Photo: debasige (Shutterstock)

Look: we know we’ve heard a lot from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) over the past year. What you should do? We lived during a global pandemic caused by a virus never seen before in humans and we all had / have to learn a lot.

But this week the CDC looked at a different type of social distancingwhich is apparently a problem enough that the agency decided it warranted its own investigation. We’re talking about poultry cuddling, of course. No, that’s not a typo (though Poultry smuggling is also a problem). Here’s what to know.

Chickens are not for cuddling

Salmonella outbreaks are currently reported in 43 states, resulting in 163 illnesses and 34 hospitalizations as of May 20. “You can get sick if you touch your backyard poultry or anything around them and then touch your mouth or food and swallow salmonella,” he said CDC explains in its investigation notice. And yes, “touching” includes kissing or cuddling your poultry.

If this sounds familiar to you, that’s because The CDC issued an almost identical warning exactly a year ago (almost to the day). And apparently we haven’t learned our lesson.

The CDC has issued the following guidelines to protect people with so-called “backyard herds” from salmonella:

Wash your hands

We should be pretty used to washing hands often by now, but they CDC has some poultry-specific instructions: “Always wash your hands with soap and water immediately after touching the backyard fowl, its eggs, or anything in the area where they live and roam.” If there isn’t a sink nearby, the CDC suggests using hand sanitizer and leaving some in the stall so it’s always on hand.

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Practice handling poultry safely

The best way to prevent the spread of poultry-borne infections is to avoid high-risk poultry behavior. “Don’t kiss or cuddle backyard poultry or eat or drink around them,” he said CDC explains. “This can spread salmonella bacteria in your mouth and make you sick.”

Keep an eye on the (human) children

Let’s face it, most American schools lack comprehensive education about poultry safety. Some children are simply not aware that, according to the CDC, poultry “can carry salmonella bacteria even if they look healthy and clean”.

Make sure children are supervised when they are around chickens and ducks. And if you are a parent, you should have an age-appropriate discussion with your children about responsibility for poultry.

Photo: Slice of Cake (Shutterstock)

The first time (or maybe every time) you’ve bought towels, you may have based your selection on 1) the cheapest and 2) a towel. However, as it turns out, if you are in a position where you have some degree of flexibility in your towel budget (considering it is a Investment).

Here’s how to choose one that best suits your unique bathing needs, courtesy of Jackie Revere of Wirecutter in an article for the New York Times.

Figure out what you want in a towel

According to Revere, “a good bath towel should do several things at once – dry off quickly, feel good (if not fantastic) against your skin, match your decor, and be durable enough to last for years.” Essentially the same properties as those You are looking at a potential partner.

Let’s address these one by one:

material

Terrycloth or waffle / grid? That is the question.

Terrycloth

• Thick material with tightly woven loops
• What do you think of when you think of a classic soft, fluffy towel
• Long lasting

Waffle / petals

• Thin and rough fabric
• Dries faster
• Takes up less shelf space

size

There is no standard size for a bath towel, however Revere says that a 28 x 55 inch towel is suitable for an average size person. And while towels seem like something that should be one size fits all, they aren’t. Technically, size doesn’t really matter if you’re only using the towel to dry in your bathroom.

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But if you want to do what people do on TV and in movies, where they wrap a towel under their armpits and wear it like a strapless shift dress while they dance in their living room, then those who are extra bosomical or broader want opt for a larger towel. Or more precisely, a bath towel – a longer and wider version of a bath towel, Revere says.

Your decor

If your bathroom has a particular style or color scheme, consider buying towels that will go with your decor. But that’s not our focus today so we’ll move on.

Buy a single towel and give it a try

Sure, a towel might feel nice and soft when you touch it in the store (if that’s still something people do) or when you first open the package when it comes in the mail, but Revere says that it takes a few washes before the towel reveals its true qualities.

