The Cook’s Kitchen

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 […]

My five-year-old son loves to help me in the kitchen.  As soon as he sees me heading that way, he grabs the stepstool and drags it to the counter and starts putting on his Home Depot apron.  Unfortunately, lately, most of our dinner recipes have started with “chop an onion,” and he instantly starts rubbing […]

Like most sports fans, I try to make something special to enjoy during the big game. Maybe it’s the proximity in date to Mardi Gras, but Cajun has been a favorite most years. We’ve done a lot of jambalaya over the years, but never a gumbo. A great gumbo starts with a great roux.

The roux […]

Odds are, you’ve probably heard of Colin Cowie, the fabulous designer to the stars.  Counting Oprah, Jerry Seinfeld, Demi Moore and Jennifer Lopez among his client roster, it’s safe to say that the man knows his stuff.  He recently released his latest book, Colin Cowie Chic: The Guide to Life as It Should Be, so for […]

I love salt and sweet together, and caramel is one of my favorite things in the world, so I wanted to mix the two worlds, and I made some fleur de sel caramels.

I got a basic recipe from Gourmet and then changed it a bit. The original recipe called for white sugar and unsalted butter; […]

A couple of weeks ago I was kickin’ around on my buddies farm and we flushed a bunch of hens.  Immediately after a couple of pictures, we started talking turkey. Thanksgiving turkey that is.  More specifically, turkey techniques, which leads me to today’s article.  Hopefully one or two of these tips will be of help.  If […]

It can be intimidating to serve a whole chicken or, worse, a turkey!  It’s really not all that bad; with a few simple steps, anyone can do it.  I will say, though, that a sharp knife is a must for doing a good job.

The first step is to pull the leg and thigh down a […]

I’m a technique man.  Always have been, always will be.  Once or twice a week I use a simple technique in the kitchen that is about the oldest around. It involves water, salt and time.  Maybe you remember a little thing called osmosis from science class. In a nutshell osmosis is the movement of water molecules from an area of […]