TAKEOUT OR CARRYOUT FRIDAY FOOD PHRASE DEBATE

 On Friday in the past we have done a "Friday Food Debate" where we tackle some burning questions of the culinary world, ha. We have expanded it now to other fun and different regional uses of words in addition to food related words.

We haven't done one in a while and figured it was a good time to bring it back. 

This week, the burning question is:

Apparently, there are regional differences in this once again.  When you go to a restaurant and order food to bring home, or of course have delivered to your home, people call it one of several things.  "Take out" is the most common, used by about 70% of the country, mostly in the West, NW, and North central.  In the South, "to go" is more common.  In the Midwest, "Carry out" is mostly used there.  And on the East coast, "takeout" and "carryout" are used interchangeably.  There is even another we thought of, "take away" is another term that some people use, though not as common as the usage of the others.

2nd Man and I thought about and we say "to go" here.  If we don't use that though, we default to using the term "takeout".

So, what do you call it?

Takeout?  Carryout?  To go?

FROSTING OR ICING FOOD DEBATE

On Friday in the past we have done a "Friday Food Debate" where we tackle some burning questions of the culinary world, ha. We have expanded it now to other fun and different regional uses of words in addition to food related words.

We haven't done one in a while and figured it was a good time to bring it back. 

This week, the burning question is:

Some might argue that the best part of a luscious cake is the covering that is all over the outside.  Fluffy, creamy, sweet, tangy, thick, soft, neat, rustic, it takes all forms but no matter what form it is, there are really only two names for it:  Frosting.  Or icing.

Now after a little research, there IS a technical difference. Frosting is thicker while icing is thinner, almost like a glaze.  Makes sense when you think about it from that perspective but over the years, both words have been used interchangeably and now they have become a more or less regional way of saying the same thing about the cake decor.  Most Southerners say "icing" no matter what it technically is.  

So what do you call it?

Frosting?  Icing?

FRIDAY WORD DEBATE

 On Friday in the past we have done a "Friday Food Debate" where we tackle some burning questions of the culinary world, ha. We have expanded it now to other fun and different regional uses of words in addition to food related words.

This week, the burning question is:

Ah, the most perfect of comfort foods.  The cheesy, meaty, ooey gooey goodness of a classic casserole..er wait, is that a hotdish?

We've always called this a casserole but in the North and midwest apparently hotdish is the way you describe it.  A creamy sauce holding together a starch, a protein and a vegetable.  According to some research, a hotdish almost always is made with a cream of soup as a base but it has evolved over the years as just another way of saying casserole.  

So what do you call these?

Casserole?  Hotdish?  Something else?

FRIDAY WORD DEBATE

 On Friday in the past we have done a "Friday Food Debate" where we tackle some burning questions of the culinary world, ha. We have expanded it now to other fun and different regional uses of words.

This week, the burning question is:

Besides the fact that they are so good, we love a great stack of PANCAKES.  That's what we call them down here in the South.  In the West apparently the more common term is FLAPJACKS.  In the North and other pockets of the country, they can be called HOTCAKES.

I'm not sure, even though I grew up in various parts of the country, that I've not ever used anything but pancakes.  We do have a friend though that says flapjacks and she grew up in California.  Not sure we've ever known anyone who uses the term hotcakes.  According to some research I did there are other terms that have fallen out of favor over the years:

Flippers, slapjacks, flopjacks, flappers, slapjacks, flapcakes etc.  Fascinating!

So, what do you call them?

Pancakes?  Flapjacks?  Hotcakes?

SPRINKLES OR JIMMIES FRIDAY DEBATE

On Fridays, we like to do a "Friday Food Debate" where we tackle some of the burning questions of the culinary world, ha.  We have expanded it at times to more fun regional uses of other words...

This week, the burning question is:



This one is fun because I can honestly say we had never heard of the term we don't use.  We have grown up always calling these colorful decorations for cupcakes and cookies 'sprinkles'.  Then when I was reading some articles on food items, I saw the term 'jimmies' used.  When 2nd Man has had me buy a bottle at the store it's always "hey, can you pick up a jar of sprinkles so I can make cupcakes?"  Have never said jimmies, ha.  Apparently it's another regional term as well, mainly being confined to the North and East.  

So, what do you call them?
Sprinkles?  Jimmies?  Something else?

