hitting the pub or a restaurant. Shopping here is okay, We have several Key Food/Associated level neighborhood spots we can walk to and a big Food Bazzaar (awesome) and Stop & Shop (eh) if/when we drive. Supermarkets in general are absorbing nearly all the $$ America used to spent on restaurants. This is $1.5 trillion a year, evenly split between the channels (we eat more often at home, but the $$ is actually slightly more on the restaurant side). So supes are doing ridiculous business. The stock outs are mainly because Trump fucked up the preparedness and people panicked, and inventory controls are so good now (nobody keeps stock "in the back room" anymore--that's wasted $$), retailers and suppliers simply weren't set up for demand. So there is a lot of food out there but the added volume makes them focus on the stuff there's most of (so slower-selling items aren't getting on the trucks). Interestingly when things open back up there could be price wars as they fight to keep the share they've gained. We're switching things up at home by all drawing a country for a cuisine to prep. I got Uruguay and made chivitos which were awesome. Wifey Bucket got the UK and made yorkshire pudding and tonight, Lunchpail is going to try some chicken and peanut thing from the Ivory Coast. That's going to be interesting. Do your own World Cup of food! https://www.instagram.com/p/B-f4jzxJW8y/

Willets Point Apr 10 2020 12:21 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Ground beef is in rare supply where I live. Chicken and pork are much more readily available than beef, especially the ground variety. Last time when I went shopping there was absolutely no chicken (except prepared fried chicken in the produce section) but there was beef and some turkey.

Fman99 Apr 10 2020 01:41 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Willets Point wrote: I don't have much to say about food but as the family dishwasher it is amazing how quickly the dishes pile up when you have four people eating three meals a day (and snacks) at home. Yeah, man, same here. For us it's 3 people here during the day but it's definitely eating up much of the time spent not commuting.

Frayed Knot Apr 10 2020 03:52 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: The stock outs are mainly because Trump fucked up the preparedness and people panicked, and inventory controls are so good now (nobody keeps stock "in the back room" anymore--that's wasted $$), retailers and suppliers simply weren't set up for demand. The toilet paper thing still makes no sense. Hoarding started prior to anything Trump did (or didn't do) and also prior to any stay-at-home edicts either local or more widespread. Was reading a story where purchases were already up some 50% by early March (ST was still ongoing at that point) at which point they shot up some 850% by the middle of the month. It's totally irrational and yet more than a month later it continues. I saw a lady and her (8 y/o?) kid walking out of a supermarket yesterday and the kid was carrying two TP packages that were bigger than she was. Today I saw a neighbor pop a trunk to fish out his 45-Pack (at least it was just one) but it's not even merely a 45-Pack but it's a 45-Pack of Triple-Sized rolls so it's the equivalent of 135 rolls of paper!! NO ONE needs that kind of supply but that's what folks are grabbing as if by reflex. Personally, I just happened to buy a medium-sized pack (6 XL rolls) just prior to this all happening and that was just because I thought I needed some and it was on sale. Turned out that I had a few more spare than I thought so I didn't even break into this new stash until last week some time. So now I've got five of the six left and I'm good until at least early May. Now some households are a lot bigger than mine but, unless these people have 19 kids at home, the fact that I'm managing quite nicely with ONE normal-sized package kinds of puts to rest the idea that they need multiple packages the size of sub-compact cars.

Ceetar Apr 10 2020 04:51 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

well as he said, the inventory control is so tight that the initial rush, which was very peer pressure driven, to stock up an additional month or two overloaded the inventory. And then the order came down to stay at home and everyone that realized they couldn't just amble into the store whenever realized THEY should also stock up, and it started all over again. Now I think people just see a package of toilet paper and panic-buy it even if they're set through June because who knows?!? I still don't know why there's still a delay to the point that Amazon isn't projecting being able to mail me some until late May. And I guess it's the same with everything, plus more people cooking at home? I wouldn't have imagined there would be this run on pasta and flour. (he says, as he feeds both of his sourdough starters again)

41Forever Apr 10 2020 05:08 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

