Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I am also an impoverished grad student and completely understand the epic battle of tasty food versus time. I would love to try 100 (or even 85) grains in a cup and all their other yummy products. How does one not in Rhode Island find these treats? For other Bay Area California Serious Eaters- I live in Berkeley- are there Asian markets that stock these products? Thanks!

I was very happy to see these Top Chefs battling it out with only $10 of ingredients on hand! Being raised by a very young, working mother, we survived on about $20 a month for groceries for the both of us. Though things are allot better for us now, many people in America still live with such conditions. However, I agree with some of the earlier posts- Whole Foods is not known for economically priced items and no one on such a budget would be able to raise a family on such modest means.

I second 'thornbek'- Padma way more touchable, did you see her in that jersey?

Personally, I thought Nikki should have been the one to leave. She bought premade food! Isn't the name of this contest Top Chef? So isn't the basic requirement of competition being that you actually cook your own food? Even if Ryan's food was not usual tailgate fare, at least he wagered his own recipes. And the fact that Nikki ran out of ingredients is not because the crowd liked her food- remember she got one of the lowest scores. That is just bad planning on her part. As for Mark's messy kitchen; yeah, thats gross. So, in my opinion, Nikki or Mark should have gone home. I was surprised they thought Ryan's menu plan was worse then either Nikki's lack of cooking or Mark's unsanitary conditions.

If I can't eat it, or am not supposed to, please don't put it on my plate!

Everywhere and anywhere! I carry some sort of food substance with me at all time and hate being hungry. In class, on the bus, walking down the sidewalk, in the movie theater....pick a place. If you see me carrying a large purse, it is usually hiding food and drink.

I agree with ride&cook about buying so few processed goods that I have little opportunity to make the choice between name brand and store brand. When I do have a choice to make, I always choose the best quality for the price.... and 9 times out of 10, that is the generic/store brand!

However, I disagree that all peanut butter is the same! I take my crunchy peanut butter VERY seriously (eating it everyday of my life, no fail) and I have to say there is great difference in taste and quality between brands. Here I am selective and buy a particular Name brand that is more expensive then other storebrand...but boy is it worth it every bite!

For years my mother has been trying to get me to stop my diet soda pop habits....sending me articles and claims about its negative side effects. However, she is not a scientist and many of the articles she would side me were fluff and had little impact.

This article is NOT fluff and its message hit home! I got my degree in molecular genetics and having a respected researcher in my field come out and claim that additives in pop can degrade mitochondria activity is very frightening indeed. This might just be the article that puts me over the edge and has me drinking more plain water (as long as it comes from the tap and not the bottle....I read that article as well).

One giant waffle Ice Cream cone filled to the brim with the best quality mint chocolate chip and vanilla ice cream one can find......

.....shared with my mother and grandmother.

When I was a little girl and money was very scarce, this was the ultimate luxury. My grandmother would go and get me the biggest ice cream cone she could afford. And I would eat it very, very, very slowly....

Can't believe I am the first one here: Banana and Peanut Butter... Hello!!!

For the more eccentric: Fish Sauce, Black Pepper and Chili

Serious Eats is by far number one in my book. But a very, very close second is Chow.com. If you haven't been there yet, you should go. Great recipes, articles and community of people who take their food very seriously (like here).

Mmmmmmmmmmmm....ice cream.....my favorite food in the whole world! Oh, what was the question again? Who is better? Well, they both make ice cream, so both are winners in my book!

But, I feel I have to say the obvious, since no one else has. You can easily get the whole 'Ben and Jerry' feel with the high-quality taste of H&D by just taking plain H&D and mixing in all that other stuff on your own. Compromise, I say. Make ice cream, not war!

super crunchy pistachio biscotti dipped in black coffee

23; degree in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics at UCLA; starting my Ph.D in Infectious Disease at Berkeley this fall. Discovered the infinitely exciting world of food when I relocated from small-town Michigan to LA at the age of 17. Then on to nor-Cal; San Fransisco is a food-lover's paradise!

I love this community of individuals who all share the same deep appreciation. Thank you all for sharing.