Fast Food Foofaraw

[Daehawk]

Im not a fan of the biker tattoo fad thats going through the young girls these days. Some look ok though. The worst tattoo travesty to me is the one right above the butt crack on a girl that started in the 90s..the so called tramp stamp. But to each their own.

[hepcat]

What do you have tattooed above your butt crack?

It’s Willy Nelson’s face, isn’t it. I just know it.

[Unagi]

What do you have tattooed above your butt crack?

It’s Willy Nelson’s face, isn’t it. I just know it.

That's not a sincere "guess" though... you go into this with the knowledge of what he has tattoed below his butt crack.

[hepcat]

And I will say, the artist captured your trademark smile, even with the tongue doing that thing it's doing.

[Unagi]

And I will say, the artist captured your trademark smile, even with the tongue doing that thing it's doing.

OMG - you implied he has a tattoo of me licking his butt crack. That's pretty funny.

Creepy if true, but I'll just need to take your word for it... but I'd like to assume you are kidding.

[Unagi]

Also, I think I know what you are talking about - but for the record, I had my smirk trademarked - not my smile.

[hepcat]

OMG - you implied he has a tattoo of me licking his butt crack. That's pretty funny.

That wasn’t implied. It was stated.

Creepy if true, but I'll just need to take your word for it... but I'd like to assume you are kidding.

Oh, not kidding. As you surmised, and correctly, I live in Daehawk’s pants and am thus very familiar with everything that goes on down here.

[Unagi]

Wait, I seriously thought we were talking about JeffV's butt crack.

Now I'm worried.

[hepcat]

No, JeffV's pants have a really high HOA fee. Daehawk's HOA doesn't care about lawn maintenance or pest control, so they're much lower.

[Isgrimnur]

Taco Bell, KFC, Burger King pull onions from some menus as McDonald’s ties listeria outbreak to onion supplier

A California-based produce company was the source of fresh onions linked to a deadly E. coli food poisoning outbreak at McDonald’s, officials with the restaurant chain said Thursday. Meanwhile, other fast-food restaurants — including Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC and Burger King — pulled onions from some menus.

[gilraen]

So much for onions being antibacterial (I'm kidding, I'm kidding, I know that's not how it works).

[Isgrimnur]

Wendy’s closing 140 more restaurants as part of push to update its locations

Wendy’s plans to close 140 U.S. restaurants before the end of this year on top of the 100 it said it would close in May.

But in a conference call with investors Thursday, the company said those closures will be offset by new restaurant openings. Wendy’s said it plans to open between 250 and 300 restaurants this year.

[Daehawk]

I like the new Wendys they opened closer to me a decade or more ago. Our old original one was way uptown. Seems fast food locations these days totally raze and rebuild after a decade and a half or so or at least remodel. I like it and dont like. I miss the old styles sometimes....but it does seem fresher this way....unless they choose to go with more of their darker colors from their chains branding. Like I think Burger King and Taco Bell have both leaned in too heavily on the brown tones in their colors and less on the reds and greens of the more vibrant ones. Maybe its just a trend that itself will cycle around in time.

[Isgrimnur]

Our redone Taco Bell that was a Cluckin' Bell has permanent 'Wet Floor' signs on the doors.

[Kraken]

I went to Wendys a couple of nights ago for the first time in decades. I ordered in advance and chose carryout, figuring it would be quicker to pop in and pick up my food at the counter than to sit in the drive-through line. The joke was on me; both doors were locked. They were remodeling and the interior was a construction zone, so I had to use the drivethrough anyway. Would've been nice to gray out pickup on the website.

The food was almost as good as 5 Guys and almost as expensive, too. A Dave's Double combo with a supposedly unsweetened iced tea that was suspiciously sweet came to $13. 5 Guys is actually a little closer to home, so IDK if I’ll be going back to Wendys. Maybe once in a blue moon for variety’s sake.

[Punisher]

I love Wendy's nuggets so I'd suggest at least trying them.
IMHO they are MUCH better then McDonald's.
I'm also not really a fan of much there to begin with though.

[Kraken]

Well, I got a credit for free 10-piece nuggets for creating an account, so maybe I’ll redeem that the next time Wife goes out of town. They don’t have anything that appeals to vegetarian Wife, so Wendy’s is going to be strictly a “me thing.” (She loves 5 Guys grilled cheese, though.)