So instead of buying a full set of towels and finding out after you wash them (at a time when it’s unlikely you can return them) that they don’t meet your softness standards, buy a towel of the brand / style you are into Consider and test it. Here is as Revere says to do that:

When washing your test towel, skip fabric softeners which can leave buildup that can change the feel and chlorine bleach which can change color. Wash in cold water and dry on low to medium heat.

Once you’ve landed on a towel that works for you, Revere suggests buying at least three bath towels for each person in your household. “You should change your towel every two to three days,” she writes. “So if you do your laundry once a week, you should have enough time to hold out between wash days.”

Photo: G-Stock Studio (Shutterstock)

Creaky joints might sound like a sign that you are getting older and your body is falling apart, but for the most part, your noisy knees are nothing to worry about. Let’s take a quick look at why joints make noise and how to tell if there’s really a problem.

Most of the snaps are just rearranging your body parts

If you hear a pop or click with every movement, a common reason is that the muscles, tendons, or other body parts surrounding this joint are moving past each other. This is especially common in the shoulders, says orthopedist Kim Stearns of the Cleveland Clinicbecause shoulders have so many moving parts.

If this happens during exercise, you can often improve the situation by warming up and stretching a little before doing the movement that makes the noise. A loosened muscle or curled tendon is less likely to be loud.

Creaking is common in healthy joints too

A creaking, crackling sound from the knees or other joints is known as crepitus and is more common in older people than younger people. People with osteoarthritis often suffer from crepitus, which leads to people with crepitus wondering if they will develop arthritis or if they damage their joints in some way when they move.

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Fortunately, that’s not the case. Crepitus is common in people with arthritis and in people without arthritis. The cartilage in our knees becomes rougher over time, and rough cartilage makes more noise as it moves than smooth cartilage. writes Michael Stuart, orthopedic surgeon at the Mayo Clinic.

Ironically, people often think they should stop doing knee exercises when their knees crunch and creak, but Stuart points out that if you have strong leg muscles, your knees will be healthier in the long run. So exercises that use your knees are more likely to help than hurt. This is true even if you know you have osteoarthritis. The The Arthritis Foundation points out their website “Exercise is considered to be the most effective non-drug treatment for pain relief and improvement in exercise in patients with osteoarthritis.”

Is It Bad for Cracking Ankles and Other Joints?

A single “pop” sound that you can’t repeat is usually due to a gas bubble in your joint. The joints are surrounded by a layer of fibrous tissue called a capsule. Inside this capsule is a fluid called synovial fluid that acts as a lubricant when your bones slide against each other.

The leading theory about how to crack your knuckles is that bubbles can form and burst in this liquid, and that the bursting of a bubble creates that characteristic knuckle cracking. The reason you usually can’t crack your knuckles twice in a row is because you’re already bursting the bladder and there is no other to burst. Wait a little, however, and another might form.

But is it unhealthy? There is no solid evidence for this. Several Experts | to have specified that there is nothing wrong with cracking your ankles, including A doctor who only cracked the knuckles of his left hand for 50 years and kept his right hand as a control. He couldn’t tell the difference between the health of his joints in his right and left hands.

When should you seek medical help for creaky joints?

If the sounds in your joints are accompanied by pain or swelling, it is time to see a doctor. That said, pain or swelling in a joint is a sign of a problem, even if it doesn’t happen with creaking noises, so the noises themselves are not the problem.

A single “pop” sound can sometimes occur when you tear certain ligaments or tendons, as anyone who has torn the ACL in their knee can tell you. Again, the sound itself is not the problem; After hearing this “pop” you will notice pain, swelling, or sometimes instability in the joint. (After tearing my ACL, my knee felt loose and wobbly.) Watch out for the injury and don’t forget to mention the pop sound when you tell the story of what happened.

Photo: Claire LowerFixed prixFixed prixWhether you’re preparing dinner for a new crush, an old friend, or your discerning in-laws, we’ll help you plan the perfect menu.

