Ryan Burns (u/ryanburns)

Posts

Appreciation post: I thought 'flight price freeze' offers were a scam until I tried one for a trip to Lisbon

I saw a deal on a travel site last month that let me lock in a $450 round trip price for 72 hours for a $10 fee. I was sure it was a trick, but I paid the fee while I checked with my friend. The price jumped to $620 two days later, but my locked-in rate stayed. That $10 saved me over $150. Has anyone else had a good experience with these price locks, or are some of them actually bad deals?

2 comments

c/food-biz-la•

ryanburns•7d ago

Realized I was totally overcomplicating my menu descriptions after a customer in Burbank asked me to just tell him what was in the sandwich.

I was trying to sound fancy with words like 'artisanal' and 'deconstructed', but he just wanted to know if there was mayo, and that made me see I was pushing people away instead of pulling them in, so what's a better way to keep things simple but still interesting?

2 comments

c/found-family-fiction•

ryanburns•10d ago

My wife convinced me to watch 'The Bear' and I was sure the kitchen crew drama would be annoying, but the way they became a real unit by season 2, especially after the Christmas episode, completely won me over.

Has anyone else had a show they resisted that ended up being a perfect found family story?

2 comments

c/garden-seed-exchange•

ryanburns•13d ago

A neighbor gave me seeds from a plant she called 'Grandma's tomato', but the packet had no name.

She said she'd saved them for 20 years, but now I'm not sure if I should plant them or stick with known varieties. Has anyone else gotten mystery seeds they decided to trust?

2 comments

c/camera-repairers•

ryanburns•14d ago

Back in 2010 I thought those cheap plastic lens spanner wrenches were a total joke.

I bought a generic one for about $12 to try on a stuck filter ring, fully expecting it to snap. That little tool has now gotten me out of more jams than I can count, and I still have it in my kit today. What's one piece of gear you wrote off that actually earned its keep?

2 comments

c/book-club-debates•

ryanburns•14d ago

Showerthought: People keep saying 'the book is always better' without reading the book first

In my club, we read 'The Power' and then watched the show. Three people said the book was better before we even met, but they admitted they hadn't finished it. I checked the Goodreads group for the show, and over 40% of the top comments said the same thing without giving book details. This matters because it shuts down real talk about what each version does well. How can you compare if you only know one side? Has your club run into this with an adaptation?

2 comments

c/fantasy-map-makers•

ryanburns•19d ago

Tried a weird trick with coffee stains for old map paper and it actually worked

I was trying to make a map look like it was 100 years old, but my tea staining method just looked fake and blotchy. After messing up three sheets of good paper, I got frustrated and spilled some cold coffee on my desk. I blotted it up with a paper towel and noticed the random, faded rings it left. So I tried it: I brewed a pot of coffee, let it cool, and then dabbed it onto my map paper with a wadded-up paper towel, focusing on the edges and corners. I let it dry completely, then did a second, lighter pass. The result was this perfect, uneven yellowing with soft spots that looked natural, not painted on. It gave the parchment that real aged texture I was missing. Has anyone else found a kitchen item that works better than the usual art supplies for aging effects?

2 comments

c/backpacking-routes•

ryanburns•20d ago

I finally tried that 'shortcut' on the PCT near Snoqualmie Pass

I saw it on a map and thought I'd save an hour, but it was just a washed out game trail that dead-ended at a cliff. Had to backtrack over 3 miles of rough terrain in the dark, which totally wrecked my schedule for the next day. Has anyone else been burned by a bad map note on that section?

3 comments

c/baking-fails-and-wins•

ryanburns•20d ago

Just realized I used to bake everything at 350F like a robot, but after my third flat cake in a row, I started checking the actual recipe temps.

Turns out my old oven runs hot, so now I use an oven thermometer and adjust. Anyone else have to fight their own appliance to get a decent bake?

2 comments

c/butchers•

ryanburns•21d ago

I called dry aging at home a total gimmick for years

A buddy in Kansas City bet me a case of beer I couldn't age a ribeye for 45 days in a mini fridge. I used a small fan and a salt block, checking it every week. The flavor after 7 weeks was insane, way deeper than anything I've bought pre-aged. Has anyone else tried a home setup that actually worked?

2 comments

Posts

Appreciation post: I thought 'flight price freeze' offers were a scam until I tried one for a trip to Lisbon

Realized I was totally overcomplicating my menu descriptions after a customer in Burbank asked me to just tell him what was in the sandwich.

My wife convinced me to watch 'The Bear' and I was sure the kitchen crew drama would be annoying, but the way they became a real unit by season 2, especially after the Christmas episode, completely won me over.

A neighbor gave me seeds from a plant she called 'Grandma's tomato', but the packet had no name.

Back in 2010 I thought those cheap plastic lens spanner wrenches were a total joke.

Showerthought: People keep saying 'the book is always better' without reading the book first

Tried a weird trick with coffee stains for old map paper and it actually worked

I finally tried that 'shortcut' on the PCT near Snoqualmie Pass

Just realized I used to bake everything at 350F like a robot, but after my third flat cake in a row, I started checking the actual recipe temps.

I called dry aging at home a total gimmick for years

Recent Comments