We are blessed that my wife and I are able to continue working from home and are getting paid. We've been trying to support our local small businesses and carry out a couple times a week. Maybe more. Our favorite sit-down place closed once it worked through its inventory, which was a bummer. Otherwise I've enjoyed making meals. I made a full Thanksgiving dinner one night. My local bagel store allows me to buy my poppy seed bagels in bulk, and I stash some in the freezer. They take care of me! We accidentally hoarded TP. I was at the market on the way home from work, noticed the store had some and bought a package. They only had the super-sized package, which we never get, but it was all they had. What I didn't know was that my wife was in the store earlier and did the same thing. So we're set. For a long time. Hope everyone is doing well.

Frayed Knot Apr 10 2020 05:18 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Yeah, essentially there are three parent companies that manufacture most of the nation's toilet paper (under various brands). It's a low margin product so they try to make up for it with high volume which means they manufacture this stuff 24/7 under normal circumstances. And this all makes sense since, as a product whose sales aren't seasonally affected or subject to fads, the overall volume remains essentially identical every day/week/month of the year. iow, it's a totally predictable business ... right up until the time when it isn't and that's when things go haywire. So I'm not really complaining as much as I just can't get my head around why it starts in the first place -- ['Hey did you hear that there's a virus going around in China? ... we better stock up on toilet paper!!!']. The run on cleaning products I understand [alcohol wipes, hand sanitizer, more dishwashing than usual as mentioned above] as those, unlike TP, people ARE using (or trying to use) much more since the outbreak of Covid then they were before. But once hoarding starts hoarding tends to beget more hoarding and so there's basically nothing to do except wait for human beings to become rational again ... and that tends to take a while.

cal sharpie Apr 10 2020 07:09 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

We've been cooking most nights and lunch as well. Once a week we will get takeout from a local restaurant. As my daughter is in the restaurant biz I feel you have to help local merchants stay around. Once a week or so in the mediocre supermarket near our house but also patronizing farmers markets as those guys need help and the produce is really good. Went to the supermarket today and just hit depressed over not finding things like not-ground pepper or vanilla extract - the local guy had some. My wife has been baking which is delicious but I'm gonna need to deal with losing some weight when this is over.

kcmets Apr 10 2020 07:35 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

I've been cooking and shopping pretty much normal. It's been a bunch of weeks now so one week I couldn't get this and another week I couldn't get that. This morning we got some stuff at BJ's and then went to Shop-rite where there was only one entrance available with two security guards and a line to get in. I didn't stay because I was under-dressed to hang out in the 30 mph winds lol. I miss our Chinese, they've been closed about a month. We got take-out yesterday from a Mexican restaurant we like. They were so happy to see us and gave us a feast. I think that was the first meal we've had in quite awhile that was take out. Tomorrow morning we're going to a better (older and more familiar) Shop-rite at 8:01 am. Need weekend food and I'm going in with no holds barred. And yeah, the dishwasher is run like every 48 hours and it's me, KB and the dog?

Ceetar Apr 11 2020 08:07 AM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

my sourdough bread came out okay. not perfect. tasty, but needed more rise. not sure if more proofing or oven temp or something. Will try again. also melted 24 peeps and made marshmallow fondant. Just for the fun of it, probably better to use bulk marshmallow and food coloring instead. If i was making an easter cake it'd be fun to say it's real Peeps but we're just whipping up the standard-iced bunny cake.

Johnny Lunchbucket Apr 11 2020 09:54 AM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Lunchpail's chicken stew came out okay, a little bit greasy and not spicy enough but a good start. We drew again and I got Jamaica, Wifey got Sweden and he got. North Korea

kcmets Apr 11 2020 11:28 AM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Chicken can be weird. Back in another life I used to regularly get chicken cacciatore at local joint. It had some breast but the base was mostly dark meat on the bone with skin. I could never duplicate it at home (too greasy) and gave up. That old haunt is long gone.

Frayed Knot Apr 11 2020 12:57 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: ... and he got. North Korea So then I guess he'll be serving nothing?

kcmets Apr 11 2020 01:07 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

And you better like it, the nothing at the gulag is even worse!

