The Cook’s Kitchen

When I sit down at the computer there is so much information available at my fingertips I sometimes take it for granted. From time to time I plan on reviewing some other foodie sites that I think merit recognition. The intent of this ongoing series of articles is not to redirect the reader from any of The Well Fed Network sites, but rather to highlight a few others that are also useful to visit.

We’ll start off this week with a review of a reference site that I use often, called The Cook’s Thesaurus. I gave this site an A+ rating and here’s why…. I can find very nice descriptions of numerous foodstuffs, many with photographs, in no time at all. Site features include seventeen categories to browse and a search feature that is very user friendly. Specific entries in each category discuss uses, alternate names and substitutions for most items. Let’s say I want to know the difference between a rib steak and a rib-eye steak or whether a capon is more tender than a free range chicken. I head to The Cook’s Thesaurus. Heck, just last week I was looking at a Mexican cookbook ready to try a recipe for the first time, but it called for queso fresco cheese. The Cook’s Thesaurus came to the rescue by not only explaining the uses of queso fresco, but recommending nine different substitutions!

A quick look at just one entry will give you an idea of what to expect when you visit this cool site. Below is a sample of the introduction on the olive page. There are about thirty more entries from Agrinion olives to Victoria olives.

Olives

“A staple of Mediterranean cuisines, olives are most often eaten out of hand, though cooks also use them to flavor everything from pizzas to martinis. Raw olives must be cured before they can be eaten, and the curing medium–usually lye, brine, or salt–affects their flavor and texture. So too does the olive’s degree of ripeness when it’s picked. Green olives are picked while unripe, which makes them denser and more bitter than brown or black olives, which stay on the tree until fully ripened. Olives become bitter if they’re cooked too long, so always add them to hot dishes at the last minute. Opened cans or jars of olives should be refrigerated, but some olives can be stored at room temperature if they’re submerged in brine or olive oil.”

Read more at: http://www.foodsubs.com