# Rainy day comfort food **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 16, 2017, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainy-day-comfort-food/801730 "2017-11-16T00:33:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2017, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainy-day-comfort-food/801730/41 "2017-11-16T23:25:00Z")
Hmm, cold weather food…I don’t have particular foods associated with seasons for the most part. Do kinda of prefer to keep colds sandwich out of cold weather (and never buy them for lunch - just don’t like paying for a cold sandwich). I guess for cold weather, I’m slightly more inclined to casseroles. Certain amount of liquid just makes the food stay warm longer. Other than that - camp stew. With Townhouse crackers. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2017, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainy-day-comfort-food/801730/42 "2017-11-16T23:31:43Z")
Hot chocolate. Angry balls (basically a boilermaker but instead of beer and whiskey you use hard cider and fireball whiskey). Heat it up in the microwave for 10-20 seconds to make it really good for cold days. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2017, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainy-day-comfort-food/801730/43 "2017-11-16T23:53:31Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Neither of us likes lamb in the least, so we swap it for ground pork. Your sandwich is right on, except I use sweet relish instead of the pickles. I find it spreads out the pickly goodness into every bite. I can dig it. We can our own bread & butter pickles, and they’re the bomb. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2017, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainy-day-comfort-food/801730/44 "2017-11-16T23:58:20Z")
That’s cheating! ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainy-day-comfort-food/801730/45 "2017-11-17T00:57:25Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > That’s cheating! …unless you share! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainy-day-comfort-food/801730/46 "2017-11-17T02:15:23Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > …unless you share! 🙂 I’ll send you some. All I need is a valid credit card number and your SSN. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainy-day-comfort-food/801730/47 "2017-11-17T07:11:36Z")
Sausage & Peppers. Gumbo. With shrimp! I can do okra in mine, others don’t care for it, so I usually leave it out. Chili (my variant, I call “Steak Chili;” just substitute stew beef for ground beef) and corn bread over rice or macaroni (Chili Mac). ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainy-day-comfort-food/801730/48 "2017-11-17T13:19:33Z")
I would love meatloaf sandwiches if I could figure out how to make a meatloaf that holds together when sliced up for same. I want my homemade chicken soup with kluski noodles or homemade veggie soup and the more cabbage the better. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainy-day-comfort-food/801730/49 "2017-11-17T13:41:23Z")
I’ve got the makings of _chocolate a la taza_ from [Amatller](http://www.chocolateamatller.com/) 🙂 That’s the kind of chocolate usually associated with churros. Planning on making me a cup this Sunday. When we were little it was an occasional winter-Sunday treat; I’d spend over half an hour just scrapping chocolate shavings off the bar, Amatller kindly sells it in shavings form. It was also part of Sunday breakfast in my dorm: during a year in which the rest of the meals had gone completely downhill, we still agreed that Sunday breakfast made up for “if it’s peas, it’s Tuesday”. Cocoa has to make do when one can’t find a properly stiff chocolate, but it’s not really the same. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainy-day-comfort-food/801730/50 "2017-11-17T14:30:00Z")
What’s this… rain? of which you speak? Seriously, it’s mac-n-cheese for me, with a little bacon if it’s handy. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainy-day-comfort-food/801730/51 "2017-11-17T15:50:03Z")
> [@DummyGladHands](#): > > I would love meatloaf sandwiches if I could figure out how to make a meatloaf that holds together when sliced up for same. > > I want my homemade chicken soup with kluski noodles or homemade veggie soup and the more cabbage the better. If it’s not holding together, then it’s an ingredient problem. Usually, the culprit is too many binders, including milk. You only need two, usually just bread crumbs and egg. If you use bread and milk, it’s very easy to add too much, which will make it mushy, as the bread can’t absorb all the liquid _and_ the rendered fat. If you add all three, the same thing will happen. If it’s falling apart, then you aren’t using enough bread, or the ratio of bread to second binder is off, or the meat is way too lean. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainy-day-comfort-food/801730/52 "2017-11-17T15:56:48Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Neither of us likes lamb in the least, so we swap it for ground pork. Your sandwich is right on, except I use sweet relish instead of the pickles. I find it spreads out the pickly goodness into every bite. Speaking of pickle relish, if you like some zing with the sweet, try Famous Dave’s Spicy relish. It’s wonderful on a red hot (spicy hot dog) too. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainy-day-comfort-food/801730/53 "2017-11-17T16:55:34Z")
