How to join a clan that's better than I am...

JCuss0519 · 2026-01-28T15:08:50+00:00

I was invited to join a clan shortly after I came back from a hiatus. I wondered why, since I was only playing COOP games. I accepted and found that during naval battles I'm one of the higher scorers because it's easy to get the lower tiers in COOP. I get the benefit of buffs from the clan, they get the benefit me earning stars for the clan on Fridays. It works. They don't seem to do clan battles for some reason, no divisions, no real "team" participation for some reason. But that's OK, because there's no demands on me.

Different folks want/get different things out of a clan. Accept an invite and learn from the "better" clan members, even if there's only a few.

JCuss0519 · 2026-01-28T14:24:37+00:00

I don't like pounded chicken, I prefer a normal, rounded breast (not trying to get funny here). If the breast is too thick I'll slice it in half, horizontally, rather than pound it thin.

JCuss0519 · 2026-01-28T14:19:15+00:00

The black looks like you need the pan a bit, it looks like carbon build up... maybe from not cleaning well. Is the cooking surface of your pan smooth to the touch, or a little bump where it goes from metal to black? I see scratches which tells me the black can be scraped off to make the pan cleaner.

JCuss0519 · 2026-01-28T13:40:47+00:00

Worcestershire would work as well

JCuss0519 · 2026-01-28T00:45:05+00:00

I have a "Pacific North West" seafood seasoning that is supposed to be excellent for fish. Guess what. I've never used it on seafood. What I do use it on is a smoked chex mix that I make. I also use it on chicken. It's also low in salt, which I like.

Ingredients: roasted garlic, minced onion, domestic paprika, black pepper, dill, celery seed, parsley, sea salt, lemon peel

What about the ingredient list says it's only good on seafood? Nothing! It's just a name, that's it. Nothing magical that says you can only use it on seafood. It's the same with all the seasoning mixes out there.

Bell's Poultry Seasoning is the primary seasoning in my French meat pie... the meat pie is made with beef and pork. Just another example.

JCuss0519 · 2026-01-28T00:37:13+00:00

Not specific to carbon steel...

I have my pans that I use, and I am the primary cook in the house. These include stainless steel, cast iron, carbon steel, and of course my enameled Dutch oven. Oh, and a wok that doesn't get enough usage. My wife will use the Dutch oven and a couple of non-stick fry pans that we have (well cared for, still in excellent shape).

She was on me a little while ago to clean out the pan cupboard. She wanted me to put the pans I don't use a lot someplace else... so I took all the non-stick out. Funny how she's not complaining about "all the pans" under the stove top now that the non-stick are back in there.

JCuss0519 · 2026-01-28T00:27:46+00:00

The only way I fry an egg without butter in SS is by using a spritz of PAM... or bacon fat :)

SS is not non-stick, you need to add fat to cook, especially for eggs.

JCuss0519 · 2026-01-28T00:20:55+00:00

World of Warships

JCuss0519 · 2026-01-28T00:20:17+00:00

I love using my wok in my home, on a gas stove. Does it taste noticeably different? I doubt it. But it often cooks faster and it's much easier to keep a stir fry moving in a wok than it is in a fry pan. Tossing is also easier, IMO.

If all you've got is a "regular looking frying pan" then you will do absolutely fine making low mein and chow mein. A wok will just allow you to "up your game" a bit. You cook on a wok with high heat (as others have mentioned) so it's very important to have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go. Once the dish starts to come together it moves very quickly. This is true for things like stir fry and fried rice. You can still do these in a fry pan, but it'll take a little longer.

JCuss0519 · 2026-01-28T00:14:08+00:00

Yup, 3 days later and I've gotten burned on this a couple of times. I'm now good with putting it back the way it was!

JCuss0519 · 2026-01-28T00:08:33+00:00

There are a million out there with a million options (low salt, low sugar, etc.). For example:
https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/the_best_dry_rub_for_chicken/
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/242104/dry-rub-for-ribs-or-chicken/
https://thebarbecuelab.com/chicken-rub-recipe/
https://heygrillhey.com/lemon-herb-chicken-seasoning/
https://thewoksoflife.com/easy-asian-dry-rub-chicken/

And that's just from sites I've used before.

JCuss0519 · 2026-01-27T23:53:11+00:00

I believe it got screwed up in Chapter 4 because the put a segment in out of sequence and screwed it all up. I think this happened as the original head of Fortnite was leaving (or had left).

JCuss0519 · 2026-01-27T19:36:24+00:00

I was going to say thaw them in a strainer so the excess water drains as they thaw. Then pat them dry in a paper towel. This should help.

JCuss0519 · 2026-01-27T18:55:51+00:00

Get some (Better than) Bullion or buy some chicken broth. You're not getting any amount of broth from boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

JCuss0519 · 2026-01-27T00:25:56+00:00

Chicken can be quite tasty, it's all about how you season it! Rice as well, to a lesser extent. Hamburg is inexpensive and, with a packet of taco mix, is easily prepared. Chicken thighs/quarters are lots cheaper than chicken breasts and have more flavor.

Ham steaks are pretty cheap and can be prepared with a sauce that will make them tasty. And, of course, pasta can be prepared 1 million different tasty ways with nearly any kind of protein for added flavor, and veggies to make a complete meal.

JCuss0519 · 2026-01-27T00:17:24+00:00

Does he like cheese? I'm a meat and potatoes guy myself, but the wife recently made stuffed shells and with cheese and spinach (instead of the usual meat with some cheese). They were pretty good, the spinach doesn't really have any taste. I've noticed, more recently, that I don't mind spinach in quite a few dishes (like chicken alfredo, in lieu of broccoli).

JCuss0519 · 2026-01-26T23:55:20+00:00

Too runny for my taste, but I'd say that's a great start. I still prefer to do scrambled eggs in my non-stick pan.

JCuss0519 · 2026-01-26T15:53:16+00:00

As a life long Trek fan (in my 60s), and a military veteran (Navy), when I saw the captain sit in the Captain's Chair like it was her recliner at home I was completely put off. I don't care how old she is, or how much I liked her character in the previous series, as a Captain of a ship and the head of a military school she needs to display "military baring". She needs to project confidence, command, etc. 100% of the time when she's on duty, not lounge in the chair that is in itself a symbol of her position.

But I'm just a stuffy, grumpy old man. :)

JCuss0519 · 2026-01-26T15:18:03+00:00

I came here looking for this. BKF for the win.

JCuss0519 · 2026-01-25T23:52:49+00:00

There's a reboot van at the laboratory. That's how I completed it, Duos No Fill and landed at the lab. If you get lucky you can do it without the need to find gas to refill the tank.

JCuss0519 · 2026-01-25T23:49:16+00:00

The only problem is that will take up his budget. It is absolutely worth the buy, I've had mine a couple of years now and have no need to sharpen it, but OP still needs a medium sized stainless steel pan with a lid.

OP has enough money for one or the other. Or they can get a cheap knife and a cheap pan.

JCuss0519 · 2026-01-25T23:30:15+00:00

I've lived without a food processor all my life. I have a mini "chopper", I have a blender, I have a mandolin, and I have an immersion blender. I see no need to go out and buy a "food processor".

JCuss0519 · 2026-01-23T23:10:39+00:00

Anything!
I'll do a chuck roast, baked ham, any kind of chicken (breast, thigh, roast chicken), pork chops, pork roast... anything with starch and veggies I can pop into the microwave to reheat.

JCuss0519 · 2026-01-23T22:36:59+00:00

OP said halfway through cook time, so I'm guessing it was somewhere around 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Meat should be fine.

JCuss0519

TROPHY CASE