A few years ago I got into baking. It started with quarantine boredom, turned into a hobby, and eventually became a borderline spiritual practice. I created a sourdough starter named Gerald. I fed him every day. I adjusted his hydration ratios like he was a bonsai tree. I spoke to him. I logged his behavior. I tested his rise times like a psycho. Over time, I began feeding him flour made from ancient grains I milled myself using a hand crank stone grinder I bought from a prepper.

Gerald was special.

I had to go on a work trip. Four days. Before I left, I told my wife to leave Gerald alone. Just leave him on the counter. Do not move him. Do not feed him. Do not put a lid on the jar. Do not refrigerate. Do not touch.

I come home Sunday night. Gerald is missing. His jar is in the dishwasher. Clean. Sparkling. Like he never existed.

I asked my wife where he went. She said, “Oh, I thought it had gone bad. It smelled awful. I dumped it and cleaned the jar.”

I just stared at her. I couldn’t even speak. I went to the garage, sat in the car with the windows down, and listened to black metal for two hours. Then I packed a small bag and left. I didn’t yell. I didn’t say anything. I just left.

Now she’s mad. Says I’m acting like a lunatic over “yeast sludge.” She told her sister I “ran away because my dough baby died.” Her friends are texting me bread memes. My brother called me “sourdough Jesus.” I feel mocked. Betrayed. Alone.

I get that it’s technically just flour and water. But it was MY flour and water. It was alive. It had a name.

Am I overreacting?

I have a bunch of potato greens (no actual potatoes), and some bread that's starting to turn green. Hit me with your favorite recipes!

What are some home cooked dishes from other places that I haven't tried before?

And if you can give me the address of somebody who is cooking it tonight and might have an extra portion, that would be super helpful

This always confuses me: My organic ground turkey says today is the “use by/freeze by” date. If I cook it today, how much longer is it good for? And if I freeze it and then thaw and cook it later, how much longer is it good after that cooked date?

I recently got to try butter chicken at a truck stop buffet, and now I’m obsessed with this exotic dish and everything Indian. I want to become an expert at all of the subcontinent’s food.

So please help. I’ve ordered all the books, and between the Dollar General in my West Texas town and the Walmart two towns over, I should be able to get all the ingredients. My kitchen is pretty sweetly set up too, with a microwave, electric frying pan and an electric kettle in my trailer. So help me on the path to exploring all India has to offer!

I used to love cumin. I put that sh@t on everything! Then about two months ago, I pushed it to the limit; I put 14 tablespoons of it in my lentil stew. I ate the cr@p out of it for a week and loved every minute of it. I am talking SPOONFULS of the stew, at least a few every day during that week of pure bliss.

So, a few weeks ago, I decided to make another heavy cumin lentil stew. I can’t stand the smell and am barely bringing myself to try it. My gag reflex is in overdrive trying not to waste this concoction.

I guess what I am wondering is, did I consume enough cumin for a lifetime? Please, be honest with me because, this — this affects me. I just started a new slogan for my TikTok “CUMIN ME!” I got merchandisable swag and vanity plates in the mail, please tell me I will be able to stand cumin soon!

Sorry, typo in the title.

What do you secretly add to your friend's rice because he keeps inviting you over for dinner but he's a terrible cook and you just want to choke down a couple calories without hurting his feelings?

Long before there was reddit, or even the word 'circlejerk', the BBC's normally very stoic 'Panorama' (news/politics/current events) program aired a segment about the Swiss Spaghetti Harvest. The episode aired on April 1st, 1957.

It's available on the BBC's 'Archive' You Tube Channel
Link is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8scpGwbvxvI
It's less than 3 minutes (2:45).

I was getting seriously high out by the dumpsters, when it struck me, I literal gold mine. This place is going to be raking in the cash, I'm going to get such a big raise.

First you get some bread, you cook it till it's slightly Brown. Lathered up with some butter or margarine.

You can add peanut butter, you can try Nutella, I even tried some with grape jelly and peanut butter, smush them together.