Benjamin Grimm Apr 11 2020 02:03 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

So am I the only one here who's making a conscious effort to avoid going to grocery stores? (And not always succeeding, by the way.) Has anyone else tried pickup or delivery services for groceries? Target is offering same-day delivery; I may give them a try early this coming week, because we're going to need milk. I'm probably good for just about everything else until my next scheduled pickup on April 22. But of course, to get Target to deliver me the milk I had to have a minimum of $35 in orders, so I added some other stuff that I know I'll need eventually.

cal sharpie Apr 11 2020 02:48 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Just read Lunchbucket's world food post. About 4 years ago we decided to do the same thing. Put the names of all countries in a container and selected one by one. It quickly became a restaurant/cooking project. The restaurant part led us to parts of tge city we had otherwise not been in, the cooking led us to ingredients we had never used (such as dried shrimp which are pretty gross). At some point we decided we would go to the final country (actually when there were 5 left we would eliminate places we wouldn't go in case we ended up with someplace like Somalia). The final 5 were Venezuela (no), Tuvalu (no) and 3 we would be happy to go to: Mozambique, Vietnam and Zambia. Vietnam won and we were planning to go this fall but who knows now. One takeaway from that project: there are way too many African countries and many of them have pretty much the same cuisine. Have fun, we did.

RealityChuck Apr 11 2020 03:28 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

I still am going out to shop. The number of cases in Schenectady is still small (0.01% of the population vs. 2% in New York City), so it's relatively safe if you use precautions. We are getting takeout, but only for small, local restaurants, not chains. We're pretty well stocked. About three months of toilet paper that I bought a couple of weeks before the run on it. That was just because I always buy a case of it when I get low. I plan to go out shopping again Monday morning.

duan Apr 11 2020 03:31 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Aloha - greetings from Dublin where we've been in 'strange times' since March 12th. It started out with just schools & universities closed but has moved to all 'non-essential' businesses closed and will be like that until at least May 5th. The essential includes everything food related, and while all cafés, bars and restaurants are closed for sit in, if they can do take out under the guidelines they're allowed open. What we're doing is keeping everything small and local. I still go to the butchers, still go to the bakery and the local shop. I just don't go to the big supermarkets. All of the above are really clean and easy - only ever 3/4 people inside and 2 metres (6 and a bit feet) clearly marked inside and for the queue out. I'm also getting small producers to deliver or click and collect. I got a veg box delivered this week - all Irish producers - and it's also making me prepare things outside of my comfort zone - tonight before the linguine con vongole (linguine with clams!) there was a beetroot and goats cheese starter that I'd NEVER IN THE WORLD have tried to make were it not for about 10 beetroots of different colours (I thought there was just the purple) in the box. Quite a few people round here are delivering "for you to cook" or "almost ready" dining experiences. Like F'man - it's the relentlessness of the mealtimes that I'm struggling with - two small people don't wait very patiently I've noticed. Anyway It's all fucked up, I hope all of ye are keeping well, staying safe and that at the end of this we'll get to enjoy an IGT with a refreshment of our respective choice. Give everyone in your household a hug you all deserve it.

LWFS Apr 11 2020 11:27 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

I've been cooking some.

Lefty Specialist Apr 12 2020 02:28 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Went to the local Shop-Rite for the first time in 3 weeks on Friday, and it was a shitshow. The produce aisle either had too much or too little; tons of pineapples but no oranges or potatoes, for instance. No ground beef, barely any cheese and the cold cut counter was closed. Few cleaning supplies, and paper products, forget it. Plenty of some things, though- milk, eggs, ice cream, pasta, Oreos, and soda. Some people were with the program (they wouldn't let you in the store without a mask, and they had plenty of wipes to take as you came in even if they were out of them on the shelves). Others were just like it was the old days, loitering in the middle of an aisle without realizing they were causing a traffic jam because people couldn't get past them. One asshole bellowing that he didn't want to wait on line for a checkout register even though everyone else was. We got enough to last the two of us for a month in a pinch, so we're good for now. I hadn't had macaroni and cheese from a box in ages, but it's pretty good if you add some spices and such. Getting creative, and I do all the cooking, a task the Missus is happy to let me have. I make big meals and freeze the leftovers, baked ziti and chili among them. Have 3 cases of beer so I'm stocked in that department. Even sent Lefty Jr an Omaha Steaks shipment so that his mother doesn't lie awake wondering if he's starving. We haven't had a takeout meal in 3 weeks. We're seeing a couple of restaurants and our favorite bakery just give up and close indefinitely. Most of the others are trying to do take-out and delivery even if they didn't do it before. But I'm betting only a few of the local places survive if this goes on much longer. Even if they open back up, how does a restaurant survive if they can only seat half the people they used to?

