Thanks to bookofjoe, I have a reference to show for this tip in the latest edition of Cook’s Illustrated, one of the best returns for one’s money if you have an interest in food. Read the full post at bookofjoe for the entire experiment done by the magazine to verify this. They take a lot of care to see that their recommendations are not old wives' tales. However, the summary is:

Cooking Pan [Photo by: Zhao Shouren] I had been making eggs on non-stick pans for as long as I remember, but regardless of how much care I put into it, the final taste could never be as good as the eggs Ma used to make, in her aluminium kadai. I figured that one reason this could be is because of the unique burning that happens to food surface when cooked in aluminium cookware, which explicitly is prevented in non-stick surfaces.

Our Sunday dinner at Treat, Indiranagar was a huge disappointment. After our recent move to HSR Layout, we hardly get to go to our previously regular Indiranagar hangouts. For a long time, Treat was a place where you would get consistently good punjabi non-veg food. The service was pathetic, and the owner was a grumpy man who doesn’t flinch for abusing his own customers if the need arises. But the mostly authentic food made up for it.

Choco brownie at Costa Really really love the Choco muffin at Costa. (drool)

Mc Spicy from Mc Donalds The new Mc Donalds Mc Spicy is an interesting challenge to the un-inspiring KFC Zinger. While the rest of Mc Donalds burgers consist of patties which have been grinded beyond recognition or any texture, Mc Spicy is a piece of boneless chicken leg where, for once, you do make out that the meat your are having is chicken. The rest of the burger is pathetic though - a splattering of mayo and infuriating iceberg lettuce.

Cha bar at Leela We went to the Cha bar at Leela after a long time. After months of making masala tea at home with fresh ginger and cardamom, the masala chai at Cha bar tasted terribly synthetic. The least a specialty tea joint can do is to use fresh ingredients and not some stock masala tea mix. Infinitea does a much better job and is a far better value for money - they give a pot for two instead of the cute but tiny street style glass they give at Cha bar.

La Ferme products via auroville.org Continuing from my last post on lesser known cheese manufacturers in India. Auroville near Pondicherry is another prominent cheese manufacturer. I have rarely seen their cheese in Bangalore, though and would really appreciate if someone tells me where I can get some. They make about 15 kinds of cheese too. Fresh ones - Mozzarella, Feta and Ricotta, which have really short shelf life, and therefore I don’t expect to see them all the way here in Bangalore.

Cheeses of Kodai (via kodaidairyproducts.com) Kodai is a 35+ years old dairy in Kodaikanal. They make specialty cheeses which are available in many supermarkets in Bangalore. I am not sure about their availability in the north. I was quite amazed to find their entire range. They make 15 different kind of cheese - Parmesan, Romano, Gruyere, Cheddar, Edam, Gouda, Tasty Cheddar, Havarti, Camemberti, Feta, Mascarpone, Ricotta, Provolone, Emmental and even Blue cheese!

Dipika at Costa Today, we decided to visit the Costa at koramangala for our weekend coffee time. Fortunately, the outlet had no music blaring inside for a change. I wonder why I haven’t heard of people complaining about the loud music at most cafes. Don’t they feel more comfortable talking without shouting or reading in a quieter environment?

After being regularly disappointed while sauteing mushrooms, this version finally gave me just the basic recipe to do it the right way. Heat olive oil in a pan over high heat. It should be hot when you put in the mushrooms Add button mushrooms which have been washed, well-dried and sliced. It is important to ensure that they are dried before sauteing them. Toss mushrooms for 4 to 5 minutes until they absorb the oil and the pan dries up.