The Cook’s Kitchen

I have experimented with more olive oils over the years than you can shake an olive branch at: refined olive oils, virgin olive oils, extra virgin olive oils, first cold pressed olive oils, infused olive oils… you name it, most of it has found its way into my pantry at one time or another.
And while […]

When the Margaritaville Fiji Frozen Concoction Machine arrived it was a very easy setup. The instructions were straightforward and in no time the step-by-step set up had the machine ready to produce some delicious frozen beverages. The craftsmanship and quality were apparent at the onset, and the weight of the machine gave a […]

An issue of Country Home magazine was packed with great ideas on “going green” recently. Whether it’s decorating your home, filling your kitchen or working in your garden, they have tons of inspiration on how to use recycled products, be mindful of the environment and how to go green.
Included is Country Home’s Green Clean Shopping […]

I constantly burn my fingers, hands and forearms when taking things out of the oven - and that’s when I’m using oven mitts! I gave up on the fabric ones because invariably the heat goes right through them and burns me. I switched to those larger silicone gloves and find they definitely do […]

The folks at Woman’s Day magazine had a few kitchen savvy tips in the most recent issue that I thought were worthy of passing on. The mushroom tip was definitely new to me.

Store mushrooms in a brown paper bag in the refrigerator because it keeps them fresh longer.
Put the back of a wooden spoon […]

When I saw cute kitchen products in an issue of O at Home magazine, I was on it like white on rice.  I mean, really, why not make cooking and your kitchen just a little more fun, right?
These little fellas are ergonomically designed, and a breeze to clean.  From Boston Warehouse, the Animalhouse kitchen products […]

Just because a recipe is complex does not make it good. It only makes it complex.
Whenever I am asked to teach a culinary class, I feel honored that someone, anyone, would let me talk to them a great length about what I love to do. I go on about freshness, food miles, organic and, of […]

Washing fruits and vegetables when you get home from the market is definitely a good idea, as it helps get rid of pesticide residue that may linger.  But there’s no need to spend your money on those fruit and veggie washes that are peppering the market these days.
Consumer Reports suggests using your own homemade version instead.  “Mix […]

Real Deal or Organic Opportunist?  Watch What You Buy On The Road!
With all the talk about local foods, slow food movement, carbon footprint, what do you believe?  Here is the real deal when it comes to learning the lingo.
And What’s a Carbon Footprint Doing on My Food?
Local food (also regional food or food patriotism) is […]

Mark Bittman is perhaps best known for his very popular How to Cook Everything book and his column in the New York Times.  In a recent piece in Woman’s Day magazine, he shared what he felt every cook should know:
- If you can control heat, you can cook.  It doesn’t matter if a stove’s electric […]