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Human: Is it too late to start a career in architecture at 35? With practically zero background. What do I need to expect? What is realistic? Assistant:

Human: Is it too late to start a career in architecture at 35? With practically zero background. What do I need to expect? What is realistic? Assistant: I’m 46 and just started a M.Arch +3 program at USC. How is it ever too late to expand your knowledge? I have so much to bring to the table, my experience only enhances the education I’m paying for.

Human: Is it too late to start a career in architecture at 35? With practically zero background. What do I need to expect? What is realistic? Assistant: Is there even a career too late to begin? Genuinely asking.

Human: Is it too late to start a career in architecture at 35? With practically zero background. What do I need to expect? What is realistic? Assistant:

Human: Is it too late to start a career in architecture at 35? With practically zero background. What do I need to expect? What is realistic? Assistant: I’m 46 and just started a M.Arch +3 program at USC. How is it ever too late to expand your knowledge? I have so much to bring to the table, my experience only enhances the education I’m paying for.

Human: Is it too late to start a career in architecture at 35? With practically zero background. What do I need to expect? What is realistic? Assistant: Nope. I did.

Human: Is it too late to start a career in architecture at 35? With practically zero background. What do I need to expect? What is realistic? Assistant:

Human: Is it too late to start a career in architecture at 35? With practically zero background. What do I need to expect? What is realistic? Assistant: Is there even a career too late to begin? Genuinely asking.

Human: Is it too late to start a career in architecture at 35? With practically zero background. What do I need to expect? What is realistic? Assistant: Nope. I did.

Human: When you get home today, don't forget to kiss your spouse and say thank you. I see this particularly in STEM researchers; it's a thing for you apparently. I'm a spouse working in the private sector. We, along with your children, get a bit tired of not seeing you much. And I cannot understand how the hell you put up with the very long hours, horrible pay, medieval managers which you call PIs, incredible amount of stress every few years looking for funding, and one of the most ferocious competitive contexts that exist. Sorry about the rant, but it's dinner time, and my spouse is running some cells through some machine or whatnot in the lab. So, closing the circle repeating myself, kiss them fondly and thank them profusely! Cheers. Assistant:

Human: When you get home today, don't forget to kiss your spouse and say thank you. I see this particularly in STEM researchers; it's a thing for you apparently. I'm a spouse working in the private sector. We, along with your children, get a bit tired of not seeing you much. And I cannot understand how the hell you put up with the very long hours, horrible pay, medieval managers which you call PIs, incredible amount of stress every few years looking for funding, and one of the most ferocious competitive contexts that exist. Sorry about the rant, but it's dinner time, and my spouse is running some cells through some machine or whatnot in the lab. So, closing the circle repeating myself, kiss them fondly and thank them profusely! Cheers. Assistant: My wife just tells me everything I did wrong when I come home. Kinda just makes me want to stay at work with my cells. At least they don't yell at me.

Human: When you get home today, don't forget to kiss your spouse and say thank you. I see this particularly in STEM researchers; it's a thing for you apparently. I'm a spouse working in the private sector. We, along with your children, get a bit tired of not seeing you much. And I cannot understand how the hell you put up with the very long hours, horrible pay, medieval managers which you call PIs, incredible amount of stress every few years looking for funding, and one of the most ferocious competitive contexts that exist. Sorry about the rant, but it's dinner time, and my spouse is running some cells through some machine or whatnot in the lab. So, closing the circle repeating myself, kiss them fondly and thank them profusely! Cheers. Assistant: How do I get a spouse? Kids can come later, I guess.

Human: When you get home today, don't forget to kiss your spouse and say thank you. I see this particularly in STEM researchers; it's a thing for you apparently. I'm a spouse working in the private sector. We, along with your children, get a bit tired of not seeing you much. And I cannot understand how the hell you put up with the very long hours, horrible pay, medieval managers which you call PIs, incredible amount of stress every few years looking for funding, and one of the most ferocious competitive contexts that exist. Sorry about the rant, but it's dinner time, and my spouse is running some cells through some machine or whatnot in the lab. So, closing the circle repeating myself, kiss them fondly and thank them profusely! Cheers. Assistant:

Human: When you get home today, don't forget to kiss your spouse and say thank you. I see this particularly in STEM researchers; it's a thing for you apparently. I'm a spouse working in the private sector. We, along with your children, get a bit tired of not seeing you much. And I cannot understand how the hell you put up with the very long hours, horrible pay, medieval managers which you call PIs, incredible amount of stress every few years looking for funding, and one of the most ferocious competitive contexts that exist. Sorry about the rant, but it's dinner time, and my spouse is running some cells through some machine or whatnot in the lab. So, closing the circle repeating myself, kiss them fondly and thank them profusely! Cheers. Assistant: My wife just tells me everything I did wrong when I come home. Kinda just makes me want to stay at work with my cells. At least they don't yell at me.

Human: When you get home today, don't forget to kiss your spouse and say thank you. I see this particularly in STEM researchers; it's a thing for you apparently. I'm a spouse working in the private sector. We, along with your children, get a bit tired of not seeing you much. And I cannot understand how the hell you put up with the very long hours, horrible pay, medieval managers which you call PIs, incredible amount of stress every few years looking for funding, and one of the most ferocious competitive contexts that exist. Sorry about the rant, but it's dinner time, and my spouse is running some cells through some machine or whatnot in the lab. So, closing the circle repeating myself, kiss them fondly and thank them profusely! Cheers. Assistant: > And I cannot understand how the hell you put up with the very long hours, horrible pay, medieval managers which you call PIs, incredible amount of stress every few years looking for funding, and one of the most ferocious competitive contexts that exist. We also don't understand so please don't look for answers. Neither my wife nor I understands what happens when I text "I'll be done around 6:15" and then walk out of the lab at 7:05.

Human: When you get home today, don't forget to kiss your spouse and say thank you. I see this particularly in STEM researchers; it's a thing for you apparently. I'm a spouse working in the private sector. We, along with your children, get a bit tired of not seeing you much. And I cannot understand how the hell you put up with the very long hours, horrible pay, medieval managers which you call PIs, incredible amount of stress every few years looking for funding, and one of the most ferocious competitive contexts that exist. Sorry about the rant, but it's dinner time, and my spouse is running some cells through some machine or whatnot in the lab. So, closing the circle repeating myself, kiss them fondly and thank them profusely! Cheers. Assistant:

Human: When you get home today, don't forget to kiss your spouse and say thank you. I see this particularly in STEM researchers; it's a thing for you apparently. I'm a spouse working in the private sector. We, along with your children, get a bit tired of not seeing you much. And I cannot understand how the hell you put up with the very long hours, horrible pay, medieval managers which you call PIs, incredible amount of stress every few years looking for funding, and one of the most ferocious competitive contexts that exist. Sorry about the rant, but it's dinner time, and my spouse is running some cells through some machine or whatnot in the lab. So, closing the circle repeating myself, kiss them fondly and thank them profusely! Cheers. Assistant: How do I get a spouse? Kids can come later, I guess.

Human: When you get home today, don't forget to kiss your spouse and say thank you. I see this particularly in STEM researchers; it's a thing for you apparently. I'm a spouse working in the private sector. We, along with your children, get a bit tired of not seeing you much. And I cannot understand how the hell you put up with the very long hours, horrible pay, medieval managers which you call PIs, incredible amount of stress every few years looking for funding, and one of the most ferocious competitive contexts that exist. Sorry about the rant, but it's dinner time, and my spouse is running some cells through some machine or whatnot in the lab. So, closing the circle repeating myself, kiss them fondly and thank them profusely! Cheers. Assistant: > And I cannot understand how the hell you put up with the very long hours, horrible pay, medieval managers which you call PIs, incredible amount of stress every few years looking for funding, and one of the most ferocious competitive contexts that exist. We also don't understand so please don't look for answers. Neither my wife nor I understands what happens when I text "I'll be done around 6:15" and then walk out of the lab at 7:05.

Human: Why do academics seem to loath their profession? This isn't a hard and fast rule but I've observed there seems to be an above average dislike for ones profession among academics. Most times (I'd say 95%) I ask a question about future career planning to be an academic, the top comment is "Get a job that isn't being an academic - we all hate it here so you probably will as well". I didn't enjoy my time as a software engineer but I didn't go around r/CScareers telling everyone to not aspire to it so what gives? Can anyone explain this? Assistant:

Human: Why do academics seem to loath their profession? This isn't a hard and fast rule but I've observed there seems to be an above average dislike for ones profession among academics. Most times (I'd say 95%) I ask a question about future career planning to be an academic, the top comment is "Get a job that isn't being an academic - we all hate it here so you probably will as well". I didn't enjoy my time as a software engineer but I didn't go around r/CScareers telling everyone to not aspire to it so what gives? Can anyone explain this? Assistant: I would argue with the premise of this question. Academics LOVE their profession. What we hate is the fact that institutions take advantage of that fact and put borderline abusive policies and expectations into place knowing we will keep working in shitty conditions because of how much we love our work.

Human: Why do academics seem to loath their profession? This isn't a hard and fast rule but I've observed there seems to be an above average dislike for ones profession among academics. Most times (I'd say 95%) I ask a question about future career planning to be an academic, the top comment is "Get a job that isn't being an academic - we all hate it here so you probably will as well". I didn't enjoy my time as a software engineer but I didn't go around r/CScareers telling everyone to not aspire to it so what gives? Can anyone explain this? Assistant: Think about it like Google reviews. People are more compelled to write a bad review than a good one.

Human: Why do academics seem to loath their profession? This isn't a hard and fast rule but I've observed there seems to be an above average dislike for ones profession among academics. Most times (I'd say 95%) I ask a question about future career planning to be an academic, the top comment is "Get a job that isn't being an academic - we all hate it here so you probably will as well". I didn't enjoy my time as a software engineer but I didn't go around r/CScareers telling everyone to not aspire to it so what gives? Can anyone explain this? Assistant:

Human: Why do academics seem to loath their profession? This isn't a hard and fast rule but I've observed there seems to be an above average dislike for ones profession among academics. Most times (I'd say 95%) I ask a question about future career planning to be an academic, the top comment is "Get a job that isn't being an academic - we all hate it here so you probably will as well". I didn't enjoy my time as a software engineer but I didn't go around r/CScareers telling everyone to not aspire to it so what gives? Can anyone explain this? Assistant: I would argue with the premise of this question. Academics LOVE their profession. What we hate is the fact that institutions take advantage of that fact and put borderline abusive policies and expectations into place knowing we will keep working in shitty conditions because of how much we love our work.

Human: Why do academics seem to loath their profession? This isn't a hard and fast rule but I've observed there seems to be an above average dislike for ones profession among academics. Most times (I'd say 95%) I ask a question about future career planning to be an academic, the top comment is "Get a job that isn't being an academic - we all hate it here so you probably will as well". I didn't enjoy my time as a software engineer but I didn't go around r/CScareers telling everyone to not aspire to it so what gives? Can anyone explain this? Assistant: I don’t know, man. Is this the case? I’m tenured at an R1, and I think my job is pretty sweet. I get to choose what I want to research, what classes I want to teach, and when I want to teach them. I never have to worry about missing my kids’ events because the job is so flexible. I get paid six figures, and get to travel to cool places on my university’s dime. The administrative work sucks, but that’s true in most professions.

Human: Why do academics seem to loath their profession? This isn't a hard and fast rule but I've observed there seems to be an above average dislike for ones profession among academics. Most times (I'd say 95%) I ask a question about future career planning to be an academic, the top comment is "Get a job that isn't being an academic - we all hate it here so you probably will as well". I didn't enjoy my time as a software engineer but I didn't go around r/CScareers telling everyone to not aspire to it so what gives? Can anyone explain this? Assistant:

Human: Why do academics seem to loath their profession? This isn't a hard and fast rule but I've observed there seems to be an above average dislike for ones profession among academics. Most times (I'd say 95%) I ask a question about future career planning to be an academic, the top comment is "Get a job that isn't being an academic - we all hate it here so you probably will as well". I didn't enjoy my time as a software engineer but I didn't go around r/CScareers telling everyone to not aspire to it so what gives? Can anyone explain this? Assistant: Think about it like Google reviews. People are more compelled to write a bad review than a good one.

Human: Why do academics seem to loath their profession? This isn't a hard and fast rule but I've observed there seems to be an above average dislike for ones profession among academics. Most times (I'd say 95%) I ask a question about future career planning to be an academic, the top comment is "Get a job that isn't being an academic - we all hate it here so you probably will as well". I didn't enjoy my time as a software engineer but I didn't go around r/CScareers telling everyone to not aspire to it so what gives? Can anyone explain this? Assistant: I don’t know, man. Is this the case? I’m tenured at an R1, and I think my job is pretty sweet. I get to choose what I want to research, what classes I want to teach, and when I want to teach them. I never have to worry about missing my kids’ events because the job is so flexible. I get paid six figures, and get to travel to cool places on my university’s dime. The administrative work sucks, but that’s true in most professions.

Human: What career options are there if I'd like to teach at a high level and avoid doing research after my PhD? I prefer the teaching aspect of grad school more than the research and am interested in learning about which career opportunities are available to me. Thank you in advance! Assistant:

Human: What career options are there if I'd like to teach at a high level and avoid doing research after my PhD? I prefer the teaching aspect of grad school more than the research and am interested in learning about which career opportunities are available to me. Thank you in advance! Assistant: I mean....there aren't any? Like if you become a lecturer most aren't tenured and in many departments its become more common to have year to year contracts if not semester to semester Community College is the best bet. But salaries can be low compared to col most places. Then there's private academies. Common in big metro. I have a friend who teaches at one south of Los Angeles. Wonderful spot. Decent contract. He teaches high schoolers who are being vetted as future CEOs, congressman, etc.

Human: What career options are there if I'd like to teach at a high level and avoid doing research after my PhD? I prefer the teaching aspect of grad school more than the research and am interested in learning about which career opportunities are available to me. Thank you in advance! Assistant: There is no position in grad schools where prof only "teach". So the high level teaching is not an option. Research is going to be there. Teaching only will be PUIs or maybe private high-schools (better pay maybe).

Human: What career options are there if I'd like to teach at a high level and avoid doing research after my PhD? I prefer the teaching aspect of grad school more than the research and am interested in learning about which career opportunities are available to me. Thank you in advance! Assistant:

Human: What career options are there if I'd like to teach at a high level and avoid doing research after my PhD? I prefer the teaching aspect of grad school more than the research and am interested in learning about which career opportunities are available to me. Thank you in advance! Assistant: I mean....there aren't any? Like if you become a lecturer most aren't tenured and in many departments its become more common to have year to year contracts if not semester to semester Community College is the best bet. But salaries can be low compared to col most places. Then there's private academies. Common in big metro. I have a friend who teaches at one south of Los Angeles. Wonderful spot. Decent contract. He teaches high schoolers who are being vetted as future CEOs, congressman, etc.

Human: What career options are there if I'd like to teach at a high level and avoid doing research after my PhD? I prefer the teaching aspect of grad school more than the research and am interested in learning about which career opportunities are available to me. Thank you in advance! Assistant: Small liberal arts colleges.

Human: What career options are there if I'd like to teach at a high level and avoid doing research after my PhD? I prefer the teaching aspect of grad school more than the research and am interested in learning about which career opportunities are available to me. Thank you in advance! Assistant:

Human: What career options are there if I'd like to teach at a high level and avoid doing research after my PhD? I prefer the teaching aspect of grad school more than the research and am interested in learning about which career opportunities are available to me. Thank you in advance! Assistant: There is no position in grad schools where prof only "teach". So the high level teaching is not an option. Research is going to be there. Teaching only will be PUIs or maybe private high-schools (better pay maybe).

Human: What career options are there if I'd like to teach at a high level and avoid doing research after my PhD? I prefer the teaching aspect of grad school more than the research and am interested in learning about which career opportunities are available to me. Thank you in advance! Assistant: Small liberal arts colleges.

Human: Catch-22: how to get published if they won't publish you unless you've published For nearly 10 years I have been trying to have some historical theories evaluated. If they are correct, they would be significant discoveries. I do not want to just post them online since they would likely be lost on the web, plus I do not want to spread pseudoscience or just give someone else the idea who then claims the credit. Unfortunately for me as well, some of them involve subjects usually considered taboo by many academic authorities (i.e., historical antecedents for various Greek, Biblical, and Medieval myths). When I contact history departments at universities, I am given the cold shoulder since I am an independent investigator (mind you, this is before I even mention the nature of my theories). I have therefore done my best as an amateur to write up my theories in an academic fashion and submit them to academic journals. They repeatedly get sent to peer review, so I feel the editors agree they must have some merit. However, the peer reviewers keep shooting me down over presentation errors (wanting original texts rather than texts in translation, wanting phrasing adjusted, wanting counterpoint discussions on modern opinions on some of these subjects despite being beyond the article word limits, etc.). Often one reviewer will contradict the others in their demands. I am sure I am making many amateur mistakes in presentation, because I am an amateur. I fix the problems and resubmit to a new journal. More months go by. Slowly the papers become more polished, but I feel there must be a better way than this. Collaboration or direct professional advice would prevent many of these amateur mistakes, anticipate reviewer concerns, or even identify ideal journals or forums for presenting these ideas. Conversely, some reviewers have remarked very positively on my theories but instead of recommending article publication have instead recommended I pursue an academic book or a monograph as they feel the article format is too confining to properly elaborate on some of my arguments and theses. I do not have the credentials to do this. As a result, my manuscripts gather dust on shelves. Finally, a recent manuscript was nearly accepted after 18 months of peer review by multiple reviewers with recommendations for a couple of changes to references, but I do not have access to the references they recommend since I am an independent investigator. So am stuck in a Catch-22: I cannot publish without credibility, but I cannot get credibility without being published. What is there to be done? Thank you for any suggestions. Assistant:

Human: Catch-22: how to get published if they won't publish you unless you've published For nearly 10 years I have been trying to have some historical theories evaluated. If they are correct, they would be significant discoveries. I do not want to just post them online since they would likely be lost on the web, plus I do not want to spread pseudoscience or just give someone else the idea who then claims the credit. Unfortunately for me as well, some of them involve subjects usually considered taboo by many academic authorities (i.e., historical antecedents for various Greek, Biblical, and Medieval myths). When I contact history departments at universities, I am given the cold shoulder since I am an independent investigator (mind you, this is before I even mention the nature of my theories). I have therefore done my best as an amateur to write up my theories in an academic fashion and submit them to academic journals. They repeatedly get sent to peer review, so I feel the editors agree they must have some merit. However, the peer reviewers keep shooting me down over presentation errors (wanting original texts rather than texts in translation, wanting phrasing adjusted, wanting counterpoint discussions on modern opinions on some of these subjects despite being beyond the article word limits, etc.). Often one reviewer will contradict the others in their demands. I am sure I am making many amateur mistakes in presentation, because I am an amateur. I fix the problems and resubmit to a new journal. More months go by. Slowly the papers become more polished, but I feel there must be a better way than this. Collaboration or direct professional advice would prevent many of these amateur mistakes, anticipate reviewer concerns, or even identify ideal journals or forums for presenting these ideas. Conversely, some reviewers have remarked very positively on my theories but instead of recommending article publication have instead recommended I pursue an academic book or a monograph as they feel the article format is too confining to properly elaborate on some of my arguments and theses. I do not have the credentials to do this. As a result, my manuscripts gather dust on shelves. Finally, a recent manuscript was nearly accepted after 18 months of peer review by multiple reviewers with recommendations for a couple of changes to references, but I do not have access to the references they recommend since I am an independent investigator. So am stuck in a Catch-22: I cannot publish without credibility, but I cannot get credibility without being published. What is there to be done? Thank you for any suggestions. Assistant: As an academic it is on YOU to back up your claims. If you can't get the needed reference then you will need to pony up and purchase a copy. As far as presentation, you should be copying the journals you are publishing in for what to do. If revieweRs contradict each other, then you need to be able to sufficiently answer each of them as to why you do or do not agree with them. This isn't a catch-22, this is you not knowing how to play the game.

