Do you have a home carbonation system? What do you carbonate with it? Just plain water? Flavored drinks?

My girlfriend gave me a DrinkMate as an early birthday present, and I love it. I've been going crazy with it.

For me, I had never tasted the salt and vinegar potato chips until I moved to America.
The first I had it, I almost spit it out, but after a few months I bought it myself and felt it wasn’t ‘that bad’.
From that point, I went to picking it up every time I now get a sandwich.

It's summer, and it's time to relax. What is everyone drinking tonight?

I'll start:

I got sick and tired of drinking margaritas so I made a Paloma with the tequila I had around

2 oz of Tequila (blanco preferred)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup

After mixing add all the ingredients into 1/2 a grapefruit soda.

I mixed the ingredients sans a soda and strained it into a highball glass then added the soda. Normally, I'd juice the lime myself, and garnish, but I'm lazy and my wife wanted a margarita instead. It's incredibly refreshing and citrus-y, but it is incredibly refreshing especially on a hot day.

What's everyone else drinking?

I was pretty shocked when my partner and my best friend both told me that apparently the cheese and tuna omelettes my family has been eating for years aren't normal! I also know a guy at work who likes to eat spaghetti with either mayonnaise or gravy. What strange concoctions have you been eating?

Recently went to a Baskin Robbins, and I was surprised by how indecisive I was. I ended up going with a childhood favourite of mine (cotton candy), but it was far too sweet for me now. I'm curious, what are your favourite ice cream flavours? What interesting combinations have you tried? Any weird ice cream flavours you've tried before?

I'll start:

• Cooking everything on high.

• If you stick a meat thermometer all the way through the meat, you're measuring the temperature of the pan.

• Thinking I disliked all cooked vegetables. Turns out I prefer them either raw or cooked until crispy.

Lately I've been into La Fin du Monde, which is a Triple Blond from Canada. When I took the first sip it put a smile on my face. Very complex flavors. It has that Trippel flavor but I detect some of what I'd call 'berry and spice'. I'm not some beer expert, nor do I have the vocabulary to accurate explain the profile. All I can say is it's worth a shot!

Other than that Sam Adams Summer has been great for the hot days.

How did you learn to cook? Who taught you? What factors were important? Looking back, what do you think could have been better?

Or, if you're learning to cook: how is it going? What are you finding tricky? Is it easy to find teaching resources?

I've got a small collection of equipment. I've been really cautious about buying more. There are a few things I regret buying.

1. A series of knives that were good enough, but actually garbage, rather than just spending £30 on a victorinox or similar.

2. A garlic thing which looks cool but is hard to use. Garlic crusher by Royal VKB

And I was wondering, are there any bits of kit that you thought were going to be great but which ended up in the back of a cupboard or drawer?

Hey ~food! I'm relatively new here, but I would love to share my love of cookbooks with you all and discover some new ones to add to my collection.

While Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat and The Food Lab are certainly some of my favorites. I have discovered others that I have repeatedly gone back to that aren't as decorated with rewards.

One of my favorite authors as of late, Olia Hercules, has a couple of cookbooks that I absolutely adore! She specializes in Ukrainian dishes and her recipes have helped dispel the myth of potatoes and cabbage being the only slavic ingredients. Mamushka is her first cook book with several great recipes, including a chicken marinade that is impossible for me to get away from. Summer Kitchens is another lovely cook book by her that reads like a love letter for documenting Ukrainian cuisine and has so many great vegetable recipes.

I'm curious to hear about other people's recommendations! Please give me a another reason for needing a devoted bookshelf for my collection.

Always a tricky question, and always an interesting answer - personally my favourite cheese right now is Blacksticks Blue, a creamy blue that goes excellent melted on a pizza (subject to change at a moment's notice, mind you).

After seeing the recent espresso post, I figured I'd start a thread for cocktails. I've been recently getting into decent rums (Smith & Cross is a favorite) and have been playing around with different recipes and uses.

So far, I've found a good spring/summer spritzer of cachaça (raw sugarcane distillate from Brazil, with a grassy, vegetal flavor), elderflower liqueur, and tonic water. I need to refine it, but I think I'm at a 2/0.5/4 ratio of spirit/liqueur/tonic. I love the way the herbal-sweet elderflower mixes with the cachaça, balanced by the bitterness of the tonic.

What kind of setup/equipment do you have? Preferred roasts? Maybe you don't have equipment, but a favorite drink or place?

My setup isn't anything special, but it works for me. I have an Expobar Office Lever that I bought in 2017. Daily use and a bit of minor maintenance along the way, and it's been a solid machine. Paired with a Quamar M80E grinder.

Also have a second, more entry-level machine at our cabin - Gaggia Classic Pro (which is having some issues right now) and a DF64P grinder.

For beans, I've been using a subscription from Bottomless for the last 1.5 years and have been super happy with it. I enjoy trying different roasters from all over the country and the service has been super reliable and not all that expensive for the fact that you get just-in-time freshly roasted beans at your doorstep.

Anyway, what are you guys drinking?

What have you been drinking, sipping and enjoying, in the world of whisky/whiskey spirits lately? Discussion about Scotch whisky, Irish whiskey, international whiskey, bourbon, etc. are all welcome. Please don't just make a list of titles, give some thoughts, reviews, and tales about the spirits if you like!