PANCAKES OR WAFFLES FOOD DEBATE

It's time for the "Friday Food Debate" where we tackle some of the burning questions of the culinary world...LOL!

This week, the burning question is:

We haven't done one of these in a few weeks and thought it was time again.  We saw this online and immediately thought "this is a great question!"

Pancakes and waffles...two similar main dish breakfast items.  After they are cooked, on the plate, they both are covered in butter, syrup and/or other things like fresh fruit or whipped cream and served with perhaps sausage or bacon.  Still, in the end it comes down to a choice.  Would you rather have someone give you a breakfast plate with some waffles or a stack of pancakes? 

Around here, we are split but it's still close.  2nd Man makes an awesome pancake batter.  He also makes a great waffle batter.  We enjoy them both, but if you MADE me choose, I'd choose waffles.  I like the crispy exterior and fluffy interior and I love the little squares that I can fill with syrup, ha!  2nd Man loves a big stack of pancakes.

So...which camp are you in, team pancake or team waffle?

CRANBERRY SAUCE FOOD DEBATE

It's time for the "Friday Food Debate" where we tackle some of the burning questions of the culinary world...LOL!

This week, the burning question is:



This was suggested by a wonderful person in the comments a few weeks back.  We thought it was a great one to ask and so before we get too far removed from the holidays, here it is.  

We realize that there are those that do not like cranberries but for those that do, there are two camps when it comes to the ubiquitous side dish.  Chunky whole cranberries in sauce or the jellies that slides out of the can with a plop.  

We like it in all forms actually but if we had to pick a favorite, we're both team jellied.  Maybe it's because that is what we grew up eating at the holidays.  I always enjoy slicing it using the convenient "can lines", ha.  

So...which do you like, solid jelly or whole berry sauce?

OPENING PRESENTS FRIDAY DEBATE

Normally on Friday, we do a "Friday Food Debate" where we tackle some of the burning questions of the culinary world, ha...but this week we'll expand to another random fun question since it's Christmas.

This week, the burning question is:

We've asked this a few times over the years.  Now that we have new readers (and long time readers chime in too so everyone can compare) we thought it might be fun to ask again as part of the Friday debate question that everyone enjoys. 

There are really only two times you can open presents.  Christmas Eve (like I did when I was growing up) or Christmas morning (like 2nd Man did when he was growing up).  Now Christmas morning/day  can be anytime after midnight too.  We have some friends/coworkers that say they stay up until midnight and then open at 1:00am.  There are those that do a split, opening some the night before and the rest in the morning.  

2nd Man and I have sort of adopted that latter tradition...we get to open a present after dinner on Christmas Eve and the rest when we wake up Christmas morning.  I guess even though we grew up with different traditions, we've made our own now.

So...when do you open your presents?

PECAN PRONUNCIATION FOOD DEBATE

It's time for the "Friday Food Debate" where we tackle some of the burning questions of the culinary world...LOL!

This week, the burning question is:



So this came up at my office yesterday.  I bought a pecan pie for an office luncheon.  That brought up the debate of how to pronounce the ubiquitous nut.  Setting aside one pronunciation that was "peck-un", LOL, we realized that some people say puh-kahn and others say pee-kan.

Here in our household, 2nd Man and I both use the  puh-kahn pronunciation.  I think it's a Southern thing from what I see online.  Or certainly regional across the country in different areas. 

So...how do you pronounce it?

WINNER WINNER TWO CHICKEN DINNERS

Recently, we've taken to roasting two chickens at the same time.  We figure if the oven is already being heated up for one chicken, why not make two at the same time and double the amount we can use?

 This was last weekend, 2nd Man roasted a couple of chickens, olive oil, salt and pepper.

For the first meal we just took one chicken, cut it in half and served with mashed potatoes and peas.

The next day, 2nd man took the second chicken, stripped the meat off the bones and made a quick dish of arroz con pollo (Spanish for rice with chicken).  It's rice, seasonings, tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, etc.  With the chicken already cooked, there is no need to wait for it to be done.

 So good!  I'll get the recipe for it the next time he makes it.  Anyway, w e were saying that the next time we do this, we just might roast four chickens at the same time.  Again, it will fit in the oven, it's already being heated up anyway, and we can strip the meat and package in vacuum sealed freezer bags for future recipes that call from something like "the meat from a rotisserie chicken".