The Hot Corner Apr 13 2020 05:57 AM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

I try to do most of the grocery shopping since my wife works from home and I still go in to work a few hours a week to see patients for eye emergencies/urgencies. Not seeing many patients, but the phone rings nonstop. Amazing what patients consider an emergency. Anyway, since I'm out and facing the public, I swing by the grocery stores once or twice a week to pick up items we need. Haven't seen a single roll of toilet paper in a store for roughly a month. It disappears as soon as it hits the shelves. We have ordered take out from local restaurants we like once or twice, but we mostly cook at home. My wife and I prepare most meals together since I'm home most of the time.

dgwphotography Apr 13 2020 11:30 AM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

I do all of the grocery shopping, and go once a week. Last week, our local stop & shop had both toilet paper and paper towels, so I felt like I hit the lottery getting a pack of each. Other than that, I've been able to get what we've needed, so we're stocked for the three of us for a few weeks. I've been doing the same as Lefty, making big meals that last last over a couple of nights. We've also been getting take out from a few select local restaurants a couple of times a week. Unfortunately, the Chinese restaurant we frequent has been closed since mid March.

batmagadanleadoff Apr 13 2020 02:55 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

I made chili like three or four times in the past two weeks. I'm trying to fine tune my recipe. Seasonings and spices, I think, is like 75% of what's going to determine the likeability of this dish. Maybe even higher. I might've had a breakthrough the last time I made it. I haven't seen one recipe that calls for adding any spices{other than salt and pepper} at the very end. So most of the spices that are supposed to make the chili taste like chili are added early on and get cooked for about as long as it takes you to make the dish. But yesterday, I added a tablespoon of cumin at the very end, when the chili was done, and just stirred it in. I detected a noteable difference that I liked. Also, the last time I went out to the supermarket - about three days ago - was the first time I saw toilet paper in the age of the coronavirus. I was stocked anyways because by coincidence, just before the toilet paper hoarding began, my supermarket had a great sale on the brand of toilet paper I buy and so I bought two huge packs of it.

LWFS Apr 13 2020 06:09 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus Edited 3 time(s), most recently on Apr 14 2020 12:59 AM

I mean, that's pretty good to hear. Considering all the chilimaking. (TIP: If you can grab cumin seeds instead of already-ground cumin, toast and grind those-- like, in a coffee grinder, say-- and then put THAT in... it'll boost the flavor of your chili like nobody's business.) Pantry things to stock regardless of what style of thing you're making regularly-- beans, steak, chili, ramen, pancakes-- during all this: -- UMAMI/GLUTAMATE CHEATS: Soy sauce; miso paste/other fermented-soy business; tomato paste/sundried tomato/cherrry tomatoes (for easy toaster-oven roasting); fish sauce; anchovies; parmigano reggiano; mushrooms (dried work pretty damn well, too); kombu/nori/other dried seaweed flakes or sheets -- FRESH HERBS: Parsley, cilantro, oregano, basil... but it ALMOST doesn't matter which, in a pinch. Use leaves and stems. They'll help even your pantriest pantry ingredients taste like something fresh. Windowboxes/windowsills/backyard gardens are your friend. -- AROMATICS: Onions and garlic (or deriviatives thereof, like, shallots or scallions), mostly. Scallions are cool, if only because you can pretty much regrow two or three different batches over and over for a month or so, with judicious clipping. It's like the Hanukkah oil of alliums. -- LEMONS/OTHER CITRUS: See above re: fresh herbs. Zest brightens anything. Juice brightens AND adds acid. There is almost literally nothing-- fried rice, chili, baked beans, scrambled friggin' eggs-- that a dash of lemon doesn't help.