I myself was thoroughly surprised at a whisky bar today with the Hatozaki 12. I went to the bar to try out my first Japanese whiskey's and found Hatozaki 12. It was absolutely lovely, bottled with integrity and at a fair price ($8/oz). I was not expecting such fruity and floral notes. I tried out a few from Nikka and Suntory and was not impressed. The Nikka Yoichi tasted off and a wee bit musty. The Suntory felt too light and like it belongs in a highball. I am looking forward to continuing the journey of exploration with Japanese whisky in the future. It is a stark change from the Islay Scotch whisky I drink regularly.

• Hatozaki 12 - Small Batch - Umeshu Cask: 87/100
  Owner: Akashi Sake Brewery LTD
  Region: Kaikyo Distillery, Akashi City, Hyogo, Japan
  Nose: Vanilla, honey, floral, cream, red apple, fresh fruit
  Palate: Vanilla, toffee, cherry blossom, peaches in cream, lavender
  Finish: Vanilla, floral, lavender, cream linger for several minutes after
  Note: Non-chill filtered, Natural Color, 46% ABV, speyside feel with some added bonus

My grading chart:

• 98 – 100 (A+) = Booze Nirvana.
  This is the promised land where every sense is satisfied and, unless it’s a perfect 100, you have to search and nit-pick for what’s wrong instead of what’s right about this whiskey because it’s so on point.
• 93 – 97 (A) = Exceptional – Superior in every way
  These are the best of the best and within spitting distance of Nirvana. They embody everything that category is about and then elevate it to another level. These are ones I HIGHLY recommend.
• 90 – 92 (A-) = Excellent – want to buy a case
  Whiskeys that hit this rating are extra awesome. They’re delicious and complex Daily Drinkers and even though they are not quite best-in-class, they’re among my favorite whiskeys and I would wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone at any time.
• 87 – 89 (B+) = Great – always want to have a bottle
  These are whiskeys that as soon as you taste them you say, “I want to own a bottle” and if you already own the bottle, you just smile because it’s yours. It’s not a record breaker by any means, just a good solid delicious whiskey.
• 83 – 86 (B) = Good – not a “must”, but a nice-to-have
  The majority of my baselines are found here. This range is where the “daily drinker” status starts to emerge and where I find whiskies that’re good to drink but may rotate in and out of my collection. They’re not something you’d miss when it’s out, but good enough to give a moment’s consideration when at the liquor store.
• 80 – 82 (B-) = Not-too-bad – no major flaws, worth tasting
  This is the stuff I’d recommend you try at the bar or at a friend’s house before buying a bottle. There’s nothing really wrong with it, it’s just not… quite… there.
• 77 – 79 (C+) = Average – not good, not bad, just is
  There might be some minor flaws, all-in-all it’s not offensive, but it might be boring. There’s just nothing at all noteworthy about this whiskey. Would recommend to starters.
• 73 – 76 (C) = Below average – drinkable, but better as a mixer / party booze
  It’s not like you or I actually WANT to drink this stuff, but sometimes you’re at a wedding or a shitty bar and it just happens to be there, and a beer just doesn’t sound great, so you grin and bear a glass or, when possible, ask for it in a cocktail. If the bartender sucks, you might even take a bit of solace in the knowledge that they didn’t ruin a good whiskey with their terrible cocktail.
• 70 – 72 (C-) = Not good – nearly undrinkable, wonder why the hell they made it
  When I drink this stuff, I wonder if the Master Distiller is actually proud of what they’ve put out or if it’s something they just shove out to make a quick buck. I then wonder about the person who habitually buy it and wonder what admirable qualities they find in it that I can’t.
• 60 – 69 (D) = The only thing this should be used for is making Jungle Juice, and even then, Seriously, I start to wonder if it’s even safe for human consumption at this point. - It’s just plain vile.
• 59 – 0 (F) = Horrifically flawed – the worst
  This is when I call the FDA because I’m pretty damn sure it’s not safe to drink this swill.

Recently I've been reading about the benefits of doing an extended water fast. There are apparently benefits when it comes to entering autophagy for cell repair, as well as increases in stem cell production in the a couple of parts of the body. I believe there is also some data to suggest that it increases sensitivity to insulin and does some lasting things to ghrelin and leptin levels. Many people also report clearer thinking, feelings of euphoria, and increased levels of focus after the first day of fasting.

After reading these benefits I decided to try a 72 hour water fast. Unfortunately, I did not feel almost any of the acute effects that were described in most all places that fasting is discussed. For both of the nights that I was fasted I woke up slowly and felt lethargic for a couple hours after waking. I had fairly severe brain fog throughout most of the second and third days. I was drinking electrolyte water, as is suggested (trying to hit 3g sudium/potassium and taking 250mg magnesium supplement/day), but when I drank that at a rate where I would be able to get all of the electrolytes in throughout the day I would have GI distress. I was only able to stomach about 1-2g of sodium/potassium per day

There were times where I felt the focus/energy that was described by other posters online, but it always came with an asterisk. I felt as though I was slightly detached from myself? Almost as through I was sitting inside my own mind/body and driving it as a third party. I will say that after the 18 hour mark I only felt hungry a couple of times. I did have a lot of thoughts about food, but those came from being very introspective about the fact that I was fasting more than anything else.

I want to believe that I did something wrong and thats the reason that I was not able to get the experience that it seems most others do; I would be willing to give it a second shot, but I want to try and figure out what could be improved.

Has anyone else here tried a 3+ day extended fast? What were your experiences?