Food Evaluation

Baking 911

2011-12-23T05:36:00.000-08:00

Tackle baking emergencies—from cookie catastrophes to cake calamities—straight on.

How to Reheat Pizza in the Microwave

2011-10-28T05:03:00.000-07:00

Keep Microwave-Reheated Pizza Crispy with a Sheet of Parchment Paper

Reheating pizza in the microwave often results in soft and soggy slices that can't begin to compare to the fresh pie you had before you stuck the thing in the fridge. According to home life blog the Simply Day, you can easily solve this problem with parchment paper.

Just like in the toaster, parchment paper adds a little extra mess-free crispiness in the microwave. Either place your pizza on a sheet or wrap it around the slice(s). You can heat the pizza as normal, but when you take it will be much closer to a fresh and crispy piece in a fraction of the time it would take to heat back up in a standard oven. DIY Life suggests this same trick works well in toaster ovens, too.

Source...

Every Secret Ingredient from Iron Chef America

2011-05-01T03:17:00.000-07:00

This is brilliant! Whoever put it together is a genius.

How To Tell When Bread Was Baked

2011-04-11T04:25:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered when that loaf of bread sitting on the grocery shelf was baked? Here's how you can tell.

The Color Code of Freshness

I often wondered why they used different colors on those tags and ties. When I was a kid, I had hundreds of bread clips on the spokes of my bicycle tires, but I just figured the colors were for variety.

As it turns out, they indicate when the loaf was baked. The standard is as follows:
Blue: Monday
Green: Tuesday
Red: Thursday
White: Friday
Yellow: Saturday

Paula Deen's English Peas Recipe

2011-01-09T12:23:00.000-08:00

This gets classified as another "Are you serious?"

Prep Time:: 5 min
Inactive Prep Time:: --
Cook Time:: 5 min

Level:: Easy

Serves:: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
2 cans (14 1/2-ounces) English peas, drained

Directions

Melt the butter in small pot and add the peas. Cook over medium heat until peas are warm.

Source...

How to Make a Mach 5 Speed Racer Cake

2010-12-05T04:50:00.000-08:00

The cake is alternating layers of classic yellow cake and butter pecan cake, with cream cheese icing with chopped walnuts in it in between the layers. It's covered in marshmallow fondant and then hand painted with food colorings. The tires are made from rice cereal marshmallow treats and covered in the fondant and painted.

Read more and instructions...

Rachael Ray's Late Night Bacon Recipe

2010-11-17T17:33:00.000-08:00

Are you serious? I fell out of my chair laughing while reading the responses to this recipe.

Prep Time:: 1 min
Inactive Prep Time:: --
Cook Time:: 5 min

Level:: Easy

Serves:: 4 servings

Ingredients

8 slices bacon

Directions

Place 2 sheets of paper towel on a microwave safe plate, lay the bacon out on the paper towel not overlapping the slices. Place 2 more sheets of paper towel on top. Place in the microwave on high for 4 to 6 minutes.

Source...

Bacon-Flavored Soda

2010-11-10T03:54:00.000-08:00

It may be disgusting at first, but one company claims there's a market for bacon-flavored soda.

Jones Soda has now created a bacon-flavored carbonated product.

The company said bacon is a popular flavor and it is their duty to carbonate bacon's salty goodness.

Jones Soda is well-known for its unusual flavors such as turkey and gravy, salmon pate, and mashed potato and butter.

Source...

Chefs Speak Out on Looming "Salt Crimes"

2010-10-20T03:28:00.000-07:00

Chefs are increasingly worried about government intervention. "It's my career," said Michael Ferraro, Executive Chef of The Delicatessen. Jason Hall, Chef de Cuisine of Gotham Bar and Grill, recognizes the threat to culinary freedom advocates of the Bland New World pose. "I don't know how they would police it," said Hall. "Are they going to come in with salt probes?"

Myron Mixon On The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson

2010-01-31T04:06:00.001-08:00

Myron Mixon, of the TLC show BBQ Pitmasters, did a cooking demonstration with Craig Ferguson.

Enjoy!

Cross posted at Evaluation

Veggiegate

2010-01-14T02:21:00.000-08:00

The Iron Chef special from the White House used "stunt double vegetables" instead of vegetables grow in the White House garden. I knew it was fake. Fresh from the White House garden... in the middle of Winter?

The produce used on the Food Network's Jan. 3 Iron Chef of America two-hour special White House show was billed as being from the White House garden. But the show did not disclose that "stunt double vegetables" were used and not produce from the First Family's garden.

The much ballyhooed show featured a cameo by First Lady Michelle Obama who invited the chefs to pick what they needed from the White House garden in the opening scenes. Mrs. Obama agreed to appear --and give the show access to the garden -- because the episode promoted her healthy eating themes and the garden, her signature first-year project. Iron Chef also reaches an audience that would be interested in Mrs. Obama's local food, anti-obesity and exercise agenda.

