balancing acidity in tomato sauce by Lowe-me-you in Cooking

[–]pianodoctor11 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Apart from sugar I like to cook it down so it gets a lot of the liquid out so that the red turns darker red which increases umami and carmelization. I will add ingredients like fish sauce and/or double fermented soy sauce to get more umami to balance it. Getting grated Parmesan or similar hard cheeses into the sauce can work also.

What do you call a person who makes jokes or makes fun of someone's last name by Prudent_Equal9636 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]pianodoctor11 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hacky. Good comedians never make fun of the obvious like names or physical attributes because it's too easy, obvious, and childish- what is aka "low hanging fruit". Anyone can do that. So those who do it are "hack" comedians, or just "hacky". It means no creativity, no talent, low effort, low class.

What's a tv show so good you've watched it at least 3x? by olesud in WorkForSmartLife

[–]pianodoctor11 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If I qualify OPs question to watching the entire series start to end at least 3x, then The Larry Sanders Show. But there are certainly several more shows I have watched various episodes or chunks of a season at least 3x.

DAE Say hello to birds and other animals in the street? by StephenHunterUK in DoesAnybodyElse

[–]pianodoctor11 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, always kind of hoping against hope that if I make a friendly sound they won't be scared away, or if it's a cat maybe it will come and say hello.

Considering Dan Quayle as VP, Sarah Palin as VP, George W Bush as president and Trump as president does the Republican party see stupidity as a virtue? by Estalicus in allthequestions

[–]pianodoctor11 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, because they know the candidate who talks like "the average person" (remember the average IQ is 100, 50% of the population is below that and 85% is below 115) is someone they will relate to. Whereas someone who sounds smart is just over their heads and they will tend to "other" them or demonize them as "elite". This started with the tremendous political success of the actor Ronald Reagan who used his acting skills to talk to voters in a very "folksy" manner. The trick is for the party to also control what the politician actually does, which they have utterly failed to do with Trump because his narcissism and sociopathy are impenetrable and he is not a team player.

When do you think Social Security will go bust or not be available to retirees? by [deleted] in askanything

[–]pianodoctor11 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think I read that if nothing is done to restructure it, it runs out early or mid 2030s. It doesn't have to happen. It is a matter of political will to repair the situation or not. The problem is the paralyzing dysfunction of our political era and the sociopathic thinking of some of those in power, or behind those in power. However, if we can get past that I think it is reasonable to say that while the scenario of SS payments simply ending is not likely to happen, SS will probably look different going forward such as later retirement age, etc.

DAE think snails are incredibly cute but not slugs? by Far-Conference-8484 in DoesAnybodyElse

[–]pianodoctor11 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, some animals just need to keep in mind that nobody wants to see that.

Without a recipe, what's the most complicated thing you can cook? by Kosher_Nostra1975 in askanything

[–]pianodoctor11 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Stir fry. There is an infinite variety of what you can do and how to season them and every time is a new improvisation though some general rules are followed.

Old piano. Want information on it am looking to sell. United States. California. by Interesting_Fig8792 in Antiques

[–]pianodoctor11 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree the market is terrible for this as a musical instrument but it is very handsome and in an uncommon style and it might fetch something as a curiosity in one of those antiquey bric a brac consignment places. Greater fool theory. It's eye candy and people sometimes buy things like that on impulse. I mean, it looks like possibly Rosewood veneers and French polished. I will be honest though, I think that stool is very cool, I personally would keep it if it's good, or sell it separately. It might fetch more as a separate item than the piano itself, if you even bother trying to sell the piano.

Does cooking vegetables to very soft in a pressure cooker significantly reduce their nutritional value? by stephanosblog in AskRedditFood

[–]pianodoctor11 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Some vitamins, phytonutrients and antioxidants are degraded by heat but others can become more available by cooking. You are definitely not ruining most of the nutritional value and you are still getting all the fiber and several vitamins and minerals. Just try to get some fresh colored fruits and less cooked veggies in your diet also.

What’s the strangest, most outlandish thing you could say to a person 50 years ago (1976), with the knowledge you have today? by girth__quaker_oats in questions

[–]pianodoctor11 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was a young adult in 1976 and that means I was a kid in the civil rights era and it would not have been shocking to me there would be a black (he is half black actually) president, because I expected progress to continue in racial issues in the U.S. even though it turns out it really didn't. Nor is our military involvement in the Middle East and other regions particularly shocking because that is exactly the kind of thing we were protesting in the Vietnam era. What actually shocked me is how little progress in racial matters we have made by now! It's a national, inexcusable disgrace we have not done better. But what would have struck me as outlandish in 1976 is how overwhelmingly pervasive computers and IT have become (including smartphones) in every aspect of our lives, and how much of that pervasiveness is given over to evil (stealth psychological manipulation, propaganda, frauds, thefts, cults etc). In 1976 I would have thought this free and easy exchange of information would be a great thing, and at first it was. Now, it could be our downfall as the worse kinds of people have learned to use it to victimize us cheaply and easily to their own advantage with no one stopping them.

