Discontinued Candies That Deserve a Comeback

This topic explores several beloved, discontinued candy products that fans feel deserve a modern-day comeback. Each entry highlights the unique qualities of these treats and why they were once popular.

Discontinued Candies Highlighted:

Mars Planets (2003-2007): Bite-sized, celestial-themed treats available in nougat, biscuit, and caramel fillings.
Dweebs (1980s): A larger, milder, and less sour alternative to Nerds that allowed for flavor mixing.
Nestlé Crunch White Chocolate (2000s): A white chocolate take on the classic crispy rice Crunch bar.
Laffy Taffy Sparkle Cherry (1990s): Cherry taffy infused with edible glitter that sparkled under light.
Powerhouse Bar (1980s): A dense, protein-packed energy bar that predated the modern era of protein-infused snacks.
Chewy Runts (1990s): A soft, non-crunchy version of the classic fruit-shaped hard candies.
Summit Bar (1970s-1980s): A double-layered wafer and peanut bar.
Choco’Lite (1970s-1980s): An aerated, light, and fluffy chocolate bar.
Freshen-Up Gum (1970s-2010s): Known for its novelty liquid-filled center that burst upon chewing.
Skittles Bubble Gum (Early 2000s): An attempt to translate the iconic Skittles fruit flavor into a long-lasting bubble gum form.

Costco Shopping Secrets

This topic reveals various insider tips and shopping secrets that can help Costco members save money and shop more efficiently. The secrets cover everything from product pricing to travel and optical services.

Key Shopping Strategies
Morning Markdown Ritual: Employees mark down clearance items before opening, typically on Tuesday or Wednesday mornings. Decoding Price Tags: Prices ending in 97 cents indicate a manager markdown, while an asterisk on the tag means the item is being discontinued. Hidden Deals: Product samples often hint at upcoming clearance sales on overstocked items. Restocking Schedule: Fresh produce, meat, and bakery items are restocked daily in the morning, while seasonal stock is typically replenished on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Membership Perks & Insider Tips
Costco Gas: The cheapest time to fuel up is generally 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. on weekdays.
Kirkland Signature: Many house-brand items are produced by premium manufacturers (e.g., Starbucks for coffee, Duracell for batteries).
Rotisserie Chicken: Sold as a "loss leader" for $4.99; check between 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. or 4:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m. for the freshest birds.
Price Adjustments: Costco offers a price adjustment policy that allows for a refund if an item's price drops within 30 days of your purchase.
Travel & Optical: Members can access significant discounts on travel bookings (10:44) and enjoy benefits in the optical department, such as free lens replacements within 90 days.

Highlights of Cast-Iron Cooking

This episode of The Fine Cooking Podcast explores the world of cast-iron cooking, covering everything from selection and seasoning to maintenance and recipe ideas.

Key Highlights of Cast-Iron Cooking:

Why Use Cast Iron? While it doesn't conduct heat particularly well, cast iron is excellent at retaining high heat, making it perfect for searing steaks and scallops.

Seasoning Your Pan: 

Start by cleaning the pan with hot, soapy water—do not fear soap, as it is fine for seasoned pans. 

Remove any rust with a wire brush or steel wool. 

Apply a thin layer of high-smoke-point oil (like canola or grapeseed), place it upside down in an oven at 350-400°F for an hour, and let it cool inside the oven.

Maintenance Tips: 

Wash with hot water and a scraper; use a small amount of soap if necessary. 

Always thoroughly dry the pan on the stove over low heat to prevent rust. 

Apply a light coating of oil after every use. 

Store pans by nesting them with heavy-duty paper plates in between to protect the surface.

Cooking Tips: While acidic foods (like tomatoes) can be used, be aware they may require more frequent re-seasoning.

Q&A Segment:

Cooking Spray Tip: To avoid greasy floors and counters, spray your pans over an open dishwasher door for easy cleanup.

Baby Carrots: Store-bought "baby" carrots are often just adult carrots trimmed down, which explains why they may not cook through as expected; cut them smaller if needed for recipes.

