Alton Brown’s 5 most important kitchen tools

February 8, 2013 by
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Serious Eats has been publishing a series of interviews with Alton Brown that are each, in their own way, quite interesting. We wrote about one of them, Will recipes become living things?, in December, and we've been meaning to highlight another one that was published last month: Alton Brown's 5 Essential Pieces of Kitchen Equipment.  We wanted to note this interview… read more

Borrow your seeds from the public library

February 6, 2013 by
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We assume since our members are avid cooks that many of you are also avid gardeners - the two often go hand-in-hand. And, at least up here in the cold environs, it's now the perfect time to plan a garden. So here's an idea that NPR recently reported about that struck us as a win-win idea. According to How To… read more

The Chowhound challenge – describe your cooking in 3 words

January 27, 2013 by
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We imagine many of our members post on Chowhound - one of the largest discussion boards on food. Recently, one of the discussions concerned a rather interesting question, "Can you describe your cooking style in three words?" That fairly simple question started a personal train of thought that eventually included how to define cooking styles, how personal cooking styles change over… read more

The anti-loneliness bowl

January 23, 2013 by
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Many new kitchen items have us scratching our heads and wondering what were they thinking? (see tipsy wine glasses among others). But we kind of see the attraction in the latest item that Gizmodo is reviewing: a smartphone dock bowl. Besides holding the smartphone in close enough proximity for you to read it  - hands free -  while eating soup or ramen… read more

Comparing 11 countertop materials

January 20, 2013 by
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The Kitchn recently ran a review comparing the top 11 materials used for kitchen countertops:  granite concrete butcher block soapstone quartz marble lava synthetic paper composite stainless steel ceramic If you're looking to replace a countertop, this is a good place to start. The article discusses each material's origin, environmental impact, pros, cons, price, and installation difficulty and publish reviews… read more

Can you eat cheese rind? Yes, but…

January 14, 2013 by
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The Food Republic recently asked a very basic question: Which Cheese Rinds Are Edible? And the answer is surprisingly simple: - as long as it isn't man-made (like wax), the rind is edible. But that does lead to a second question: Does it taste good? And that is definitely up to the taster - some will find the rind elevates the… read more

3 not-so-ordinary ways to create a comfy kitchen

January 6, 2013 by
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  Over at the Kitchn, Dana Velden has a very thoughtful post, 10 Simple Things to Make You Happier in Your Kitchen. Overall, these are relatively easy to do and, in our view, right on. Several are well-known (keep a stocked pantry, avoid clutter), but she also has some unique ideas. Here are a few that struck a definite chord… read more

10 ways to identify a good restaurant

December 27, 2012 by
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As New Year's Eve approaches, it may strike many as a good time to try out a new restaurant - bring in the new with the new. Here's an informative list we found at the Amateur Gourmet that may help: 10 Signs You're in a Good Restaurant. We've added a few of our own comments, but also check out the article for… read more

These food quotes impart wisdom in just a few words

December 24, 2012 by
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The attraction of quotes is how truly wise just a few words can be. In that spirt, here are some of our favorite food quotes from a list - compiled by Buzz Feed - of the 24 Best Quotes Ever About Food: Everything you see I owe to spaghetti - Sophia Loren The most remarkable thing about my Mother is that… read more

The best time-saving tips of 2012

December 22, 2012 by
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The Kitchn is running a series of "Best of 2012" articles, and we particularly liked this one, Homemade in a Hurry: 15 Time-Serving Tips. From coring a head of lettuce in 3 seconds, to four ways to soften butter, to quickly peeling fava beans, to freezing smoothie ingredients in muffin tins, this list truly has something to help everyone.  And we'd like… read more

Well-meaning but disastrous kitchen experiments

December 19, 2012 by
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The Guardian has an amusing story this week, When kitchen experiments go wrong. It's an equal-opportunity article, since it includes a number of stories about well-known chefs, male and female, as well as home cooks. As they write, "It's when we tend to make the most effort in feeding our loved ones, and beyond the perils of the still-frozen turkey… read more

2012’s worst cookbooks and lowest culinary events

December 14, 2012 by
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We recently found two articles that are, admittedly, out-of-tune with seasonal jollity, but still worthy of notice for committing culinary sins, including being remarkably tone-deaf, excessive, and hypocritical. May we recommend everyone on this list contemplate their New Year's resolution list carefully. First up is Esquire's Worst Food Moments of 2012. From deep-fried butter ("the worst use of butter since… read more

