The Cook’s Kitchen

Parchment paper is something of an unsung hero, but it’s truly a culinary wonder tool. The food section of the LA Times sings its praises this week (see the full article here). When I worked in a professional kitchen, we used it all the time, but it’s only been in the last ten years […]

One of the problems with buying fresh herbs is that before you know it, they’re wilting and can’t be used anymore. Yes, there are ways to freeze them, which is good as long as you remember to do that before they expire on you. But now there may be another solution… the Herb […]

Every couple of years, I go through my kitchen cabinets and do a massive purge of my cookie pans.  Between getting beat up, bent, dinged, darkened or even rusted, I like to replace them and start anew.  All the better for a perfectly baked cookie, in my opinion. 
If you’re on the prowl for a new […]

In college, my flatware was the cheapest set I could find at The Christmas Store. I think I spent a whopping $2 or $3 on it. And when you spend $2 or $3, it shows. The cute black handles didn’t attach well to the metal part, and the knives were like cutting with a frayed […]

Celebrity cook Rachael Ray has popularized the concept of a “garbage bowl,” a bowl for you to stick on the counter while cooking to catch all your garbage and save all the endless trips to the garbage can.  So much so that she has come out with her own, you guessed it, line of garbage […]

How futuristic to be cooking with light? I recently picked up a Deni Halogen burner. The temperature range is 185 degrees up to 806 degrees through five different settings.  Isn’t that about how hot the surface of the sun is? 
The thought was originally to put this in a new BBQ concession trailer so I had […]

I make a lot of candy during the holiday season. Fudge, toffee, nut brittles, lollipops, truffles, you name it, I make it. Last year I discovered the number one tool in my kitchen for candy making, and it took me by surprise. You would think that I would mention my trusty candy thermometer, but no, […]

Cooking the turkey for the upcoming Thanksgiving Day holiday?  Then you know what a pain it can sometimes be to get the darn bird out of the roasting pan. 
Well, the folks at William Bounds, Ltd. are coming to your rescue with their new Sili Sling (love the name!).  Priced at $19.99, it just might be the […]

I love my Kitchen-Aid Mixer. It’s big and red and powerful (get your mind out of the gutter) and it makes all my baking dreams come true . . . Okay, that last one might be taking it a step too far, but seriously, I love my Kitchen-Aid. Everything from whipped cream to mashed potatoes […]

I hate nonstick skillets.  With a passion.
Either I can’t get fond to use for sauces, I can’t use some of my utensils for fear of scratching the pan, or I can’t get a spatula that can actually get under something to flip it.
Enter my new favorite flipper, the Chef’n ZipFlip.  There are different sizes and […]