Kitchen items don’t always make the greatest gifts. They can be seen as too practical and unromantic to be gift material. So before you buy a loved one a kitchen-themed gift, make sure it will be appreciated. Having said that, there are a ton of really wonderful kitchen items that can make fabulous gifts. If you’re going […]
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If you’re thinking about buying a pod coffee maker for yourself or as a gift for someone, please read this first. There are better ways to go–no matter what your priorities are! Coffee pods have taken over the market. According to this article, coffee pods accounted for 35% of coffee sales in 2017. This translates to […]
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Do you bake? Have you ever been frustrated because you weren’t sure when your baked goods were done? Baked goods are tough. When you’re solely reliant on visual cues, it’s so easy to get it wrong. How frustrating to have all your efforts be ruined by going 5 minutes too long in the oven? There’s a better […]
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It’s true: we Americans waste a lot of food. More than a third of what we buy, according to ReFed, a nonprofit group committed to reducing food waste in the U.S. This amounts to 63,000,000 tons of food and $218 billion dollars per year. This is wastefulness on a colossal scale. And it’s terrible for […]
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The following sous vide time and temperature tables are adapted from the Modernist Cuisine Kitchen Manual. Here are a few general tips on cooking proteins sous vide:Add seasonings as desired and small amount of fat (butter, olive oil) to bags before cooking.Use small amounts of salt (if any) for long cooks (more than 12 hrs).Bolded times […]
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Welcome to the complex and confusing world of food freshness labeling. If you think the “expiration” dates on food are there to protect you, think again. They are there for entirely different reasons. Contents Why Is Food Waste a Problem?What Do Food Labels Mean?The 3 Main Causes of Foodborne IllnessHow Do You Know When to […]
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Sous vide has taken the culinary world by storm in the past couple of years. It’s easy, convenient, and perfect for so many cooking tasks. And, it makes your life easier at the same time. But is it safe? Table of Contents First of All, What Is Sous Vide?Concern #1: Low Temperature CookingWhat Is The […]
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You may think you know how to make a grocery list, but we’ve got news for you: there’s could be room for improvement.Do you throw out food regularly? Do you have too many leftovers in your fridge that you’re sick of eating? Do you have too much fresh food but lack the pantry staples–like grains, […]
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If you hate to waste food and find it happening more often than you like, you’re not alone. Here’s a way to save food that may not make sense at first glance: you have to stock up. No, not on everything, but on pantry basics. Because if you have the basics on hand, you can always use […]
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You may think sous vide cooking is just the latest food fad, but did you know that it could also help you save money, waste less food, and make mealtimes quick and easy? If you have a sous vide circulator or water oven, a vacuum sealer, and some freezer space, you can start saving time and […]
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Got a new sous vide cooker–circulator or water bath? Here are a few things to try–some basic, some you may not have thought of. This is by no means a complete list. But sous vide does all of these things particularly well.1. ProteinsProteins–meat–are usually the first thing associated with sous vide cooking. And for good […]
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Modernist Cuisine, a 5-volume set plus recipe book. When Modernist Cuisine came out in 2011, Michael Ruhlman wrote a mixed review of it for the New York Times. He was daunted by the task, and for good reason. The 5-volume set had more than 2,000 pages and as much science in it as it had recipes. On […]
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What Is Melting Chocolate?Mmmm….melted chocolate. Are you familiar with melting wafers? It’s the type of chocolate that’s used for candy making, the kind that you dip truffles and other candies into when melted, but which will have a soft, satiny sheen after it’s hardened. You might also hear it called dipping chocolate or candy-making chocolate. […]
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Table of Contents A Few TipsAnd the Categories Are…Drop CookiesHand-rolled CookiesBarsShortbreadQuick BreadsCandySignature Seasoning BlendsInfused SugarsFlavored PopcornsHot Cocoa MixBoozesThese Should Get You Started! Every year, when you get that great bottle of homemade liqueur, fragrant bar soap, or that plate of exquisitely decorated cookies, you think, “I’m gonna do this next year!” And every year, by […]
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The salmon farming industry is a $10 billion-plus dollar industry, and about 70% of the salmon on the U.S. market is farm-raised. You may love salmon, and want to eat more of it, but you’ve heard a lot of bad things about farm-raised salmon and don’t want to pay for wild-caught salmon. Also, you may […]
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