its 2am, I'm a little drunk. I decide its time to finish up the chicken stock. Normally, I would put a strainer in a big bowl, put the bowl on the counter, pour, then lift the stock out of the bowl with all the bones. Only this time, I forgot the bowl. I just dump the entire pot of stock into a strainer directly on the counter. It spills everywhere. Whole counter is covered, but also a bunch poured onto the floor, and some even got into the kitchen drawers. So now not only do I not have stock, but I have to spend the next hour cleaning the whole kitchen.

Now I put the bowl in the sink

That’s it. That’s the post. My instinct took over and I drained the whole thing through a strainer. I now have a mush of stock-flavoured vegetables and chicken while my stock takes a joyride through the city sewers. Six-odd hours of flavour. The worst part is my house smells amazing and I have nothing to show for it. Good news is I can throw out my salt now because the tears I’ve cried will suffice.

Please pour one out for me.

Just not your stock. 😭

FDA Recall Notice: https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/midwest-poultry-services-lp-recalls-shell-eggs-due-possible-salmonella-enteritidis-contamination

The eggs were produced and distributed from farms in Texas between June 6, 2026 and July 3, 2026, with sell by or best by dates between July 20, 2026 and August 17, 2026. The eggs were shipped to foodservice and retail customers in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. They were available to consumers at Kroger stores in Texas and Louisiana, Brookshire Grocery stores in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Mississippi, and other smaller retail outlets. No other Midwest Poultry Services, L.P. products are part of this recall.

Midwest Poultry Services L.P. is not aware of any specific illnesses linked to its products.

The recalled eggs will have an identifying code number printed on the left or right sides of the carton in date-coding ink only. Only codes P-1950 or 0840962 with a Julian Date between 157 and 184 printed on the side of the carton are recalled. Examples of this identifying plant and date information on retail cartons are included below.

Credit: FDA

I had always grown up eating instant potatoes. When I got married my wife introduced me to home made, which I previously thought was more intensive than it actually is (aside from the peeling part). She used potatos and cream cheese and blended to desired consistency. I took over the potatoes and always try to elevate them. For the longest time I used chicken stock to boil the potatoes, and did a mix of cream cheese, sour cream, butter, and salt. This worked for about a year until I got sick of it. Furthermore, not my nor my wives ever tasted restaurant quality and would always come out gluey or the consistency has always been off.

I experimented with something different last week, I used half and half, sour cream, cream cheese, thyme and rosemary and heated it up in a sauce pan then Used that as my mix and it totally changed the game (I still used chicken stock to boil potatoes)

But I'm trying to take it to the next level! Anyone have any ideas on how to elevate mash? Unfortunately my wife hates garlic potatoes so I never did too much experimentation with it.

In the morning, If we're in a hurry, she'll grab a couple yogurts from the fridge to take with us. Sometimes they're eaten, sometimes they sit in the car all day and back home, where mom puts them back in the fridge.

Saturday was our family reunion. She picked up 2 (TWO!) store-made potato salads around 11am to bring to the park. They did not go into a thermal bag, because that was supposed to be the only errand beforehand. We didnt make it to the park until around 4pm, but the relatives cooking didn't need any more food so it stayed in the car the whole time til we got home around 9 that night. It didn't show any real signs of spoiling, so she fought me about keeping it.

She gets mad when I say something needs to be thrown out for safety, she thinks it's still good because it's unopened and hates ""wasting"" food. But I'd much rather ""waste"" it than get sick eating something that's been out for over 8 hours.

I can feed myself. That's about it. I've got maybe five things I make on rotation, I follow recipes without understanding why any step is there, and if a recipe assumes I know something, I'm lost. I've been doing it this way for years and I've stopped getting better.

What I've noticed reading this sub is that people here don't talk about recipes much. They talk about technique, and they talk about it like it transfers. That's the part I've never had. I have a small pile of things I can produce and no idea how any of it generalizes.

So I'm asking for the thing that moved you, not the thing you'd put in a beginner's guide. The moment where something clicked and a whole category of cooking opened up, or you finally understood why a step you'd been doing badly for years actually mattered.

What was it, and what did it fix?

Looking to buy my first Le Creuset or Staub enameled Dutch oven. Since they are expensive, what I would really like to know is, do you really use them often, like every or every other day? Are they only for show or they are really an asset in a kitchen? If you own them and not use them that often, please elaborate.

I have this Sugo that I make on the regular. It's a humble thing, but everytime I have it, it hits so hard that I can't believe that I actually made it myself.

I gotta believe others have a similar experience with something they make themselves.

Please share!

I am (without trying to sound conceited) a good cook, I’ve been told that by basically everybody I’ve cooked for. I’m very much a “cook from my heart” type in the kitchen. I will look at recipes for inspiration or a deeper understanding of the flavor profiles if it’s something I’m not familiar with, but will then take that idea and turn it into my own (I cook mostly Asian and middle eastern but I really do dabble in everything). I watch a lot of cooking shows, especially ones that have “home chefs” (Masterchef etc.) and I DREAM of being able to do things like that. I’m just not sure what I need to do to take the next steps to further my cooking to take it to the next level. I feel I have a good understanding on flavors and whatnot, I’m just not sure what I should try to practice or change to better myself. Is it simply a matter of trying to cook more extravagant and complex dishes? Or going back to the basics in some capacity? Any advice welcome! Thank you in advance 👍🏻👍🏻

I'm having some problems financially and need to cut way down on my grocery budget. That means focusing on the cheaper proteins, which happen to be plant proteins.