Human: Catch-22: how to get published if they won't publish you unless you've published For nearly 10 years I have been trying to have some historical theories evaluated. If they are correct, they would be significant discoveries. I do not want to just post them online since they would likely be lost on the web, plus I do not want to spread pseudoscience or just give someone else the idea who then claims the credit. Unfortunately for me as well, some of them involve subjects usually considered taboo by many academic authorities (i.e., historical antecedents for various Greek, Biblical, and Medieval myths). When I contact history departments at universities, I am given the cold shoulder since I am an independent investigator (mind you, this is before I even mention the nature of my theories). I have therefore done my best as an amateur to write up my theories in an academic fashion and submit them to academic journals. They repeatedly get sent to peer review, so I feel the editors agree they must have some merit. However, the peer reviewers keep shooting me down over presentation errors (wanting original texts rather than texts in translation, wanting phrasing adjusted, wanting counterpoint discussions on modern opinions on some of these subjects despite being beyond the article word limits, etc.). Often one reviewer will contradict the others in their demands. I am sure I am making many amateur mistakes in presentation, because I am an amateur. I fix the problems and resubmit to a new journal. More months go by. Slowly the papers become more polished, but I feel there must be a better way than this. Collaboration or direct professional advice would prevent many of these amateur mistakes, anticipate reviewer concerns, or even identify ideal journals or forums for presenting these ideas. Conversely, some reviewers have remarked very positively on my theories but instead of recommending article publication have instead recommended I pursue an academic book or a monograph as they feel the article format is too confining to properly elaborate on some of my arguments and theses. I do not have the credentials to do this. As a result, my manuscripts gather dust on shelves. Finally, a recent manuscript was nearly accepted after 18 months of peer review by multiple reviewers with recommendations for a couple of changes to references, but I do not have access to the references they recommend since I am an independent investigator. So am stuck in a Catch-22: I cannot publish without credibility, but I cannot get credibility without being published. What is there to be done? Thank you for any suggestions. Assistant: If you have a university nearby, you may be able to get a user account/library card as a local community member and access the journals & databases to which the library subscribes.

Human: Catch-22: how to get published if they won't publish you unless you've published For nearly 10 years I have been trying to have some historical theories evaluated. If they are correct, they would be significant discoveries. I do not want to just post them online since they would likely be lost on the web, plus I do not want to spread pseudoscience or just give someone else the idea who then claims the credit. Unfortunately for me as well, some of them involve subjects usually considered taboo by many academic authorities (i.e., historical antecedents for various Greek, Biblical, and Medieval myths). When I contact history departments at universities, I am given the cold shoulder since I am an independent investigator (mind you, this is before I even mention the nature of my theories). I have therefore done my best as an amateur to write up my theories in an academic fashion and submit them to academic journals. They repeatedly get sent to peer review, so I feel the editors agree they must have some merit. However, the peer reviewers keep shooting me down over presentation errors (wanting original texts rather than texts in translation, wanting phrasing adjusted, wanting counterpoint discussions on modern opinions on some of these subjects despite being beyond the article word limits, etc.). Often one reviewer will contradict the others in their demands. I am sure I am making many amateur mistakes in presentation, because I am an amateur. I fix the problems and resubmit to a new journal. More months go by. Slowly the papers become more polished, but I feel there must be a better way than this. Collaboration or direct professional advice would prevent many of these amateur mistakes, anticipate reviewer concerns, or even identify ideal journals or forums for presenting these ideas. Conversely, some reviewers have remarked very positively on my theories but instead of recommending article publication have instead recommended I pursue an academic book or a monograph as they feel the article format is too confining to properly elaborate on some of my arguments and theses. I do not have the credentials to do this. As a result, my manuscripts gather dust on shelves. Finally, a recent manuscript was nearly accepted after 18 months of peer review by multiple reviewers with recommendations for a couple of changes to references, but I do not have access to the references they recommend since I am an independent investigator. So am stuck in a Catch-22: I cannot publish without credibility, but I cannot get credibility without being published. What is there to be done? Thank you for any suggestions. Assistant:

Human: Catch-22: how to get published if they won't publish you unless you've published For nearly 10 years I have been trying to have some historical theories evaluated. If they are correct, they would be significant discoveries. I do not want to just post them online since they would likely be lost on the web, plus I do not want to spread pseudoscience or just give someone else the idea who then claims the credit. Unfortunately for me as well, some of them involve subjects usually considered taboo by many academic authorities (i.e., historical antecedents for various Greek, Biblical, and Medieval myths). When I contact history departments at universities, I am given the cold shoulder since I am an independent investigator (mind you, this is before I even mention the nature of my theories). I have therefore done my best as an amateur to write up my theories in an academic fashion and submit them to academic journals. They repeatedly get sent to peer review, so I feel the editors agree they must have some merit. However, the peer reviewers keep shooting me down over presentation errors (wanting original texts rather than texts in translation, wanting phrasing adjusted, wanting counterpoint discussions on modern opinions on some of these subjects despite being beyond the article word limits, etc.). Often one reviewer will contradict the others in their demands. I am sure I am making many amateur mistakes in presentation, because I am an amateur. I fix the problems and resubmit to a new journal. More months go by. Slowly the papers become more polished, but I feel there must be a better way than this. Collaboration or direct professional advice would prevent many of these amateur mistakes, anticipate reviewer concerns, or even identify ideal journals or forums for presenting these ideas. Conversely, some reviewers have remarked very positively on my theories but instead of recommending article publication have instead recommended I pursue an academic book or a monograph as they feel the article format is too confining to properly elaborate on some of my arguments and theses. I do not have the credentials to do this. As a result, my manuscripts gather dust on shelves. Finally, a recent manuscript was nearly accepted after 18 months of peer review by multiple reviewers with recommendations for a couple of changes to references, but I do not have access to the references they recommend since I am an independent investigator. So am stuck in a Catch-22: I cannot publish without credibility, but I cannot get credibility without being published. What is there to be done? Thank you for any suggestions. Assistant: As an academic it is on YOU to back up your claims. If you can't get the needed reference then you will need to pony up and purchase a copy. As far as presentation, you should be copying the journals you are publishing in for what to do. If revieweRs contradict each other, then you need to be able to sufficiently answer each of them as to why you do or do not agree with them. This isn't a catch-22, this is you not knowing how to play the game.

Human: Catch-22: how to get published if they won't publish you unless you've published For nearly 10 years I have been trying to have some historical theories evaluated. If they are correct, they would be significant discoveries. I do not want to just post them online since they would likely be lost on the web, plus I do not want to spread pseudoscience or just give someone else the idea who then claims the credit. Unfortunately for me as well, some of them involve subjects usually considered taboo by many academic authorities (i.e., historical antecedents for various Greek, Biblical, and Medieval myths). When I contact history departments at universities, I am given the cold shoulder since I am an independent investigator (mind you, this is before I even mention the nature of my theories). I have therefore done my best as an amateur to write up my theories in an academic fashion and submit them to academic journals. They repeatedly get sent to peer review, so I feel the editors agree they must have some merit. However, the peer reviewers keep shooting me down over presentation errors (wanting original texts rather than texts in translation, wanting phrasing adjusted, wanting counterpoint discussions on modern opinions on some of these subjects despite being beyond the article word limits, etc.). Often one reviewer will contradict the others in their demands. I am sure I am making many amateur mistakes in presentation, because I am an amateur. I fix the problems and resubmit to a new journal. More months go by. Slowly the papers become more polished, but I feel there must be a better way than this. Collaboration or direct professional advice would prevent many of these amateur mistakes, anticipate reviewer concerns, or even identify ideal journals or forums for presenting these ideas. Conversely, some reviewers have remarked very positively on my theories but instead of recommending article publication have instead recommended I pursue an academic book or a monograph as they feel the article format is too confining to properly elaborate on some of my arguments and theses. I do not have the credentials to do this. As a result, my manuscripts gather dust on shelves. Finally, a recent manuscript was nearly accepted after 18 months of peer review by multiple reviewers with recommendations for a couple of changes to references, but I do not have access to the references they recommend since I am an independent investigator. So am stuck in a Catch-22: I cannot publish without credibility, but I cannot get credibility without being published. What is there to be done? Thank you for any suggestions. Assistant: Access to references? What are you referring to? Are you just talking about articles?

Human: Catch-22: how to get published if they won't publish you unless you've published For nearly 10 years I have been trying to have some historical theories evaluated. If they are correct, they would be significant discoveries. I do not want to just post them online since they would likely be lost on the web, plus I do not want to spread pseudoscience or just give someone else the idea who then claims the credit. Unfortunately for me as well, some of them involve subjects usually considered taboo by many academic authorities (i.e., historical antecedents for various Greek, Biblical, and Medieval myths). When I contact history departments at universities, I am given the cold shoulder since I am an independent investigator (mind you, this is before I even mention the nature of my theories). I have therefore done my best as an amateur to write up my theories in an academic fashion and submit them to academic journals. They repeatedly get sent to peer review, so I feel the editors agree they must have some merit. However, the peer reviewers keep shooting me down over presentation errors (wanting original texts rather than texts in translation, wanting phrasing adjusted, wanting counterpoint discussions on modern opinions on some of these subjects despite being beyond the article word limits, etc.). Often one reviewer will contradict the others in their demands. I am sure I am making many amateur mistakes in presentation, because I am an amateur. I fix the problems and resubmit to a new journal. More months go by. Slowly the papers become more polished, but I feel there must be a better way than this. Collaboration or direct professional advice would prevent many of these amateur mistakes, anticipate reviewer concerns, or even identify ideal journals or forums for presenting these ideas. Conversely, some reviewers have remarked very positively on my theories but instead of recommending article publication have instead recommended I pursue an academic book or a monograph as they feel the article format is too confining to properly elaborate on some of my arguments and theses. I do not have the credentials to do this. As a result, my manuscripts gather dust on shelves. Finally, a recent manuscript was nearly accepted after 18 months of peer review by multiple reviewers with recommendations for a couple of changes to references, but I do not have access to the references they recommend since I am an independent investigator. So am stuck in a Catch-22: I cannot publish without credibility, but I cannot get credibility without being published. What is there to be done? Thank you for any suggestions. Assistant:

Human: Catch-22: how to get published if they won't publish you unless you've published For nearly 10 years I have been trying to have some historical theories evaluated. If they are correct, they would be significant discoveries. I do not want to just post them online since they would likely be lost on the web, plus I do not want to spread pseudoscience or just give someone else the idea who then claims the credit. Unfortunately for me as well, some of them involve subjects usually considered taboo by many academic authorities (i.e., historical antecedents for various Greek, Biblical, and Medieval myths). When I contact history departments at universities, I am given the cold shoulder since I am an independent investigator (mind you, this is before I even mention the nature of my theories). I have therefore done my best as an amateur to write up my theories in an academic fashion and submit them to academic journals. They repeatedly get sent to peer review, so I feel the editors agree they must have some merit. However, the peer reviewers keep shooting me down over presentation errors (wanting original texts rather than texts in translation, wanting phrasing adjusted, wanting counterpoint discussions on modern opinions on some of these subjects despite being beyond the article word limits, etc.). Often one reviewer will contradict the others in their demands. I am sure I am making many amateur mistakes in presentation, because I am an amateur. I fix the problems and resubmit to a new journal. More months go by. Slowly the papers become more polished, but I feel there must be a better way than this. Collaboration or direct professional advice would prevent many of these amateur mistakes, anticipate reviewer concerns, or even identify ideal journals or forums for presenting these ideas. Conversely, some reviewers have remarked very positively on my theories but instead of recommending article publication have instead recommended I pursue an academic book or a monograph as they feel the article format is too confining to properly elaborate on some of my arguments and theses. I do not have the credentials to do this. As a result, my manuscripts gather dust on shelves. Finally, a recent manuscript was nearly accepted after 18 months of peer review by multiple reviewers with recommendations for a couple of changes to references, but I do not have access to the references they recommend since I am an independent investigator. So am stuck in a Catch-22: I cannot publish without credibility, but I cannot get credibility without being published. What is there to be done? Thank you for any suggestions. Assistant: If you have a university nearby, you may be able to get a user account/library card as a local community member and access the journals & databases to which the library subscribes.

Human: Catch-22: how to get published if they won't publish you unless you've published For nearly 10 years I have been trying to have some historical theories evaluated. If they are correct, they would be significant discoveries. I do not want to just post them online since they would likely be lost on the web, plus I do not want to spread pseudoscience or just give someone else the idea who then claims the credit. Unfortunately for me as well, some of them involve subjects usually considered taboo by many academic authorities (i.e., historical antecedents for various Greek, Biblical, and Medieval myths). When I contact history departments at universities, I am given the cold shoulder since I am an independent investigator (mind you, this is before I even mention the nature of my theories). I have therefore done my best as an amateur to write up my theories in an academic fashion and submit them to academic journals. They repeatedly get sent to peer review, so I feel the editors agree they must have some merit. However, the peer reviewers keep shooting me down over presentation errors (wanting original texts rather than texts in translation, wanting phrasing adjusted, wanting counterpoint discussions on modern opinions on some of these subjects despite being beyond the article word limits, etc.). Often one reviewer will contradict the others in their demands. I am sure I am making many amateur mistakes in presentation, because I am an amateur. I fix the problems and resubmit to a new journal. More months go by. Slowly the papers become more polished, but I feel there must be a better way than this. Collaboration or direct professional advice would prevent many of these amateur mistakes, anticipate reviewer concerns, or even identify ideal journals or forums for presenting these ideas. Conversely, some reviewers have remarked very positively on my theories but instead of recommending article publication have instead recommended I pursue an academic book or a monograph as they feel the article format is too confining to properly elaborate on some of my arguments and theses. I do not have the credentials to do this. As a result, my manuscripts gather dust on shelves. Finally, a recent manuscript was nearly accepted after 18 months of peer review by multiple reviewers with recommendations for a couple of changes to references, but I do not have access to the references they recommend since I am an independent investigator. So am stuck in a Catch-22: I cannot publish without credibility, but I cannot get credibility without being published. What is there to be done? Thank you for any suggestions. Assistant: Access to references? What are you referring to? Are you just talking about articles?

Human: Pro's and con's of a research blog This summer I am working independently on research in preparation for my undergraduate thesis in the coming fall semester. In order to keep myself on track and motivated, I was heavily considering publishing my research and thoughts on a personal website as a method of tracking my progress. Rather than jump into this without researching however, I thought I should bring this to reddit to see if there are any obvious problems with this method that I am missing, like worries of plagiarism or future trouble down the line. As far as background goes, I'm in the U.S. working in a smaller liberal studies field, so not too worried about intense competition in publishing in a science journal or anything and my research is mostly textual research. Assistant:

Human: Pro's and con's of a research blog This summer I am working independently on research in preparation for my undergraduate thesis in the coming fall semester. In order to keep myself on track and motivated, I was heavily considering publishing my research and thoughts on a personal website as a method of tracking my progress. Rather than jump into this without researching however, I thought I should bring this to reddit to see if there are any obvious problems with this method that I am missing, like worries of plagiarism or future trouble down the line. As far as background goes, I'm in the U.S. working in a smaller liberal studies field, so not too worried about intense competition in publishing in a science journal or anything and my research is mostly textual research. Assistant: I keep a blog going that I use as space to think out lit reviews. I'm in education, so I pull apart articles for practitioners and give them the "take home" message as concisely as I can. This helps me clarify all the studies I'm reading, get my name out in the field, and gives me a break from reading and doing academic writing. Not sure if it would work for you, but this is how I used my research and lit digging in blog form.

Human: Pro's and con's of a research blog This summer I am working independently on research in preparation for my undergraduate thesis in the coming fall semester. In order to keep myself on track and motivated, I was heavily considering publishing my research and thoughts on a personal website as a method of tracking my progress. Rather than jump into this without researching however, I thought I should bring this to reddit to see if there are any obvious problems with this method that I am missing, like worries of plagiarism or future trouble down the line. As far as background goes, I'm in the U.S. working in a smaller liberal studies field, so not too worried about intense competition in publishing in a science journal or anything and my research is mostly textual research. Assistant: Can't journals reject your submission if you previously published it online?