[Holman]

A few years ago a glorious stone Victorian manse on the main commercial street in my neighborhood was demolished and replaced by a Wendy's.

I know the Wendy's corporation isn't to blame (some developer is), but I've still always held it against them.

If that Wendy's now closes, I'll be especially pissed off.

[mori]

I occasionally will get a baked potato at Wendy's. Of course it is a pure ripoff considering raw ingredient costs and what they charge, but I don't remember the last time I bought a bag of russet potatos without throwing out 80% of them.

[Isgrimnur]

Down here, they've started selling in the grocery store plastic-wrapping individual potatoes that you nuke in the plastic to steam.

[Jeff V]

Down here, they've started selling in the grocery store plastic-wrapping individual potatoes that you nuke in the plastic to steam.

And for the convenience charge $2 per spud for $0.01 worth of Saran Wrap.

[Isgrimnur]

[hepcat]

I wonder how long it took them to get that first potato to stand upright like that for the photo.

[stessier]

I wonder how long it took them to get that first potato to stand upright like that for the photo.

They waited for the equinox, so it was a breeze.

[Rumpy]

Kind of seems like a bad idea to be putting potatoes with saran wrap in the microwave. I've always been told that unless something is microwave safe, that you shouldn't put anything plastic in the microwaves, and saran wrap is known to have lots of chemicals that would likely just seep into the potatoes. So, I wouldn't trust that arrangement.

[disarm]

"Steaming" a potato is also not the best way to cook it. Microwave potatoes work in a pinch, but the result is "baked" potato that is soggy mush on the inside. The much better way is to poke one full of holes and bake it slowly in an oven (350 degrees for 60-75 minutes). The intent is that steam escapes from the potato as it bakes, leaving you with a light, fluffy baked potato...bonus points if you rub the outside with butter and sprinkle with a lot of kosher salt to make the skin crispy and delicious.

[Max Peck]

Kind of seems like a bad idea to be putting potatoes with saran wrap in the microwave. I've always been told that unless something is microwave safe, that you shouldn't put anything plastic in the microwaves, and saran wrap is known to have lots of chemicals that would likely just seep into the potatoes. So, I wouldn't trust that arrangement.

If it's being sold as a microwavable product, is it likely to be plain old Saran Wrap or equivalent in the first place?

Having said that, I'm firmly in the baked potatoes should be baked, not nuked camp.

[Blackhawk]

There is a significant difference between 90 seconds and an hour and a half.

[Isgrimnur]

Just a small '

[Holman]

"Steaming" a potato is also not the best way to cook it. Microwave potatoes work in a pinch, but the result is "baked" potato that is soggy mush on the inside. The much better way is to poke one full of holes and bake it slowly in an oven (350 degrees for 60-75 minutes). The intent is that steam escapes from the potato as it bakes, leaving you with a light, fluffy baked potato...bonus points if you rub the outside with butter and sprinkle with a lot of kosher salt to make the skin crispy and delicious.

I love this method, although (because I favor the biggest potatoes I can find) I do it at 400 or 425 degrees, bake for 45 minutes, and then split each slightly open and return to the oven for another 20 or 25 minutes.

The high heat really crisps up the skin, and the interior winds up fluffy and loose from having time to bake off more moisture.

[LordMortis]

"Steaming" a potato is also not the best way to cook it. Microwave potatoes work in a pinch, but the result is "baked" potato that is soggy mush on the inside. The much better way is to poke one full of holes and bake it slowly in an oven (350 degrees for 60-75 minutes). The intent is that steam escapes from the potato as it bakes, leaving you with a light, fluffy baked potato...bonus points if you rub the outside with butter and sprinkle with a lot of kosher salt to make the skin crispy and delicious.

I love this method, although (because I favor the biggest potatoes I can find) I do it at 400 or 425 degrees, bake for 45 minutes, and then split each slightly open and return to the oven for another 20 or 25 minutes.

The high heat really crisps up the skin, and the interior winds up fluffy and loose from having time to bake off more moisture.

I do 45 minutes at 400 and then mash the insides with butter, milk, cheese, garlic salt, and maybe hot sauce or sometimes top it with BBQ sauce or broccoli or chili and then cook for another 30 minutes at 350.