Anyone else "pre-cook" chicken for later use?

KETCHUP STORAGE FOOD DEBATE

It's time for the "Friday Food Debate" where we tackle some of the burning questions of the culinary world...LOL!

This week, the burning question is:

OK, this is a no-brainer for us.  We always keep ours in the fridge.  Growing up it was in the fridge.  But one day at a restaurant, we asked our waiter about the ketchup on the table and he said it stays out on the tables all the time.  We came home, did some Internet checking and sure enough, there is a debate about it.

Some people say they don't like cold ketchup on hot fries so it make sense to keep it in the pantry or a cabinet.  Apparently the general rule of thumb is to err on the side of caution and just keep it cold.  But there are many who still say it's no big deal to leave it out and just stick it in the cabinet.  Some say they leave their mustard out too!

So...where do you keep your ketchup?

BURGER STACKING FOOD DEBATE

It's time for the "Friday Food Debate" where we tackle some of the burning questions of the culinary world...LOL!

This week, the burning question is:

Apparently this is another thing that we didn't realize was so polarizing.  Apparently it started after emojis were released that showed cheese both under the meat patty and of course over the top.

So we did some checking and it caused a debate on the Internet with people taking up both sides. 

If the cheese is on top of the meat, it melts and drips down the sides of the meat while holding the top ingredients in place.  Others say that if you put it on the bottom, the heat still melts it but the cheese keeps the juices from soaking into the bottom bun.

An interesting perspective but 2nd Man and I have always done the cheese on top of the meat and then condiments on top of this.  Of course, then lettuce over or under?  I guess the debate could be on several aspects of burger "design".

So...how do you stack your burgers?

OPEN OR CLOSED FRIDAY DEBATE

Normally on Friday, we do a "Friday Food Debate" where we tackle some of the burning questions of the culinary world...but this week we'll expand to another random fun question.

This week, the burning question is:

This topic came up and my office recently.  We were all talking about sleeping at night and the topic of the door came up.  Some of the people at the office slept with he door shut always, others slept with it open.  I had to think about it for a moment.  Having a cat (probably a dog too) means you most likely have to leave the door open so as to avoid nighttime and/or morning drama, ha!

So I thought back to when I didn't have a cat and I slept with the bedroom door open.  2nd Man said he always left the door open too, even when he lived alone.  Now of course we've always had a pet since we first met and so the door has always been open.

We realize there are pets, kids, maybe roommates or relatives and that can affect decisions as well.  But in general, all things considered...

How do you like to sleep?  With the bedroom door open or closed?

CARAMEL PRONUNCIATION FOOD DEBATE

It's time for the "Friday Food Debate" where we tackle some of the burning questions of the culinary world...LOL!

This week, the burning question is:

OK, this one is fun because we love seeing how regional pronunciations are.  

This is one of those potayto/potahto debates.

We know know not everyone likes it (2nd Man is not a fan, I on the other hand love it in all forms), but regardless of what you think about it, you still have to say it when telling people you like it or don't.

The two versions which differ geographically are "CARE-UH-MEL" and "CAR-MEL".   We are both team 'care-uh-mel' here.  Embrace the three syllables, ha!

SO...how do YOU pronounce it in your area?

SOUP AND CRACKERS FOOD DEBATE

It's time for the "Friday Food Debate" where we tackle some of the burning questions of the culinary world...LOL!

This week, the burning question is:



So a very dear coworker came up with this one.  We were talking about crackers and the subject of soup came up.  Come to find out, she hates crackers crushed up and IN the soup, she prefers to eat them on the side, dipping into the soup.  I love them crushed up and added right into the soup.  

We never thought about it but apparently that is a debate that many have.  Some people like soup that you crush up a handful of crackers and scatter them over the top.  Still others like to enjoy their soup with the crackers as an accent on the side to enjoy eating along with spoonfuls of soup.  

So...what do you do with your crackers when you eat your soup?

ENDS OF A LOAF OF BREAD FOOD DEBATE

It's time for the "Friday Food Debate" where we tackle some of the burning questions of the culinary world...LOL!

This week, the burning question is:


Here is another possibly regional word description.  We were with some friends recently and they mentioned a loaf of bread and said they never ate the BUTT part of the bread.  We said "the what?"  The replied, "you know, the slice on each end, it's the butt".  We've always called it the HEEL.