Pepper Mills: You can use your mills for more than just peppercorns—try coarse sea salt, dried chili peppers, or blends of whole spices like fennel and coriander. 

how to create crispy, homemade potato chips

Nicki Sizemore from the Fine Cooking test kitchen demonstrates how to create crispy, homemade potato chips from scratch. She emphasizes that homemade versions are fresher and have a better texture than store-bought options.

Step-by-Step Process:

1. Preparation: Choose Russet potatoes, peel them, and use a mandoline to slice them into consistent, thin pieces (1/16 of an inch).

2. Starch Removal: Soak the slices in ice water to prevent oxidation and wash away excess starch, which ensures maximum crispiness.

3. Drying: Use a salad spinner to remove all moisture from the potato slices. This is a critical step for achieving the perfect crunch.

4. Frying: Heat your oil to between 350 and 360 degrees and fry the chips in small batches to avoid overcrowding the pot.

Serving Suggestions:

While the chips are delicious on their own, Nicki demonstrates how to elevate them into an elegant appetizer by topping them with fresh ricotta cheese, hummus, or creme fraiche, finished with fresh herbs like mint, dill, or chives.

Thai Hainanese Chicken Rice

 This is an interesting story about "Thai Hainanese Chicken Rice" that has become a favorite and impressed a Hong Kong food reviewer, who compared its deliciousness to a dish that even the original Guangdong style might not "achieve." Key points include:

The Charm of the Rice:

Thai rice has a distinctive aroma and deep flavor infused into every grain, thanks to the technique of stir-frying it with chicken fat, garlic, and coriander root before cooking it in a rich chicken bone broth.

Superior Chicken:

The Hong Kong reviewer compared it to the Singaporean style, which emphasizes crispy chicken skin, stating that Thai Hainanese Chicken Rice surpasses it in terms of the tender and juicy chicken meat and the meticulous deboning for easy eating.

The Sauce:

Foreigners are amazed by the Thai soy sauce recipe, which perfectly blends salty, sour, spicy, and sweet flavors in one bowl, ideally cutting through the richness of the rice. This differs from other styles that often use multiple separate sauces.

Additional Menu Items and Atmosphere:

Besides Hainanese chicken rice, other highlights include the fragrant stir-fried morning glory (Wok Hei) and the flavorful broth with herbs and pepper. To conclude, the restaurant's efficient service and reasonable prices, compared to international standards, were impressive.

Thai street food has evolved and refined its recipes, creating a unique identity that attracts diners from around the world.

A key secret to the distinctive aroma and flavor of Thai-style Hainanese chicken rice lies in the rice preparation technique. Traditional restaurants don't immediately cook the rice with broth; instead, they follow these steps:

Rice Stir-frying:

Rice grains are stir-fried with chicken fat, garlic, and coriander root until fragrant, allowing the spices to infuse into the rice.

Cooking with Concentrated Broth:

After stir-frying until fragrant, the rice is cooked with a concentrated chicken bone broth instead of plain water.

This process infuses the rice with the aroma of chicken fat and spices, creating a deep, multi-dimensional flavor profile. This is a refined technique that sets it apart from typical rice cooking methods.

The distinct differences between Thai-style Hainanese chicken rice dipping sauce and those from Singapore, Hong Kong, or the original Hainanese recipe are significant:

Complete Flavor in One Bowl:

While many countries often provide customers with three separate dipping sauces (e.g., sweet black soy sauce, ginger sauce, chili sauce) to mix themselves, Thai cuisine chooses to serve it as a "one-serving" dish, using fermented soybean paste as the main base.

Flavor Blend

Thai dipping sauces are adapted by incorporating fresh chilies, ginger, garlic, and lime into the fermented soybean paste, resulting in a perfectly balanced salty, sour, spicy, and sweet flavor in a single bowl.

Technique for Cutting Through Greasyness

Adding the sourness of fresh lime to the fermented soybean paste dipping sauce is a Thai secret used in tropical climates. It effectively cuts through the greasiness of the Hainanese chicken rice, allowing customers to enjoy the dish continuously without feeling腻 (cloying/overly rich).