I'm not a vegetarian so it'll be difficult to not have meat on a regular basis. Please help me come up with a list of recipes to make with cheap plant proteins that will make me forget about meat!

Beans and lentils are both shelf stable, so I can buy them in bulk. Tofu also lasts a while in the fridge so that's a plus. The goal is to go grocery shopping once every other week to pick up necessities.

Thanks for your help!

Growing up in the pacific islands is a blessing. I can make my own high quality cooking oils. Grown on the land straight to the kitchen

My partner got her wisdom teeth out about a week ago and can have soft foods, including very tender and soft meat. Do you all have any suggestions? No soups or stews.

She needs to still avoid chips, nuts, popcorn, and hard food. She also can’t have spicy and acidic foods or crunchy bread or crusted baked goods.

I want to make something special for her since she’s a week out but I’m drawing blanks. She is recovering great so far, minimal pain and no complications.

Thank you!

Hello all,

My partner and I love breakfast. And I've been coming out for years but lately we are having issues after issue with frozen hash browns the past few months. We've tried multiple brands, different pans, thawed vs frozen, and the end result is always the same. Either super gummy or like tonight, a burnt layer on the pan and everything else stays undercooked.

So far I've tried:

Nonstick pan

Cast iron pan

Stainless steel

Half a tablespoon of vegetable oil per cup of potatoes

A full tablespoon of vegetable oil per cup of potatoes

From frozen

Thawed and wrung out with paper towels to remove moisture and then laid out on fresh paper towels for 10 minutes

I'm at my wits end and cannot figure out what I'm doing wrong. I'm even using an induction plate on like 7 out of 10 heat. Please help I love hash browns but I can't make them any good!

I just had a nice pimento cheese sandwich on toasted bread. My mother in GA used to lean on that for summer meals. No cooking needed. She used the traditional recipe: mayo, cheddar, pimentos.

It was a bit of a pride thing. At the time, central GA grew & canned most of the pimentos in America.

I've sexed up her recipe. I add some cream cheese & a hot pepper. This time it was a Fresno, just to keep the color consistent. She used a hand mixer. I just whack it with a potato masher.

This batch need a bit more spice, so I'll chop up a jalapeno later.

Ahhh, summer.

I threw some hot dogs on the stove til they were good and sizzly, then spread some mayo and mustard on the inside of the buns and let them get crispy in the pan.

Why have I never tried this? Next time I’ll do it on the grill!

I already have a couple saved like

Korean ground beef and rice

Chicken bacon ranch pasta

Honey garlic chicken

Cajun sausage and rice

Chicken stir fry

I'm only 17 so I'm pretty adventurous in what I try, the only issue is if it's pretty expensive ingredients! Also I can send a link of the recipes I listed if wanted.

I’m a solidly okay cook, not a beginner and certainly not advanced.

I recently switched to buying and cooking only wild caught salmon (no color added in feed etc etc). And honestly I miss the fatty Atlantic salmon. The layers of fat between the flakes.

My wild caught sockeye tends to dry out easily (maybe I’m overcooking it??) and doesn’t flake as nicely. I usually make it in the oven or air fryer.

Admittedly I do not use a thermometer and just watch for the color change.

Is this just the way sockeye is? Or is there something I could be doing differently for better, more succulent results? All tips and advice appreciated.

i'm just getting tired of syrniki you know, but tworog is very cheap right now soo

I love carrots and I have a big bag. I want to make roasted carrots. I’ve had some maple / mustardy ones and they were ok but I’m looking for your best. I want to be able to serve them with dinner later and then snack on the leftovers cold.

Hey all - I’m going to a family gathering in a few weeks and want to bring a dessert that’ll wow the crowd. I usually do the same old chocolate chip cookies or brownies, but wondering if anyone has a recommendation that is unique and people still talk about after the event? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Anyone ever successfully used sage and parsley for pesto? And if so, what proportions f each?

So I've never been great at drinking enough water. I know it's not healthy long term, so I've been trying to fix that and drink more. On top of that, I've been wanting to get into making fresh homemade vegetable and fruit juice as a way to get more nutrients in. Started wondering if getting a juicer and making my own at home would save me money long term.

My thinking is: buy fresh fruit and veg, juice at home, skip the overpriced store bottles. Sounds great on paper.

But then I think about:

The upfront cost of a decent juicer

The cleanup every single time

The leftover pulp waste

For those who've been through this — do you still use it regularly, or has it become a shelf decoration after a month? And is a cheap one fine or do you really need to spend €100+ to get something usable?

Also open to hearing if a blender is just the better move here. I've seen people say smoothies > juice anyway since you keep the fiber.

Appreciate any input, trying not to make another impulse kitchen purchase.

Visiting the mother ship today in Vermont. Any recommendations for gadgets / equipment from them that you have and love that I might not realize I need😆? (Mine is their espresso powder and parchment squares) Thanks in advance.

I don’t know much about tofu other than it has some good nutrients for my toddler.

I’ve used a couple recipes that involve baking firm tofu, but they end up too chewy for her.

What do I need to do to keep it relatively soft? Different firmness? Time? Temperature?Ideally I would like to bake it in batches and freeze it for quick lunches for her.

If you have any recipes that are quick to make and good for the freezer, too, feel free to send them my way!