I made applesauce again and this time it was absolutely totally sublime. I was missing cinnamon last time but I have it this time and the taste is amazing. I just took some out of the refrigerator because I couldn't help waiting long enough for it to cool down completely. Right now it's on the slightly cool side of lukewarm.

I didn't use any Red Delicious apples this time because believe it or not Red Delicious totally sucks. I did, however, have Fuji, Bræburn, Golden Delicious and McIntosh and they produced a nice color and flavor. McIntosh was the odd one out here and I might have done better with Cameo or Gala instead. McIntosh apples tend to run small, too.

Boiling all these apples made them release their sweet juice, too. When you drain your applesauce of its water, you're actually left with apple juice. It's amazing and fresh like no apple juice you've ever had before. Coming right out of the hot saucepan, the drained juice feels more like tea than a traditional apple drink. I totally would have chilled it but I couldn't help but drink it right there. This apple juice is wonderful for other uses, too, like infusing something with a subtle apple flavor.

Those four apples produced a decent serving of applesauce for maybe four or so people, maybe less if you have people who are totally obsessed with applesauce, but the apple juice was hardly a single serving. Next time I want to experiment with some more interesting combinations of apples so I can find the absolute perfect set. I'm thinking of hitting up Whole Foods for their apple variety including more obscure cultivars including ones of scientifically produced malic genetic perfection.

SweeTango, Zestar!, Honeycrisp, I'm looking at you. When the time comes, readers, you will bet your dear ol' Granny Smith that you'll be Rhode Island Greening with envy.*

*I can't get enough of that line.

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About the author: A prolific contributor to Jul with some 2044 posts published, Sofi better fancies herself as a cinema geek, a composer, an occasional gamer, a budding fashionita, an absolute cooking newbie and a general life enthusiast-satirist. She is responsible for a number of notable discussions about meteorology and current events and may be contacted at any time through private messaging.

I'm at the point in my ramen-consuming career where I really want to find out what the best brand out there is. Ramen brands are simply abundant and you can find a huge variety if you head to your local Asian market. Maruchan is probably the most popular brand out there but I, as the de facto authority on non-mainstream tastes around here, probably know as well as anyone that what's popular isn't what's best.

For lunch, I had a package of Paldo noodles. Those are Korean "ramyeon" which is usually served really spicy but this particular one has a no-heat chicken flavor. It comes with a mini veggie packet, too. The soup came out pretty incredible and out of all the brands I've tried, it's probably the closest to actually tasting like chicken I've come across. Pretty addictive. You kinda have to remind yourself that you're drinking a shitload of sodium to avoid drinking it.

Also, a word on spice: Noodles are probably better when they pack a slight punch. That makes for a nice, more complex flavor, but some brands, like Nong Shim, tend to overdo it. (In fact, that's probably Nong Shim's sole pitfall.) Not-spicy brands like Paldo are wonderful because it allows you to add your own heat to it. For maximum enjoyment, adding some cayenne pepper before serving should not hurt at all!

Paldo noodles are slightly thicker than most other brands I've come across but they're not thick enough to be called "thick noodles". I'm starting to think slightly thicker noodles are better because they make for a nicer mouthfeel and also absorb more flavor.

I served my noodles with peas and corn and a soft-boiled egg. Usually I bring the eggs to room temperature before they get boiled, but I didn't do any of that in advance. Instead I just put it in water in a rolling boil and left it there for five minutes. I'm not sure why I didn't think of this before but tongs are really really helpful if you want to get your egg in safely without destroying it.

Pretty great stuff. :9

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About the author: A prolific contributor to Jul with some 2046 posts published, Sofi better fancies herself as a cinema geek, a composer, an occasional gamer, a budding fashionita, an absolute cooking newbie and a general life enthusiast-satirist. She is responsible for a number of notable discussions about meteorology and current events and may be contacted at any time through private messaging.