The Cook’s Kitchen

Now that it’s picnic and cookout season for most people (particularly those folks that don’t believe you can cook outside in the winter) here’s a link to more food safety information than you can possibly read while your egg salad sits in the sun. Is that safe? Check the website and find out….
Food Safety 101

Usually material items can be put into two categories: needs vs. wants.  Although I try to just buy things I need, every so often, I succumb and a “want” finds its way back to our house too.  Hey, I’m only human.
So far I’ve managed to restrain myself against these new Silicone Zone ice cube trays, […]

Knives and me are just not a good mix.  Many a cut featured here and there on my hands, the worst was a Superbowl Party some 10 years ago.  I was making an Avocado, Bacon and Tomato Salad (which is delicious, by the way), and was trying to get out a very uncooperative avocado pit […]

Here’s another step forward in the way appliances and tools in the kitchen are becoming more design and art savvy and stepping away from the practical ‘it looks like what it does’ type of appearance. The toaster below won first prize in a design competition. Who knows when or if we’ll see it available for […]

With the barbecue and grilling season heating up here in Brooklyn, I recently stumbled across The Solar-Grill today. It’s an interesting concept, using the sun’s energy to cook your food. But in no way can you create BBQ or even grill on this piece of equipment. Basically you put your food into a metal tube […]

Here’s a nice piece from Ivillage about how to outfit your kitchen. If you are at a loss for what you need, this might be for you.
by Wen Zientek
• One 8-inch chef’s knife–for chopping.
• One 10-inch slicing knife–for slicing meat and poultry.
• Two 3/4-inch paring knives–(one for you and one to share).
• One serrated bread […]

… and that’s why at $13 for 250 ml, you might just want to pick up some.  It is packed with beta-carotene and Vitamin E and is high in monounsaturated fat (one of the “good” fats).  Also, if you do a lot of high-heat cooking, it has a high smoke point, which is very advantageous. 
But […]

Here is the second in a series of Eyeball Benders, a photographic quiz of sorts. Volume I was published in January.  Below are 14 pictures of common items, things or products. Most are found in the kitchen or are at least related to cooking.  All of the photographs have been cropped to some degree to disguise their identity. […]

The One-Click Butter Cutter boasts of 10 great features.  The side of the package lists these items as reasons to purchase this product:

Holds and slices butter with a squeeze and is safe for children to use
Slices can be cut and dispensed with one or two hands
Easy to control portions
Takes up less shelf space in the […]

I just saw there were a couple of posts about making pizza recently, so this post is quite timely. I had always made pizza using a jelly-roll pan or baking sheet. For Christmas, my dear friend bought me a pizza stone and peel. Wow!! I will never ever go back…
The stone goes into the oven […]