Ceetar Apr 13 2020 06:10 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=35114 time=1586811343 user_id=68] . But yesterday, I added a tablespoon of cumin at the very end, when the chili was done, and just stirred it in. I detected a noteable difference that I liked.

I suspect this might be a lot like cold brew coffee. I've been thinking about it for tomato sauce too.

LWFS Apr 13 2020 06:24 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Left-field flavor punch up for even the most purist-y Italian gravy: pop a kiss of Asian fish sauce in about a minute before you're done cooking. Stir, heat. You'll like the result.

MFS62 Apr 15 2020 06:20 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

My friend just told me he has been on a pancake and pizza diet because those are the only things that can be slipped under his door. Now that Passover is over, I offered my leftover matzos*, but he declined, saying it would be a bitch slipping them under one-by-one. Later * = we had bought ten boxes, to give to our kids at the Seder we never had.

kcmets Apr 15 2020 06:40 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

=LWFS post_id=35121 time=1586823867 user_id=84]Left-field flavor punch up for even the most purist-y Italian gravy: pop a kiss of Asian fish sauce in about a minute before you're done cooking. Stir, heat.

I haven't done it in awhile but I used to sneak some anchovy paste into

my sauce perhaps with a similar effect.

LWFS Apr 15 2020 06:56 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

=kcmets post_id=35235 time=1586997619 user_id=53] =LWFS post_id=35121 time=1586823867 user_id=84]Left-field flavor punch up for even the most purist-y Italian gravy: pop a kiss of Asian fish sauce in about a minute before you're done cooking. Stir, heat.

I haven't done it in awhile but I used to sneak some anchovy paste into

my sauce perhaps with a similar effect.


Pretty much. Fish sauce is more or less like liquid anchovy in terms of what it brings to the flavor party.

MFS62 Apr 16 2020 08:31 AM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

I haven't done it in awhile but I used to sneak some anchovy paste into my sauce perhaps with a similar effect. Adding anchovies to a recipe has been a not-so-secret "secret ingredient" in many recipes (I see it a lot in Italian cooking) for a long time. They cook down to where they can't be seen, but add a special flavor to the dish. Later

kcmets Apr 16 2020 08:55 AM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Well, Mr. Smarty Pants, the secret I was referring to is not telling the people who turn their noses up at anchovies that it's in the sauce (or whatever 'dish'). Duh. Sorry, I'm rather cranky and it's not even 11...

Lefty Specialist Apr 16 2020 02:19 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

One thing I always do with my chili is add a half or whole hoppy/IPA-type beer to the mix, depending on how big a batch I'm making. Adds a certain je ne sais quoi. The alcohol boils out leaving the taste behind. Mm. An event like this sent us looking through our garage freezer and way in the back we found an apple pie my wife had baked for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving 2017, that is. It'll be dessert tonight. Hoping for the best. And if not, well, we'd forgotten about it anyway.

Ceetar Apr 16 2020 02:37 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

2017 is probably okay I'd wager. I'm not eaten the frozen beef from 2016 i just found. Though you could consider cherpumple'ing the apple pie into like a spice cake or something. Might freshen it up.

LWFS Apr 16 2020 05:44 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Crush it, milk and egg it, lemon zest it, nutmeg it, toss it in the oven... and you've got apple-pie bread pudding?