Human: Pro's and con's of a research blog This summer I am working independently on research in preparation for my undergraduate thesis in the coming fall semester. In order to keep myself on track and motivated, I was heavily considering publishing my research and thoughts on a personal website as a method of tracking my progress. Rather than jump into this without researching however, I thought I should bring this to reddit to see if there are any obvious problems with this method that I am missing, like worries of plagiarism or future trouble down the line. As far as background goes, I'm in the U.S. working in a smaller liberal studies field, so not too worried about intense competition in publishing in a science journal or anything and my research is mostly textual research. Assistant:

Human: Pro's and con's of a research blog This summer I am working independently on research in preparation for my undergraduate thesis in the coming fall semester. In order to keep myself on track and motivated, I was heavily considering publishing my research and thoughts on a personal website as a method of tracking my progress. Rather than jump into this without researching however, I thought I should bring this to reddit to see if there are any obvious problems with this method that I am missing, like worries of plagiarism or future trouble down the line. As far as background goes, I'm in the U.S. working in a smaller liberal studies field, so not too worried about intense competition in publishing in a science journal or anything and my research is mostly textual research. Assistant: I keep a blog going that I use as space to think out lit reviews. I'm in education, so I pull apart articles for practitioners and give them the "take home" message as concisely as I can. This helps me clarify all the studies I'm reading, get my name out in the field, and gives me a break from reading and doing academic writing. Not sure if it would work for you, but this is how I used my research and lit digging in blog form.

Human: Pro's and con's of a research blog This summer I am working independently on research in preparation for my undergraduate thesis in the coming fall semester. In order to keep myself on track and motivated, I was heavily considering publishing my research and thoughts on a personal website as a method of tracking my progress. Rather than jump into this without researching however, I thought I should bring this to reddit to see if there are any obvious problems with this method that I am missing, like worries of plagiarism or future trouble down the line. As far as background goes, I'm in the U.S. working in a smaller liberal studies field, so not too worried about intense competition in publishing in a science journal or anything and my research is mostly textual research. Assistant: If you're worried about being accountable and staying on track, weekly (or biweekly) meetings with your thesis advisor should be sufficient. That way you will be getting expert feedback and can spend your writing energy on your thesis rather than on writing blog posts :)

Human: Pro's and con's of a research blog This summer I am working independently on research in preparation for my undergraduate thesis in the coming fall semester. In order to keep myself on track and motivated, I was heavily considering publishing my research and thoughts on a personal website as a method of tracking my progress. Rather than jump into this without researching however, I thought I should bring this to reddit to see if there are any obvious problems with this method that I am missing, like worries of plagiarism or future trouble down the line. As far as background goes, I'm in the U.S. working in a smaller liberal studies field, so not too worried about intense competition in publishing in a science journal or anything and my research is mostly textual research. Assistant:

Human: Pro's and con's of a research blog This summer I am working independently on research in preparation for my undergraduate thesis in the coming fall semester. In order to keep myself on track and motivated, I was heavily considering publishing my research and thoughts on a personal website as a method of tracking my progress. Rather than jump into this without researching however, I thought I should bring this to reddit to see if there are any obvious problems with this method that I am missing, like worries of plagiarism or future trouble down the line. As far as background goes, I'm in the U.S. working in a smaller liberal studies field, so not too worried about intense competition in publishing in a science journal or anything and my research is mostly textual research. Assistant: Can't journals reject your submission if you previously published it online?

Human: Pro's and con's of a research blog This summer I am working independently on research in preparation for my undergraduate thesis in the coming fall semester. In order to keep myself on track and motivated, I was heavily considering publishing my research and thoughts on a personal website as a method of tracking my progress. Rather than jump into this without researching however, I thought I should bring this to reddit to see if there are any obvious problems with this method that I am missing, like worries of plagiarism or future trouble down the line. As far as background goes, I'm in the U.S. working in a smaller liberal studies field, so not too worried about intense competition in publishing in a science journal or anything and my research is mostly textual research. Assistant: If you're worried about being accountable and staying on track, weekly (or biweekly) meetings with your thesis advisor should be sufficient. That way you will be getting expert feedback and can spend your writing energy on your thesis rather than on writing blog posts :)

Human: How to say no for phd offer from current advisor? Currently final semester (international) masters student, also part of lab under thesis advisor as research assistant. Key incidences: 1) Few month ago, my advisor asked about future plan. Unsure I said 'probably look for job after graduation'. 2) 3 month ago, I was still not sure (Yes I know this is bad thing). So I decided to apply for two doctoral program, just so to have option later. Ask advisor for rec letters. 3) Advisor writes it. 4) 2 month ago, during our meeting he ask status of application and suggest I should consider continuing as phd student under him. Explains pros and cons which were all very well thought and reasonable. 5) Yesterday asked me if I had filled the application for it and want to discuss financial support in next weeks meeting. Issue: I am really do not like it here. I have struggled to fit into environment and develop social circle but have miserably failed. I have often contemplated dropping out, but just convinced myself that getting through this will be worth it and much better then giving up and having past two years be gone to waste. On the other hand, I absolutely love the research direction of lab and have learned a lot in past year under him. Infact, the only way I have been able to stay sane is by drowning in research work as much as possible. I know that from outside perspective it may seems 'Just say no LOL' but I am not looking to burn bridges here. I absolutely would love to continue but part of me knows that sooner or later I would have total breakdown and would leave wasting my and his time and resources. If anyone has faced such situation, I would really appreciate your experience and opinion on how to handle this. Assistant:

Human: How to say no for phd offer from current advisor? Currently final semester (international) masters student, also part of lab under thesis advisor as research assistant. Key incidences: 1) Few month ago, my advisor asked about future plan. Unsure I said 'probably look for job after graduation'. 2) 3 month ago, I was still not sure (Yes I know this is bad thing). So I decided to apply for two doctoral program, just so to have option later. Ask advisor for rec letters. 3) Advisor writes it. 4) 2 month ago, during our meeting he ask status of application and suggest I should consider continuing as phd student under him. Explains pros and cons which were all very well thought and reasonable. 5) Yesterday asked me if I had filled the application for it and want to discuss financial support in next weeks meeting. Issue: I am really do not like it here. I have struggled to fit into environment and develop social circle but have miserably failed. I have often contemplated dropping out, but just convinced myself that getting through this will be worth it and much better then giving up and having past two years be gone to waste. On the other hand, I absolutely love the research direction of lab and have learned a lot in past year under him. Infact, the only way I have been able to stay sane is by drowning in research work as much as possible. I know that from outside perspective it may seems 'Just say no LOL' but I am not looking to burn bridges here. I absolutely would love to continue but part of me knows that sooner or later I would have total breakdown and would leave wasting my and his time and resources. If anyone has faced such situation, I would really appreciate your experience and opinion on how to handle this. Assistant: Just be honest? You love the lab but your personal life suffers in this location.

Human: How to say no for phd offer from current advisor? Currently final semester (international) masters student, also part of lab under thesis advisor as research assistant. Key incidences: 1) Few month ago, my advisor asked about future plan. Unsure I said 'probably look for job after graduation'. 2) 3 month ago, I was still not sure (Yes I know this is bad thing). So I decided to apply for two doctoral program, just so to have option later. Ask advisor for rec letters. 3) Advisor writes it. 4) 2 month ago, during our meeting he ask status of application and suggest I should consider continuing as phd student under him. Explains pros and cons which were all very well thought and reasonable. 5) Yesterday asked me if I had filled the application for it and want to discuss financial support in next weeks meeting. Issue: I am really do not like it here. I have struggled to fit into environment and develop social circle but have miserably failed. I have often contemplated dropping out, but just convinced myself that getting through this will be worth it and much better then giving up and having past two years be gone to waste. On the other hand, I absolutely love the research direction of lab and have learned a lot in past year under him. Infact, the only way I have been able to stay sane is by drowning in research work as much as possible. I know that from outside perspective it may seems 'Just say no LOL' but I am not looking to burn bridges here. I absolutely would love to continue but part of me knows that sooner or later I would have total breakdown and would leave wasting my and his time and resources. If anyone has faced such situation, I would really appreciate your experience and opinion on how to handle this. Assistant: I mean, it's perfectly understandable to not want to remain in academia. Simply telling your prof that you're grateful but have decided for now against doing a PhD is more than enough. It takes a rare person who would get offended by something like this. And given that your professor so far has been just helpful, it doesn't sound like he's that sort of person

Human: How to say no for phd offer from current advisor? Currently final semester (international) masters student, also part of lab under thesis advisor as research assistant. Key incidences: 1) Few month ago, my advisor asked about future plan. Unsure I said 'probably look for job after graduation'. 2) 3 month ago, I was still not sure (Yes I know this is bad thing). So I decided to apply for two doctoral program, just so to have option later. Ask advisor for rec letters. 3) Advisor writes it. 4) 2 month ago, during our meeting he ask status of application and suggest I should consider continuing as phd student under him. Explains pros and cons which were all very well thought and reasonable. 5) Yesterday asked me if I had filled the application for it and want to discuss financial support in next weeks meeting. Issue: I am really do not like it here. I have struggled to fit into environment and develop social circle but have miserably failed. I have often contemplated dropping out, but just convinced myself that getting through this will be worth it and much better then giving up and having past two years be gone to waste. On the other hand, I absolutely love the research direction of lab and have learned a lot in past year under him. Infact, the only way I have been able to stay sane is by drowning in research work as much as possible. I know that from outside perspective it may seems 'Just say no LOL' but I am not looking to burn bridges here. I absolutely would love to continue but part of me knows that sooner or later I would have total breakdown and would leave wasting my and his time and resources. If anyone has faced such situation, I would really appreciate your experience and opinion on how to handle this. Assistant:

Human: How to say no for phd offer from current advisor? Currently final semester (international) masters student, also part of lab under thesis advisor as research assistant. Key incidences: 1) Few month ago, my advisor asked about future plan. Unsure I said 'probably look for job after graduation'. 2) 3 month ago, I was still not sure (Yes I know this is bad thing). So I decided to apply for two doctoral program, just so to have option later. Ask advisor for rec letters. 3) Advisor writes it. 4) 2 month ago, during our meeting he ask status of application and suggest I should consider continuing as phd student under him. Explains pros and cons which were all very well thought and reasonable. 5) Yesterday asked me if I had filled the application for it and want to discuss financial support in next weeks meeting. Issue: I am really do not like it here. I have struggled to fit into environment and develop social circle but have miserably failed. I have often contemplated dropping out, but just convinced myself that getting through this will be worth it and much better then giving up and having past two years be gone to waste. On the other hand, I absolutely love the research direction of lab and have learned a lot in past year under him. Infact, the only way I have been able to stay sane is by drowning in research work as much as possible. I know that from outside perspective it may seems 'Just say no LOL' but I am not looking to burn bridges here. I absolutely would love to continue but part of me knows that sooner or later I would have total breakdown and would leave wasting my and his time and resources. If anyone has faced such situation, I would really appreciate your experience and opinion on how to handle this. Assistant: Just be honest? You love the lab but your personal life suffers in this location.

Human: How to say no for phd offer from current advisor? Currently final semester (international) masters student, also part of lab under thesis advisor as research assistant. Key incidences: 1) Few month ago, my advisor asked about future plan. Unsure I said 'probably look for job after graduation'. 2) 3 month ago, I was still not sure (Yes I know this is bad thing). So I decided to apply for two doctoral program, just so to have option later. Ask advisor for rec letters. 3) Advisor writes it. 4) 2 month ago, during our meeting he ask status of application and suggest I should consider continuing as phd student under him. Explains pros and cons which were all very well thought and reasonable. 5) Yesterday asked me if I had filled the application for it and want to discuss financial support in next weeks meeting. Issue: I am really do not like it here. I have struggled to fit into environment and develop social circle but have miserably failed. I have often contemplated dropping out, but just convinced myself that getting through this will be worth it and much better then giving up and having past two years be gone to waste. On the other hand, I absolutely love the research direction of lab and have learned a lot in past year under him. Infact, the only way I have been able to stay sane is by drowning in research work as much as possible. I know that from outside perspective it may seems 'Just say no LOL' but I am not looking to burn bridges here. I absolutely would love to continue but part of me knows that sooner or later I would have total breakdown and would leave wasting my and his time and resources. If anyone has faced such situation, I would really appreciate your experience and opinion on how to handle this. Assistant: They should be able to understand what you’ve written here. Understand that they have to give recruiting you a try. I think a good argument is that you want to be in a different intellectual environment. Not because this one is necessarily bad but to be surrounded by different ideas for a while. That exposure can help you a lot in your intellectual development.

Human: How to say no for phd offer from current advisor? Currently final semester (international) masters student, also part of lab under thesis advisor as research assistant. Key incidences: 1) Few month ago, my advisor asked about future plan. Unsure I said 'probably look for job after graduation'. 2) 3 month ago, I was still not sure (Yes I know this is bad thing). So I decided to apply for two doctoral program, just so to have option later. Ask advisor for rec letters. 3) Advisor writes it. 4) 2 month ago, during our meeting he ask status of application and suggest I should consider continuing as phd student under him. Explains pros and cons which were all very well thought and reasonable. 5) Yesterday asked me if I had filled the application for it and want to discuss financial support in next weeks meeting. Issue: I am really do not like it here. I have struggled to fit into environment and develop social circle but have miserably failed. I have often contemplated dropping out, but just convinced myself that getting through this will be worth it and much better then giving up and having past two years be gone to waste. On the other hand, I absolutely love the research direction of lab and have learned a lot in past year under him. Infact, the only way I have been able to stay sane is by drowning in research work as much as possible. I know that from outside perspective it may seems 'Just say no LOL' but I am not looking to burn bridges here. I absolutely would love to continue but part of me knows that sooner or later I would have total breakdown and would leave wasting my and his time and resources. If anyone has faced such situation, I would really appreciate your experience and opinion on how to handle this. Assistant:

Human: How to say no for phd offer from current advisor? Currently final semester (international) masters student, also part of lab under thesis advisor as research assistant. Key incidences: 1) Few month ago, my advisor asked about future plan. Unsure I said 'probably look for job after graduation'. 2) 3 month ago, I was still not sure (Yes I know this is bad thing). So I decided to apply for two doctoral program, just so to have option later. Ask advisor for rec letters. 3) Advisor writes it. 4) 2 month ago, during our meeting he ask status of application and suggest I should consider continuing as phd student under him. Explains pros and cons which were all very well thought and reasonable. 5) Yesterday asked me if I had filled the application for it and want to discuss financial support in next weeks meeting. Issue: I am really do not like it here. I have struggled to fit into environment and develop social circle but have miserably failed. I have often contemplated dropping out, but just convinced myself that getting through this will be worth it and much better then giving up and having past two years be gone to waste. On the other hand, I absolutely love the research direction of lab and have learned a lot in past year under him. Infact, the only way I have been able to stay sane is by drowning in research work as much as possible. I know that from outside perspective it may seems 'Just say no LOL' but I am not looking to burn bridges here. I absolutely would love to continue but part of me knows that sooner or later I would have total breakdown and would leave wasting my and his time and resources. If anyone has faced such situation, I would really appreciate your experience and opinion on how to handle this. Assistant: I mean, it's perfectly understandable to not want to remain in academia. Simply telling your prof that you're grateful but have decided for now against doing a PhD is more than enough. It takes a rare person who would get offended by something like this. And given that your professor so far has been just helpful, it doesn't sound like he's that sort of person

Human: How to say no for phd offer from current advisor? Currently final semester (international) masters student, also part of lab under thesis advisor as research assistant. Key incidences: 1) Few month ago, my advisor asked about future plan. Unsure I said 'probably look for job after graduation'. 2) 3 month ago, I was still not sure (Yes I know this is bad thing). So I decided to apply for two doctoral program, just so to have option later. Ask advisor for rec letters. 3) Advisor writes it. 4) 2 month ago, during our meeting he ask status of application and suggest I should consider continuing as phd student under him. Explains pros and cons which were all very well thought and reasonable. 5) Yesterday asked me if I had filled the application for it and want to discuss financial support in next weeks meeting. Issue: I am really do not like it here. I have struggled to fit into environment and develop social circle but have miserably failed. I have often contemplated dropping out, but just convinced myself that getting through this will be worth it and much better then giving up and having past two years be gone to waste. On the other hand, I absolutely love the research direction of lab and have learned a lot in past year under him. Infact, the only way I have been able to stay sane is by drowning in research work as much as possible. I know that from outside perspective it may seems 'Just say no LOL' but I am not looking to burn bridges here. I absolutely would love to continue but part of me knows that sooner or later I would have total breakdown and would leave wasting my and his time and resources. If anyone has faced such situation, I would really appreciate your experience and opinion on how to handle this. Assistant: They should be able to understand what you’ve written here. Understand that they have to give recruiting you a try. I think a good argument is that you want to be in a different intellectual environment. Not because this one is necessarily bad but to be surrounded by different ideas for a while. That exposure can help you a lot in your intellectual development.

Human: In cultures where names come directly from that culture's own language, do members of those culture actively recognize the meaning when they encounter the name? In contrast to cultures that use Christian names, wherein I doubt many people regularly consider the ancient etymologies as more than a curiosity. Assistant:

Human: In cultures where names come directly from that culture's own language, do members of those culture actively recognize the meaning when they encounter the name? In contrast to cultures that use Christian names, wherein I doubt many people regularly consider the ancient etymologies as more than a curiosity. Assistant: When you meet a girl named Angel, do you immediately think of an angel? Or when you meet a Victor, do you think about conquest? (Even though I'm aware both Angel and Victor are Latin derived words, the words also have common English meanings.) Your brains are very adept at segmenting words into their contextual usage.

Human: In cultures where names come directly from that culture's own language, do members of those culture actively recognize the meaning when they encounter the name? In contrast to cultures that use Christian names, wherein I doubt many people regularly consider the ancient etymologies as more than a curiosity. Assistant: Well in Swedish we have Björn(bear), Sten(stone) and Karl(man) to name a few.

Human: In cultures where names come directly from that culture's own language, do members of those culture actively recognize the meaning when they encounter the name? In contrast to cultures that use Christian names, wherein I doubt many people regularly consider the ancient etymologies as more than a curiosity. Assistant:

Human: In cultures where names come directly from that culture's own language, do members of those culture actively recognize the meaning when they encounter the name? In contrast to cultures that use Christian names, wherein I doubt many people regularly consider the ancient etymologies as more than a curiosity. Assistant: When you meet a girl named Angel, do you immediately think of an angel? Or when you meet a Victor, do you think about conquest? (Even though I'm aware both Angel and Victor are Latin derived words, the words also have common English meanings.) Your brains are very adept at segmenting words into their contextual usage.

Human: In cultures where names come directly from that culture's own language, do members of those culture actively recognize the meaning when they encounter the name? In contrast to cultures that use Christian names, wherein I doubt many people regularly consider the ancient etymologies as more than a curiosity. Assistant: Some traditional Lithuanian names have literal meanings like wind, dawn, spruce tree, song, storm, rue plant, sun, dew, dream, amber, flax, eagle, and luck. Just watching the tv weather report will net you plenty of real people's names! There are also plenty of biblically-derived names common in the rest of Europe like Tomas, Jonas, and Marija that don't have any literal meaning in the local language.

