Chunky Soup is hearty and inexpensive, but rather bland. In this video, an older fellow demonstrates a few throw-it-in improvements that turn a can into a feast.

I intend to try his chili recipe later today. Read the rest

Foie Gras, a fatty dish created by force-feeding ducks and geese through tubes, will soon no longer be served in the thousand-or-so NYC restaurants that have it on their menus. Chefs are saying "what next, veal?" fearing other ostentatiously cruel delicacies (as opposed to the mundanely cruel ones) will be next.

CNN:

Foie gras has long been a point of debate. In 2012, California's foie gras ban went into effect, only to have the ban overturned in 2015. Then, in 2017, the ban was upheld by a circuit court judge -- a decision that was backed by the Supreme Court in January of 2019. Chicago's history with the ban is almost equally as tumultuous. The Chicago City Council passed the ban in 2006, only to lift it two years later. What makes foie gras so contentious is the method of preparation. Foie gras is made of fattened duck or goose liver, and it has long been considered a French delicacy -- so much that the country has protected it as part of France's cultural heritage. But the product is made by force-feeding ducks, an practice that many people, like councilwoman Rivera, have found troubling

Good news everyone! All of those products made using microplastics that you invested in will hang around even after you get rid of them: that's good value. Currently, they can be found fouling up the guts of any number of sensitive species, littering the deepest depths of the ocean, making it possible to enjoy your microplastics almost anywhere you roam. Now, scientists from McGill University in Montreal have discovered an amazing new vector for getting the particular plastics you paid for into your body, where they belong: tea.

From CNN:

Plastic tea bags are shedding billions of shards of microplastics into their water, according to a new study.

[Scientists] found that a single bag releases around 11.6 billion microplastic particles, and 3.1 billion even smaller nanoplastic particles, into the cup -- thousands of times higher than the amount of plastic previously found in other food and drink.

The health effects of drinking these particles are unknown, according to the researchers, who called for further study into the area.

I mean, we're already, on average, devouring five grams of plastic every week, so what's the big deal? A little more won't hurt ya.

Image via Wikipedia Read the rest

Move over, Popeyes and Chick-fil-A! Fast-food giant KFC is trialing a new menu item in Pittsburgh and Richmond. The Chicken Donut is a slab of deep-fried chicken sandwiched between two glazed donuts.

Consumers are increasingly seeking novel, crave-able flavor combinations that give them the best of both sweet and savory worlds to create a unique taste experience. Through this test market, KFC is evaluating consumer appetite for bringing this growing food trend to its customers on a national scale.

Business Insider reports on the carb bomb.

The chicken-and-doughnut meal will cost $5.50 for one doughnut and $7.50 for two doughnuts. The sandwich is priced at $6, or as a combo meal for $8. KFC said customers can also add a doughnut — served hot — to any meal for $1.

KFC said in a press release that it was using the test to evaluate whether customers are craving chicken and doughnuts on a national scale.

According to a representative, the doughnuts will arrive at stores already cooked, and when a customer orders them, the doughnuts will be dipped in the fryers and glazed with a vanilla icing to ensure they are hot and fresh.

The Takeout methodically calculated the amount of time fresh McDonalds fries last before they become "inedible." The answer is 18 minutes, but in science, the journey is the destination. [via MeFi] Read the rest

Maura Judkis presents the Washington Post's roundup of 20 different store brands of mac 'n' cheese. Which is best and worst?

We bought 12 frozen microwaveable mac and cheeses, and eight dry boxed brands with either powder or liquid squeeze cheese sauces. We prepared them according to the instructions, even though we knew some of them could probably be jazzed up with a little extra butter. In a blind tasting, a small panel of colleagues judged both the frozen and dry boxed versions of each product according to their taste and cheesiness — and those scores did not necessarily go hand-in-hand! Some brands that ranked high on taste were low on cheesiness and vice versa.

Market leader Kraft doesn't come out well. Best line, though, goes to the judge's review of Amy's: "it tastes like the color gray." Read the rest

A Krispy Kreme donut truck caught fire this weekend and its cargo was destroyed. Responding police in Lexington, Kentucky, took to social media to mourn their loss.

"Hang tight, we are sending backup forthwith ... We hope you like sprinkles," The New York City Police Department tweeted.

The doughnut company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, itself offered condolences via Twitter and let the officers know that they were sending them something to help get them through the ordeal.

The overwhelming clatter and presence of restaurant noise is thanks to the fashionable minimalism of modern decor. Kate Wagner (of McMansion Hell fame) writes that if you want a peaceful meal out, go somewhere with carpet and soft fittings.