Led by Bobby Flay, star chefs argue for a gender-neutral Easy Bake Oven

December 12, 2012 by
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We'd be remiss if we didn't alert our readers to the latest viral controversy, since it reflects on the way many of us may have enjoyed our first cooking experiences. Apparently, an eighth-grade girl has petitioned Hasbro to offer Easy Bake Ovens in more colors than just pink, backing up her request with a widely viewed You Tube video of… read more

Preventing smoke alarms from going off without disabling them

December 11, 2012 by
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We'll confess this posting is a little personal. Having forgotten that a) the windows are now closed, and b) how much smoke a steak on a cast iron pan can generate, we spent a lot of time a few days ago running around disarming all the smoke alarms in the house. And we'll admit we haven't gotten them back up,… read more

Fixing over-softened butter

December 3, 2012 by
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Here's a quick tip from America's Test Kitchen, via the Kitchn, that should come in particularly useful during this period of intense cookie baking. When a recipe calls for softened butter, and we've forgotten to leave it at room temperature, most of us go to our microwave to do a quick fix. But it's hard to calculate exactly how much to… read more

Eliminating smelly fish odors

November 28, 2012 by
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We all know that we should eat a lot of fish - not a hardship since fish can be extremely tasty. But you rarely see a discussion regarding one issue with fish - the odor that remains after you cook it. Over at the Kitchn they've looked at the problem and come up with some solutions. Here are a few:… read more

An assortment of food-related apps

November 19, 2012 by
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In their article, Six tablet apps for making the perfect Thanksgiving dinner, TechHive has some great apps for iPads and other tablets that are applicable not only for Thanksgiving but for all holidays and even everyday cooking. As they write: "These apps will help you at every step, from picking recipes and planning a menu, to cooking multiple dishes at… read more

Three no-cost ways to protect cookbooks & tablets from splatters

November 6, 2012 by
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We're heading into some intensive cooking weeks, so an item from America's Test Kitchen with ideas on how to prevent cookbooks and recipe cards from getting splattered struck us as particularly useful.  And they use no-cost items you probably already own - clear pot lids, ziplock bags, and clear protector sheets. You can see them demonstrated here.  And while these ideas don't… read more

Are apple cider, apple juice, & hard apple cider interchangeable?

November 5, 2012 by
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In colonial times, in both the United States and Canada, if you asked for a glass of cider - far more popular and safer than water - you'd get a beverage with somewhere around the alcoholic content of beer (2% to 8% ABV).  But alcoholic cider, now called "hard cider," gradually lost its popularity, finally killed off - at least… read more

What to substitute for fresh lemon juice

November 2, 2012 by
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The Kitchn has an excellent blog item today, Help! Is There a Good Substitute for Fresh Lemon Juice. We're pretty sure our savvy members realize that fresh lemon juice is always the best choice but, let's face it, we've all run out of lemons or couldn't find them at one time or another. So this blog, which not only includes the… read more

Making groceries last longer

October 30, 2012 by
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First, we want to send all our members who were affected by Hurricane Sandy our very best wishes; we hope you're safe and recovery will be swift.  And since survival is on our mind, we thought it appropriate to share this article from BuzzFeed Food, 27 Ways to Make Your Groceries Last as Long as Possible.  The article is full… read more

The proper way to eat a cupcake

October 28, 2012 by
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Cupcakes have been an intensely popular food item for several years now, so it is not surprising that one of the key questions tormenting the food world has been how to avoid that dreaded modern problem - the frosted nose. It used to be that frosting was spread thinly over cupcakes, but the modern cupcake comes with a high swirl… read more

Quick tip: Turn white sugar into brown sugar

October 25, 2012 by
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Recipes calling for brown sugar are surprisingly ubiquitous. Cookie season is fast approaching in the Northern hemisphere (of course, for many of us, it's always here),  and so many great cookie recipes seem to call for brown sugar. Or, for our readers Down Under who are now beginning to feast on fresh fruits, what's a better topping than brown sugar?… read more

For maximum flavor, stop seeding tomatoes

October 17, 2012 by
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NPR's The Salt recently interviewed Chris Kimball from Cook's Illustrated and America's Test Kitchen. CI has just published a new book, The Science of Good Cooking, where they instruct you how to "Master 50 Simple Concepts to Enjoy a Lifetime of Success in the Kitchen." (Thanks to the Kitchn for pointing us to this interview.) In the interview, Kimball reveals… read more

Quick tip: Easily peel garlic – no sticky skin!

October 14, 2012 by
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Tired of having thin garlic skin stick to your fingers when you're peeling garlic? It's easy to prevent - in fact, there are two methods: (i) just put the garlic cloves in the microwave for a few seconds or (ii) blanch them in boiling water. And once you have all that lovely garlic peeled, try one of our favorite recipes:… read more
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