Human: In cultures where names come directly from that culture's own language, do members of those culture actively recognize the meaning when they encounter the name? In contrast to cultures that use Christian names, wherein I doubt many people regularly consider the ancient etymologies as more than a curiosity. Assistant:

Human: In cultures where names come directly from that culture's own language, do members of those culture actively recognize the meaning when they encounter the name? In contrast to cultures that use Christian names, wherein I doubt many people regularly consider the ancient etymologies as more than a curiosity. Assistant: Well in Swedish we have Björn(bear), Sten(stone) and Karl(man) to name a few.

Human: In cultures where names come directly from that culture's own language, do members of those culture actively recognize the meaning when they encounter the name? In contrast to cultures that use Christian names, wherein I doubt many people regularly consider the ancient etymologies as more than a curiosity. Assistant: Some traditional Lithuanian names have literal meanings like wind, dawn, spruce tree, song, storm, rue plant, sun, dew, dream, amber, flax, eagle, and luck. Just watching the tv weather report will net you plenty of real people's names! There are also plenty of biblically-derived names common in the rest of Europe like Tomas, Jonas, and Marija that don't have any literal meaning in the local language.

Human: Looking for ethnographies about France and England Hi, I'm interested in reading ethnographies about France, England, and possibly other European countries. I found one about Naples, Italy (The Broken Fountain) but that's it. Does what I'm looking for even exist? Thanks for any help. Assistant:

Human: Looking for ethnographies about France and England Hi, I'm interested in reading ethnographies about France, England, and possibly other European countries. I found one about Naples, Italy (The Broken Fountain) but that's it. Does what I'm looking for even exist? Thanks for any help. Assistant: Not sure if this counts, but TR Luhrmann’s Persuasions of the Witch’s Craft is an ethnography about neopaganism in 1980s England.

Human: Looking for ethnographies about France and England Hi, I'm interested in reading ethnographies about France, England, and possibly other European countries. I found one about Naples, Italy (The Broken Fountain) but that's it. Does what I'm looking for even exist? Thanks for any help. Assistant: *Akenfield: Portrait of ann English Village* by Ronald Blythe. A little unconventional but a great read.

Human: Looking for ethnographies about France and England Hi, I'm interested in reading ethnographies about France, England, and possibly other European countries. I found one about Naples, Italy (The Broken Fountain) but that's it. Does what I'm looking for even exist? Thanks for any help. Assistant:

Human: Looking for ethnographies about France and England Hi, I'm interested in reading ethnographies about France, England, and possibly other European countries. I found one about Naples, Italy (The Broken Fountain) but that's it. Does what I'm looking for even exist? Thanks for any help. Assistant: Not sure if this counts, but TR Luhrmann’s Persuasions of the Witch’s Craft is an ethnography about neopaganism in 1980s England.

Human: Looking for ethnographies about France and England Hi, I'm interested in reading ethnographies about France, England, and possibly other European countries. I found one about Naples, Italy (The Broken Fountain) but that's it. Does what I'm looking for even exist? Thanks for any help. Assistant: Have you tried the Royal anthropology institute?

Human: Looking for ethnographies about France and England Hi, I'm interested in reading ethnographies about France, England, and possibly other European countries. I found one about Naples, Italy (The Broken Fountain) but that's it. Does what I'm looking for even exist? Thanks for any help. Assistant:

Human: Looking for ethnographies about France and England Hi, I'm interested in reading ethnographies about France, England, and possibly other European countries. I found one about Naples, Italy (The Broken Fountain) but that's it. Does what I'm looking for even exist? Thanks for any help. Assistant: *Akenfield: Portrait of ann English Village* by Ronald Blythe. A little unconventional but a great read.

Human: Looking for ethnographies about France and England Hi, I'm interested in reading ethnographies about France, England, and possibly other European countries. I found one about Naples, Italy (The Broken Fountain) but that's it. Does what I'm looking for even exist? Thanks for any help. Assistant: Have you tried the Royal anthropology institute?

Human: How do so many dessert places (donut shops, cake shops, etc) use whipped cream decoration without refrigerating it? I work in a bakery and we’re always trying to come up with new flavors for our items (cupcakes and donuts). Often times we will think of something that would be very nice with whipped cream on top (like a strawberry shortcake flavor that has a swirl of whipped cream), but our products aren’t refrigerated so we never execute these ideas- usually swap the whipped cream out for a vanilla buttercream or something. But I follow quite a few similar places on Instagram and I’m always seeing them use whipped cream in their products without a refrigerated display. How do they do this? Wouldn’t it melt or go bad? I’ve looked up stabilizing whipped cream but even then it says it should still be refrigerated. What’s the secret?! Assistant:

Human: How do so many dessert places (donut shops, cake shops, etc) use whipped cream decoration without refrigerating it? I work in a bakery and we’re always trying to come up with new flavors for our items (cupcakes and donuts). Often times we will think of something that would be very nice with whipped cream on top (like a strawberry shortcake flavor that has a swirl of whipped cream), but our products aren’t refrigerated so we never execute these ideas- usually swap the whipped cream out for a vanilla buttercream or something. But I follow quite a few similar places on Instagram and I’m always seeing them use whipped cream in their products without a refrigerated display. How do they do this? Wouldn’t it melt or go bad? I’ve looked up stabilizing whipped cream but even then it says it should still be refrigerated. What’s the secret?! Assistant: i work at this cookie place and sometimes we have whipped cream as a topping (just a small dollop as decoration) and we keep those in fridges and on display we have fake whipped cream that’s just shaving cream

Human: How do so many dessert places (donut shops, cake shops, etc) use whipped cream decoration without refrigerating it? I work in a bakery and we’re always trying to come up with new flavors for our items (cupcakes and donuts). Often times we will think of something that would be very nice with whipped cream on top (like a strawberry shortcake flavor that has a swirl of whipped cream), but our products aren’t refrigerated so we never execute these ideas- usually swap the whipped cream out for a vanilla buttercream or something. But I follow quite a few similar places on Instagram and I’m always seeing them use whipped cream in their products without a refrigerated display. How do they do this? Wouldn’t it melt or go bad? I’ve looked up stabilizing whipped cream but even then it says it should still be refrigerated. What’s the secret?! Assistant: Yeah, this is a great observation. It reminds me of this scene from “The Founder,” a film about the origin of McDonald’s. The concern is franchises are unable to turn large profits because their ice cream milk shakes use real ice cream. Thus, their most salient ingredient needs to be refrigerated, but the operational costs to do so siphon from the business - https://youtu.be/n5uadToINEY

Human: How do so many dessert places (donut shops, cake shops, etc) use whipped cream decoration without refrigerating it? I work in a bakery and we’re always trying to come up with new flavors for our items (cupcakes and donuts). Often times we will think of something that would be very nice with whipped cream on top (like a strawberry shortcake flavor that has a swirl of whipped cream), but our products aren’t refrigerated so we never execute these ideas- usually swap the whipped cream out for a vanilla buttercream or something. But I follow quite a few similar places on Instagram and I’m always seeing them use whipped cream in their products without a refrigerated display. How do they do this? Wouldn’t it melt or go bad? I’ve looked up stabilizing whipped cream but even then it says it should still be refrigerated. What’s the secret?! Assistant:

Human: How do so many dessert places (donut shops, cake shops, etc) use whipped cream decoration without refrigerating it? I work in a bakery and we’re always trying to come up with new flavors for our items (cupcakes and donuts). Often times we will think of something that would be very nice with whipped cream on top (like a strawberry shortcake flavor that has a swirl of whipped cream), but our products aren’t refrigerated so we never execute these ideas- usually swap the whipped cream out for a vanilla buttercream or something. But I follow quite a few similar places on Instagram and I’m always seeing them use whipped cream in their products without a refrigerated display. How do they do this? Wouldn’t it melt or go bad? I’ve looked up stabilizing whipped cream but even then it says it should still be refrigerated. What’s the secret?! Assistant: i work at this cookie place and sometimes we have whipped cream as a topping (just a small dollop as decoration) and we keep those in fridges and on display we have fake whipped cream that’s just shaving cream

Human: How do so many dessert places (donut shops, cake shops, etc) use whipped cream decoration without refrigerating it? I work in a bakery and we’re always trying to come up with new flavors for our items (cupcakes and donuts). Often times we will think of something that would be very nice with whipped cream on top (like a strawberry shortcake flavor that has a swirl of whipped cream), but our products aren’t refrigerated so we never execute these ideas- usually swap the whipped cream out for a vanilla buttercream or something. But I follow quite a few similar places on Instagram and I’m always seeing them use whipped cream in their products without a refrigerated display. How do they do this? Wouldn’t it melt or go bad? I’ve looked up stabilizing whipped cream but even then it says it should still be refrigerated. What’s the secret?! Assistant: Please look into the advice people are giving here, if you have your pastries out for more than 4 hours at room temp some of the things don't seem safe from a health point of view.

Human: How do so many dessert places (donut shops, cake shops, etc) use whipped cream decoration without refrigerating it? I work in a bakery and we’re always trying to come up with new flavors for our items (cupcakes and donuts). Often times we will think of something that would be very nice with whipped cream on top (like a strawberry shortcake flavor that has a swirl of whipped cream), but our products aren’t refrigerated so we never execute these ideas- usually swap the whipped cream out for a vanilla buttercream or something. But I follow quite a few similar places on Instagram and I’m always seeing them use whipped cream in their products without a refrigerated display. How do they do this? Wouldn’t it melt or go bad? I’ve looked up stabilizing whipped cream but even then it says it should still be refrigerated. What’s the secret?! Assistant:

Human: How do so many dessert places (donut shops, cake shops, etc) use whipped cream decoration without refrigerating it? I work in a bakery and we’re always trying to come up with new flavors for our items (cupcakes and donuts). Often times we will think of something that would be very nice with whipped cream on top (like a strawberry shortcake flavor that has a swirl of whipped cream), but our products aren’t refrigerated so we never execute these ideas- usually swap the whipped cream out for a vanilla buttercream or something. But I follow quite a few similar places on Instagram and I’m always seeing them use whipped cream in their products without a refrigerated display. How do they do this? Wouldn’t it melt or go bad? I’ve looked up stabilizing whipped cream but even then it says it should still be refrigerated. What’s the secret?! Assistant: Yeah, this is a great observation. It reminds me of this scene from “The Founder,” a film about the origin of McDonald’s. The concern is franchises are unable to turn large profits because their ice cream milk shakes use real ice cream. Thus, their most salient ingredient needs to be refrigerated, but the operational costs to do so siphon from the business - https://youtu.be/n5uadToINEY

Human: How do so many dessert places (donut shops, cake shops, etc) use whipped cream decoration without refrigerating it? I work in a bakery and we’re always trying to come up with new flavors for our items (cupcakes and donuts). Often times we will think of something that would be very nice with whipped cream on top (like a strawberry shortcake flavor that has a swirl of whipped cream), but our products aren’t refrigerated so we never execute these ideas- usually swap the whipped cream out for a vanilla buttercream or something. But I follow quite a few similar places on Instagram and I’m always seeing them use whipped cream in their products without a refrigerated display. How do they do this? Wouldn’t it melt or go bad? I’ve looked up stabilizing whipped cream but even then it says it should still be refrigerated. What’s the secret?! Assistant: Please look into the advice people are giving here, if you have your pastries out for more than 4 hours at room temp some of the things don't seem safe from a health point of view.

Human: Any way to make pie four days before serving? Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas on ways I can make a pie (ideally chocolate cream or some other custard-based pie, but I'll take what I can get) on a Thursday to be served on Sunday without the quality deteriorating too much? Due to my work schedule, the majority of the pie would need to be completed on a Thursday with some minor work possible on Friday. But it won't be eaten until Sunday, and I'll be completely unavailable on Saturday or Sunday do any finishing touches (someone else might be able to, but it would have to be very minor tasks). Any ideas or suggestions? Assistant:

Human: Any way to make pie four days before serving? Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas on ways I can make a pie (ideally chocolate cream or some other custard-based pie, but I'll take what I can get) on a Thursday to be served on Sunday without the quality deteriorating too much? Due to my work schedule, the majority of the pie would need to be completed on a Thursday with some minor work possible on Friday. But it won't be eaten until Sunday, and I'll be completely unavailable on Saturday or Sunday do any finishing touches (someone else might be able to, but it would have to be very minor tasks). Any ideas or suggestions? Assistant: Make a French silk pie, but with an Oreo crust. Freezes perfectly! Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Human: Any way to make pie four days before serving? Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas on ways I can make a pie (ideally chocolate cream or some other custard-based pie, but I'll take what I can get) on a Thursday to be served on Sunday without the quality deteriorating too much? Due to my work schedule, the majority of the pie would need to be completed on a Thursday with some minor work possible on Friday. But it won't be eaten until Sunday, and I'll be completely unavailable on Saturday or Sunday do any finishing touches (someone else might be able to, but it would have to be very minor tasks). Any ideas or suggestions? Assistant: Lemon icebox pie. Freezes amazingly, or key lime pie

Human: Any way to make pie four days before serving? Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas on ways I can make a pie (ideally chocolate cream or some other custard-based pie, but I'll take what I can get) on a Thursday to be served on Sunday without the quality deteriorating too much? Due to my work schedule, the majority of the pie would need to be completed on a Thursday with some minor work possible on Friday. But it won't be eaten until Sunday, and I'll be completely unavailable on Saturday or Sunday do any finishing touches (someone else might be able to, but it would have to be very minor tasks). Any ideas or suggestions? Assistant:

Human: Any way to make pie four days before serving? Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas on ways I can make a pie (ideally chocolate cream or some other custard-based pie, but I'll take what I can get) on a Thursday to be served on Sunday without the quality deteriorating too much? Due to my work schedule, the majority of the pie would need to be completed on a Thursday with some minor work possible on Friday. But it won't be eaten until Sunday, and I'll be completely unavailable on Saturday or Sunday do any finishing touches (someone else might be able to, but it would have to be very minor tasks). Any ideas or suggestions? Assistant: Make a French silk pie, but with an Oreo crust. Freezes perfectly! Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Human: Any way to make pie four days before serving? Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas on ways I can make a pie (ideally chocolate cream or some other custard-based pie, but I'll take what I can get) on a Thursday to be served on Sunday without the quality deteriorating too much? Due to my work schedule, the majority of the pie would need to be completed on a Thursday with some minor work possible on Friday. But it won't be eaten until Sunday, and I'll be completely unavailable on Saturday or Sunday do any finishing touches (someone else might be able to, but it would have to be very minor tasks). Any ideas or suggestions? Assistant: This pie is delicious and holds up well being made in advance. https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/marie-callenders-chocolate-satin-pie/

Human: Any way to make pie four days before serving? Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas on ways I can make a pie (ideally chocolate cream or some other custard-based pie, but I'll take what I can get) on a Thursday to be served on Sunday without the quality deteriorating too much? Due to my work schedule, the majority of the pie would need to be completed on a Thursday with some minor work possible on Friday. But it won't be eaten until Sunday, and I'll be completely unavailable on Saturday or Sunday do any finishing touches (someone else might be able to, but it would have to be very minor tasks). Any ideas or suggestions? Assistant:

Human: Any way to make pie four days before serving? Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas on ways I can make a pie (ideally chocolate cream or some other custard-based pie, but I'll take what I can get) on a Thursday to be served on Sunday without the quality deteriorating too much? Due to my work schedule, the majority of the pie would need to be completed on a Thursday with some minor work possible on Friday. But it won't be eaten until Sunday, and I'll be completely unavailable on Saturday or Sunday do any finishing touches (someone else might be able to, but it would have to be very minor tasks). Any ideas or suggestions? Assistant: Lemon icebox pie. Freezes amazingly, or key lime pie

Human: Any way to make pie four days before serving? Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas on ways I can make a pie (ideally chocolate cream or some other custard-based pie, but I'll take what I can get) on a Thursday to be served on Sunday without the quality deteriorating too much? Due to my work schedule, the majority of the pie would need to be completed on a Thursday with some minor work possible on Friday. But it won't be eaten until Sunday, and I'll be completely unavailable on Saturday or Sunday do any finishing touches (someone else might be able to, but it would have to be very minor tasks). Any ideas or suggestions? Assistant: This pie is delicious and holds up well being made in advance. https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/marie-callenders-chocolate-satin-pie/

Human: Requesting Recipes and Rule 3 Enforcement Hey there AskBaking Community! Recently we've had a lot of posts (and cross-posts) requesting recipes. I know the rule isn't super high on the list of rules (they aren't ranked by importance or priority!) but it's still a rule that we want to follow as closely as possible. The primary goal and focus of this community is facilitate question and answers, learning, and open discussion on baking and the troubles, trials, and triumphs we experience in our quest for the most perfect baked goods. To that end, we are asking for your help and support. If you see posts that are requesting recipes, even if you think it might *maybe* not be breaking a rule, please report it so staff can review it. While we try very hard to make sure all the posts are following our rules, we can't see everything and we rely on you all to help keep this community on-topic, productive, and friendly. There are already so many places for people to requests recipes. Let's work together to foster the kind of environment where we can assist each other beyond 'I need a recipe for X'. Assistant:

Human: Requesting Recipes and Rule 3 Enforcement Hey there AskBaking Community! Recently we've had a lot of posts (and cross-posts) requesting recipes. I know the rule isn't super high on the list of rules (they aren't ranked by importance or priority!) but it's still a rule that we want to follow as closely as possible. The primary goal and focus of this community is facilitate question and answers, learning, and open discussion on baking and the troubles, trials, and triumphs we experience in our quest for the most perfect baked goods. To that end, we are asking for your help and support. If you see posts that are requesting recipes, even if you think it might *maybe* not be breaking a rule, please report it so staff can review it. While we try very hard to make sure all the posts are following our rules, we can't see everything and we rely on you all to help keep this community on-topic, productive, and friendly. There are already so many places for people to requests recipes. Let's work together to foster the kind of environment where we can assist each other beyond 'I need a recipe for X'. Assistant: You're thinking of rule 6, not rule 3. Rule 3 says that you SHOULD post a recipe. And rule 6 is poorly labeled anyway. If you want to deter recipe requests, then name the rule "No Recipe Requests" rather than the vague "This is not Pinterest". (Rule 3 would then also need a more descriptive name other than "Recipes").