The cook-off featured White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford and star chefs Bobby Flay, Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse. At the top of the show the chefs were greeted by Mrs. Obama who invites them to harvest what they needed from the White House garden in order to complete their challenge of preparing five "ultimate American" dishes using fresh and local ingredients. Comerford, teamed with Flay won the competition. Click play below to watch a segment from the start of the show (Michelle Obama's entrance at 1:30).

Comerford wrote about the experience over at the whitehouse.gov blog.

"Because this competition was about fresh fruits and vegetables, but also about the American experience, Chef Flay and I decided to cook to our strengths and to our heritages. To highlight the diversity of culinary traditions and flavors that define our country, Chef Flay cooked with his southwestern flair, I brought in recipes from my native Philippines, and we blended it all with unique takes on classic American recipes."

The White House segment was taped in late October. The cook-off actually took place the following week, in what Iron Chef calls its "Kitchen Stadium" in New York City.

So clearly the stuff that was picked that October day at the White House never had a chance of making it on the show because the produce would not be fresh. The use of the "stunt vegetables" was revealed in a November New York Times Marian Burros article and in Obamafoodorama.com, Eddie Gehman Kohan's web site-of-record on anything having to do with food and food policy coming out of the Obama White House. But no one knew until the show if the "stunt double" vegetables would be disclosed.

Viewers were not explicitly told that the vegetables in "Kitchen Stadium" were not the ones they had seen the chefs harvest. Various participants in the show misled viewers with references to "using radishes from the White House garden" and other similar mentions. Except for the honey, no food on the show came from the White House.

Mrs. Obama's East Wing told me the vegetables picked at the White House garden that day in October were donated to a local food kitchen, so nothing went to waste. The week between the harvest the cook-off was due to "scheduling/technical" reasons.
Lisa Krueger, the public relations director for the Food Network, sent an e-mail to me after I raised questions about why viewers were misled.

"As we have told reporters who have covered this story from the beginning, due to the production delay between the shoot at the White House and the shoot at Food Network, the produce used in Kitchen Stadium during the "Super Chef Battle" was not actually from the White House garden." The actual vegetables used, Krueger said, were "locally sourced, and the chefs were only allowed to use the types of produce that they had harvested from the garden themselves."

Obamafoodarama reported that the ratings for the White House Iron Chef of America special "set new viewer records for Food Network. ....With about 4.6 million viewers, it was the highest rated and most-watched show in Food Network's history."

Source...

Cross posted at Evaluation

How to Carve a Turkey

2009-11-26T03:38:00.000-08:00

Alton Brown teaches the easiest way to carve, or deconstruct, your turkey.

Happy Thanksgiving!

How to Peel A Potato with Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island

2009-11-14T04:09:00.000-08:00

Dawn Wells, aka Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island, demonstrates a unique way to peel an Idaho potato... without the use of a potato peeler!

Enjoy!

Weber's Grill Masters Series

2009-08-20T05:03:00.000-07:00

Sit in on a one-on-one conversation between top Grill Masters Jamie Purviance and Steven Raichlen as they compare notes on grilling techniques, what inspired these classically trained chefs to pursue the art of cooking with live fire, and what led to their biggest grilling mistakes. You might just pick up a few simple secrets to make you the Master of your own grill.

Weber Grill Master Series (1 of 3): Inspiration

Weber Grill Master Series (2 of 3): Cooking with Live Fire

Weber Grill Master Series (3 of 3): Grilling Mistakes

Jamie Purviance (pronounced Purr-VIE-ance) graduated from Stanford University and the Culinary Institute of America (with high honors) before launching his career as a food writer for major publications such as Bon Appétit, Better Homes & Gardens, Cooking Light, Fine Cooking, Town & Country, and the Los Angeles Times. He is the author of several best-selling cookbooks, including Weber’s Real Grilling™ (which has sold almost one million copies to date), Weber’s Charcoal Grilling™, and his newest, New York Times best-seller book, Weber’s Way to Grill™.

Purviance has appeared on several national television shows including Today, The Early Show, Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, and the Oprah Winfrey Show—as well as on PBS, CNN, the History Channel, and the Food Network. As a regular contributor to national newspapers and magazines—and a popular teacher at cooking schools across the country—Purviance has helped millions of people to grill like professionals. Purviance is also certified by the Kansas City Barbecue Society and serves as a judge for the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest in addition to other major competitions.

Purviance lives in the San Francisco Bay area with his wife and three children. He cooks almost every day on at least one of his six grills.

Steven Raichlen is a journalist, TV host, and multi-award-winning author—but he may be best known as the man who reinvented barbecue. Raichlen wrote the best-selling Barbecue Bible cookbook series (with more than 4 million copies in print). Raichlen has appeared on virtually every major national TV show, from Today, Good Morning America, and CNN to the Oprah Winfrey Show, The View, and Live with Regis and Kelly. In 2000, in partnership with Weber Grills, he created Barbecue University, a unique cooking school held at the luxurious Broadmoor resort in Colorado Springs, which was hailed by the Food Network as the “#1 Barbecue Experience in the U.S.” Raichlen also battled—and defeated—Iron Chef Roksbura Michiba in a “Battle of the Barbecue Gods” on Japanese television.

