Last Call: Yo, I Made Pho In My Instant Pot In 20 Minutes

Oh hey, add pho to my list of Things I Actually Cook In My Instant Pot. Specifically, I used this Epicurious recipe, subbing homemade beef stock for the water the recipe calls for (other commenters said stock was a necessary upgrade; I'm inclined to agree). I did use all the whole spices as recommended and the results were way tastier than I'd expected—not the best bowl I've ever had, but damn good on a cold night. I was also fairly pleased with my beer pairing: the bright lime zest and peppercorn notes in Goose Island's Sofie farmhouse ale brightened up the soup well. [Kate Bernot]

We beg your indulgence: The Takeout turns one this week. We'll have more to say on Thursday, our actual birth date, but for now allow me to thank you—dear Takeout readers and commenteriat—for reading, for chiming in, for giving us grief and praise (more one than the other). Over at Medium this morning, I published an 8,000-word missive that explains how the editorial sausage gets made. It explains why we do what we do, and perhaps of interest to you, why we cherish our relationship with readers and commenters. Again, thank you for spending some part of your day with The Takeout. [Kevin Pang]