Having "Me" Time

Let's forget floods tonight and talk about cooking.  If you are a cook, and cook meat, then you are bound to have heard this, "Seal in the juices by searing meats before you cook."  For the non-cook, what does this mean?  It means basically to fry or expose the outer layer of meat to high temperatures before baking, or continuing to cook it.  My family does it, and so do my aunts.  I thought it made sense.  You cook the outer layer first, so that the raw juice would not be able to come out.  It's like one of those know-hows that gets passed down from generation to generation.  Lifehacker says this is not so.  Here's why. The article says that this was first proposed in the 19th century by a German chemist called Justus von Liebig who said that applying very high temperatures to meat would create a "sealed" layer of cooked meat through which liquid the inside meat would not be able to escape. (Wow, I didn't realize this would go back so long...

The last few days have been absolutely hectic as I've just started teaching, but now that all is settled today I get to relax and enjoy a few moments of peaceful writing.  It is indeed good for the mind and soul.  Today I write about a myth that is so common that I am sure many of you who cook have heard it before: adding salt to water changes the boiling point and lets you cook food faster.  I've heard this on cooking shows, read it in cooking books and yes I have to admit this is something I have believed in pretty much of my life until I read about it on Lifehacker. Suddenly, I am forced to question my belief regarding boiling water and cooking.  Are there other things I am mistakenly believing in? Apparently, the article says that to really affect the boiling point of water you would have to add an extremely large quantity of salt, so much that it would most likely render your food inedible.  Even then, it would only af...

Over the weekend, I went out with my dear friends for a birthday celebration (Happy Birthday again!)  and since it's now the "Vegetarian" Festival in Thailand, we discussed and wondered about its origins and what is this festival really for?  All we know is that for a period of 9 days, people of Chinese descent in Thailand go "vegetarian" or "vegan."  During this period, those participating in the festival abstain from eating meat, anything made from meat (including oil or fat), eggs, and vegetables that have strong flavours.  Garlic, onions, and chives are all off limits.  Even fish sauce that is used in most Thai dishes are substituted. I wonder what is this festival for?  Do people in other countries celebrate this festival as much as we do here in Thailand?  Everywhere I go during the 9 days of the festival, I find shops and restaurants all raising the signature yellow flag to tell me that they serve "Je" or Vegetarian food.  Almost eve...