Hello everyone, and welcome to Prix Fixed, Lifehacker’s new menu planning advice column. Whether you’re having a hot date, a big anniversary, or meeting your in-laws for the first time, we’ll help you plan an impressive menu that suits your nutritional needs and culinary skills. Will there be hacks? You bet your butt will be there.

To start the column and get everyone used to the format, let’s start with a request from our own editor-in-chief. Jordan Calhoun::

Dear Claire,
I have a date ahead of me and I need a dinner that is both impressive and within my limited capabilities. I’m fine in the kitchen but definitely without the confidence to do something too fanciful that could lead to an epic failure. If I had to evaluate my skills I would give them a C +. As for dietary restrictions – I’m Pescatarian, allergic to fava beans, and don’t drink alcohol, but my date doesn’t have any restrictions or allergies that I’m aware of. In terms of equipment, I have a gas stove, all the pots and pans I need, but limited things for the oven – a baking sheet and two Pyrex casserole dishes. Thanks for your help, I’ll let you know how to do it!

After talking to Jordan about cooking a decent amount, I know he’s a huge fan of salmon and that he’s tired of baking it in the oven. The nice thing about salmon is that it can be cooked in many different ways for great results, but I wanted Jordan to give it a try Dairy poaching– or, in this case, half and half poaching – a simple, forgiving technique that will gently add flavor to your fillet while keeping things nice and tender at the same time.

We make one for pages naked tomato salad and a store-bought French baguette. Peeling cherry tomatoes may seem a little over the top and boring – and it is – but what we’re aiming for here is also simple and impressive. When you remove the skin from the tomato, it will melt in your mouth and not burst. And instead of slipping off the smooth skin, it’s ours simple little dressing sticks to the exposed meat, resulting in a simple but special little salad.

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Shopping

Okay, before we dive into the recipes, let’s take a look at our shopping list:

• 2 6-8 ounce salmon fillets, either close up or close up
• 1 pint half & half
• 1 ear of corn
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 chilli pepper of your choice (I used Serrano)
• A small clam of fresh thyme (you want at least 15 sprigs)
• Bay leaves
• 1 bunch of spring onions
• 1 lemon
• 1 dry pint (10 ounce) cherry tomatoes
• 1 baguette
• The preferred drink for your date

You’ll also need some common supplies. If you don’t have any of these options, just add them to your shopping list:

• olive oil
• Apple cider vinegar (can be replaced with another vinegar if you wish)
• Dijon mustard (you want Dijon for his emulsifying properties)
• Maple syrup or honey
• Table salt (at least 1/4 cup)
• Sugar (at least 2 tablespoons)
• A pepper mill (Don’t get pre-ground pepper. It doesn’t taste like anything.)
• Extra Credit: A box of Maldon flake salt. You might be thinking, “Hey, I already have salt,” but this is a finishing salt that adds flavor, texture, and glamor. It will instantly elevate the food and make it appear worthy as a restaurant.

The plan

Do you do the nude – or nekkid – about an hour and a half before your date (or the night before)? – Tomato salad. To do this, you need:

• 1 dry pint of cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (or any other vinegar of your choice)
• 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or honey)
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 6 sprigs of thyme

First, peel your small tomatoes. Make a small x on the bottom (opposite the stem side) of each tomato, being careful not to go too far into the meat. They should look like this:

I’ve deepened some of these a little, but it’s okay! Photo: Claire Lower

Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil and fill a bowl with ice water. Dip the tomatoes in the boiling water and work them in batches if necessary. Let them hang for 7-10 seconds until the skin peel off. Dip them in the ice water bath and repeat the process until you have gone through all of the tomatoes.

Aren’t you beautiful? Photo: Claire Lower

Now for the fun part. Gently peel off the skins. If you want, you can set them aside to make Tomato salt (although you need a few more skins to make a significant amount). Place the peeled tomatoes in a mixing bowl, transfer any remaining ingredients to a glass (or other small container with a secure lid) and shake to emulsify. If you’re not sure how to remove the thyme leaves, take out the more tender ones at the end and remove the rest of the log by grabbing one end with your non-dominant hand and running your other hand’s fingers down the stem .