Human: Requesting Recipes and Rule 3 Enforcement Hey there AskBaking Community! Recently we've had a lot of posts (and cross-posts) requesting recipes. I know the rule isn't super high on the list of rules (they aren't ranked by importance or priority!) but it's still a rule that we want to follow as closely as possible. The primary goal and focus of this community is facilitate question and answers, learning, and open discussion on baking and the troubles, trials, and triumphs we experience in our quest for the most perfect baked goods. To that end, we are asking for your help and support. If you see posts that are requesting recipes, even if you think it might *maybe* not be breaking a rule, please report it so staff can review it. While we try very hard to make sure all the posts are following our rules, we can't see everything and we rely on you all to help keep this community on-topic, productive, and friendly. There are already so many places for people to requests recipes. Let's work together to foster the kind of environment where we can assist each other beyond 'I need a recipe for X'. Assistant: On the other hand, a list of suggested, trustworthy subs might be helpful. People come here because they get good advice, and not everyone is good at sorting through recipes. Let’s face it, Google’s top results are often crap. Also, I’d take the rule more seriously if Pinterest wasn’t misspelled.

Human: Requesting Recipes and Rule 3 Enforcement Hey there AskBaking Community! Recently we've had a lot of posts (and cross-posts) requesting recipes. I know the rule isn't super high on the list of rules (they aren't ranked by importance or priority!) but it's still a rule that we want to follow as closely as possible. The primary goal and focus of this community is facilitate question and answers, learning, and open discussion on baking and the troubles, trials, and triumphs we experience in our quest for the most perfect baked goods. To that end, we are asking for your help and support. If you see posts that are requesting recipes, even if you think it might *maybe* not be breaking a rule, please report it so staff can review it. While we try very hard to make sure all the posts are following our rules, we can't see everything and we rely on you all to help keep this community on-topic, productive, and friendly. There are already so many places for people to requests recipes. Let's work together to foster the kind of environment where we can assist each other beyond 'I need a recipe for X'. Assistant:

Human: Requesting Recipes and Rule 3 Enforcement Hey there AskBaking Community! Recently we've had a lot of posts (and cross-posts) requesting recipes. I know the rule isn't super high on the list of rules (they aren't ranked by importance or priority!) but it's still a rule that we want to follow as closely as possible. The primary goal and focus of this community is facilitate question and answers, learning, and open discussion on baking and the troubles, trials, and triumphs we experience in our quest for the most perfect baked goods. To that end, we are asking for your help and support. If you see posts that are requesting recipes, even if you think it might *maybe* not be breaking a rule, please report it so staff can review it. While we try very hard to make sure all the posts are following our rules, we can't see everything and we rely on you all to help keep this community on-topic, productive, and friendly. There are already so many places for people to requests recipes. Let's work together to foster the kind of environment where we can assist each other beyond 'I need a recipe for X'. Assistant: You're thinking of rule 6, not rule 3. Rule 3 says that you SHOULD post a recipe. And rule 6 is poorly labeled anyway. If you want to deter recipe requests, then name the rule "No Recipe Requests" rather than the vague "This is not Pinterest". (Rule 3 would then also need a more descriptive name other than "Recipes").

Human: Requesting Recipes and Rule 3 Enforcement Hey there AskBaking Community! Recently we've had a lot of posts (and cross-posts) requesting recipes. I know the rule isn't super high on the list of rules (they aren't ranked by importance or priority!) but it's still a rule that we want to follow as closely as possible. The primary goal and focus of this community is facilitate question and answers, learning, and open discussion on baking and the troubles, trials, and triumphs we experience in our quest for the most perfect baked goods. To that end, we are asking for your help and support. If you see posts that are requesting recipes, even if you think it might *maybe* not be breaking a rule, please report it so staff can review it. While we try very hard to make sure all the posts are following our rules, we can't see everything and we rely on you all to help keep this community on-topic, productive, and friendly. There are already so many places for people to requests recipes. Let's work together to foster the kind of environment where we can assist each other beyond 'I need a recipe for X'. Assistant: I’m guilty of this- but to be honest I don’t see anywhere in the rules that says you aren’t supposed to ask for recipes. I see rule 3, but it says to to include a recipe if something went wrong. If requesting recipes isn’t allowed, perhaps a rule that clearly states that would be helpful.

Human: Requesting Recipes and Rule 3 Enforcement Hey there AskBaking Community! Recently we've had a lot of posts (and cross-posts) requesting recipes. I know the rule isn't super high on the list of rules (they aren't ranked by importance or priority!) but it's still a rule that we want to follow as closely as possible. The primary goal and focus of this community is facilitate question and answers, learning, and open discussion on baking and the troubles, trials, and triumphs we experience in our quest for the most perfect baked goods. To that end, we are asking for your help and support. If you see posts that are requesting recipes, even if you think it might *maybe* not be breaking a rule, please report it so staff can review it. While we try very hard to make sure all the posts are following our rules, we can't see everything and we rely on you all to help keep this community on-topic, productive, and friendly. There are already so many places for people to requests recipes. Let's work together to foster the kind of environment where we can assist each other beyond 'I need a recipe for X'. Assistant:

Human: Requesting Recipes and Rule 3 Enforcement Hey there AskBaking Community! Recently we've had a lot of posts (and cross-posts) requesting recipes. I know the rule isn't super high on the list of rules (they aren't ranked by importance or priority!) but it's still a rule that we want to follow as closely as possible. The primary goal and focus of this community is facilitate question and answers, learning, and open discussion on baking and the troubles, trials, and triumphs we experience in our quest for the most perfect baked goods. To that end, we are asking for your help and support. If you see posts that are requesting recipes, even if you think it might *maybe* not be breaking a rule, please report it so staff can review it. While we try very hard to make sure all the posts are following our rules, we can't see everything and we rely on you all to help keep this community on-topic, productive, and friendly. There are already so many places for people to requests recipes. Let's work together to foster the kind of environment where we can assist each other beyond 'I need a recipe for X'. Assistant: On the other hand, a list of suggested, trustworthy subs might be helpful. People come here because they get good advice, and not everyone is good at sorting through recipes. Let’s face it, Google’s top results are often crap. Also, I’d take the rule more seriously if Pinterest wasn’t misspelled.

Human: Requesting Recipes and Rule 3 Enforcement Hey there AskBaking Community! Recently we've had a lot of posts (and cross-posts) requesting recipes. I know the rule isn't super high on the list of rules (they aren't ranked by importance or priority!) but it's still a rule that we want to follow as closely as possible. The primary goal and focus of this community is facilitate question and answers, learning, and open discussion on baking and the troubles, trials, and triumphs we experience in our quest for the most perfect baked goods. To that end, we are asking for your help and support. If you see posts that are requesting recipes, even if you think it might *maybe* not be breaking a rule, please report it so staff can review it. While we try very hard to make sure all the posts are following our rules, we can't see everything and we rely on you all to help keep this community on-topic, productive, and friendly. There are already so many places for people to requests recipes. Let's work together to foster the kind of environment where we can assist each other beyond 'I need a recipe for X'. Assistant: I’m guilty of this- but to be honest I don’t see anywhere in the rules that says you aren’t supposed to ask for recipes. I see rule 3, but it says to to include a recipe if something went wrong. If requesting recipes isn’t allowed, perhaps a rule that clearly states that would be helpful.

Human: Wedding cake flavors that include pineapple? I’m makin a wedding cake in the coming weeks and I haven’t decided on the flavors! The groom doesn’t like cake and the bride doesn’t care except to say that it should include pineapple. I looked online and saw recommendations about incorporating mixed drink flavor profile into the cake. The one that stood out to me was pineapple, lime, and basil. Is that too bold for a wedding? Should it be more simple? I made a cake for them recently and did pineapple and cherry… everyone seemed to like it… but I thought it was terrible. :/ What’s the best way to incorporate these flavors in the cake? Use pineapple juice in place of simple syrup? Make a pineapple coulis? Add gelatin to said coulis? Is there a standard? This is my first big cake and I’m nervous and just want to nail it! Thanks! Assistant:

Human: Wedding cake flavors that include pineapple? I’m makin a wedding cake in the coming weeks and I haven’t decided on the flavors! The groom doesn’t like cake and the bride doesn’t care except to say that it should include pineapple. I looked online and saw recommendations about incorporating mixed drink flavor profile into the cake. The one that stood out to me was pineapple, lime, and basil. Is that too bold for a wedding? Should it be more simple? I made a cake for them recently and did pineapple and cherry… everyone seemed to like it… but I thought it was terrible. :/ What’s the best way to incorporate these flavors in the cake? Use pineapple juice in place of simple syrup? Make a pineapple coulis? Add gelatin to said coulis? Is there a standard? This is my first big cake and I’m nervous and just want to nail it! Thanks! Assistant: I really hope the bride had other desserts available and the cake is labeled in some way - I'm sure I can't be the only person with a pineapple allergy!

Human: Wedding cake flavors that include pineapple? I’m makin a wedding cake in the coming weeks and I haven’t decided on the flavors! The groom doesn’t like cake and the bride doesn’t care except to say that it should include pineapple. I looked online and saw recommendations about incorporating mixed drink flavor profile into the cake. The one that stood out to me was pineapple, lime, and basil. Is that too bold for a wedding? Should it be more simple? I made a cake for them recently and did pineapple and cherry… everyone seemed to like it… but I thought it was terrible. :/ What’s the best way to incorporate these flavors in the cake? Use pineapple juice in place of simple syrup? Make a pineapple coulis? Add gelatin to said coulis? Is there a standard? This is my first big cake and I’m nervous and just want to nail it! Thanks! Assistant: Coconut and pineapple is an old go-to but if you’re able to get passionfruit in there instead, that would be amazing

Human: Wedding cake flavors that include pineapple? I’m makin a wedding cake in the coming weeks and I haven’t decided on the flavors! The groom doesn’t like cake and the bride doesn’t care except to say that it should include pineapple. I looked online and saw recommendations about incorporating mixed drink flavor profile into the cake. The one that stood out to me was pineapple, lime, and basil. Is that too bold for a wedding? Should it be more simple? I made a cake for them recently and did pineapple and cherry… everyone seemed to like it… but I thought it was terrible. :/ What’s the best way to incorporate these flavors in the cake? Use pineapple juice in place of simple syrup? Make a pineapple coulis? Add gelatin to said coulis? Is there a standard? This is my first big cake and I’m nervous and just want to nail it! Thanks! Assistant:

Human: Wedding cake flavors that include pineapple? I’m makin a wedding cake in the coming weeks and I haven’t decided on the flavors! The groom doesn’t like cake and the bride doesn’t care except to say that it should include pineapple. I looked online and saw recommendations about incorporating mixed drink flavor profile into the cake. The one that stood out to me was pineapple, lime, and basil. Is that too bold for a wedding? Should it be more simple? I made a cake for them recently and did pineapple and cherry… everyone seemed to like it… but I thought it was terrible. :/ What’s the best way to incorporate these flavors in the cake? Use pineapple juice in place of simple syrup? Make a pineapple coulis? Add gelatin to said coulis? Is there a standard? This is my first big cake and I’m nervous and just want to nail it! Thanks! Assistant: I really hope the bride had other desserts available and the cake is labeled in some way - I'm sure I can't be the only person with a pineapple allergy!

Human: Wedding cake flavors that include pineapple? I’m makin a wedding cake in the coming weeks and I haven’t decided on the flavors! The groom doesn’t like cake and the bride doesn’t care except to say that it should include pineapple. I looked online and saw recommendations about incorporating mixed drink flavor profile into the cake. The one that stood out to me was pineapple, lime, and basil. Is that too bold for a wedding? Should it be more simple? I made a cake for them recently and did pineapple and cherry… everyone seemed to like it… but I thought it was terrible. :/ What’s the best way to incorporate these flavors in the cake? Use pineapple juice in place of simple syrup? Make a pineapple coulis? Add gelatin to said coulis? Is there a standard? This is my first big cake and I’m nervous and just want to nail it! Thanks! Assistant: Piña colada

Human: Wedding cake flavors that include pineapple? I’m makin a wedding cake in the coming weeks and I haven’t decided on the flavors! The groom doesn’t like cake and the bride doesn’t care except to say that it should include pineapple. I looked online and saw recommendations about incorporating mixed drink flavor profile into the cake. The one that stood out to me was pineapple, lime, and basil. Is that too bold for a wedding? Should it be more simple? I made a cake for them recently and did pineapple and cherry… everyone seemed to like it… but I thought it was terrible. :/ What’s the best way to incorporate these flavors in the cake? Use pineapple juice in place of simple syrup? Make a pineapple coulis? Add gelatin to said coulis? Is there a standard? This is my first big cake and I’m nervous and just want to nail it! Thanks! Assistant:

Human: Wedding cake flavors that include pineapple? I’m makin a wedding cake in the coming weeks and I haven’t decided on the flavors! The groom doesn’t like cake and the bride doesn’t care except to say that it should include pineapple. I looked online and saw recommendations about incorporating mixed drink flavor profile into the cake. The one that stood out to me was pineapple, lime, and basil. Is that too bold for a wedding? Should it be more simple? I made a cake for them recently and did pineapple and cherry… everyone seemed to like it… but I thought it was terrible. :/ What’s the best way to incorporate these flavors in the cake? Use pineapple juice in place of simple syrup? Make a pineapple coulis? Add gelatin to said coulis? Is there a standard? This is my first big cake and I’m nervous and just want to nail it! Thanks! Assistant: Coconut and pineapple is an old go-to but if you’re able to get passionfruit in there instead, that would be amazing

Human: Wedding cake flavors that include pineapple? I’m makin a wedding cake in the coming weeks and I haven’t decided on the flavors! The groom doesn’t like cake and the bride doesn’t care except to say that it should include pineapple. I looked online and saw recommendations about incorporating mixed drink flavor profile into the cake. The one that stood out to me was pineapple, lime, and basil. Is that too bold for a wedding? Should it be more simple? I made a cake for them recently and did pineapple and cherry… everyone seemed to like it… but I thought it was terrible. :/ What’s the best way to incorporate these flavors in the cake? Use pineapple juice in place of simple syrup? Make a pineapple coulis? Add gelatin to said coulis? Is there a standard? This is my first big cake and I’m nervous and just want to nail it! Thanks! Assistant: Piña colada

Human: Moist Chocolate Cake I have tried recipe after recipe trying to get a chocolate cake that is moist. A local bakery of mine makes a delicious chocolate cake that has almost a pudding texture to it. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can try to make my cakes more moist and how to keep them from drying out and crumbling so quickly? Thanks! Assistant:

Human: Moist Chocolate Cake I have tried recipe after recipe trying to get a chocolate cake that is moist. A local bakery of mine makes a delicious chocolate cake that has almost a pudding texture to it. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can try to make my cakes more moist and how to keep them from drying out and crumbling so quickly? Thanks! Assistant: INA GARTEN - BEATTY’S CHOCOLATE CAKE. It is utterly foolproof, and calls for both buttermilk and coffee, so it is ALWAYS moist. It is my favorite and my go-to.

Human: Moist Chocolate Cake I have tried recipe after recipe trying to get a chocolate cake that is moist. A local bakery of mine makes a delicious chocolate cake that has almost a pudding texture to it. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can try to make my cakes more moist and how to keep them from drying out and crumbling so quickly? Thanks! Assistant: Try adding half a cup of mayonnaise to the batter, it yields a really moist cake...

Human: Moist Chocolate Cake I have tried recipe after recipe trying to get a chocolate cake that is moist. A local bakery of mine makes a delicious chocolate cake that has almost a pudding texture to it. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can try to make my cakes more moist and how to keep them from drying out and crumbling so quickly? Thanks! Assistant:

Human: Moist Chocolate Cake I have tried recipe after recipe trying to get a chocolate cake that is moist. A local bakery of mine makes a delicious chocolate cake that has almost a pudding texture to it. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can try to make my cakes more moist and how to keep them from drying out and crumbling so quickly? Thanks! Assistant: INA GARTEN - BEATTY’S CHOCOLATE CAKE. It is utterly foolproof, and calls for both buttermilk and coffee, so it is ALWAYS moist. It is my favorite and my go-to.

Human: Moist Chocolate Cake I have tried recipe after recipe trying to get a chocolate cake that is moist. A local bakery of mine makes a delicious chocolate cake that has almost a pudding texture to it. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can try to make my cakes more moist and how to keep them from drying out and crumbling so quickly? Thanks! Assistant: Have you tried adding sour cream? It always makes my chocolate cakes so moist!

Human: Moist Chocolate Cake I have tried recipe after recipe trying to get a chocolate cake that is moist. A local bakery of mine makes a delicious chocolate cake that has almost a pudding texture to it. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can try to make my cakes more moist and how to keep them from drying out and crumbling so quickly? Thanks! Assistant:

Human: Moist Chocolate Cake I have tried recipe after recipe trying to get a chocolate cake that is moist. A local bakery of mine makes a delicious chocolate cake that has almost a pudding texture to it. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can try to make my cakes more moist and how to keep them from drying out and crumbling so quickly? Thanks! Assistant: INA GARTEN - BEATTY’S CHOCOLATE CAKE. It is utterly foolproof, and calls for both buttermilk and coffee, so it is ALWAYS moist. It is my favorite and my go-to.

Human: Moist Chocolate Cake I have tried recipe after recipe trying to get a chocolate cake that is moist. A local bakery of mine makes a delicious chocolate cake that has almost a pudding texture to it. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can try to make my cakes more moist and how to keep them from drying out and crumbling so quickly? Thanks! Assistant: Wacky cake

Human: Moist Chocolate Cake I have tried recipe after recipe trying to get a chocolate cake that is moist. A local bakery of mine makes a delicious chocolate cake that has almost a pudding texture to it. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can try to make my cakes more moist and how to keep them from drying out and crumbling so quickly? Thanks! Assistant:

Human: Moist Chocolate Cake I have tried recipe after recipe trying to get a chocolate cake that is moist. A local bakery of mine makes a delicious chocolate cake that has almost a pudding texture to it. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can try to make my cakes more moist and how to keep them from drying out and crumbling so quickly? Thanks! Assistant: Try adding half a cup of mayonnaise to the batter, it yields a really moist cake...

Human: Moist Chocolate Cake I have tried recipe after recipe trying to get a chocolate cake that is moist. A local bakery of mine makes a delicious chocolate cake that has almost a pudding texture to it. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can try to make my cakes more moist and how to keep them from drying out and crumbling so quickly? Thanks! Assistant: Have you tried adding sour cream? It always makes my chocolate cakes so moist!

