I agree with Linnea, all beans do not taste the same and do not have the same applications. I love all beans, but I do not particularly like plain beans, any more than I like plain tofu. Beans have a bland taste IMHO, which is why I love them, they can be spiced up in so many ways. But I don't like to mix and match either. What I make in the crockpot is baked beans (I like mine sweet and sour and spicy), black bean soup--again, spicy with chilis, and curried kidney beans (I just tried that recipe, dark red kidneys with a spicy curry sauce-yum, but then I like curry.) I use garbanzos and cannelinni beans with pasta and italian, middle eastern and spanish flavors. I would hate either one plain, I eat garbanzos in hummus, highly seasoned salads, or stews. Lentils taste earthy to me too, I do not like some lentil soups, but when I make mine I add tomato sauce, a bit of vinegar at the end, and something bitter like spinach, green pepper or celery. That's greek style. I also do sweet and sour lentils with pineapple and peppers. Or baked spaghetti with lentils, italian seasoned tomato sauce, and a hearty red wine like burgundy, topped with sharp parmesean. That would be yummy, but plain lentils would taste like dirt to me. I'm not a huge fan of blackeyed peas, although I like them in hoppin' john which I make with tabasco to counter the "earthy" taste. I'm not a huge fan of pintos, they also have an "earthy" taste to me. Particularly plain pintos. Those I can enjoy with a spicy salsa and sharp cheddar topping though. Same with kidney beans, they have an earthy taste which IMHO contrasts nicely with something spicy--so in my mixed veggie and spiced minnestrone or chili, I like them! I also like a tangy three bean salad, but not plain, I like it on lettuce with some other vegetables and croutons or sunflower seeds mixed in. So it seems to me, the key to enjoying beans is to season them well and mix them with sour, spicy, bitter, sharp and tangy flavors. That's part of the idea behind adding epazote to dried beans when cooking. I eat beans almost every day, but I would also find a bowl of plain beans very hard to palate. On the other hand, a spicy bowl of mixed bean chili with a dollop of lowfat sour cream and a few tortillas crumbled on top is my idea of heavan. Yesterday I had mixed color bowtie pasta, spicy ratatouille with lots of garlic, etc., and garbanzos all topped with parmesean and toasted pine nuts, that was delish. I've had plain garbanzos once, in a spicy curried gravy, that was good too--over brown rice.

I use smell, but I think I use sight more. How can you "smell" when onions are transluscent? I suppose they might have a certain smell at that point, but I think I use sight more. I never really thought about it before I guess!! I usually taste at the end to adjust seasoning as Annie said. Now that I'm thinking about it, I guess I do use smell a bit more than I thought. When I'm making things like Cuban black beans or chili, I do smell to make sure I have enough spice - I can smell whether there's enough cumin for example. But in dishes that have to cook a long time, like gravy (spaghetti sauce), it doesn't make sense to taste until you're getting towards the end because the alcohol in the wine needs to cook out, the different ingredients need time to meld, etc. I guess whatever works for you is the right way to do it! Everyone has their own technique. Lisa

I maintain that an old GF of mine believed the smoke detector was a timer. Anyway, a couple thoughts: For cookbooks, I still like the church/school/local fundraiser type cookbooks. Yes, there's duplicates and yes it'll use canned goods and other convenience items but for confidence building they're a good place to start IMO. Plus I find many of them entertaining to read. You've said you cook soup, stew, roast, etc, so you're not a total newbie to cooking. Do you like what you cook? If so, you're a good cook. Has anyone complemented you on your cooking? If so, it's confirmed. "Good" is a subjective term. If you don't like your cooking or are "meh" about it, what's wrong? Under/over seasoned? Under/over cooked? If something like that, that's a good place to start. "Cooking" is also apparently a subjective term. I know people to take a store-bought rotisserie chicken, some frozen vegetables, a can of soup, some Minute Rice and a frozen pie crust with some canned pie filling and say they "cooked". OK. If that's cooking to them, more power to them. Don't get me wrong, convenience foods are fine if that's your thing and often it can help you improve. Example: Maybe you like lasagna and start with a frozen one. Then maybe you think it needs more cheese and a little more seasoning. Good. Put on more cheese and add some seasoning. Make your own garlic bread to go with it. Then when you're more confident, try making a lasagna of your own. You don't need to make your own noodles unless you want to. And there are some good bottled/canned pasta sauces. Try some different cheeses you like. Maybe put in some cooked sausage instead of hamburger or stick with burger. Do a little more each time or progress at your own speed. Are you being intimidated by the shows that everything has to be "gourmet" or some fancy presentation? I personally do not eat with my eyes, I eat with my mouth and my taste buds tell me if it's good or not. That piece of parsley on the plate and having the fish sticks stacked in a pyramid do nothing for me. I suspect there's some modesty here. Like I said, you know how to cook some things so don't put yourself down. I know a several people who would love to be able to cook roasts, soups, stews, etc.

From what I understand, the outdoor heaters are propane. They burn clean? Some restaurants here have back outdoor patios that use them. Enclosed by four walls but outside. Seems ridiculous to heat outside and not necessarily legal in plain sight. They do radiate downward. We have a fire pit in the mountains. (wood fired) Similar radiating heat. 40ºF but blazing warm sitting around close. Night sky. Priceless. I read today that NYC may allow them. To extend the outdoor eating season on closed off streets. Bubble tents and mini greenhouses are gaining popularity. We will not be restaurant dining anytime soon. No need or desire even before covid. For those that do, the aerosols will be killed anywhere near that heat source. May be the carbon footprint if propane is traveling a long distance. Fuel choices are chosen based on availability. Natural gas is a direct line here. Sits and waits until we need it. Not traveling far. Our best choice. I don't like that our local farm share is not taking back their expensive insulated bags that were such a good system pre covid. So easy to clean them. Even an extra zippered bag foil inside. So frustrating. But we will reuse them for years if they will not take them back in the future. We are evironmentalist fence sitters. I need both sides of the arguments and the impact studied. We need lives living with commerce. And safe. Wake-up call about excess.