Being careful not to add salt too far in advance. They get too mushy if you add salt more than three or four minutes before cooking. Plus, they just taste better when the salt is added before cooking. If the salt is added later and doesn’t dissolve much (if it’s not a finely ground salt), it becomes inconsistent—some…

It seems like a lot of people are on the same page on this one, and I agree. I don’t like it as an Alien movie, but as a stand-alone sci fi movie, I thought it was great. Quick fix, the nuclear explosion at the end of Aliens sent (technobabble) particles that interfered with the (technobabble) engine and split the…

A dinner party is the best justification I personally have come up with for wanting to use sous vide. Being able to have cooked, not overcooked, food warm for a long time that can be slapped on a hot grill or skillet quickly and served seems fantastic. You get more guest time and great food with a show-off name you…

An option my wife and I have used over the years is tissue (gift tissue not toilet or facial) and spray starch. Cut the tissue to fit window panes. Spray starch it into place. It doesn’t make shade, but it will obscure windows while still allowing light in if you need to go that route.

Despite the many decades since I was a teenage boy, “transform plain, boring nuts into pizza nuts” made me laugh. Not ashamed. Also, I wonder how the Doritos mix would taste so I could transform my nuts into Doritos Nuts. I would label them “D’s...”

Great article! For those of us who like all flavors but like spending as little as possible and getting as much as possible, this info is incredibly helpful. Now, write an article explaining to my wife why I need at least one of every kind of computer. That too would be helpful.

Okay, that makes total sense to me. I didn’t get that from your initial posts so I mistakenly thought you were judging the franchise on a single infraction. I’m simply not as bright, though. I will spend $100s seeing bad Trek movies in wait for the great one. Part of my problem is I have a form of Stockholm Syndrome…

I think it’s great that Trek is including it. I love Pegg and Takei both (don’t we all) and don’t think either is right or wrong. They haven’t different interpretations. Don’t we all?

I think it’s important to note that Trek has addressed the issue at least twice that I can think of off the top of my head (DS9…

50 years of a franchise worth loving, through horrible episodes and brilliant episodes, and you decide to write it off after one movie. Did you not see The Voyage Home? Either way, if you’re as fickle as that about a half century of entertainment and tradition, you’re welcome to go. Your opinion is no longer needed.…

I love how critical to the point of anger and bitterness some fans are about these most recent movies. God, go back and look at TOS for a reminder of how crappy any ST can truly be. Look at the first two seasons of TNG, not all episodes, but some of them were laughably bad.

I love TOS, TNG even more, and probably DS9…

Sign me up too!

Haha, fair point. I usually don’t eat them either, but the wife and kids aren’t as uppity as me. Sorry, uppity as I. ;)

Don’t let the lack of lemon curd stop you. You can make a quick one yourself in another few minutes (http://www.pbs.org/parents/kitche…). For that matter, just make a lemon glaze and pour it on.

The goal here isn’t to make a dessert as good as what could be prepared in a real oven with thoughtful time and attention. The goal is quick, easy, imperfect, and satisfactory. I’ve done microwave cakes for my kids many times because it was fast, and I was tired from working all day then cooking dinner then cleaning…

If you don’t like the chocolate chips in the brownies because of the texture rather than the flavor they impart, melt your batter over very light heat before you bake the brownies. Better Homes and Gardens (the red and white plaid cookbook) has a recipe for a cookie called the Fudge Ecstasy. It’s the best chocolate…

A year or so ago, when my son got picky about which of the squeezie pouches he liked, I had tons of pouches he wouldn’t touch because he hates me and likes to waste my money, so I started eating them. First, they’re freaking awesome tasting. I mean, fruits and veg all mixed together? What’s not to love? So now I get…

Couldn’t. Agree. More.

I went to see a kids’ movie on Superbowl Sunday, and it was perfect. Yeah, the place was filled with parents like me who didn’t care what day it was and their kids who didn’t either and guess what? It was a quiet audience there to enjoy a movie and not be selfish jerkasses. Now, if we could have…

Maybe so, but we can use this huge array of lasers to pew pew pew any troublemakers who come a’callin’.

I recently had to eat at an A&W and of course everything there is battered and fried. I opted to have the grilled chicken sandwich without the bread and green beans instead of fries. I say this without hyperbole, that was the worst food in the history of the universe. Next time, I’ll go across the street to the gas…

I’d much rather be among people who argue about books than around people who don’t read. And it certainly is a lot more pleasant than any comment section for political articles.