Human: Moist Chocolate Cake I have tried recipe after recipe trying to get a chocolate cake that is moist. A local bakery of mine makes a delicious chocolate cake that has almost a pudding texture to it. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can try to make my cakes more moist and how to keep them from drying out and crumbling so quickly? Thanks! Assistant:

Human: Moist Chocolate Cake I have tried recipe after recipe trying to get a chocolate cake that is moist. A local bakery of mine makes a delicious chocolate cake that has almost a pudding texture to it. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can try to make my cakes more moist and how to keep them from drying out and crumbling so quickly? Thanks! Assistant: Try adding half a cup of mayonnaise to the batter, it yields a really moist cake...

Human: Moist Chocolate Cake I have tried recipe after recipe trying to get a chocolate cake that is moist. A local bakery of mine makes a delicious chocolate cake that has almost a pudding texture to it. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can try to make my cakes more moist and how to keep them from drying out and crumbling so quickly? Thanks! Assistant: Wacky cake

Human: Moist Chocolate Cake I have tried recipe after recipe trying to get a chocolate cake that is moist. A local bakery of mine makes a delicious chocolate cake that has almost a pudding texture to it. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can try to make my cakes more moist and how to keep them from drying out and crumbling so quickly? Thanks! Assistant:

Human: Moist Chocolate Cake I have tried recipe after recipe trying to get a chocolate cake that is moist. A local bakery of mine makes a delicious chocolate cake that has almost a pudding texture to it. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can try to make my cakes more moist and how to keep them from drying out and crumbling so quickly? Thanks! Assistant: Have you tried adding sour cream? It always makes my chocolate cakes so moist!

Human: Moist Chocolate Cake I have tried recipe after recipe trying to get a chocolate cake that is moist. A local bakery of mine makes a delicious chocolate cake that has almost a pudding texture to it. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can try to make my cakes more moist and how to keep them from drying out and crumbling so quickly? Thanks! Assistant: Wacky cake

Human: Reducing Sugar, what else do I need to change? As per the title, I want to reduce the sugar in a cake I’m making. Currently the recipe contains: - 180g unsalted butter, softened - 480g sugar - 6 large eggs - 200g cold buttermilk - 100g vegetable oil - 12g tsp vanilla extract - 375g ap flour - 12g baking powder - 6g salt It was way too sweet. I want to reduce the sugar to maybe about 300g. What else do I need to change if I do that? Thanks everyone. Assistant:

Human: Reducing Sugar, what else do I need to change? As per the title, I want to reduce the sugar in a cake I’m making. Currently the recipe contains: - 180g unsalted butter, softened - 480g sugar - 6 large eggs - 200g cold buttermilk - 100g vegetable oil - 12g tsp vanilla extract - 375g ap flour - 12g baking powder - 6g salt It was way too sweet. I want to reduce the sugar to maybe about 300g. What else do I need to change if I do that? Thanks everyone. Assistant: I would start at a 25% reduction, so down to 360g. Reducing the sugar in a cake further than that can cause some structural issues. It also has a ton of eggs (seriously, where did this recipe come from?). Lowering it much more could result in egg cake.

Human: Reducing Sugar, what else do I need to change? As per the title, I want to reduce the sugar in a cake I’m making. Currently the recipe contains: - 180g unsalted butter, softened - 480g sugar - 6 large eggs - 200g cold buttermilk - 100g vegetable oil - 12g tsp vanilla extract - 375g ap flour - 12g baking powder - 6g salt It was way too sweet. I want to reduce the sugar to maybe about 300g. What else do I need to change if I do that? Thanks everyone. Assistant: Oh yeah, that’s the amount of sugar you would typically expect to see in a chocolate cake but not a vanilla buttermilk one. Reduce the sugar to the weight of the flour and you should be fine. Just keep in mind the reduction of sugar will also result in a reduction of moistness but also an increase in structural integrity, so if moistness is important to you then you can replace a couple of the eggs with egg yolks or replace some of the buttermilk with sour cream.

Human: Reducing Sugar, what else do I need to change? As per the title, I want to reduce the sugar in a cake I’m making. Currently the recipe contains: - 180g unsalted butter, softened - 480g sugar - 6 large eggs - 200g cold buttermilk - 100g vegetable oil - 12g tsp vanilla extract - 375g ap flour - 12g baking powder - 6g salt It was way too sweet. I want to reduce the sugar to maybe about 300g. What else do I need to change if I do that? Thanks everyone. Assistant:

Human: Reducing Sugar, what else do I need to change? As per the title, I want to reduce the sugar in a cake I’m making. Currently the recipe contains: - 180g unsalted butter, softened - 480g sugar - 6 large eggs - 200g cold buttermilk - 100g vegetable oil - 12g tsp vanilla extract - 375g ap flour - 12g baking powder - 6g salt It was way too sweet. I want to reduce the sugar to maybe about 300g. What else do I need to change if I do that? Thanks everyone. Assistant: I would start at a 25% reduction, so down to 360g. Reducing the sugar in a cake further than that can cause some structural issues. It also has a ton of eggs (seriously, where did this recipe come from?). Lowering it much more could result in egg cake.

Human: Reducing Sugar, what else do I need to change? As per the title, I want to reduce the sugar in a cake I’m making. Currently the recipe contains: - 180g unsalted butter, softened - 480g sugar - 6 large eggs - 200g cold buttermilk - 100g vegetable oil - 12g tsp vanilla extract - 375g ap flour - 12g baking powder - 6g salt It was way too sweet. I want to reduce the sugar to maybe about 300g. What else do I need to change if I do that? Thanks everyone. Assistant: I think you'd be fine just reducing the sugar.

Human: Reducing Sugar, what else do I need to change? As per the title, I want to reduce the sugar in a cake I’m making. Currently the recipe contains: - 180g unsalted butter, softened - 480g sugar - 6 large eggs - 200g cold buttermilk - 100g vegetable oil - 12g tsp vanilla extract - 375g ap flour - 12g baking powder - 6g salt It was way too sweet. I want to reduce the sugar to maybe about 300g. What else do I need to change if I do that? Thanks everyone. Assistant:

Human: Reducing Sugar, what else do I need to change? As per the title, I want to reduce the sugar in a cake I’m making. Currently the recipe contains: - 180g unsalted butter, softened - 480g sugar - 6 large eggs - 200g cold buttermilk - 100g vegetable oil - 12g tsp vanilla extract - 375g ap flour - 12g baking powder - 6g salt It was way too sweet. I want to reduce the sugar to maybe about 300g. What else do I need to change if I do that? Thanks everyone. Assistant: Oh yeah, that’s the amount of sugar you would typically expect to see in a chocolate cake but not a vanilla buttermilk one. Reduce the sugar to the weight of the flour and you should be fine. Just keep in mind the reduction of sugar will also result in a reduction of moistness but also an increase in structural integrity, so if moistness is important to you then you can replace a couple of the eggs with egg yolks or replace some of the buttermilk with sour cream.

Human: Reducing Sugar, what else do I need to change? As per the title, I want to reduce the sugar in a cake I’m making. Currently the recipe contains: - 180g unsalted butter, softened - 480g sugar - 6 large eggs - 200g cold buttermilk - 100g vegetable oil - 12g tsp vanilla extract - 375g ap flour - 12g baking powder - 6g salt It was way too sweet. I want to reduce the sugar to maybe about 300g. What else do I need to change if I do that? Thanks everyone. Assistant: I think you'd be fine just reducing the sugar.

Human: Why do all the recipes for millionaire's shortbread use sweetened condensed milk for the caramel? I was trying to make millionaire's shortbread for the first time, but the recipe I was using was maybe a bit too simplistic. The caramel layer was basically just two cans of sweetened condensed milk (the only other ingredient for the caramel layer was a very small amount of butter). I heated it until it took on a caramel-like color, but it still just tasted like sweetened condensed milk to me. So I put the shortbread layer in the fridge to save it for later, and looked for a different recipe. I couldn't find any that didn't use sweetened condensed milk at all (even Babish's uses half a can), so I settled on this one, hoping that the corn syrup and a whole cup of brown sugar would mask the sweetened condensed milk taste. But when I put it all together and tried the finished product, it still had a hint of that vaguely cheesy taste that's so off-putting about sweetened condensed milk. I mean, it doesn't taste *bad*, it just doesn't really taste like caramel to me. What's weird is that if you just look up a recipe for homemade caramel, none of them seem to use sweetened condensed milk. A lot of them use heavy cream. But is that more for a syrupy caramel that wouldn't hold its shape in a layered dessert like this? Is there a reason why all the recipes I can find for caramel layers in millionaire's shortbread use sweetened condensed milk, or could I just swap out the middle layer of a millionaire's shortbread recipe for a homemade caramel recipe that doesn't use sweetened condensed milk? Assistant:

Human: Why do all the recipes for millionaire's shortbread use sweetened condensed milk for the caramel? I was trying to make millionaire's shortbread for the first time, but the recipe I was using was maybe a bit too simplistic. The caramel layer was basically just two cans of sweetened condensed milk (the only other ingredient for the caramel layer was a very small amount of butter). I heated it until it took on a caramel-like color, but it still just tasted like sweetened condensed milk to me. So I put the shortbread layer in the fridge to save it for later, and looked for a different recipe. I couldn't find any that didn't use sweetened condensed milk at all (even Babish's uses half a can), so I settled on this one, hoping that the corn syrup and a whole cup of brown sugar would mask the sweetened condensed milk taste. But when I put it all together and tried the finished product, it still had a hint of that vaguely cheesy taste that's so off-putting about sweetened condensed milk. I mean, it doesn't taste *bad*, it just doesn't really taste like caramel to me. What's weird is that if you just look up a recipe for homemade caramel, none of them seem to use sweetened condensed milk. A lot of them use heavy cream. But is that more for a syrupy caramel that wouldn't hold its shape in a layered dessert like this? Is there a reason why all the recipes I can find for caramel layers in millionaire's shortbread use sweetened condensed milk, or could I just swap out the middle layer of a millionaire's shortbread recipe for a homemade caramel recipe that doesn't use sweetened condensed milk? Assistant: Try searching recipes for homemade Twix bars. Same thing, but something about the “homemade” I find usually gets fuller recipes with fewer quick/easy parts.

Human: Why do all the recipes for millionaire's shortbread use sweetened condensed milk for the caramel? I was trying to make millionaire's shortbread for the first time, but the recipe I was using was maybe a bit too simplistic. The caramel layer was basically just two cans of sweetened condensed milk (the only other ingredient for the caramel layer was a very small amount of butter). I heated it until it took on a caramel-like color, but it still just tasted like sweetened condensed milk to me. So I put the shortbread layer in the fridge to save it for later, and looked for a different recipe. I couldn't find any that didn't use sweetened condensed milk at all (even Babish's uses half a can), so I settled on this one, hoping that the corn syrup and a whole cup of brown sugar would mask the sweetened condensed milk taste. But when I put it all together and tried the finished product, it still had a hint of that vaguely cheesy taste that's so off-putting about sweetened condensed milk. I mean, it doesn't taste *bad*, it just doesn't really taste like caramel to me. What's weird is that if you just look up a recipe for homemade caramel, none of them seem to use sweetened condensed milk. A lot of them use heavy cream. But is that more for a syrupy caramel that wouldn't hold its shape in a layered dessert like this? Is there a reason why all the recipes I can find for caramel layers in millionaire's shortbread use sweetened condensed milk, or could I just swap out the middle layer of a millionaire's shortbread recipe for a homemade caramel recipe that doesn't use sweetened condensed milk? Assistant: America's Test Kitchens recipe uses it, but only one can. My guess is it's needed for initial spread-ability when putting it together and for overall texture.

Human: Why do all the recipes for millionaire's shortbread use sweetened condensed milk for the caramel? I was trying to make millionaire's shortbread for the first time, but the recipe I was using was maybe a bit too simplistic. The caramel layer was basically just two cans of sweetened condensed milk (the only other ingredient for the caramel layer was a very small amount of butter). I heated it until it took on a caramel-like color, but it still just tasted like sweetened condensed milk to me. So I put the shortbread layer in the fridge to save it for later, and looked for a different recipe. I couldn't find any that didn't use sweetened condensed milk at all (even Babish's uses half a can), so I settled on this one, hoping that the corn syrup and a whole cup of brown sugar would mask the sweetened condensed milk taste. But when I put it all together and tried the finished product, it still had a hint of that vaguely cheesy taste that's so off-putting about sweetened condensed milk. I mean, it doesn't taste *bad*, it just doesn't really taste like caramel to me. What's weird is that if you just look up a recipe for homemade caramel, none of them seem to use sweetened condensed milk. A lot of them use heavy cream. But is that more for a syrupy caramel that wouldn't hold its shape in a layered dessert like this? Is there a reason why all the recipes I can find for caramel layers in millionaire's shortbread use sweetened condensed milk, or could I just swap out the middle layer of a millionaire's shortbread recipe for a homemade caramel recipe that doesn't use sweetened condensed milk? Assistant:

Human: Why do all the recipes for millionaire's shortbread use sweetened condensed milk for the caramel? I was trying to make millionaire's shortbread for the first time, but the recipe I was using was maybe a bit too simplistic. The caramel layer was basically just two cans of sweetened condensed milk (the only other ingredient for the caramel layer was a very small amount of butter). I heated it until it took on a caramel-like color, but it still just tasted like sweetened condensed milk to me. So I put the shortbread layer in the fridge to save it for later, and looked for a different recipe. I couldn't find any that didn't use sweetened condensed milk at all (even Babish's uses half a can), so I settled on this one, hoping that the corn syrup and a whole cup of brown sugar would mask the sweetened condensed milk taste. But when I put it all together and tried the finished product, it still had a hint of that vaguely cheesy taste that's so off-putting about sweetened condensed milk. I mean, it doesn't taste *bad*, it just doesn't really taste like caramel to me. What's weird is that if you just look up a recipe for homemade caramel, none of them seem to use sweetened condensed milk. A lot of them use heavy cream. But is that more for a syrupy caramel that wouldn't hold its shape in a layered dessert like this? Is there a reason why all the recipes I can find for caramel layers in millionaire's shortbread use sweetened condensed milk, or could I just swap out the middle layer of a millionaire's shortbread recipe for a homemade caramel recipe that doesn't use sweetened condensed milk? Assistant: Try searching recipes for homemade Twix bars. Same thing, but something about the “homemade” I find usually gets fuller recipes with fewer quick/easy parts.

Human: Why do all the recipes for millionaire's shortbread use sweetened condensed milk for the caramel? I was trying to make millionaire's shortbread for the first time, but the recipe I was using was maybe a bit too simplistic. The caramel layer was basically just two cans of sweetened condensed milk (the only other ingredient for the caramel layer was a very small amount of butter). I heated it until it took on a caramel-like color, but it still just tasted like sweetened condensed milk to me. So I put the shortbread layer in the fridge to save it for later, and looked for a different recipe. I couldn't find any that didn't use sweetened condensed milk at all (even Babish's uses half a can), so I settled on this one, hoping that the corn syrup and a whole cup of brown sugar would mask the sweetened condensed milk taste. But when I put it all together and tried the finished product, it still had a hint of that vaguely cheesy taste that's so off-putting about sweetened condensed milk. I mean, it doesn't taste *bad*, it just doesn't really taste like caramel to me. What's weird is that if you just look up a recipe for homemade caramel, none of them seem to use sweetened condensed milk. A lot of them use heavy cream. But is that more for a syrupy caramel that wouldn't hold its shape in a layered dessert like this? Is there a reason why all the recipes I can find for caramel layers in millionaire's shortbread use sweetened condensed milk, or could I just swap out the middle layer of a millionaire's shortbread recipe for a homemade caramel recipe that doesn't use sweetened condensed milk? Assistant: You could just use the shortbread layer recipe, make your own caramel, and then add the chocolate.

Human: Why do all the recipes for millionaire's shortbread use sweetened condensed milk for the caramel? I was trying to make millionaire's shortbread for the first time, but the recipe I was using was maybe a bit too simplistic. The caramel layer was basically just two cans of sweetened condensed milk (the only other ingredient for the caramel layer was a very small amount of butter). I heated it until it took on a caramel-like color, but it still just tasted like sweetened condensed milk to me. So I put the shortbread layer in the fridge to save it for later, and looked for a different recipe. I couldn't find any that didn't use sweetened condensed milk at all (even Babish's uses half a can), so I settled on this one, hoping that the corn syrup and a whole cup of brown sugar would mask the sweetened condensed milk taste. But when I put it all together and tried the finished product, it still had a hint of that vaguely cheesy taste that's so off-putting about sweetened condensed milk. I mean, it doesn't taste *bad*, it just doesn't really taste like caramel to me. What's weird is that if you just look up a recipe for homemade caramel, none of them seem to use sweetened condensed milk. A lot of them use heavy cream. But is that more for a syrupy caramel that wouldn't hold its shape in a layered dessert like this? Is there a reason why all the recipes I can find for caramel layers in millionaire's shortbread use sweetened condensed milk, or could I just swap out the middle layer of a millionaire's shortbread recipe for a homemade caramel recipe that doesn't use sweetened condensed milk? Assistant:

Human: Why do all the recipes for millionaire's shortbread use sweetened condensed milk for the caramel? I was trying to make millionaire's shortbread for the first time, but the recipe I was using was maybe a bit too simplistic. The caramel layer was basically just two cans of sweetened condensed milk (the only other ingredient for the caramel layer was a very small amount of butter). I heated it until it took on a caramel-like color, but it still just tasted like sweetened condensed milk to me. So I put the shortbread layer in the fridge to save it for later, and looked for a different recipe. I couldn't find any that didn't use sweetened condensed milk at all (even Babish's uses half a can), so I settled on this one, hoping that the corn syrup and a whole cup of brown sugar would mask the sweetened condensed milk taste. But when I put it all together and tried the finished product, it still had a hint of that vaguely cheesy taste that's so off-putting about sweetened condensed milk. I mean, it doesn't taste *bad*, it just doesn't really taste like caramel to me. What's weird is that if you just look up a recipe for homemade caramel, none of them seem to use sweetened condensed milk. A lot of them use heavy cream. But is that more for a syrupy caramel that wouldn't hold its shape in a layered dessert like this? Is there a reason why all the recipes I can find for caramel layers in millionaire's shortbread use sweetened condensed milk, or could I just swap out the middle layer of a millionaire's shortbread recipe for a homemade caramel recipe that doesn't use sweetened condensed milk? Assistant: America's Test Kitchens recipe uses it, but only one can. My guess is it's needed for initial spread-ability when putting it together and for overall texture.