[Holman]

"Steaming" a potato is also not the best way to cook it. Microwave potatoes work in a pinch, but the result is "baked" potato that is soggy mush on the inside. The much better way is to poke one full of holes and bake it slowly in an oven (350 degrees for 60-75 minutes). The intent is that steam escapes from the potato as it bakes, leaving you with a light, fluffy baked potato...bonus points if you rub the outside with butter and sprinkle with a lot of kosher salt to make the skin crispy and delicious.

I love this method, although (because I favor the biggest potatoes I can find) I do it at 400 or 425 degrees, bake for 45 minutes, and then split each slightly open and return to the oven for another 20 or 25 minutes.

The high heat really crisps up the skin, and the interior winds up fluffy and loose from having time to bake off more moisture.

I do 45 minutes at 400 and then mash the insides with butter, milk, cheese, garlic salt, and maybe hot sauce or sometimes top it with BBQ sauce or broccoli or chili and then cook for another 30 minutes at 350.

I'll be there for dinner tomorrow!

[Kraken]

"Steaming" a potato is also not the best way to cook it. Microwave potatoes work in a pinch, but the result is "baked" potato that is soggy mush on the inside. The much better way is to poke one full of holes and bake it slowly in an oven (350 degrees for 60-75 minutes). The intent is that steam escapes from the potato as it bakes, leaving you with a light, fluffy baked potato...bonus points if you rub the outside with butter and sprinkle with a lot of kosher salt to make the skin crispy and delicious.

I love this method, although (because I favor the biggest potatoes I can find) I do it at 400 or 425 degrees, bake for 45 minutes, and then split each slightly open and return to the oven for another 20 or 25 minutes.

The high heat really crisps up the skin, and the interior winds up fluffy and loose from having time to bake off more moisture.

I do 45 minutes at 400 and then mash the insides with butter, milk, cheese, garlic salt, and maybe hot sauce or sometimes top it with BBQ sauce or broccoli or chili and then cook for another 30 minutes at 350.

I'll be there for dinner tomorrow!

That does sound good. I just rub a russet with EVOO, poke a bunch of holes and bake at 425 for 45.

Last time I got grocs the store didn’t have loose russets, so I bought one of those plastic-wrapped varieties, unwrapped it, and baked it as explained. Steamed potatoes are not baked potatoes. Although one might reduce oven time by nuking it briefly before baking, I’m too dull to assay such an experiment myself.

[Jeff V]

I've long ago moved on from basic baked potatoes for the reasons mentioned. Too time consuming save for the unsatisfying nuclear option. When I make spuds with steak, I'll dice it up, put it in a dish with onion and sliced garlic, with rosemary and olive oil, and bake it until it gets a little crispy, but before the garlic starts to burn. Not quite the same as a standard baked spud with butter, cheese, sour cream, and baco-bits, but somewhat healthier I imagine.

[LordMortis]

The time doesn't bother me. It's not like I have to watch them bake. 15 minutes of standing over a stove and monitoring and preparing vs washing and lightly oiling a potato and walking away, coming back scoop, mix, mash back in, and maybe smother/cover and walk away again. It's not quite as awesome as laundry, which is the best chore ever but it's pretty close.

[Blackhawk]

My problem with long cooking times is that I have to plan to be hungry in advance, and then I have to change how I spend the intervening time to ensure that I'm free when the timer goes off.

That's really not how I prefer to function.

[ImLawBoy]

My go to potato side dish these days is air fryer baby potatoes. Slice 'em in half, add some oil and choice of seasonings, and let 'em rip at maybe 380 for 20 minutes (shake half-way through!).

[LordMortis]

My go to potato side dish these days is air fryer baby potatoes. Slice 'em in half, add some oil and choice of seasonings, and let 'em rip at maybe 380 for 20 minutes (shake half-way through!).

I use a mandolin(?) slicer, soak them in water for a half hour, dry them, a tiny bit of oil, and seasonings before air frying. Then I drown them in ketchup because I'm 12.

[ImLawBoy]

Too much work when I've got something else cooking.

[gilraen]

My go to potato side dish these days is air fryer baby potatoes. Slice 'em in half, add some oil and choice of seasonings, and let 'em rip at maybe 380 for 20 minutes (shake half-way through!).

Same except I always just have regular sized potatoes from Costco. So it's about 35-40 minutes at 380, then mash the insides with butter and bacon bits, top with shredded cheese and bake for another 10 minutes or so.