Modern Vespa

That's not a bad tip.

This might be helpful.
https://www.seriouseats.com/best-way-to-store-vermouth-for-cocktails-fridge-vs-winesaver-rebottling

How to make a proper cup of tea:

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/how-to-make-perfect-cup-of-english-tea/index.html

We are graced locally with a custom tea shop, so I got into tea many years ago. I use loose-leaf only, of various varieties. I heat well-filtered water to the proper temp (appropriate to the type of tea I'm brewing) in the microwave in the china cup or other brewing vessel I'm using, add the tea in a strainer, and brew for 5 minutes. If making for later consumption, I may add milk or sugar after brewing, but usually drink it plain. A bit of a caffeine boost, but without the coffee jitters.

Does anyone know a good vegan substitute for Worcester sauce?

No personal experience, but:

https://www.karissasvegankitchen.com/vegan-worcestershire-sauce/

Oo - ta muchly. Passed on to K.

Marmite/Vegemite

i've got several secret tricks, but the most important one is, and will always be, make food that makes other people happy.

do i like tofu? no. but my friends coming over are vegetarian. so, marinated, grilled tofu and veggies with a simple slaw and some rice. done. they were delighted, and really that's what mattered. because it made me happy. i planned, shopped for a prepared a dinner for my friends and they liked that. that's an enormous sense of feel goods.

literally, when it's burger time the war department stomps around the house chanting "burgers! burgers! burgers!" do i make the best burgers in the world (strong possibility) but more importantly she loves the burgers i make.

buy the best products you can. put love into your food-- AND SALT!

doesn't matter if you've got $150 all-clad or a dime store skillet. attention to detail, technique and a modicum of skill will carry you forth.

just remember to do your misse en place

Burgers are my favorite simple dish, I have them made by a friend who has a butcher shop and my favorites are a mixture of chicken and turkey; I cook them in the oven with a side dish of small potatoes. The potatoes are first partially boiled, then left to dry until cool and finally put in the oven together with the hamburger with olive oil, rosemary, garlic and onion pieces (few). The oven is electric with electrical resistance above and below and ventilation, every quarter of an hour turn and mix potatoes and spices using a spoon.
(damn, you made me hungry and I'm on a diet ..!)

tell ya what. you make it here to socal and i'll make you the best damn burger you ever had from a scooter mechanic. loads of bullshitting about bikes and life and all that too. and, if the season's right, feet in the pool, some grilled peaches and homemade ice cream.

You could write a book and call it: "Zen and the art of Lambretta maintenance while you cook".

Look what I found on the web.

My late uncle used to like martinis.

Or, at least he liked gin.

His mix for the perfect martini.

Fill the proper glass with gin.

Drop in an olive.

Wave the vermouth bottle over the top.

Drink.

Bill

I do like the occasional martini, and I don't mind a bit of vermouth. My trick for getting the right amount is something I learned from Alton Brown -- pour some vermouth over the ice, shake it, and pour off all the vermouth. What remains on the ice cubes is just the right amount. THEN pour the gin over the ice and proceed as normal.

They've become Unobtanium in the US. Blame Covid.

my trick - "clean" a cast iron pan by making caramelized onions

Made a tri-tip roast for dinner by browning it on the cooktop in a cast iron pan and finishing it in the oven. The rendered fat, seasonings from the roast and stuck on bits made the pan perfect for adding 3 large chopped onions. (You can also do this after making bacon or potatoes or anytime something gets stuck on the pan.) I let it cook low and slow - usually 90 minutes or more. Then put in 2 or 3 small containers to freeze.
Caramelizing onions deglazes the pan and adds lots of great flavor to the onions. And the house smells like In-N-Out Burger.

An excellent tip!

Come to think of it if I ever come to the U.S.A. you are the first one I go to see ... but first I go to get Bob Copeland who will be my interpreter.

My secret is...

BACON !

I have yet to find a dish that isn't improved by adding bacon.
Pea soup, mac+cheese, bolognese sauce, stir fry... anything.
Even bacon takes better with bacon!

For a little extra pop in any tomato based sauce, or soup with meat, add a packet or teaspoon of instant or freeze dried coffee while it simmers.

Oh, interesting idea!

We'll remember that one.

And to add a little zing to your broth or stock, add a small teaspoonful of Marmite. Even if you normally hate the stuff.

Highly skeptical.

Everything is kinky until you've tried it.

I had a friend tell me that cooking with bacon is like cheating!
Real butter too, and good chunky salt of any variety are part of my arsenal.