Johnny Lunchbucket Apr 18 2020 06:59 AM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Jamaica night was a success: Jerk chicken, beans & rice in coconut milk, fried plantains. Spicy food doesn't really like me so I guess we were lucky to have struck out on scotch bonnets and went with much milder jalapenos -- nowhere near the kick from some actual jerk we've had before but there was some low-level heat we all got into and it didn't overpower all the rest of the shit we put in there. Plantains with some salt = heavy but agreeable beer food.

kcmets Apr 18 2020 12:54 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

This is a staple marinade I use a lot during the summer. It's not jerk per se, I have it labeled as Caribbean Hot Pot because I also use it in the crock pot year round. 1 QT chicken broth 4 big juicy oranges quartered and squeezed 1/3 CUP soy sauce 1/4 red wine vinegar 2 TBSPN olive oil, freshly grated ginger root 1 TBSPN brown sugar 2 TSPN salt, all-spice 1 TSPN black pepper, cayenne pepper, white pepper, nutmeg, onion powder and garlic powder 2 sliced habañero peppers 4-5 chopped scallions Today I'm marinating drum sticks and thighs for 24 hours and then slow griil tomorrow on the Weber kettle grill for about 2 hours. I put some of the marinade in a squirt bottle to use during the grill time. Of course, if that's too much pepper one can just use one habañero and halve the red/black/and whites.

Johnny Lunchbucket Apr 18 2020 04:39 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Very similar to what we whipped up. 2 hours seems a lot for chix on the Weber kettle even indirect. Last night I put the pieces above the fire and just turned em constantly, got it done in ,40 minutes even the breast

Edgy MD Apr 18 2020 04:52 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Having our first take-out of the Corona era tonight. Both of us are a little leery.

kcmets Apr 18 2020 05:46 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: 2 hours seems a lot for chix on the Weber kettle even indirect. Last night I put the pieces above the fire and just turned em constantly, got it done in ,40 minutes even the breast Maybe an hour and half, indirect low and slow and lots of smoke!

MFS62 Apr 18 2020 07:26 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Edgy MD wrote: Having our first take-out of the Corona era tonight. Both of us are a little leery. Know how you feel. We haven't dared yet. What type of food are you going to try? Later

Benjamin Grimm Apr 18 2020 07:29 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

I've done it a few times. I wash my hands after bringing the food into the house. I then grab some plates and put the food on to the plates. Then I discard everything that the food came in and wash my hands again before eating.

LWFS Apr 18 2020 08:20 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

We did Katz's for my birthday, which was cool. Like, a whole damn brisket. Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Jamaica night was a success: Jerk chicken, beans & rice in coconut milk, fried plantains. Spicy food doesn't really like me so I guess we were lucky to have struck out on scotch bonnets and went with much milder jalapenos -- nowhere near the kick from some actual jerk we've had before but there was some low-level heat we all got into and it didn't overpower all the rest of the shit we put in there. Plantains with some salt = heavy but agreeable beer food. Sounds delightful. We stayed Caribbean ourselves; since we've got many, many black beans and have been holding onto a couple of plaintains for going on a fortnight, we did the beans Cuban-style, tostone-d the plaintains up, and fudged a Cuban mojo marinade to go with some salmon and chicken thighs.

Benjamin Grimm Apr 19 2020 10:20 AM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

CNN: It may be time for grocery stores to ban customers from coming inside I haven't been inside a grocery store since April 4; I've been getting by on pickup and delivery since then. But if nobody is allowed in the stores things will really get chaotic. The pickup and delivery is already very difficult to schedule.

Ceetar Apr 19 2020 10:57 AM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Benjamin Grimm wrote: CNN: It may be time for grocery stores to ban customers from coming inside I haven't been inside a grocery store since April 4; I've been getting by on pickup and delivery since then. But if nobody is allowed in the stores things will really get chaotic. The pickup and delivery is already very difficult to schedule. well, they could do the shopping for you with curbside pickup. They could manage inventory better online. A lot of them have these services already, and I suspect a lot of people that hadn't made the jump to delivery/curbside will continue to do so when the virus lifts anyway, so it'd be a good thing to be ramping up better anyway. We're actually not even that far being able to navigate the store in VR. Hell, we're probably not that far from navigating the store via robot in VR. Hell, if you banned humans and had the technology/capital to do so, you could probably build a shop that's completely robotic. Besides maybe humans to unload trucks to shelves. But maybe the future is large warehouses of stuff, robots that navigate tracks between shelves and slide stuff off into a box, and then slide all those boxes to a checkout belt that goes right into your trunk.