Human: Why do all the recipes for millionaire's shortbread use sweetened condensed milk for the caramel? I was trying to make millionaire's shortbread for the first time, but the recipe I was using was maybe a bit too simplistic. The caramel layer was basically just two cans of sweetened condensed milk (the only other ingredient for the caramel layer was a very small amount of butter). I heated it until it took on a caramel-like color, but it still just tasted like sweetened condensed milk to me. So I put the shortbread layer in the fridge to save it for later, and looked for a different recipe. I couldn't find any that didn't use sweetened condensed milk at all (even Babish's uses half a can), so I settled on this one, hoping that the corn syrup and a whole cup of brown sugar would mask the sweetened condensed milk taste. But when I put it all together and tried the finished product, it still had a hint of that vaguely cheesy taste that's so off-putting about sweetened condensed milk. I mean, it doesn't taste *bad*, it just doesn't really taste like caramel to me. What's weird is that if you just look up a recipe for homemade caramel, none of them seem to use sweetened condensed milk. A lot of them use heavy cream. But is that more for a syrupy caramel that wouldn't hold its shape in a layered dessert like this? Is there a reason why all the recipes I can find for caramel layers in millionaire's shortbread use sweetened condensed milk, or could I just swap out the middle layer of a millionaire's shortbread recipe for a homemade caramel recipe that doesn't use sweetened condensed milk? Assistant: You could just use the shortbread layer recipe, make your own caramel, and then add the chocolate.

Human: I'm making my own wedding cakes! Some questions. Note: this is not happening for at least a year, possibly longer! I am just a compulsive planner and I want to have all my ducks in a row well before it becomes relevant. Now that the wedding is officially *on* I want to start thinking about it. So I always knew I wanted to bake my own wedding cake. It sounds insane to a lot of people but baking soothes me and feeding people the things I make brings me more joy than almost anything in the world. I don't exactly trust my cake-stacking abilities though, so rather than making a tiered cake I'm going to make three separate cakes. It's a small wedding so 3 10-inch cakes should get everyone at least one piece. My plan was to do one cake my choice, one my partner's choice, and one we choose together. I'll do as much as possible ahead of time, and I'm not fussed about decorations over it tasting good so I'm not worrying too much about being able to do a bunch of delicate flower piping or whatever. Anyway, questions! I'm sure I'll have much more to ask when I get much closer to the day but this is just some preliminary stuff. 1. What sorts of frosting are particularly stable/unstable? 2. Relatedly: is it even possible to use whipped cream for a wedding cake? My favorite cake is a Victoria sponge but I'm not sure that's a realistic choice. 3. I know typically the cake rounds are baked at least a few days ahead of time, to be filled and frosted the day before or day of the wedding. Are there any types of cake that don't stand up well to being frozen? I imagine some delicate cakes like angel's food would be ruined in the process. 4. In general, what absolutely *cannot* be done prior to the day of the wedding? Like, in theory, would it be possible for me to finish all three cakes, have them in the fridge, and just bring them to the venue and be done with it? Or are there parts of the process that really need to happen on-site? 5. Finally, this one is just a matter of taste but: are there any flavors/cake types you can think of that would be particularly unpopular? I don't really want to do a basic white or chocolate cake but my tastes can be eclectic and I don't want to do something that it turns out no one likes but me! Thanks for reading! I'm a bit overenthusiastic about this right now if that isn't clear. Assistant:

Human: I'm making my own wedding cakes! Some questions. Note: this is not happening for at least a year, possibly longer! I am just a compulsive planner and I want to have all my ducks in a row well before it becomes relevant. Now that the wedding is officially *on* I want to start thinking about it. So I always knew I wanted to bake my own wedding cake. It sounds insane to a lot of people but baking soothes me and feeding people the things I make brings me more joy than almost anything in the world. I don't exactly trust my cake-stacking abilities though, so rather than making a tiered cake I'm going to make three separate cakes. It's a small wedding so 3 10-inch cakes should get everyone at least one piece. My plan was to do one cake my choice, one my partner's choice, and one we choose together. I'll do as much as possible ahead of time, and I'm not fussed about decorations over it tasting good so I'm not worrying too much about being able to do a bunch of delicate flower piping or whatever. Anyway, questions! I'm sure I'll have much more to ask when I get much closer to the day but this is just some preliminary stuff. 1. What sorts of frosting are particularly stable/unstable? 2. Relatedly: is it even possible to use whipped cream for a wedding cake? My favorite cake is a Victoria sponge but I'm not sure that's a realistic choice. 3. I know typically the cake rounds are baked at least a few days ahead of time, to be filled and frosted the day before or day of the wedding. Are there any types of cake that don't stand up well to being frozen? I imagine some delicate cakes like angel's food would be ruined in the process. 4. In general, what absolutely *cannot* be done prior to the day of the wedding? Like, in theory, would it be possible for me to finish all three cakes, have them in the fridge, and just bring them to the venue and be done with it? Or are there parts of the process that really need to happen on-site? 5. Finally, this one is just a matter of taste but: are there any flavors/cake types you can think of that would be particularly unpopular? I don't really want to do a basic white or chocolate cake but my tastes can be eclectic and I don't want to do something that it turns out no one likes but me! Thanks for reading! I'm a bit overenthusiastic about this right now if that isn't clear. Assistant: Without knowing where and what type of and distance to venue. At which time of year etc, no one knows what to tell you. And telling you everything to cover all possibilities with plan B contingencies is overwhelming. In the right conditions you can make anything. What you can do now is start making practice cakes, get it down. Give the cakes away after tasting them. What sort of baking skill do you possess, have you a mixer. ?

Human: I'm making my own wedding cakes! Some questions. Note: this is not happening for at least a year, possibly longer! I am just a compulsive planner and I want to have all my ducks in a row well before it becomes relevant. Now that the wedding is officially *on* I want to start thinking about it. So I always knew I wanted to bake my own wedding cake. It sounds insane to a lot of people but baking soothes me and feeding people the things I make brings me more joy than almost anything in the world. I don't exactly trust my cake-stacking abilities though, so rather than making a tiered cake I'm going to make three separate cakes. It's a small wedding so 3 10-inch cakes should get everyone at least one piece. My plan was to do one cake my choice, one my partner's choice, and one we choose together. I'll do as much as possible ahead of time, and I'm not fussed about decorations over it tasting good so I'm not worrying too much about being able to do a bunch of delicate flower piping or whatever. Anyway, questions! I'm sure I'll have much more to ask when I get much closer to the day but this is just some preliminary stuff. 1. What sorts of frosting are particularly stable/unstable? 2. Relatedly: is it even possible to use whipped cream for a wedding cake? My favorite cake is a Victoria sponge but I'm not sure that's a realistic choice. 3. I know typically the cake rounds are baked at least a few days ahead of time, to be filled and frosted the day before or day of the wedding. Are there any types of cake that don't stand up well to being frozen? I imagine some delicate cakes like angel's food would be ruined in the process. 4. In general, what absolutely *cannot* be done prior to the day of the wedding? Like, in theory, would it be possible for me to finish all three cakes, have them in the fridge, and just bring them to the venue and be done with it? Or are there parts of the process that really need to happen on-site? 5. Finally, this one is just a matter of taste but: are there any flavors/cake types you can think of that would be particularly unpopular? I don't really want to do a basic white or chocolate cake but my tastes can be eclectic and I don't want to do something that it turns out no one likes but me! Thanks for reading! I'm a bit overenthusiastic about this right now if that isn't clear. Assistant: This is just adding to other comments. If you're planning on making a victoria sponge (yum) I would recommend making an ermine icing. It involves cooking a sugar and flour paste and then whipping in butter, it sounds weird but it ends up super light and fluffy like whipped cream. Whipped cream cakes basically have to be eaten immediatley or within a very short period of time.

Human: I'm making my own wedding cakes! Some questions. Note: this is not happening for at least a year, possibly longer! I am just a compulsive planner and I want to have all my ducks in a row well before it becomes relevant. Now that the wedding is officially *on* I want to start thinking about it. So I always knew I wanted to bake my own wedding cake. It sounds insane to a lot of people but baking soothes me and feeding people the things I make brings me more joy than almost anything in the world. I don't exactly trust my cake-stacking abilities though, so rather than making a tiered cake I'm going to make three separate cakes. It's a small wedding so 3 10-inch cakes should get everyone at least one piece. My plan was to do one cake my choice, one my partner's choice, and one we choose together. I'll do as much as possible ahead of time, and I'm not fussed about decorations over it tasting good so I'm not worrying too much about being able to do a bunch of delicate flower piping or whatever. Anyway, questions! I'm sure I'll have much more to ask when I get much closer to the day but this is just some preliminary stuff. 1. What sorts of frosting are particularly stable/unstable? 2. Relatedly: is it even possible to use whipped cream for a wedding cake? My favorite cake is a Victoria sponge but I'm not sure that's a realistic choice. 3. I know typically the cake rounds are baked at least a few days ahead of time, to be filled and frosted the day before or day of the wedding. Are there any types of cake that don't stand up well to being frozen? I imagine some delicate cakes like angel's food would be ruined in the process. 4. In general, what absolutely *cannot* be done prior to the day of the wedding? Like, in theory, would it be possible for me to finish all three cakes, have them in the fridge, and just bring them to the venue and be done with it? Or are there parts of the process that really need to happen on-site? 5. Finally, this one is just a matter of taste but: are there any flavors/cake types you can think of that would be particularly unpopular? I don't really want to do a basic white or chocolate cake but my tastes can be eclectic and I don't want to do something that it turns out no one likes but me! Thanks for reading! I'm a bit overenthusiastic about this right now if that isn't clear. Assistant:

Human: I'm making my own wedding cakes! Some questions. Note: this is not happening for at least a year, possibly longer! I am just a compulsive planner and I want to have all my ducks in a row well before it becomes relevant. Now that the wedding is officially *on* I want to start thinking about it. So I always knew I wanted to bake my own wedding cake. It sounds insane to a lot of people but baking soothes me and feeding people the things I make brings me more joy than almost anything in the world. I don't exactly trust my cake-stacking abilities though, so rather than making a tiered cake I'm going to make three separate cakes. It's a small wedding so 3 10-inch cakes should get everyone at least one piece. My plan was to do one cake my choice, one my partner's choice, and one we choose together. I'll do as much as possible ahead of time, and I'm not fussed about decorations over it tasting good so I'm not worrying too much about being able to do a bunch of delicate flower piping or whatever. Anyway, questions! I'm sure I'll have much more to ask when I get much closer to the day but this is just some preliminary stuff. 1. What sorts of frosting are particularly stable/unstable? 2. Relatedly: is it even possible to use whipped cream for a wedding cake? My favorite cake is a Victoria sponge but I'm not sure that's a realistic choice. 3. I know typically the cake rounds are baked at least a few days ahead of time, to be filled and frosted the day before or day of the wedding. Are there any types of cake that don't stand up well to being frozen? I imagine some delicate cakes like angel's food would be ruined in the process. 4. In general, what absolutely *cannot* be done prior to the day of the wedding? Like, in theory, would it be possible for me to finish all three cakes, have them in the fridge, and just bring them to the venue and be done with it? Or are there parts of the process that really need to happen on-site? 5. Finally, this one is just a matter of taste but: are there any flavors/cake types you can think of that would be particularly unpopular? I don't really want to do a basic white or chocolate cake but my tastes can be eclectic and I don't want to do something that it turns out no one likes but me! Thanks for reading! I'm a bit overenthusiastic about this right now if that isn't clear. Assistant: Without knowing where and what type of and distance to venue. At which time of year etc, no one knows what to tell you. And telling you everything to cover all possibilities with plan B contingencies is overwhelming. In the right conditions you can make anything. What you can do now is start making practice cakes, get it down. Give the cakes away after tasting them. What sort of baking skill do you possess, have you a mixer. ?

Human: I'm making my own wedding cakes! Some questions. Note: this is not happening for at least a year, possibly longer! I am just a compulsive planner and I want to have all my ducks in a row well before it becomes relevant. Now that the wedding is officially *on* I want to start thinking about it. So I always knew I wanted to bake my own wedding cake. It sounds insane to a lot of people but baking soothes me and feeding people the things I make brings me more joy than almost anything in the world. I don't exactly trust my cake-stacking abilities though, so rather than making a tiered cake I'm going to make three separate cakes. It's a small wedding so 3 10-inch cakes should get everyone at least one piece. My plan was to do one cake my choice, one my partner's choice, and one we choose together. I'll do as much as possible ahead of time, and I'm not fussed about decorations over it tasting good so I'm not worrying too much about being able to do a bunch of delicate flower piping or whatever. Anyway, questions! I'm sure I'll have much more to ask when I get much closer to the day but this is just some preliminary stuff. 1. What sorts of frosting are particularly stable/unstable? 2. Relatedly: is it even possible to use whipped cream for a wedding cake? My favorite cake is a Victoria sponge but I'm not sure that's a realistic choice. 3. I know typically the cake rounds are baked at least a few days ahead of time, to be filled and frosted the day before or day of the wedding. Are there any types of cake that don't stand up well to being frozen? I imagine some delicate cakes like angel's food would be ruined in the process. 4. In general, what absolutely *cannot* be done prior to the day of the wedding? Like, in theory, would it be possible for me to finish all three cakes, have them in the fridge, and just bring them to the venue and be done with it? Or are there parts of the process that really need to happen on-site? 5. Finally, this one is just a matter of taste but: are there any flavors/cake types you can think of that would be particularly unpopular? I don't really want to do a basic white or chocolate cake but my tastes can be eclectic and I don't want to do something that it turns out no one likes but me! Thanks for reading! I'm a bit overenthusiastic about this right now if that isn't clear. Assistant: Have you considered hiring a tiered cake stand? There are offset ones that look nice and you wouldn't have to worry about stacking the cakes in the day. Also, on that note, if you fancy doing something different that isn't a 10" round, you can hire cake tins too in all kinds of shapes.

Human: I'm making my own wedding cakes! Some questions. Note: this is not happening for at least a year, possibly longer! I am just a compulsive planner and I want to have all my ducks in a row well before it becomes relevant. Now that the wedding is officially *on* I want to start thinking about it. So I always knew I wanted to bake my own wedding cake. It sounds insane to a lot of people but baking soothes me and feeding people the things I make brings me more joy than almost anything in the world. I don't exactly trust my cake-stacking abilities though, so rather than making a tiered cake I'm going to make three separate cakes. It's a small wedding so 3 10-inch cakes should get everyone at least one piece. My plan was to do one cake my choice, one my partner's choice, and one we choose together. I'll do as much as possible ahead of time, and I'm not fussed about decorations over it tasting good so I'm not worrying too much about being able to do a bunch of delicate flower piping or whatever. Anyway, questions! I'm sure I'll have much more to ask when I get much closer to the day but this is just some preliminary stuff. 1. What sorts of frosting are particularly stable/unstable? 2. Relatedly: is it even possible to use whipped cream for a wedding cake? My favorite cake is a Victoria sponge but I'm not sure that's a realistic choice. 3. I know typically the cake rounds are baked at least a few days ahead of time, to be filled and frosted the day before or day of the wedding. Are there any types of cake that don't stand up well to being frozen? I imagine some delicate cakes like angel's food would be ruined in the process. 4. In general, what absolutely *cannot* be done prior to the day of the wedding? Like, in theory, would it be possible for me to finish all three cakes, have them in the fridge, and just bring them to the venue and be done with it? Or are there parts of the process that really need to happen on-site? 5. Finally, this one is just a matter of taste but: are there any flavors/cake types you can think of that would be particularly unpopular? I don't really want to do a basic white or chocolate cake but my tastes can be eclectic and I don't want to do something that it turns out no one likes but me! Thanks for reading! I'm a bit overenthusiastic about this right now if that isn't clear. Assistant:

Human: I'm making my own wedding cakes! Some questions. Note: this is not happening for at least a year, possibly longer! I am just a compulsive planner and I want to have all my ducks in a row well before it becomes relevant. Now that the wedding is officially *on* I want to start thinking about it. So I always knew I wanted to bake my own wedding cake. It sounds insane to a lot of people but baking soothes me and feeding people the things I make brings me more joy than almost anything in the world. I don't exactly trust my cake-stacking abilities though, so rather than making a tiered cake I'm going to make three separate cakes. It's a small wedding so 3 10-inch cakes should get everyone at least one piece. My plan was to do one cake my choice, one my partner's choice, and one we choose together. I'll do as much as possible ahead of time, and I'm not fussed about decorations over it tasting good so I'm not worrying too much about being able to do a bunch of delicate flower piping or whatever. Anyway, questions! I'm sure I'll have much more to ask when I get much closer to the day but this is just some preliminary stuff. 1. What sorts of frosting are particularly stable/unstable? 2. Relatedly: is it even possible to use whipped cream for a wedding cake? My favorite cake is a Victoria sponge but I'm not sure that's a realistic choice. 3. I know typically the cake rounds are baked at least a few days ahead of time, to be filled and frosted the day before or day of the wedding. Are there any types of cake that don't stand up well to being frozen? I imagine some delicate cakes like angel's food would be ruined in the process. 4. In general, what absolutely *cannot* be done prior to the day of the wedding? Like, in theory, would it be possible for me to finish all three cakes, have them in the fridge, and just bring them to the venue and be done with it? Or are there parts of the process that really need to happen on-site? 5. Finally, this one is just a matter of taste but: are there any flavors/cake types you can think of that would be particularly unpopular? I don't really want to do a basic white or chocolate cake but my tastes can be eclectic and I don't want to do something that it turns out no one likes but me! Thanks for reading! I'm a bit overenthusiastic about this right now if that isn't clear. Assistant: This is just adding to other comments. If you're planning on making a victoria sponge (yum) I would recommend making an ermine icing. It involves cooking a sugar and flour paste and then whipping in butter, it sounds weird but it ends up super light and fluffy like whipped cream. Whipped cream cakes basically have to be eaten immediatley or within a very short period of time.