Any of you guys using Umami seasoning? i have some but haven't figured out where to use it in my food just yet. I got a bottle from Trader Joes IIRC.

I have the TJ's bottle. It's not bad, but it didn't change my whole world view or anything.

I had a great auntie who, among her many talents, was a spectacular cook. Her advice to me was always use REAL ingredients.

I am using the original umami seasoning: Aji-No-Moto pure monosodium glutamate. Just a very light sprinkling on meats. I don't use so much that it is actually a flavor, but it adds to the flavor of the meat. I've tried it with other things, but it doesn't seem to make a difference.

Yes, I know about the issues, but it hasn't caused me or anyone else I cook for any problems. Glutamate is a naturally-occurring substance in a variety of foods, particularly mushrooms or any food with protein, or in a variety of processed foods. Some folks are sensitive to it and have to avoid it.

Some good info here: https://tinyurl.com/yffucg4x

Speaking of extravagant recipes, if you want to drink licorice do this: fill a glass of milk, add a finger of mint syrup and add two fingers of coffee.

I use Bovril - a meat and yeast extract (Unilever product - I don't know where it is available)
It adds colour and makes tomato based sauces delicious with beef.
I believe there is a chicken variety, but we dont have it in South Africa.

PS: When my wife isn't looking, I add a spoonful to her cooking!

I'm not sure if this is a particularly special trick, but I'll throw it out there anyway, as I still see people cooking fried eggs really badly. Of course some people may like having that plasticky layer under the egg, caused by attempting to fully cook the egg sunny side up, without having to flip it over in the pan, which more often than not ends up breaking your yolk.
If, like me, you'd like your egg white cooked and soft all the way through, with a properly cooked top on the egg, without having to flip it over:-

Start off on low heat with a little oil in the pan. Put your eggs in. When the white starts to cook nicely, pour a little cold water in the pan, put a lid over the pan, turn the heat up to medium-high, give it a minute to steam the eggs. That should see your eggs properly cooked on the top, and still with a nice soft egg white.

As I said, nothing special, but I see so many people cooking awful fried eggs, when it's actually quite easy to get a perfectly cooked one.

Also, as we're talking about food. Here's a picture of something I cook a lot, as they don't do these in Japan, so I had to learn how make them.

I present to you- The humble & glorious Sausage Roll.

While in college, I worked as a cook in a steakhouse. We would season with a 50-50 mix of garlic salt and black pepper. We would also baste with melted butter.

All-clad D5. You will never want to touch cast iron again.

But my go-tos are All-clad cop-r chef cookware (discontinued but still my favorite), A gyuto with an 80/20 bevel that's really made in Japan, a good white paper Santoku with a traditional handle, putting in the garlic after the onions or mirepoix is fairly well cooked, cheap Shiraz and Chardonnay liberally poured and reduced, cherry coke in the carnitas, a small stovetop pressure cooker, a good 15 degree knife sharpener, Swedish alligator chopper, Philippine or Georgian saffron (it's cheap), Hungarian paprika (only real paprika) and fresh herbs in pots right outside the door.

All-Clad makes lovely pans. If they had an actual handle, instead of a oddly curved knife blade where the handle should be, then I would probably own more of them. As it stands, I am convinced that their designers secretly want the product to fail. How else to explain a handle designed to intentionally inflict pain on anyone attempting to pick it up with any actual food weighing it down?

TL;DR: Fuck those guys.

I've always liked All-clad cookware, but I haven't bought it for two reasons: cost (which I could deal with - it's a "forever" purchase), and the handles. The handles are just really uncomfortable in my hands for some reason.

While I was writing this, Jess just expressed it more clearly.

It's not you. It's them.

Jess, I agree.

A pot or pan handle acts a lever, with your index finger as the fulcrum and the heel of your hand pressing down on the effort arm. The top of the All-Clad handle is concave, and has rather sharp outer edges that press into your hand. The heavier the pan, the worse it is.

Inexplicably poor design.

You put it much more politely than I did.

Glad this came up. Does All-Clad work with induction? We are setting up a mother-in-law suite with a two burner induction cook top. She is looking for a new set of cookware since her old stuff is not compatible. I've googled it but I've seen different opposing responses.

It looks like some are, some aren't. The all-aluminum ones - no. Those with stainless steel bottoms, yes.

https://www.all-clad.com/ha1-hard-anodized-nonstick-cookware-set-10-piece-set.html <<< yes.