kcmets Apr 19 2020 11:34 AM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Apr 19 2020 06:56 PM

I didn't read the link but banning entry to the store wouldn't work at the super stores I shop at. It's already car chaos in these parking lots, it was chaos long before C19. Also, they'd have to hire dozens more people per shift to do the 'shopping' so you'd have the same number of humans wandering the aisles. The Shoprite's we go to have security and lines to get in with limiting number of shoppers inside at a time. It's mildly annoying, but seems relatively effective. We drove 40 minutes north yesterday to go to a Price Chopper. No entry limit, and the staff was much nicer, helpful and orchestrated where to stand and line up etc. I did self checkout and an attendant rang up my veggies as I weighed them without the PLU searches and dealing with this onion vs that onion. But again, not letting shoppers in at this point would probably set half the-already- teetering-on-the-brink public over the edge.

Johnny Lunchbucket Apr 19 2020 04:53 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Grocery stores can't do curbside in the volume shoppers want it now. Each order incurs their own costs because it replaced labor the shopper otherwise does for free, and assortments are so compromised now that getting orders "right" is nearly impossible so it's an operations and profit nightmare for stores. Plus grocery stores are not designed to be efficient, they are designed to make customers wander around, so shopping them just for their inventory is incredibly inefficient. And now with crowd restrictions, gig shoppers are slower than ever. What we'll start to see are some stores switched to e-commerce only, and serve surrounding stores. Other stores have been looking at mini robotic warehouses in the back room, but there's only a handful up and running today. The problem is the industry wasn't ready for this kind of if demand explosion, it's like 5 years happened in 1 week.

Ceetar Apr 19 2020 08:59 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

yeah, the 5 years thing in 1 week. But also, as with any industry that struggles, there's already been a reluctance to adapt, whether that's financial or otherwise, to changing climates. The delivery/curbside stuff has been gaining ground for years. Consumers are less willing to put up with the trap layout that makes us wander around and guessing where things are. And then waiting on understaffed checkout lanes. I like to go to Wegmans when I can, but my local stop and shop with the self-scan and self-checkout allows me to go in and out of the store only touching the items i'm buying, the cart I can wipe, and like 3 buttons on the checkout touch screen.

kcmets Apr 19 2020 09:09 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Trap layout, trap smayout... I've never felt like a mouse in a maze in any supermarket.

kcmets Apr 20 2020 01:51 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

I'll say one more thing, I hope when this all blows over the one-way aisles in these big stores sticks and becomes the norm. Makes for a better flow.

metsmarathon Apr 20 2020 02:23 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

i just noticed this weekend the arrows on the floor indicating one-way aisles in my local stop n shop. of course, the place was nearly empty, the shelves were mostly emptier, and i was walking around with just one re-usable bag. and i noticed the arrows at the end of my trip, or at least only then realized their purpose. not sure if they are in my local shoprite. yet. i'm not on board with remote shopping yet. even though i use a list, and plan out my weekly meals, there's still a lot that i buy improvisationally to round out my order, and my side dishes. and the remote shopping really only works with real-time updated inventory right now with all the product scarcity. i also don't trust some schlub to pick out my produce. only i can ensure that the bag of clementines has one fully moldy fruit deep in its core. maybe i'm just old-fashioned. but i do echo the sentiment that store-traps ain't trapping me one bit. after two weeks in any grocery store, i've got its arrangement on lockdown, and can usually wander into any random store and find what i need, even the obscure shit, with minimal difficulty.

Benjamin Grimm Apr 20 2020 02:28 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

I don't feel like a rat in a maze either. There are sections clearly marked DAIRY, MEAT, PRODUCE, BAKERY. The pet supplies are in the pet supply aisle. There's an aisle that has cereal and oatmeal and other breakfast foods. There's an aisle for soup. For pasta. It's not like the Milk Bones are shelved with the linguini and the Froot Loops are hidden next to the butter.

Frayed Knot Apr 20 2020 02:33 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

And people want to SEE the meat and chicken and fruit they're buying before they buy it. Having your toilet paper and tin foil pre-shopped and brought out for you is one thing, FOOD is quite another. There's only so much you can automate and there's only so much I WANT to have automated.