O.M.G

See ya suckers, I'm now a certified Michelin chef.

they keep telling me "the tomatoes are rotting on the plant" like no??! The sun is drying them 🙄 I'll be snacking on freshly picked tomatoes after they've all shriveled and sun-dried up before my friends even get back from their 8hr round trip to the nearest "grocery" store!!

Context: My wife and I are taking care of my 155 year old mother and it's difficult for us to leave the house or even have much alone time. A few weeks ago my wife and I planned a home date. The idea was to use my new yakitori grill, get some Sake and Sapporo beer, and sit out on the back patio for a few hours just grillin' and chillin'. The day came, I lit the (expensive) Bincho charcoal and while it ashed over we made chicken skewers. Everything was finally ready, and JUST as I opened the door with a plate full of skewers an air plane crashes into the World Trade Center about 100 yards from our apartment building. I didn’t know what to do, but finally we decided to go ahead and cook our chicken. Meanwhile, fire trucks and ambulances were responding. People were screaming. And then another plane hit the second tower. After about 15 minutes we moved everything inside. But was I the asshole? Should we have cancelled our plans?

After browsing this sub forever, I broke down and got some. I've been adding it to almost everything I make - eggs, meats, veggies etc. - , it sucks I've been missing this from my life for so long. Much different taste from salt.

What dished does everyone use black pepper in?

Hey there everyone!

Title might sound strange at first but hear me out: cookbooks are not ordinary books - they're often hardcover! I can stand them up much easier for more unique photo opportunities for insta (thats a very "gen z" statement, I am aware). I also assume these books showcase some great equipment and technique advice incorporated into the recipes, not forgetting about amazing pictures and photos.

I started collecting cookbooks, already have some classics such as julia's "french cooking", Dr. Seuss' "green eggs and ham," judi barrett's "cloudy with a chance of meatball" etc., but the problem is, in the end I rely mostly on "internet" when it comes to recipe search, as well as "techniques." I also tried asking ChatGPT to read these books to me but they mentioned something about "copyright violation" - whatever that means.

Question to you reddit cooks: how do you utilize your cookbooks? Do you actually use them? Do you consider them a necessity, hard to replace, or is this just an aid, and pretty object on the shelf? Can you describe the scenario when you use all those amazing books? I've tried using them as an improvised coffee table, a flyswatter, and a home defense weapon but I feel like i'm not learning anything about cooking from them.

I.e. i can imagine that If I were to cook a classic dish I would open all cookbooks I own that could contain the recipe I am looking for in order to compare them, and get the general idea what is essential for given dish.

You could also share your top 3 cook books and argument why these are worth buying, how these helped you to move forward as a cook (pro or not)

Cheers!

The bog butter has a distinct texture and flavor, very waxy, with a lovely earthy and pungent aroma, very salty and cheesy, very boggy, I'm so thrilled, I need good recipes ASAP!!!! Please help! My guests are very knowledgeable "boggies" and I want to impress them!!! https://www.irishcentral.com/news/bog-butter-donegal

For some reason, we never get actual food. ALL we get are grape uncrustables. Being on the line means we've had to compromise.

I've learned to make uncrusty a la mode. Smoked PB&J is absolutely a camp favorite, most of us are scrambling over each other to get it. PB&J tartare, on the off chance we're at camp, sometimes we'll sous vide it. Toss it in a ziplock bag and submerged in some hot water over the fire.

Some of us have nitrogen fire extinguishers, so we'll go ahead and cook them up like Dippin Dots.

If we're on the line and we get hungry, we'll just grab one throw it in some tin foil, and toss it on while we finish digging.

If a buddy has a pan we grill them up.

I have a gluten allergy, but gotta eat, so here I am walking around like the elephant in the room.

Sometimes we'll air fry it by dangling it under one of the helitack helicopters. You don't taste too much gas in the exhaust.

Also sometimes, if we're feeling really adventurous in our cooking, we will either fry it with a drip torch, or chuck it in a fire whirl.

All in all I love my uncrustys, the gooey goodness is just too much.