Human: I'm making my own wedding cakes! Some questions. Note: this is not happening for at least a year, possibly longer! I am just a compulsive planner and I want to have all my ducks in a row well before it becomes relevant. Now that the wedding is officially *on* I want to start thinking about it. So I always knew I wanted to bake my own wedding cake. It sounds insane to a lot of people but baking soothes me and feeding people the things I make brings me more joy than almost anything in the world. I don't exactly trust my cake-stacking abilities though, so rather than making a tiered cake I'm going to make three separate cakes. It's a small wedding so 3 10-inch cakes should get everyone at least one piece. My plan was to do one cake my choice, one my partner's choice, and one we choose together. I'll do as much as possible ahead of time, and I'm not fussed about decorations over it tasting good so I'm not worrying too much about being able to do a bunch of delicate flower piping or whatever. Anyway, questions! I'm sure I'll have much more to ask when I get much closer to the day but this is just some preliminary stuff. 1. What sorts of frosting are particularly stable/unstable? 2. Relatedly: is it even possible to use whipped cream for a wedding cake? My favorite cake is a Victoria sponge but I'm not sure that's a realistic choice. 3. I know typically the cake rounds are baked at least a few days ahead of time, to be filled and frosted the day before or day of the wedding. Are there any types of cake that don't stand up well to being frozen? I imagine some delicate cakes like angel's food would be ruined in the process. 4. In general, what absolutely *cannot* be done prior to the day of the wedding? Like, in theory, would it be possible for me to finish all three cakes, have them in the fridge, and just bring them to the venue and be done with it? Or are there parts of the process that really need to happen on-site? 5. Finally, this one is just a matter of taste but: are there any flavors/cake types you can think of that would be particularly unpopular? I don't really want to do a basic white or chocolate cake but my tastes can be eclectic and I don't want to do something that it turns out no one likes but me! Thanks for reading! I'm a bit overenthusiastic about this right now if that isn't clear. Assistant: Have you considered hiring a tiered cake stand? There are offset ones that look nice and you wouldn't have to worry about stacking the cakes in the day. Also, on that note, if you fancy doing something different that isn't a 10" round, you can hire cake tins too in all kinds of shapes.

Human: What frosting/filling would pair well with a red wine chocolate cake? I am planning my mom's birthday cake and would like to make the Smitten Kitchen Red Wine Chocolate cake. I have made it before without frosting. It has a lovely fudgey texture and deep chocolate flavour with a hint of acidity and cinnamon. The wine does actually come through in the final product, which I quite like. I would like to add a frosting + filling (and maybe fruit topping) this time because I think it makes for a more stunning birthday spectacle, but a bit sure what to pair with it. I don't want to overwhelm the lovely complexity of the cake and also don't want to create something sickly rich since the cake is already quite dense and full flavoured. The Smitten Kitchen recipe recommends mascarpone frosting, but I can't get mascarpone here 😔. Currently, I am considering a cream cheese frosting or a chocolate buttercream, possibly with raspberries. My roommate suggested cherries as a natural chocolate pairing. I wanted to ask the Reddit baking experts. Any thoughts on complementing a red wine chocolate cake? Assistant:

Human: What frosting/filling would pair well with a red wine chocolate cake? I am planning my mom's birthday cake and would like to make the Smitten Kitchen Red Wine Chocolate cake. I have made it before without frosting. It has a lovely fudgey texture and deep chocolate flavour with a hint of acidity and cinnamon. The wine does actually come through in the final product, which I quite like. I would like to add a frosting + filling (and maybe fruit topping) this time because I think it makes for a more stunning birthday spectacle, but a bit sure what to pair with it. I don't want to overwhelm the lovely complexity of the cake and also don't want to create something sickly rich since the cake is already quite dense and full flavoured. The Smitten Kitchen recipe recommends mascarpone frosting, but I can't get mascarpone here 😔. Currently, I am considering a cream cheese frosting or a chocolate buttercream, possibly with raspberries. My roommate suggested cherries as a natural chocolate pairing. I wanted to ask the Reddit baking experts. Any thoughts on complementing a red wine chocolate cake? Assistant: Try ermine frosting. It tastes similar to whipped cream but more stable. It’s light, not too sweet and perfect for richer cakes.

Human: What frosting/filling would pair well with a red wine chocolate cake? I am planning my mom's birthday cake and would like to make the Smitten Kitchen Red Wine Chocolate cake. I have made it before without frosting. It has a lovely fudgey texture and deep chocolate flavour with a hint of acidity and cinnamon. The wine does actually come through in the final product, which I quite like. I would like to add a frosting + filling (and maybe fruit topping) this time because I think it makes for a more stunning birthday spectacle, but a bit sure what to pair with it. I don't want to overwhelm the lovely complexity of the cake and also don't want to create something sickly rich since the cake is already quite dense and full flavoured. The Smitten Kitchen recipe recommends mascarpone frosting, but I can't get mascarpone here 😔. Currently, I am considering a cream cheese frosting or a chocolate buttercream, possibly with raspberries. My roommate suggested cherries as a natural chocolate pairing. I wanted to ask the Reddit baking experts. Any thoughts on complementing a red wine chocolate cake? Assistant: I wonder if you could poach some pears in red wine and then thinly slice them to go on top of whatever frosting you use? The fruit might help make it less sickly, and poached pears are gorgeous, so any excuse... The cake sounds like something I have to try, thank you for posting about it!

Human: What frosting/filling would pair well with a red wine chocolate cake? I am planning my mom's birthday cake and would like to make the Smitten Kitchen Red Wine Chocolate cake. I have made it before without frosting. It has a lovely fudgey texture and deep chocolate flavour with a hint of acidity and cinnamon. The wine does actually come through in the final product, which I quite like. I would like to add a frosting + filling (and maybe fruit topping) this time because I think it makes for a more stunning birthday spectacle, but a bit sure what to pair with it. I don't want to overwhelm the lovely complexity of the cake and also don't want to create something sickly rich since the cake is already quite dense and full flavoured. The Smitten Kitchen recipe recommends mascarpone frosting, but I can't get mascarpone here 😔. Currently, I am considering a cream cheese frosting or a chocolate buttercream, possibly with raspberries. My roommate suggested cherries as a natural chocolate pairing. I wanted to ask the Reddit baking experts. Any thoughts on complementing a red wine chocolate cake? Assistant:

Human: What frosting/filling would pair well with a red wine chocolate cake? I am planning my mom's birthday cake and would like to make the Smitten Kitchen Red Wine Chocolate cake. I have made it before without frosting. It has a lovely fudgey texture and deep chocolate flavour with a hint of acidity and cinnamon. The wine does actually come through in the final product, which I quite like. I would like to add a frosting + filling (and maybe fruit topping) this time because I think it makes for a more stunning birthday spectacle, but a bit sure what to pair with it. I don't want to overwhelm the lovely complexity of the cake and also don't want to create something sickly rich since the cake is already quite dense and full flavoured. The Smitten Kitchen recipe recommends mascarpone frosting, but I can't get mascarpone here 😔. Currently, I am considering a cream cheese frosting or a chocolate buttercream, possibly with raspberries. My roommate suggested cherries as a natural chocolate pairing. I wanted to ask the Reddit baking experts. Any thoughts on complementing a red wine chocolate cake? Assistant: Try ermine frosting. It tastes similar to whipped cream but more stable. It’s light, not too sweet and perfect for richer cakes.

Human: What frosting/filling would pair well with a red wine chocolate cake? I am planning my mom's birthday cake and would like to make the Smitten Kitchen Red Wine Chocolate cake. I have made it before without frosting. It has a lovely fudgey texture and deep chocolate flavour with a hint of acidity and cinnamon. The wine does actually come through in the final product, which I quite like. I would like to add a frosting + filling (and maybe fruit topping) this time because I think it makes for a more stunning birthday spectacle, but a bit sure what to pair with it. I don't want to overwhelm the lovely complexity of the cake and also don't want to create something sickly rich since the cake is already quite dense and full flavoured. The Smitten Kitchen recipe recommends mascarpone frosting, but I can't get mascarpone here 😔. Currently, I am considering a cream cheese frosting or a chocolate buttercream, possibly with raspberries. My roommate suggested cherries as a natural chocolate pairing. I wanted to ask the Reddit baking experts. Any thoughts on complementing a red wine chocolate cake? Assistant: I think if it were me, I'd try to make a bittersweet chocolate cream cheese frosting, and then maybe just make a cherry jam to put in the middle of the layer? Maybe decorate with chocolate covered cherries on top?

Human: What frosting/filling would pair well with a red wine chocolate cake? I am planning my mom's birthday cake and would like to make the Smitten Kitchen Red Wine Chocolate cake. I have made it before without frosting. It has a lovely fudgey texture and deep chocolate flavour with a hint of acidity and cinnamon. The wine does actually come through in the final product, which I quite like. I would like to add a frosting + filling (and maybe fruit topping) this time because I think it makes for a more stunning birthday spectacle, but a bit sure what to pair with it. I don't want to overwhelm the lovely complexity of the cake and also don't want to create something sickly rich since the cake is already quite dense and full flavoured. The Smitten Kitchen recipe recommends mascarpone frosting, but I can't get mascarpone here 😔. Currently, I am considering a cream cheese frosting or a chocolate buttercream, possibly with raspberries. My roommate suggested cherries as a natural chocolate pairing. I wanted to ask the Reddit baking experts. Any thoughts on complementing a red wine chocolate cake? Assistant:

Human: What frosting/filling would pair well with a red wine chocolate cake? I am planning my mom's birthday cake and would like to make the Smitten Kitchen Red Wine Chocolate cake. I have made it before without frosting. It has a lovely fudgey texture and deep chocolate flavour with a hint of acidity and cinnamon. The wine does actually come through in the final product, which I quite like. I would like to add a frosting + filling (and maybe fruit topping) this time because I think it makes for a more stunning birthday spectacle, but a bit sure what to pair with it. I don't want to overwhelm the lovely complexity of the cake and also don't want to create something sickly rich since the cake is already quite dense and full flavoured. The Smitten Kitchen recipe recommends mascarpone frosting, but I can't get mascarpone here 😔. Currently, I am considering a cream cheese frosting or a chocolate buttercream, possibly with raspberries. My roommate suggested cherries as a natural chocolate pairing. I wanted to ask the Reddit baking experts. Any thoughts on complementing a red wine chocolate cake? Assistant: I wonder if you could poach some pears in red wine and then thinly slice them to go on top of whatever frosting you use? The fruit might help make it less sickly, and poached pears are gorgeous, so any excuse... The cake sounds like something I have to try, thank you for posting about it!

Human: What frosting/filling would pair well with a red wine chocolate cake? I am planning my mom's birthday cake and would like to make the Smitten Kitchen Red Wine Chocolate cake. I have made it before without frosting. It has a lovely fudgey texture and deep chocolate flavour with a hint of acidity and cinnamon. The wine does actually come through in the final product, which I quite like. I would like to add a frosting + filling (and maybe fruit topping) this time because I think it makes for a more stunning birthday spectacle, but a bit sure what to pair with it. I don't want to overwhelm the lovely complexity of the cake and also don't want to create something sickly rich since the cake is already quite dense and full flavoured. The Smitten Kitchen recipe recommends mascarpone frosting, but I can't get mascarpone here 😔. Currently, I am considering a cream cheese frosting or a chocolate buttercream, possibly with raspberries. My roommate suggested cherries as a natural chocolate pairing. I wanted to ask the Reddit baking experts. Any thoughts on complementing a red wine chocolate cake? Assistant: I think if it were me, I'd try to make a bittersweet chocolate cream cheese frosting, and then maybe just make a cherry jam to put in the middle of the layer? Maybe decorate with chocolate covered cherries on top?

Human: How long can a half baked pizza base be stored for in a refrigerator? I work at a cafe where we currently use store bought pizza bases which to be honest are sub-par quality at best. I was thinking about making my own bases and half cooking them before storing. Is it a good idea to do so, and if yes. How long can I store my homemade bases inside a refrigerator without compromising it's quality? Also wouldn't mind if you guys can drop in your pizza dough recipes. Although I have my own, I'd love to try out other recipes. Assistant:

Human: How long can a half baked pizza base be stored for in a refrigerator? I work at a cafe where we currently use store bought pizza bases which to be honest are sub-par quality at best. I was thinking about making my own bases and half cooking them before storing. Is it a good idea to do so, and if yes. How long can I store my homemade bases inside a refrigerator without compromising it's quality? Also wouldn't mind if you guys can drop in your pizza dough recipes. Although I have my own, I'd love to try out other recipes. Assistant: I think freezing would be a better option if you have the capability

Human: How long can a half baked pizza base be stored for in a refrigerator? I work at a cafe where we currently use store bought pizza bases which to be honest are sub-par quality at best. I was thinking about making my own bases and half cooking them before storing. Is it a good idea to do so, and if yes. How long can I store my homemade bases inside a refrigerator without compromising it's quality? Also wouldn't mind if you guys can drop in your pizza dough recipes. Although I have my own, I'd love to try out other recipes. Assistant: You can par-cook and freeze them, if you have the space, and just take out what you need for a couple of days at a time.

Human: How long can a half baked pizza base be stored for in a refrigerator? I work at a cafe where we currently use store bought pizza bases which to be honest are sub-par quality at best. I was thinking about making my own bases and half cooking them before storing. Is it a good idea to do so, and if yes. How long can I store my homemade bases inside a refrigerator without compromising it's quality? Also wouldn't mind if you guys can drop in your pizza dough recipes. Although I have my own, I'd love to try out other recipes. Assistant:

Human: How long can a half baked pizza base be stored for in a refrigerator? I work at a cafe where we currently use store bought pizza bases which to be honest are sub-par quality at best. I was thinking about making my own bases and half cooking them before storing. Is it a good idea to do so, and if yes. How long can I store my homemade bases inside a refrigerator without compromising it's quality? Also wouldn't mind if you guys can drop in your pizza dough recipes. Although I have my own, I'd love to try out other recipes. Assistant: I think freezing would be a better option if you have the capability

Human: How long can a half baked pizza base be stored for in a refrigerator? I work at a cafe where we currently use store bought pizza bases which to be honest are sub-par quality at best. I was thinking about making my own bases and half cooking them before storing. Is it a good idea to do so, and if yes. How long can I store my homemade bases inside a refrigerator without compromising it's quality? Also wouldn't mind if you guys can drop in your pizza dough recipes. Although I have my own, I'd love to try out other recipes. Assistant: Probably depends on you local/country food-safety guidelines for businesses? I would ask them.

Human: How long can a half baked pizza base be stored for in a refrigerator? I work at a cafe where we currently use store bought pizza bases which to be honest are sub-par quality at best. I was thinking about making my own bases and half cooking them before storing. Is it a good idea to do so, and if yes. How long can I store my homemade bases inside a refrigerator without compromising it's quality? Also wouldn't mind if you guys can drop in your pizza dough recipes. Although I have my own, I'd love to try out other recipes. Assistant:

Human: How long can a half baked pizza base be stored for in a refrigerator? I work at a cafe where we currently use store bought pizza bases which to be honest are sub-par quality at best. I was thinking about making my own bases and half cooking them before storing. Is it a good idea to do so, and if yes. How long can I store my homemade bases inside a refrigerator without compromising it's quality? Also wouldn't mind if you guys can drop in your pizza dough recipes. Although I have my own, I'd love to try out other recipes. Assistant: You can par-cook and freeze them, if you have the space, and just take out what you need for a couple of days at a time.

Human: How long can a half baked pizza base be stored for in a refrigerator? I work at a cafe where we currently use store bought pizza bases which to be honest are sub-par quality at best. I was thinking about making my own bases and half cooking them before storing. Is it a good idea to do so, and if yes. How long can I store my homemade bases inside a refrigerator without compromising it's quality? Also wouldn't mind if you guys can drop in your pizza dough recipes. Although I have my own, I'd love to try out other recipes. Assistant: Probably depends on you local/country food-safety guidelines for businesses? I would ask them.

Human: Is white pepper really worth it? So I like pepper, I would almost go as far to say I love pepper. However, though I am always paying attention for interesting ingredients at the grocery store, I have yet to come across white pepper (live in a small town in Ontario), even at bulk barn, which usually has some interesting items. Is it worth it to search it out and find some? Is the profile really that different from black pepper? How long can I keep it good in my pantry for? If I do find it, will it stay good long enough to be able to use it (cooking for 2)? Is it a spice that orders well online? Appreciate some advice with someone with more experience. *Side note - I really love this sub. Thanks mods for what you do and thanks members (to those that read this, you're awesome! to those who dont, you're still awesome too!!) for all you do too. My friends often get the 1000 yard stare when I start geeking out about cooking (passionate hobby). Nice to be able to come here with questions or just an interest and scroll and learn and absorb. Has really helped me grow as a home cook. 👨‍🍳 Assistant:

Human: Is white pepper really worth it? So I like pepper, I would almost go as far to say I love pepper. However, though I am always paying attention for interesting ingredients at the grocery store, I have yet to come across white pepper (live in a small town in Ontario), even at bulk barn, which usually has some interesting items. Is it worth it to search it out and find some? Is the profile really that different from black pepper? How long can I keep it good in my pantry for? If I do find it, will it stay good long enough to be able to use it (cooking for 2)? Is it a spice that orders well online? Appreciate some advice with someone with more experience. *Side note - I really love this sub. Thanks mods for what you do and thanks members (to those that read this, you're awesome! to those who dont, you're still awesome too!!) for all you do too. My friends often get the 1000 yard stare when I start geeking out about cooking (passionate hobby). Nice to be able to come here with questions or just an interest and scroll and learn and absorb. Has really helped me grow as a home cook. 👨‍🍳 Assistant: If you're ever trying to cook Chinese food white pepper is an essential

Human: Is white pepper really worth it? So I like pepper, I would almost go as far to say I love pepper. However, though I am always paying attention for interesting ingredients at the grocery store, I have yet to come across white pepper (live in a small town in Ontario), even at bulk barn, which usually has some interesting items. Is it worth it to search it out and find some? Is the profile really that different from black pepper? How long can I keep it good in my pantry for? If I do find it, will it stay good long enough to be able to use it (cooking for 2)? Is it a spice that orders well online? Appreciate some advice with someone with more experience. *Side note - I really love this sub. Thanks mods for what you do and thanks members (to those that read this, you're awesome! to those who dont, you're still awesome too!!) for all you do too. My friends often get the 1000 yard stare when I start geeking out about cooking (passionate hobby). Nice to be able to come here with questions or just an interest and scroll and learn and absorb. Has really helped me grow as a home cook. 👨‍🍳 Assistant: A saying that I once heard long ago: White Pepper for flavor Black Pepper for heat Red Pepper for fire