Foreigners' positive impression of Thai food prices stems primarily from its excellent value for money compared to their home countries. Key points include:

Quantity and Quality Received

A Hong Kong reviewer was amazed by the table overflowing with food—Hainanese chicken rice, soup, and other side dishes—yet the total bill came to approximately 405 baht, which they considered very cheap for what they received.

Comparing with major cities abroad:

Chinese netizens compared the situation in big cities like Shanghai or Beijing, where this amount of money might only buy a single plate of Hainanese chicken rice, to Thailand where you can order multiple dishes until your table is full, making it feel like incredible value for money.

The Charm of Street Food:

The charm of Thai food lies in enjoying delicious, authentic recipes with unique characteristics at prices as low as a few hundred baht. This is a key strategy (soft power) that wins over tourists, leaving them impressed and wanting to return to Thailand again.

A Clear Difference in Chicken Chopping Techniques Between Thai and Traditional Styles:

Deboning:

Most Hainanese chicken rice restaurants in Thailand prefer to debone the chicken, resulting in thick, boneless pieces that are easy and convenient to eat.

Comparison with the Original:

Traditional Hainanese chicken rice restaurants abroad (such as Hong Kong or Singapore) often chop the chicken with the bones still attached, making it more difficult to eat compared to the Thai style.

Besides the bone issue, commenters also added that Thais are skilled at controlling the temperature of the chicken broth, resulting in perfectly cooked, tender, juicy chicken that isn't tough, and the way they chop the pieces thickly. This helps you experience the authentic taste of chicken in every bite.

While there are no detailed scientific techniques or secret recipes specific to each restaurant, comments from netizens and food reviewers suggest that Thais are adept at controlling the temperature of chicken cooking using the following main factors:

Experience and Skill: Many Thai Hainanese chicken rice restaurants use recipes passed down through generations, making the vendors or chefs highly skilled in judging the right time and temperature to cook the chicken perfectly.

Temperature Control Techniques:

The key, as mentioned in the comments, is the ability to maintain the temperature without making the chicken tough, focusing on keeping it soft and juicy. This is achieved by consistently controlling the boiling water temperature.

Attention to Detail: Thais prioritize serving perfectly cooked chicken that is easily deboned. Deboning the chicken while maintaining its texture and preventing it from becoming mushy requires precise boiling timing.

The result is chicken that is perfectly cooked, not tough, but retains its full flavor. This is the result of long-term practice and dedication, becoming a unique characteristic of Hainanese chicken rice restaurants in Thailand.

The stir-fried morning glory with chili is highly praised by Chinese tourists and netizens. The key factors that make this dish special are:

The technique of using high heat. The key to success lies in using high heat and an iron wok, a hallmark of Thai street food. This ensures the morning glory is perfectly crisp and infuses it with a distinct wok aroma (Wok Hei).

The well-rounded flavor:

The morning glory is stir-fried with seasoning sauces and garlic until the flavors permeate, resulting in a uniquely well-rounded and fragrant dish.

Attention to uniqueness:

Most Thai street food stalls still maintain their excellent wok-stir-frying technique, a technique many consider rare in modern Hong Kong restaurants where this distinctive wok aroma is fading.

The broth in Thai Hainanese chicken rice dishes is unique and distinct from other soup styles for the following reasons:

Meticulous simmering:

It doesn't rely solely on seasoning powders, but rather on simmering ingredients for extended periods to achieve natural sweetness, particularly from shiitake mushrooms.

Complex and spicy flavor:

The most distinctive feature is the generous amount of herbs and pepper, adding a spicy and multi-dimensional flavor, resulting in a rich and nutritious soup.

Unique identity:

While Cantonese people are familiar with boiled soups, they acknowledge that Thai-style soup possesses a highly unique character. In particular, the distinct spiciness from the chili peppers is something you won't find in typical traditional Chinese soups.