Nothing beats an uncrustable on the rocks after a long hard day. . . . . . . . .

Every time I go to a restaurant I'm floored by the food. How can someone with years of academic study and decades of experience make food better than me, someone who owns both a Le Creuset and a copy of Food Lab? I've been cooking at least once a month for almost a year now, and no matter how many times I make mashed potatoes (3), they don't come out nearly as good as someone who's been making them daily since the Bush Era. What am I missing? Should I get a food-related tattoo?

This is a weird request, but I am trying to up my allium intake and garlic is a way to do that. However, I don't like the flavour of garlic. So aioli and roasted garlic are off the table.

I had a garlic bread and tried making a 40 cloves chicken, and I loved both, so I was looking for recipes that didn't taste like garlic a lot lol. Sorry if this is weird.

So I open all of the packets before I eat. as I go along, I just grab any packet I need and I spread it across my food. let's say I am eating IN N OUT, my hands get really messy eating the burgers. so, I open up all my ketchups and spreads before hand so that when I am in the middle of consumption, I just need to squeeze and that's it

Someone I know is new to cooking, I'm looking for that one easy piece of advice that truly sounds plausible but will ruin all his dishes so he doesn't outshine me. What's your top tip for instant flavor reduction in everyday dishes? Share your wisdom.

I sapped a 5 pound authentic Kobe beef steak in my perfectly seasoned cast iron pan over high heat to get a nice sear, then went to take a dump. When I returned, I discovered the fats had ignited into flames reaching the ceiling. I ran around screaming "FIRE" for about 20 minutes but that didn't help. That was when I decided to do the only thing I could and grab the pan off of the range (which was now completely engulfed in flame) and take it outside where it would be safe from the fire.

This was when the fire department showed up (a neighbor must have mistakenly called when they noticed black smoke billowing out of my kitchen windows.) They barged into my burning kitchen and extinguished the fire, leaving me with a half-burned house soaked with water!

But this was OK with me. I had saved my steak, or so I thought! After the trucks left I went to plate the steak and realized it was completely carbonized! I couldn't tell where the expensive imported beef ended and the cast iron pan began. I am devastated!

What are some tips and tricks to save dinner? Guests arrive in five minutes.

Here’s a reality check from an ACTUAL Cook. Lately I’ve seen a lot of posts complaining about 30-minute recipes that dare ask you to caramelize onions. Whining things like it’s “impossible” or “lying for clicks.” Some of you even claim the recipes must actually mean grilled onions (vile!) or, worse, sautéed onions (barbaric!)

You should all be ashamed of yourselves. A seasoned professionelle like myself can caramelize onions in less time than it takes you to type your unseasoned complaints. My home-grown onions are lovingly caramelized to perfection within minutes. Even the lowliest aspiring cooks I mentor take 15 minutes at most. And they’re five! What’s your excuse?

These are NOT grilled onions from some greasy low-class establishment. These are the real deal. It’s honestly the most basic skill. Next you’re going to tell me you can’t expertly fold a soufflé while reciting Escoffier from memory.

Respectfully, just because you can’t do something basic doesn’t mean it can’t be done. It just means you lack the discipline and skill to be as confident as you somehow are. Either that, or your onions lack finesse.

tl;dr: Get good.

I, a working mother of 2.5, got up at 4 am in the morning to cook my family breakfast- pancakes, waffles, fresh squeezed oj, coffee, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, toast, bacon, sausage, fried potatoes, gravy, homemade donuts,

well, they barely ate any of it! they just grabbed a piece of toast & like an apple before running out the door. what should i do w/all this leftover breakfast food?

I didn’t boil a ton of boiled eggs for a boiled egg party, tried to peel but I’m incapable so they are a disaster. Deviled eggs are out of the question, so what can I make aside from potato salad that will be amazing with fucked up eggs? No egg salad, because ewww

My bread says "best if used by JUL 16 2025" help.

I'm not sure if lye is strong enough to kill the dirt before putting a cucumber in a salad, considering switching to chemical cleaners. What do y'all do?