A quick search of Google found that this was a big Twitter debate not too long ago.  There was a whole list of names that people used.  Heel.  Butt.  End.  Crust.  Knob.  Outside Slice.  And the oddest one of all, the scab.

We've both grown up calling it the heel.  Maybe that's a Southern thing?  Not sure. 

Here's a part 2 to the question:  Whatever you call it, do you eat it?  I could probably count on both hands the number of times I've eaten the heel in my entire life.  I just figured it was there to keep the bread fresh, you eat the inner slices first and put the "heel" back...by the time the other slices were gone, these would be too dry anyway.  2nd Man likes them though.

So...what do you call these pieces?
And do you eat them?

LONG SANDWICH NAME FOOD DEBATE

It's time for the "Friday Food Debate" where we tackle some of the burning questions of the culinary world...LOL!

This week, the burning question is:



Apparently this is a regional thing, which we find fascinating.  The question is, what do you call a long sandwich filled with meat, cheese, toppings and whatever condiments you like?

Sure it's technically a sandwich and different ingredients abound, but when they end up like this, depending on where you live, they can have a specific name.  Do you call it a HERO?  Or maybe you say give me a HOAGIE?  Or perhaps, like we do here in the South, I want a SUB?  In other areas of the South it's a PO-BOY.  And in parts of the NorthEast it's also called a GRINDER.

EDITED: today to add two more names I completely forgot about but you all mentioned in the comments. Thank you!

So...which way do you say it?

CEREAL TEXTURE FOOD DEBATE

It's time for the "Friday Food Debate" where we tackle some of the burning questions of the culinary world...LOL!

This week, the burning question is:

So here is this week's debate.  There are two schools of thought on cereal.  Some people like it crunchy like it is right after you pour the milk in it, you eat it quickly so it stays crispy and crunchy.

Still others like to pour the milk in and let it sit for a few minutes so that the cereal starts to get soggy and the milk takes on the flavor of the cereal.  Great for drinking after the cereal is gone!

Around here I think we are split again but I could actually go either way.  I love how crispy it is when it's first poured but in the end, I like it soggy and that delicious milk that's left over.  2nd Man wants it to stay as crunchy and crispy as long as possible.

So...are you team crispy or team soggy?

MAC AND CHEESE UTENSIL FOOD DEBATE

It's time for the "Friday Food Debate" where we tackle some of the burning questions of the culinary world...LOL!

This week, the burning question is:



Mac and cheese...perhaps nature's most perfect food item.  Sigh.  It's among my most favorite things.  I like it ANY way it's cooked.  But for this debate day, I did some Googling and found that there is a debate about this wonderful dish.  And that is what do you use to eat it?

Apparently there are two schools of thought.  Some people use a fork to spear the noodles and eat it up.  

Others use a spoon to get the noodles and every last bit of cheesy goodness.
                                                                                 
According to an online poll we saw, 72% use a fork.  The rest use a spoon.  In our house it's mostly a fork.  In the interest of full disclosure though, our set of flatware included SPORKS!  Yep, we have nice, stainless steel sporks to eat with if we choose.  
But let's not include that in this debate.  

So...how do you do mac and cheese?
Fork or spoon?

BACON TEXTURE FRIDAY FOOD DEBATE

It's time for the "Friday Food Debate" where we tackle some of the burning questions of the culinary world...LOL!

This week, the burning question is:

First of all, you have to be a bacon lover.  We realize not everyone loves bacon (though that could be considered a sacrilege, ha).  So when bacon is cooking there are two ways it can come out.  

You can cook it until it is crisp.  That texture with the crunch or snap when you bite into it.

Or you can cook until it's just done but still soft and chewy.  

We realize there are varying degrees of doneness from just barely cooked to burned.  This is really just one of the two ways you generally find it cooked.  Breakfast buffets at restaurants seem to have big pans of chewy soft bacon.  A diner generally seems to serve it up crispy alongside eggs and hash browns.

Here in our household, we both like it both ways but honestly, most of time we cook it until crispy.  I have been known to go steal a piece out of the pan once it's cooked but still soft, and that I love on a slice of white bread.

So...how do you like your bacon?
Crispy or chewy?