The thai restaurants in my town all have similar menus with several stir fry options that I'd like to recreate at home. They all seem to use a similar base/sauce, but I can't figure out how to make it. When I Google these items I don't find consistent results - a lot of the recipes I find are for coconut-milk based curries; these have no coconut milk, and I don't detect any curry paste in them, but I could be wrong. Here's an example from their menu -

STIR FRIES
Pad Ga Prau with chili sauce, onions, bell peppers, and basil.
Pad Prik King with chili paste, green beans, ground peanuts, and Kar leaves.
Pad King with chili sauce, ginger,onions, bell peppers, carrots, and mushrooms.

I'm guessing they're fish sauce based, maybe with some broth added. Does anyone have any idea what I might be eating and how to make it?

I'm going on a picnic tomorrow and was thinking of bringing a punch. I'd like to keep it relatively cheap. There may only be three or four of us in attendance. I've never made a punch before, just cocktails. Any suggestions?

I'm looking for an easy yet classy dish to bring to a picnic tomorrow. At least one of the attendees will be vegetarian or fishatarian, so I'd like to be cordial and bring something along those lines. Any recommendations?

I was thinking deviled eggs but I always screw those up - I'm awful at peeling hardboiled eggs without taking chunks out of the white.

I'm looking for a healthyish lasagna recipe, preferably:

-with lots of veggies
-without a lot of milk/cream as I'm lactose intolerant (moderate amounts of cheese are OK)
-something that I can incorporate leftover roast chicken into.

Any suggestions?

I grew up in the early-mid 90s and would like to throw a potluck around the theme (there will be some awesome music). I'm trying to think of signature 90s food that isn't soda or candy, but the best I can think of is Boboli, pizza bagels, maybe burritos (that's when they became popular in my neck of the woods) and hot pockets. I wasn't cooking back then so I'm not sure what the trends were. What would you suggest?

My better half and I are putting together a wedding registry. We're looking at plain white plates for both casual and formal use. We're considering Denby, which is available for us to look at locally at Macy's, but their set is a bit too large for our current cabinets and dishwasher (hey do fit in other homes we've tried them in, and we won't be in our current spot much longer, so hopefully that won't be an issue). I've read that Apilco and Pillivuyt are also good quality; I haven't tried them first hand as it seems Williams Sonoma is their major retailer here and the nearest WS to me is a couple hours away. Wedgwood doesn't seem to have a plain enough design offering for our tastes.

Between Denby, Apilco, and Pillivuyt, who would you choose? Is there someone else we should look at?

We're also looking at Kate Spade's Malmo pattern flatware, but I'm not sure who makes it. http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/ka...

Can anyone speak to its quality, or recommend a durable flatware maker with simple, modern designs? Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn have similar designs available, but I'm uncertain who wins on quality there.

Do you have to go through security between the interisland and overseas terminal?

Layover is about 12.10 PM to 3.10 PM on a Sunday.

The lady and I have a three hour layover in the HNL interisland terminal on Sunday around lunchtime. Any good spots inside or safely near the airport?

I had a surprise invite along with a group to Maui next week. We're going to try and keep our meals cheap by cooking at a questionably-stocked rental condo. What simple, few-ingredient recipes would you recommend for this kind of situation? I'd prefer to try cooking with whatever seafood is available in the area, but there are a couple picky eaters who might want more land-going protein.

I had a surprise invite along with a group to Napili Bay next week. We're going to try and keep our meals cheap by cooking at a questionably-stocked rental condo. What simple, few-ingredient recipes would you recommend for this kind of situation? I'd prefer to try cooking with whatever seafood is available in the area. Where should we shop?

Also, any recommendations for lunches and inexpensive dinners? Are there any food trucks, etc? I'd like to try as much Hawaiian food as I can because there's not much where I live.

Thanks so much, sorry I'm woefully unprepared.

I'm wondering this too - I swore off most fast food over 15 years ago (exceptions are In-N-Out when available, Chipotle, Subway if I'm desperate). Super saucy BBQ isn't really my thing, but McDonald's promotional genius with the McRib keeps making me wonder what I'm missing. Should I break the embargo and try this thing?

I find myself with a couple of yellowfin steaks tonight that I'm not sure what to do with. I'm kind of burnt out on variations salad nicoise and various generic Asianish marinades. I've tried most of the recipes on Epicurious for this cut. Does anyone have recommendations for a more unique preparation?

I'm going to be visiting the in-laws this weekend and am looking for good sichuan in Seattle. I will be mostly in First Hill/Capitol Hill during the day and Shoreline in the evenings. Any recommendations without going to far to the east or south?

I'm coming from out of town for a Jeopardy audition at the South End of Culver City. I'll be staying in Seal Beach. What solo-friendly places would you recommend in these neighborhoods? I'm hesitant to go to far from these areas, unless it's really worth it to hop over to West Hollywood or wherever..