Ceetar Apr 20 2020 02:57 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

=metsmarathon post_id=35488 time=1587414205 user_id=83] but i do echo the sentiment that store-traps ain't trapping me one bit. after two weeks in any grocery store, i've got its arrangement on lockdown, and can usually wander into any random store and find what i need, even the obscure shit, with minimal difficulty.

you may think that, but it's probably not 100% true. I mean, end-caps, sale displays, items in the lobby, all that stuff is basically trying to entice you to buy it. Even if you only need basics, say strawberries and milk, you probably have to traverse the entire store.



well sure, you want to see and squeeze the produce, but on the other hand, there's no way it's not fresher if you're cutting out steps, plus they can keep them in a better/cooler location. If they continually send you bad stuff, you won't shop with them. And if you really want, you can still go to specialty stores, or butchers or farmers markets, etc.



In theory i like the one-way aisles, but in practical matters I'll choose an aisle based on how busy it is, and frequently want to turn around if there's gridlock on the other end. It would definitely lead to you going down more aisles, past more groceries though. one of the traps.

batmagadanleadoff Jul 04 2020 04:59 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Between the 4th of July, Joey Chestnut and Nathan's, I'm in the mood for a hot dog. I've got hot dogs on stash, mustard, sauerkraut and chili, too. But no hot dog buns. Joey Chestnut sets world record, downs 75 hot dogs in Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Excerpt: Joey Chestnut eclipsed his own world record Saturday, winning his 13th title in the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. Chestnut downed 75 frankfurters to beat his 2018 mark of 74. The annual hot dog contest took place at a private New York location with COVID-19 safety measures in place instead of its usual Coney Island boardwalk spot. No fans were in attendance, and competitors were spaced six feet apart while separated by plexiglass. Chestnut ate the 1,000th hot dog of his competitive eating career with his 62nd frankfurter. "Jaws" fended off Darron Breeden and Nick Wehry, who finished second and third, respectively. "I knew I was fast in the beginning," Chestnut said. "I hit a wall (at the end). I really missed the crowd." https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2020/07/04/joey-chestnut-nathans-hot-dog-eating-contest-world-record/5375930002/

Frayed Knot Sep 23 2020 05:12 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

I don't know if this has anything to do with Covid per se, but there is apparently a coin shortage in this country. Well, I doubt it's a shortage of coins so much as it is a shortage of them in circulation. I guess this means coins on piling up on on top of desktops and end tables and not winding up back in stores. Anyway, the upshot of this is that those self-check-out lanes have been determined to be coin-suckers -- folks get coins out of there but rarely pump any in -- and so they've all been converted to credit/debit card only. This of course drives all the cash payers to the cashier lanes but now the 'Express' lanes seem to be disappearing as a result. I generally prefer to pay cash as I tend to make make more stops at supermarkets for fewer items at a time (I don't plan in advance real well) so those self-check lanes WERE my 'Express' lanes. Now I either have to pay by card for sometimes only a couple bucks worth of stuff or wait on line behind someone with an overflowing shopping cart worth of stuff. I think there's also an assumption that card transactions speed things up as compared to cash ... they don't.

MFS62 Sep 24 2020 07:46 PM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

We've gone to several of our favorite restaurants that now have outside dining and have noticed that they have all cut back on their menus and some of our favorite dishes were missing. I guess they're concentrating on the items with highest profit margin to try to get back what they lost when they were closed. Anyhow, it still was nice to sit outside on a pleasant day. Later

kcmets Sep 25 2020 11:07 AM Re: Dining in the time of the coronavirus

Frayed Knot wrote: I don't know if this has anything to do with Covid per se, but there is apparently a coin shortage in this country. Well, I doubt it's a shortage of coins so much as it is a shortage of them in circulation. Yeah, I was at a Chase drive-through the other day and there was a sign on the window about the national coin shortage and reserving the right to limit coin transactions bbbyyy - written by a lawyer or team of legal beagles. I googled 'coin shortage' and like every paper in the country had an article about it. I need to get out more often from under my rock.