The Cook’s Kitchen

In kitchens all over, turkeys are going into the oven, and disasters are happening right before our eyes.  Have a question about turkeys?  Baking problems?  Wine pairing issues?  Here’s a few telephone numbers to help you out this week:
Holiday Hotlines:
For all your turkey questions, Butterball: 1-800-BUTTERBALL
For all your baking questions, Land O’Lakes: 1-800-782-9606
For wine pairing […]

Until recently, I always thought of Cascade and Electrasol dishwasher detergent as fairly interchangeable. To be quite honest, I didn’t really spend that much time thinking about it. I mean, they’re both “big names,” how different could dishwasher detergent be, right? When it was on my list, I’d buy whichever had the best sale price […]

It always seems that no matter how many serving spoons and forks I have, I either never have enough, or don’t have the exact type I’m looking for at that particular moment.  All U Can Handle is coming to my rescue with these very colorful hand-painted ceramic servers starting at the bargain price of 6 […]

As long as it’s cold and the light comes on when you open the door, if you’re like most people, you probably don’t give your refrigerator a second thought.  You might want to reconsider.  A research team from Tennessee State University and Kansas State University recently surveyed 200 home refrigerators, measuring the temperature in different sections […]

We entertain frequently, so I’m always on the look-out for unique and unusual things I can use when setting the table.  In a recent issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray (the magazine brought to us by Food Network cook Rachael Ray), they highlighted these Olive Candles as one of Rachael’s “faves.”  They run $7 […]

One of my pet peeves with grinders is the mess they leave behind on the counter, the shelf, the table, wherever they happen to be sitting.  Grinder dust, just one more thing to clean up.  Well, luckily people are listening to us, and there are now two different grinders available that promise to leave the […]

In the market for a few fun kitchen accessories? You might want to check out the goods offered by the S.P.I.R.A.L. Foundation. All made from recycled telephone wire, the money from the sales of the bowls goes to Vietnam’s Office of Genetic Counseling and Disabled Children, a group that funds heart surgeries in […]

Although I have yet to buy an ice cream maker, when I saw this one at LL Bean, I gotta say, I was sorely tempted.  A very different design and method than the normal ice cream makers on the market, the coolest part is it only takes 20 minutes to have a pint of your […]

Some people already think washing dishes by hand is fun, and no, I don’t know what’s wrong with them.  But for the rest of us, maybe a cool pair of funky rubber gloves can make the chore a little more bearable?  These gloves were even featured on ABC’s hit show Desperate Housewives, and if it’s […]

Me and sharp knives just don’t mix, and I have 10 stitches in my left hand to prove it.  But if I was on the prowl for a great set of steak knives, I’d turn a keen eye to this set from Alain Saint-Joanis. 
Dishwasher-safe, and made from stainless steel and resin, it comes from a […]