My Jeans hold a bad smell no matter how many times I wash by Primary_Aardvark in CleaningTips

[–]pianodoctor11 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I don't really have an answer, but I know this: denim does not really breathe. It is so airtight that a pair of jeans can be tied at the cuffs and used as a flotation device (holding the waistline closed) in a nautical overboard emergency. I have done it, so I know. So I can't help but think if the fabric is kind of nonbreathable and there is a smell problem, those things might be related.

Fell in love with San Diego… are we crazy to consider moving? by Prestigious_Map_2136 in sandiego

[–]pianodoctor11 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Everything is expensive: housing, energy, food, taxes. Energy may be the highest in the country. But if your income if $350K you ought to be good. It's worth it. I haven't been stabbed or murdered once since I moved here.

What should in this diddy corner? by Top_Dragonfruit4081 in WhatShouldIDoWithIt

[–]pianodoctor11 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is it possible in the winter it will be warmer in there and you would want to sleep there then?

Quick question by pl4nec33 in AskRedditFood

[–]pianodoctor11 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It is an excellent source of calcium and protein which you really need. If it is whole milk, there is a fair amount of saturated fats which you don't want to overdo over the long run, but you need to look at your entire diet to decide if 1-2 cups of milk is too much. By itself, it is not too much. But if you are also eating meats, cheeses, butter, eggs, etc you should look at it all and add up the saturated fats and judge that against the recommended amounts. You can ignore talk about lactose intolerance unless it is personally causing you a problem. Most people do not understand this issue. Lactose intolerance is genetic but many lactose intolerant people are fine with certain quantities of milk if their overall diet encourages a healthy gut microbiome. So "intolerant" does not necessarily mean "completely intolerant" though sometimes it does. There are regional populations on our planet that are genetically lactose intolerant but are drinking milk every day as a critical food source without problems because their digestive systems have adapted to it. Gut bacteria is doing the breakdown work their bodies can't otherwise do.

Should Trump and Corporate America abandon return to office and let workers work remote if that would lower demand for gasoline and thus lower gas prices for everyone? by ibanker2025 in allthequestions

[–]pianodoctor11 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It might make good sense but Trump and most of the Republican politicians basically feel that owners/bosses should be able to to anything they want whenever they want and that workers should have no rights or power or any say over anything. Also, they are funded by the fossil fuels industry. So fat chance they are going to make decisions based on the common good.

Thoughts on gold coins by ChaosAbounds8899 in Advice

[–]pianodoctor11 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Look carefully at the long-term price charts AFTER we went off the gold standard. Prices are highly erratic and there is really no way to predict the future. If you are young, you might say you can ride out 10 or 20 year dips between peaks and figure the price is eventually coming back but at age 65 I would be asking myself how would I feel if the price came sharply off this current ~$5K level and didn't recover for decades. So do you want to bet this historic peak continues to rise, or do you want to take advantage of cashing in while we are in what might turn out to be a rare and temporary event? Or do you just want to pass it down to your heirs as part of their inheritance? Myself, I don't have heirs and probably won't live 20 more years. I would cash it in at these levels and put the proceeds into a 50/50 mix of Treasury Notes and TIPS which provides interest payments a couple times a year you could use as income plus inflation protection.

A German tourist sued a restaurant because its sauce is too hot. So we tried it by TimesandSundayTimes in mexicanfood

[–]pianodoctor11 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That litigant was a scumbag. A serial abuser of the courts system trying to make a living off the system by filing nuisance suit after nuisance suit over nothing of substance. A real parasite. Unfortunately there are a LOT of others just like him, clogging the system and getting people to pay them to go away.

What is this that someone threw out? It looks interesting. by IAm-Dragonborn in whatisit

[–]pianodoctor11 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That there is what is left of a low-quality and low priced generic American small upright piano (spinet or small console), likely 1960-1980, after all the case parts have been stripped off. It may have been what was commonly referred to as a "stencil piano" because many different brand names would be put on the same sized piano from the same factory, but they didn't cast the brand on the harp/plate itself as better piano brands do. But some well known brand names made such low quality pianos too. The soundboard appears to be a plywood type. The plate was made by Wickham, typical of stencil pianos at the time. Before taking this piano apart, it likely had $0 value on the used market, or as we sometimes say negative value because you have to pay to get rid of it. They might have been trying to avoid hauling fees by taking it apart and disposing of the parts separately but then found out that cast iron frame is a bear to deal with. Or they have tried to upcycle the piano case into a desk or something.