Restaurants are so loud because architects don’t design them to be quiet. Much of this shift in design boils down to changing conceptions of what makes a space seem upscale or luxurious, as well as evolving trends in food service. Right now, high-end surfaces connote luxury, such as the slate and wood of restaurants including The Osprey in Brooklyn or Atomix in Manhattan. ... The result is a loud space that renders speech unintelligible. Now that it’s so commonplace, the din of a loud restaurant is unavoidable. That’s bad for your health—and worse for the staff who works there. But it also degrades the thing that eating out is meant to culture: a shared social experience that rejuvenates, rather than harms, its participants.

As a graduate of the "rubbery mutilated omelet" school of scrambled egg preparation, I am mocked by this chef's obvious yet perfectly successful method. The secret ingredient: staying with the eggs from pour to presentation so they never congeal. Read the rest

I hope he got a good tip. Important reference material:

Read the rest

We bought the QShare Strong Suction Silicone Baby Plate from Amazon. This product promises to remain affixed to any plastic, metal or other smooth surface no matter how hard a youngster tugs at it. In preliminary testing, we noticed that it was secure when pulled, but that it could be peeled up at the edges.

So after serving up Alfy's dinner and placing him in his high chair, we trained a camera on him to see how long it would take him to defeat the Strong Suction Silicone Baby Plate—if at all. Read the rest

Redditor sp__ace filmed the popping of popcorn and provided a handy analytical study of the outcome, with pops-per-second in a fitted normal distribution to illustrate just how crazy things get on the stove.

The most useless data I've ever organized. First I counted 300 kernels into the pot and rolled the camera. All the data was obtained from the sound from video file. I used Audacity to look at the waveform to then manually retype exact time when each kernel popped and repeated that 288 times (never doing this again). I then used Wolfram Mathematica to plot the data and calculate normal distribution parameters.

Cara Koscinksi ordered a graduation cake from the John's Island Publix, requesting the phrase "Congrats Jacob! Summa Cum Laude Class of 2018". Publix ruined the order by removing "cum", because "cum" is "profane."

A $70 cake!! He earned a 4.79 GPA. Publix refused to write the words Summa Cum Laude because I was using ‘profanity!’ They put three dashes instead of the word!

How utterly ridiculous and I will be speaking to a manager for a refund. Shame on you Publix for turning an innocent

Latin phrase into a total embarrassment for having to explain to my son and others (including my 70 year old mother) about this joke of a cake. My son was humiliated!!! I seriously couldn’t make this crap up!!!!

What better day to explain "cum" to great grandma? Read the rest

As a tail-end Baby Boomer, many memories of the early 1960s linger even as I’ve just turned 60 (of which I can only say, Holy She-it!). The talented jingle composers of the ’60s had no peers when it came to luring young viewers with catchy toons into needling their parents endlessly for something we wanted. The catchier the tune, the longer it lingered in our minds, and the more we begged. A $10 toy was a difficult “get,” but marshmallow fluff was inexpensive, and thus required less whining and persuasion.

This brings me to one of the great joys of my childhood: the fluffernutter. And you can revisit my ancient memory here.

So, having watched the video, you know that a fluffernutter is made from putting peanut butter (smooth, not crunchy) and marshmallow fluff (a lot, not a little) on squishy white bread (not toasted, and not wheat). If you use crunchy peanut butter, toast the bread, use whole wheat bread, put Nutella on the damn thing, or commit any other accursed act such as putting bacon on the sandwich, I’m done with you.

What the heck is a Fluffernutter? Who named it? Where did it come from? How long have people been eating this thing? With the somewhat trustworthy help of TrickyPedia. and Boston.com, I shall answer your questions because you can’t really allow your day to proceed until the facts are known.

Would you believe that there are three competing claims for the invention of fluff? Who knew. Read the rest

"Wanna try it?"

"No." Read the rest

Cornell archaeobotanist Natalie Mueller harvests "weeds" from across North America, seeking the remnants of "lost crops," the plants cultivated by the people who lived here 2,000 years ago.

Read the rest

With Coco Loko you can snort chocolate, sorry, raw cacao infused with a "special energy blend."

The entrepreneur behind this product, 29-year-old Nick Anderson, said he was inspired by Europe's "chocolate-snorting trend." He told the Washington Post, “At first, I was like, ‘Is this a hoax?' And then I tried it and it was like, okay, this is the future right here.” He then invested $10,000 into creating his own.

The Washington Post reports:

It took about 10 tries over two months to come up with the mixture, which was created by an Orlando-based supplement company.

“Some versions, they just burned too much,” Anderson said. “Other times they looked gray and dull, or didn’t have enough stimulants.”

The effects of the cacao-based powder, he said, last about 30 minutes to an hour, and are “almost like an energy-drink feeling, like you’re euphoric but also motivated to get things done.”

Wondering if it works? Watch this guy's video first:

Gotta have some of that sweet, sweet (well, not that sweet) raw cacao snuff? One 1.25 oz. jar will set you back $19.99.

(Sean Bonner) Read the rest