Legendary Khlong Toei street food district,

Uncle Oan Eats and Travels takes you on a culinary adventure through the legendary Khlong Toei street food district, renowned as a hub for delicious ingredients and a long-standing favorite among Bangkokians. Uncle Oan has selected 6 must-try restaurants:

1. Je Aew's Curry Rice (3:08): A 50-year-old curry rice shop with over 80 dishes to choose from. Their specialties are the homemade fish ball green curry with rice noodles and spicy curry.

2. Sirin Restaurant (8:36): A legendary restaurant with over 70 years of history, famous for its Hainanese-style chicken rice – tender meat, crispy skin, and rice cooked over a traditional charcoal stove.

3. Peen Rua Noodle Shop (13:43): A noodle shop serving an ancient Chinese-style pork noodle soup. Their specialty is their homemade minced pork, fragrant with garlic and pepper, and clean, odorless offal.

4. Uncle Choo's Lotus Leaf Wrapped Rice (18:26): A rare dish that's hard to find elsewhere in Bangkok. 5. Tang Charoen Pork Noodle (24:04): A restaurant that uses fresh pork from the slaughterhouse to make fresh meatballs right in front of the shop, giving them a bouncy, crunchy texture.

6. Kung Thong Seafood (27:45): A Thai-style seafood restaurant that focuses on freshly ground curry pastes for each dish, with bold and flavorful tastes, such as traditional salt-fried shrimp and chili-sauce sea bass.

Appetites: A Cookbook

 แอนโทนี บอร์เดน เป็นชายผู้มีรสนิยมหลากหลาย และเป็นเวลาหลายปีแล้วที่เขาได้สร้างอาชีพจากการทำความเข้าใจรสนิยมของผู้อื่น ทั้ง ในฐานะเชฟ และในฐานะนักเดินทางรอบโลกเพื่อบันทึกเรื่องราวเกี่ยวกับอาหารและวัฒนธรรมในรายการ Parts Unknown ทางช่อง CNN แต่ในปัจจุบัน หากเขาทำอาหาร ก็มักจะเป็นอาหารสำหรับครอบครัวและเพื่อนฝูง หนังสือทำอาหารเล่มแรกของเขาในรอบกว่าสิบปีที่มีชื่อว่า

Appetitesได้รวบรวมประสบการณ์การทำอาหารและการเดินทางรอบโลกกว่าสี่สิบปีไว้ในเมนูโปรดส่วนตัวที่ทุกคนควร (อย่างน้อยก็ในความคิดของนายบอร์เดน) รู้จักวิธีทำ จากที่เคยถูกมองว่าเป็น "เด็กดื้อ" แห่งวงการอาหาร นายบอร์เดนได้กลายเป็นคุณพ่อของลูกสาวตัวน้อยในช่วงไม่กี่ปีที่ผ่านมา ซึ่งเป็นบทบาทที่เขารักและภาคภูมิใจ หลังจากเดินทางมากกว่า 200 วันต่อปีมาหลายปี ตอนนี้เขาก็มีความสุขกับการจัดงานเลี้ยงที่บ้าน อย่างไรก็ตาม หลายปีของการเตรียมรายการวัตถุดิบและการจัดการอย่างเป็นระบบที่จำเป็นสำหรับครัวร้านอาหาร ทำให้เขา "กลายร่างเป็นอินา การ์เทนที่บ้าคลั่ง จู้จี้จุกจิก และอารมณ์ร้าย" ตามคำพูดของเขาเอง

ผลลัพธ์ที่ได้คือตำราอาหารสำหรับทำอาหารที่บ้านและจัดงานเลี้ยงที่บ้านที่ไม่เหมือนใคร โดยรวบรวมเมนูโปรดส่วนตัวจากครัวของเขาเองและจากการเดินทาง แปลเป็นแผนการที่ทรงประสิทธิภาพที่จะช่วยให้คุณสร้างความประทับใจให้แขกของคุณด้วยประสิทธิภาพที่น่าทึ่ง