The Cook’s Kitchen

Cookware has changed. Recently I was asked to film an infomercial about a new eco-friendly line of cookware that entered the market, a product able to safely replace traditional non-stick cookware. Sitting there with other chefs, including Todd English and Chef Gui, I started thinking about chefs and their pans.
Pan is a term of ancient origin, […]

Double-duty kitchen items are just as good as double-duty food.  The folks at Real Simple magazine have a great idea for a new way to use your cookie cutters.
“Stenciling designs on frosted or unfrosted cakes.  Place cookie cutters on top and fill with sprinkles, powdered sugar, or cocoa powder.”
A great, unique way to easily dress […]

Woman’s Day magazine recently had some wonderful tips to help you out in the kitchen.
- Even after you use a salad spinner, you may find yourself blotting the greens before serving.  Combine two steps in one by spinning a few paper towels in with the leaves, and they’ll come out ready to dress.
- If you […]

As the Organic Chef, organic beef farmer, nutritionist and organic consultant, one of the comments that I hear most often is that organics are too expensive. How can anyone afford to feed their family organically? My response is always “You’re not thinking pragmatically”.
There is a solution - the 80% solution.  There are ways to feed […]

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 […]

My four year old son has been seeing the many TV infomercials running on the cartoon channels for pancake puffs. “Dad we need to get some of those!” I hear it every time. Doing some quick research (thanks to Google) I learned that they are a traditional Danish snack. Having a […]

 
If you are allergic to shellfish or intolerant to dairy, I feel for you. One of life’s culinary treasures is seafood alfredo. A little more more high end on the comfort food scale, the dish is a splendid marriage of delicate scallops and a rich, creamy sauce.

My Souse Chef, Christian (age 2 1/2), helped me […]

And what the heck is he doing in there? Well, that’s a steam vent, more more commonly known as a “pie bird” or a “pie funnel”. It’s basically a 19th century baking tool that was invented to stop filled fruit and meat pies from bubbling over in the oven. Many of the […]

Sometimes the best trick in the kitchen is the simplest. An egg is perhaps a wonder food, fat and protein all bundled into a neat package, that’s just the right size for a balanced part of a meal or a meal in its own right. But people get really frightened of cooking them.
I’ll let you […]

Sliders, bombers, or mini man burgers, call them what you want, but a mini burger on a griddle is close to heaven on earth.  Alton Brown featured what he called “Mini Man Burgers” on his Man Food episode.   Fans of White Castle or Krystal’s are familiar with the thin, square burger.  Krystal’s has been producing their […]