What are you eating?

[Luke]

Also, I don't know where you've been eating, but no self-respecting North Carolinian would put ketchup on a hot dog.

Those toppings are meant to cover up the fact that you're eating a chicken and pork hot dog.

[TSTR]

Hotdogs should either be all beef affairs or bright red and filled with nitrates and pig parts. Also, let's not forget all the toppings on a Chicago dog (which I do enjoy).

We call it "grits" down here.

Ranch dressing ain't just a Southern thing, don't put that on us.

And the fried chicken thing has got to be trololol because we INVENTED that shit.

[fastbilly1]

And the fried chicken thing has got to be trololol because we INVENTED that shit.

Incorrect. Scotland invented it.

[Luke]

Ranch dressing ain't just a Southern thing,

Yes. Yes it is. Unless you mean I should call it a Southern "thang".

And the ranch dressing most people order is disgusting. #1 ingredient: Soy bean oil. What actually makes the "ranch" part of it? Salt?

Most common Blue Cheese dressing are equally as gross. No blue cheese, but plenty of blue cheese flavoring.


But I like my dressing with raw egg, so I'm a bit weird too.

[Ack]

Ranch dressing ain't just a Southern thing,

Yes. Yes it is. Unless you mean I should call it a Southern "thang".

Uh, no. No it is not.

Ranch dressing was originally developed in Alaska in the early 1950s by Steve Henson, who later went on to open Hidden Valley Ranch in Santa Barbara, California, in 1954. Over the next 20 years, Henson began producing ranch dressing for distribution in the southwestern United States, until the brand was purchased by The Clorox Company, located in Oakland, California. Ranch is currently bottled in Reno, Nevada, and Wheeling, Illinois, but is a popular condiment throughout the United States and Canada. It is America's best-selling salad dressing, after having beaten Italian dressing in 1992.

The confusion with it being a primarily Southern thing probably arises from local Pizza Hut chains packaging ranch dressing for pizza in the South after noticing teenagers using it as a dipping sauce. But it is also heavily used by such chain and fast food restaurants as Little Ceasar's, Chili's, Applebee's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and on Frito-Lay products throughout the US(and in some cases the world, where the flavor is labelled 'American'). According to food analytics firm Food Genius, ranch dressing is one of the top ingredients in Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Vermont, and West Virginia, though it also appears very heavily on menus in Montana restaurants and in both North and South Dakota, Alaska, and Wyoming. it is also a highly popular ingredient in Idaho.

For the record, America's no. 1 selling condiment is mayonnaise, followed by salsa, and then ketchup. And I've also seen Californians claim it is a CA thing to put ranch on pizza, onion rings, and everything else.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Exactly. I actually don't see ranch dressing that much in the south. I saw it everywhere when I was growing up in the midwest, however, and they put it on everything in California.

[TSTR]

And the fried chicken thing has got to be trololol because we INVENTED that shit.

Incorrect. Scotland invented it.

Well, I learned something today.

We still perfected it though.

[fastbilly1]

And the fried chicken thing has got to be trololol because we INVENTED that shit.

Incorrect. Scotland invented it.

Well, I learned something today.

We still perfected it though.

Damn straight.

About once a year we fry the classic way. I just havent gotten to it this year since I no longer have a throw away propane grill (garage sales have not been kind to me this year).

[Luke]

Some highlights from the past week:

Red meat. I've mentioned this before, but I'll say it again; Love the idea of a smokehouse burger, but never happy with the results. The bbq sauce covers up the taste of the beef, the fried onions are way too oily, soggy bun, and the cheddar melts, well, like cheddar.

Solutions!

Kaiser buns from a local sandwich shop. About $0.50 a bun, but worth it. Two slices of bacon per burger, from the Fresh Market. Perfect ratio of fat to lean.

Homemade chipotle bbq sauce, used sparingly, as I want the beef to shine through.

Smoked, aged cheddar. It actually melts and brings an extra layer of smoke to the burgers.

Speaking of, 1/2 lb. burgers, 3/4's of an inch thick. Little S&P, and that'll do.

Caramelized onions, not fried onions.


Moving on...

Salmon!

Salmon with mustard sauce. A classic. In short, you make a bed of fresh tomato and zuchinni salad. On that you top it with a cooked fillet of salmon topped with a mustard sauce (dijon, white wine, fish stock, heavy cream) and dusted with fresh dill weed. 5 star dinner on the cheap. Search Lidia's Kitchen for full recipe.

Salmon with citrus ginger salsa: Pan fried salmon that has been marinated in an orange juice, ginger and soy mixture. For presentation, hollow out an orange and fill it with extra salsa (orange segments, garlic, ginger, cherry peppers, sake, sesame oil).

Super easy custard: boil 1.25 cups half and half. In a separate bowl, mix 1 T sugar with 2 egg yolks. Add 2 T flour. Add egg mixture to H&H. Boil until thick (about ten seconds) cool. Add whatever you'd like to custard (I like flambeed bananas).

[MrPopo]

I've decided unless I have a good reason not to I'm going to start brining every piece of chicken I cook at home.

Small onion, sliced
4 garlic cloves, smashed
3 tbsp. kosher salt
5-6 branches rosemary
4 1/2 cups water
1 lemon, quartered

Sautee the onion and garlic to translucent, add the salt 30 secs in, once they're ready add the rosemary to heat for 30 seconds, then stir in the water to dissolve the salt. Squeeze out the lemon quarters and add them to the mixture. Bring to a simmer, then cool and chill in the fridge. Pour over chicken in a bag, let brine for 8-24 hours, agitating the bag every so often to keep things mixed up.