Drizzle just enough dressing on the tomatoes to coat them (about half what you made). When you eat in a couple of hours or sooner, cover the salad and let it hang at room temperature. If you plan to serve it the next day, cover it and put it in the refrigerator. However, remove it an hour before serving.

Let’s talk about the fish now. In addition to poaching the fillets in creamy, high-fat half and half (fat is an excellent vehicle for flavor), we’re going to give them a little quick healing to suck out excess moisture and help them hold their shape while poaching. But first we’ll get one set up ready so you don’t feel rushed while cooking. Regarding the ingredients, you will need:

• 2 6-8 ounce salmon fillets
• 1/4 cup salt
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 pint half & half
• 1 ear of corn, Kernel removed and put the cob aside
• 1 chili pepper, cut in half
• 3 cloves of garlic, battered and peeled
• 4 sprigs of thyme plus a few extra for garnish
• 2 spring onions and additional, diagonally cut green pieces for garnish
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 lemon for peeling

Examine your salmon and remove any needle bones by holding it in place with tweezers and gently pushing it out. If you are using fillets on the skin, make long, diagonal cuts into the skin so that the fish does not curl when cooked. You could remove the skins, but they’re full of fatty acids so I always leave them on. (I’m pretty lazy too.) Put them aside.

Prepare all the other ingredients. Remove the kernels from the cob, crush and peel your garlic, cut your pepper and half into slices, and rinse off your thyme and green onions. Mix 1/4 cup of salt with 2 tablespoons of sugar and sprinkle a little more than half of the mixture on all sides of your fillets until they’re coated with a sparkling salt and sugar crust. Let rest for 15 minutes.

While waiting for your fish to heal, take the pan you plan to poach your fish in – it should barely be wide enough to hold both fillets so that they stay half and half submerged when poaching. Hold the reserved corn on the cob vertically in the empty pan and scrape it off with the blade of your knife to extract all of those yummy sugars and corn juices. Add half and half, the corn kernels and all other ingredients (except salmon and side dishes) to the pan. Set over medium to low heat. (This would also be a good time to put your baguette in a 250 degree oven to reheat.)

After your 15-minute curing time is up, rinse your fish, blot it with paper towels to dry, and set it aside.

Half and half will never “simmer” fully, but it will froth. Once this happens, reduce the heat to low. Half and half should be steaming, not boiling or bubbly, though you may occasionally see a bubble or two. If a film forms, don’t fret, just stir everything up a little. Soak the corn, onions, and herbs in the steaming half and half for 10 minutes, then slide the fish in and cook for 7-10 minutes until it sets and flakes in the thickest part. If half and half doesn’t cover your fish all the way, don’t panic. Just gently turn it over with a spatula.

Photo: Claire Lower

Once your fish is cooked to your desired firmness and flakiness – and I assume Jordan has this under control since he cooks so much salmon – transfer the fillets to shallow bowls and remove the bay leaf, green onions, the Thyme and the pepper the poaching liquid. Scoop the corn and poaching liquid with the fish into the bowls and garnish the fish with spring onions, fresh thyme leaves and lemon zest. Then grind some fresh pepper on the fish and cut it in half. (Never skip the finishing– this is how a meal feels chic and complete.) Serve with your Nekkid tomato salad and crispy French bread along with a small bowl of this fancy flake salt.

For some advice on menu planning, send your request to Claire at claire.lower@lifehacker.com. Make sure you include as much information as possible, including dietary restrictions, protein preferences, budget, and kitchen equipment available. Please note that the processing time can take up to a week. You should therefore receive these inquiries in good time.

Updated 5/21/21 at 7:06 PM EST to add information on soaking flavors.