food on S Anand

Hot cookies

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 20:36:03 +0800

I ordered a Caramel Cashew Cookie - Soft & Chewy at the Chennai airport, an hour before my flight.

I’ve had cookies before, but not heated. The person at the counter put it in the microwave for 30 seconds before handing it to me.

It was the best discovery I made in Jan 2026!

It is crumbly. It is chewy. It melts. It soaks. It bends when you pick it up. It’s warm. It’s sweet. It’s nutty. It’s gooey. Oh, I could go on. It’s heavenly.

Since then, I’ve had a few cookies - all heated. They always taste better hot - especially if they’re almost melting. (The taste of the more buttery ones improves more.)

There’s a reason for it.

~80% of taste is actually smell. When heated, cookies vaporize carrying the smell of vanilla, caramel, butter, etc from the mouth to the nose.
TRPM5, a taste “valve”, opens when hot. That’s why melted ice cream tastes sweeter. So do hot cookies.
Heat melts fat, which coats the mouth evenly. That carries the flavors to every corner of the mouth.

Some other foods that taste better hot are:

Brie or Camembert cheese
Peaches, plums, and nectarines
Dark chocolate (like in a sizzling brownie sundae or a choco lava cake)
Banana bread (or any dense loaf / cake)
Pecan pie
Cinnamon rolls
Leftover pizza

I haven’t tried them all, but I repeat: hot cookies are my best discovery this month!

Source: Gemini

Picking gifts is hard

Mon, 23 Aug 2021 09:06:19 +0000

What do you pick for someone you don’t know well enough?

I generally pick books. I know books well enough to match them to people’s personalities. Even if they’re not a book reader. (The risk is that they might have already read the book.) As for the kids, toys like the tiny tower diy playhouses for sale would bring them so much joy.

The other safe item is food. Chocolates, dry fruits, etc. Everyone likes them. (Even if they’re dieting, dry fruits and dark chocolates are fine.)

Beyond that, it’s a hard problem.

I went through some popular gift choices. There are a few good ideas there, but very few safe bets. For example:

A Tortoiseshell Face Mask Chain. What’s that?
A stress relief ball or perhaps other stress-relieving products from sites like CBD UK. Hmm… not a bad idea, actually.
A notebook. Except that I stopped writing in 2001.
A USB rechargeable lighter. But who do I know that smokes, whom I want to encourage?
A purse. I’ve never bought one in my life. My wife never likes the ones I point to. So…
A hot water flask. Again, not a bad idea, actually.

… and the lists go on.

But most gifts I receive for my talks are promotional.

Plaques or certificates. Some people put these up in their cabin. I don’t have a cabin.
Branded photo frames. I don’t have photos either.
Company-branded USB car USB charger socket. I don’t drive much.
Their book or brochure. I’ve either already read it or never will.

If they’re wrapped in bubble wrap, I throw away the gift and pop the bubble wrap with my daughter.

So I just added a section to my talks page.

“If you want to send gifts, I only accept dry fruits.”

How to feed a family of 4

Wed, 07 Jun 2006 12:00:00 +0000

How to feed a family of 4 for $45. These recipes are nutritious and healthy. They are low in fat and cholesterol, high in protein and rich in fibre.

Healthy Foods

Wed, 13 Jul 2005 12:00:00 +0000

100 quick and easy healthy foods. Foods which need less than 30 minutes of preparation and cooking times.

Comments

Jayant 13 Jul 2005 2:48 pm: An apple a day keeps the doctor away!. Just wash with plain water nd eat
Ram 14 Jul 2005 3:34 pm: Morning: Idly’s with Kara chutney, Lunch: Thayiru sadam with manga urugai, Dinner: Idly’s with Thakkali chutney will keep you energetic, smart, slim and trim. Why to squander on those junkies!!! (Above listed names are popular South Indian dishes)
S Anand 14 Jul 2005 5:40 pm: Don’t forget sambar!

I love chocolates

Tue, 11 Sep 2001 12:00:00 +0000

I love chocolates. Especially white. When I went to Bangkok, every chocolate I bought was white:

Toblerone: (Blue & white) Swiss Milk Chocolate with a White Chocolate Cream Filling and Honey and Almond Nougat
Lindt: Swiss Classic White Chocolate
The Belgian: 7 Seashells with Hazelnut Praline Filling
Ritter Sport: White Whole Hazelnut
Hershey’s Chocolate: Cookies ’n’ Creme Chocolate Cookie bits in White Chocolate
Hershey’s Kisses: Cookies ’n’ Creme Chocolate Cookie bits in White Chocolate