When I lived in Olympia, Washington, there was a bakery (San Francisco Street Bakery) that I could walk to from my house, a five minute walk through cold drizzle. I’d order a bowl of their mushroom barley soup, drink a mug of coffee, and read my books for class. That’s one of my most comforting memories from those years. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainy-day-comfort-food/801730/54 "2017-11-17T16:58:20Z")
This summer I discovered that most fruit can be canned in a water bath, and I was off to the races. After canning 30 half-pints of blackberry jam and a dozen half-pints of orange marmalade, I canned 24 pints of applesauce (we have an apple tree) and a dozen pints of various varieties of plums. Now that it’s cold and rainy in the PNW, I’m having some of that home-canned fruit on my oatmeal every morning, and it’s divine. Homey and comforting and delicious, and reminds me that we do get sunshine here. Sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainy-day-comfort-food/801730/55 "2017-11-17T17:43:49Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > This summer I discovered that most fruit can be canned in a water bath, and I was off to the races. > > After canning 30 half-pints of blackberry jam and a dozen half-pints of orange marmalade, I canned 24 pints of applesauce (we have an apple tree) and a dozen pints of various varieties of plums. > > Now that it’s cold and rainy in the PNW, I’m having some of that home-canned fruit on my oatmeal every morning, and it’s divine. Homey and comforting and delicious, and reminds me that we do get sunshine here. Sometimes. We do quite a bit of canning. this morning we had canned peaches and a croissant smeared with blueberry/apricot/lemon jam. I keep telling my wife that she could win state fair awards for her jams. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainy-day-comfort-food/801730/56 "2017-11-17T17:49:43Z")
[Arroz Caldo](http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/03/arroz-caldo-chicken-rice-soup-recipe.html), with about double the ginger called for in the recipe, and extra fried garlic. Bonus is that it is easy and I usually have all the ingredients on hand. Hardest part is chopping the garlic, as the garlic press doesn’t work for this. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainy-day-comfort-food/801730/57 "2017-11-17T19:16:53Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Love me some beef stew, especially after finding [this recipe](http://www.seriouseats.com/2016/01/food-lab-follow-the-rules-for-the-best-all-american-beef-stew.html). I just read this article and I am wholly convinced. Damn. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainy-day-comfort-food/801730/58 "2017-11-17T19:35:28Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > I just read this article and I am wholly convinced. Damn. I’ve used this recipe before, and you should be convinced. Searing the meat as steaks? BRILLIANT! Blending the umami bombs with the stock? Easy (though a case could be made for browning the tomato paste). Two groups of vegetables? Why didn’t I think of that before?! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainy-day-comfort-food/801730/59 "2017-11-17T22:33:02Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > I just read this article and I am wholly convinced. Damn. It’s nearly orgasmic. I used fish sauce instead of anchovies, because that’s what I had in the house, and it worked just fine. I never would have thought of using gelatin, but it really fortifies things. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainy-day-comfort-food/801730/60 "2017-11-17T23:14:42Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > It’s nearly orgasmic. I used fish sauce instead of anchovies, because that’s what I had in the house, and it worked just fine. I never would have thought of using gelatin, but it really fortifies things. One tweak I would add to the recipe: on America’s Test Kitchen, frequently they will use a combination of beef AND chicken stock (e.g., a can of each , if using canned). It gives more depth of flavor overall. I use the “Better Than Bouillon” product and add a spoonful of beef and a spoonful of chicken to most soups. That combo in my split pea soup is divine. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainy-day-comfort-food/801730.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainy-day-comfort-food/801730.md?page=4)