100 Anos blanco - it wasn't super cheap in my state-controlled store, but I tried it in a margarita and couldn't choke it down - the taste is way too round, very little agave notes, not good. Any punches or similar mixings where drowning out a tequila taste wouldn't be a bad thing?

A while back I got a carbon steel wok and tried to follow the seasoning directions from Grace Young's The Breath of a Wok. I believe it entailed filming with oil, heating, washing oil off, repeat. After a couple passes I got this:

http://i.imgur.com/JjjLR.jpg

The heat has discolored the wok at the bottom, and there are lots of little orange spots around the sides that are from oil or oxidization/rust, I can't tell. They don't scrub off with steel wool. What did I do?

OK, it sounds totally lame to buy an appliance for this, but I hate hate hate the smell of deep frying in the kitchen - no matter how hard I have ventilation going, the residual oil smell in the house drives me crazy.

I'd like to do some deep frying, though, mostly for Chinese preparations, and I'm wondering if one of those electric deep fryers with a lid might be the ticket to preventing residue/odor around the house. Does anyone have experience with these?

I got some frozen sausages from d'Artagnan that have been living too long in my freezer. They're duck and armagnac, wild boar and sage, and venision and cherry. They're smaller than I anticipated (not really eat-on-a-bun size) and pretty fatty, so I'm thinking of incorporating them as a flavoring agent rather than eating them as a main dish. What would you use these with?

I really want to smoke some brisket. I've never smoked anything before. If I were to read one set of instructions and recipe on this, who should I read? Raichlen? Cooks Illustrated? Someone else?

i was given a wheel of Cougar Gold late last year that needs to go. It's kind of like white cheddar (but not quite) with some caramelly aged-gouda like flavors riding in parallel - at least, that's the best I can describe it. It's pretty dry and flaky at this point. I have about 30 oz to take care of. I don't eat much cheese so I'm at a loss - it seems inappropriate for fondue, and I'm not a big mac and cheese guy - any ideas?

Up until now, I cooked for my girlfriend and I - I worked halftime, she worked full-time. She's also a recovering vegetarian and a novice in the kitchen.

I took a second job and will be working 11-13 hour days. I'm not going to be able to cook much anymore and I'm hoping she can take over in the kitchen. I also see it as a great opportunity for her to build her cooking confidence - she takes it really hard when things don't turn out as described.

I talked about this with her and she mentioned that she'd like to make as much ahead as possible. We're both pretty healthy eaters - as for preferences, I don't like heavy starch meals, she doesn't like mushrooms, blue cheese, or eggs. Cheap is a plus as there's a definite reason I'm working two jobs ;D

I know there are always a bunch of these threads and I'm trying to sort through them, but I appreciate any suggestions and recommendations.

I'm having a lunar new year party and would like to make some fortune cookies (with custom fortunes) for my guests. Many of the recipes I see online have been rated down for "not working" in various ways - I'm guessing making successful fortune cookies can be tricky business. What are your tips for success?

I have a massive loaf of artisanal potato bread, slightly sour, that I'd like to turn into a bread pudding. My go-to is caramelized onions, thyme and gruyere, but I'd like to branch out. What's your favorite savory bread pudding recipe? I'd like to keep it on the healthy side, so something with lots of veggies would be nice.

That's it, thanks!

Cook's Illustrated had a magazine-format edition called 30 Minute Suppers - I think it was published for Winter 2010. I had it and can't find it, but I was planning to cook a recipe for my girlfriend tomorrow night from it. The recipe is: Seared Scallops with Butternut Squash and Sage Butter

Can anyone please share the recipe with me? Thanks!

My aged mother has the inclination to make a bûche de noël for Christmas this year, but has never made one and asked for my help, including in recipe selection. Any suggestions? She's starting to have difficulty with her hands so I'm going to try and take care of the work for her; any techniques and tips would also be well appreciated.

I bought a flat of Hachiya persimmons from Costco about 10 days ago. These are the kind of persimmon you only want to eat when they are super soft and almost gelatinous - when eaten firm, they have a metallic astringency like hot copper fusing your tastebuds. The ones I bought were the appropriate color, but still very hard. "No sweat," I thought, and put them in a brown bag to soften.

Nothing's happened since then. How do I get these guys to ripen or soften or whatever the appropriate fruit term is?

I'm hosting a Thanksgiving potluck for a group of friends. We're all on tight budgets and I don't think I can swing a full turkey, but I'd still like to be able to provide some sort of focal point dish with some protein. No preference as far as meat/vegetarian, but a few people don't like egg dishes, so quiches and strata and whatnot are probably out of the question. Any thoughts?

I have some white (Ayers and Castillo) and dark (Ayers) rum to kill, but I don't have many of the other traditional tropical/tiki mixers, and I don't really feel like juicing a lot of fruit. What are some simple drinks that make good use of these spirits?

I'm looking for a place with good prices and a large selection of liqueurs. I know Washington is strongly regulated, but I'm hoping to find more variety than what can be had in Oregon.