In 1975, Raichlen received a Watson Foundation Fellowship to study medieval cooking in Europe, as well as a Fulbright to study comparative literature. He holds a degree in French literature from Reed College and trained at the Cordon Bleu and La Varenne cooking schools in Paris. Raichlen lives with his wife, Barbara, in Miami, Florida.

The United Steaks of America

2009-08-08T03:15:00.000-07:00

This photo “United States of America”, by Dominic Episcopo, is in “Art of the State” at the The Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg.

God's Pharmacy

2009-08-06T01:36:00.001-07:00

This is pretty amazing!

It's been said that God first separated the salt water from the fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, made animals and fish... All before making a human. He made and provided what we'd need before we were born. These are best & more powerful when eaten raw.. We're such slow learners...

God left us a great clue as to what foods help what part of our body!

God's Pharmacy! Amazing!

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... And YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the res earch shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents c ervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

New Jersey Woman Bakes Cakes to Avoid Foreclosure

2009-07-26T04:03:00.001-07:00

Now this is a shining example of the American Spirit. An incredible lady in New Jersey has come up with this amazing idea of baking Mortgage Apple Cakes to sell in order to make her mortgage payments.

In a time of crisis, Angela Logan turned to her kitchen.

Faced with a July 26 payment of $2,559.54 to her mortgage lender, Logan decided to sell 100 homemade "mortgage apple cakes" to friends and family for $40 each to help avoid foreclosure.

They must be pretty darn good: What started last week as 42 orders for the double-layered cakes (covered in butter, cream cheese and vanilla frosting) has turned into something much bigger. As of Tuesday, she had more than 500 orders, including an order from Iraq and one from Hong Kong.

Logan, a divorced mother of three sons, has owned her home in Teaneck, N.J., for 20 years. She started to have financial difficulties after a contractor cost her $50,000 in damages. She applied to the "Making Home Affordable" program after receiving a foreclosure notice in January. Logan has to make three payments of about $2,500 by Oct. 1 in order to keep her home.

Soon Logan's problem was how she could possibly bake hundreds of cakes in her small kitchen. Teaneck's health officer notified Logan that it was against state law to use her house as a commercial kitchen, The Associated Press reported. So the Hilton Hasbrouck Heights is letting her use the hotel's kitchen, where she can produce up to 10 cakes at a time.

"It's been like a dream," Logan told the Bergen Record. "I am speechless. I won't call it overwhelming, because when you get a blessing, you just don't complain. I'll take overwhelming over fear and anguish any day of the week."

Want one? They're available here: http://www.maccakes.com/

Source...

Hat tip Rita

How to Open a Banana Like a Monkey

2009-07-18T04:10:00.001-07:00

There is a good chance that you've been opening bananas the wrong way all your whole life. Watch the video below to see a demonstration of how some of your ancestors open bananas.

I'm posting this video in the hopes that it will help other people discover the joys of peeling a banana. I had never known about this method until recently.

Chicken Fried Bacon

2009-06-07T04:36:00.001-07:00

Healthy it ain't! Chicken Fried Bacon is the newest fad in fatty foods, courtesy of Frank Sodolak at Sodolak's Original Country Inn in Snook, TX. Texas Country Reporter Bob Phillips stops by for a taste.

Genius!

The Heart Attack Grill - A Meal To Die For

2009-06-06T04:32:00.000-07:00

The Heart Attack Grill is a fast food hamburger restaurant in Arizona, USA. It has courted controversy by serving unashamedly high-calorie menu items with controversial names. The establishment is a hospital theme restaurant: waitresses ("nurses") take orders ("prescriptions") from the customers ("patients"). A tag is put on the patient's wrist showing which foods they ordered and a "doctor" examines the "patients" with a stethoscope.

The menu includes "Single", "Double", "Triple", and "Quadruple Bypass" hamburgers, ranging from 0.5 to 2 lb (0.23 to 0.91 kg) of beef (up to about 8000 calories), "Flatliner Fries" (cooked in pure lard), unfiltered cigarettes, beer and liquor, and soft drinks such as Jolt cola and Mexican Coke made with real sugar. Customers over 350 lb (160 kg) in weight eat for free if they weigh in with a doctor or nurse before each burger. Beverages and to-go orders are excluded and sharing food is also not allowed for the free food deal

Bill Geist visits the Heart Attack Grill in Chandler, Ariz., where you can almost feel your arteries clogging.

How to Grill a Perfect Sirloin Steak

2009-05-23T07:42:00.001-07:00

It's easy to grill a perfect sirloin steak on a gas grill every time. Elias Iglesias, the executive chef of Morton's The Steakhouse shares his secret for grilling steaks.

"You don't need to spend a lot of money, whether you buy choice or prime. What you want to look for is steaks that are nice and red, have abundant marbling because that gives you that flavor, that tenderness. You want steaks that are at least an inch to inch and a half in thickness, because that way they can cook nice and even and they won't overcook and turn to a burnt piece of cardboard on the grill," he says.

One important tip is to cook the steak when it is at room temperature, and not straight out of the fridge. "Take the steaks you're going to grill out at least two hours before you're going to grill them. What happens is you get that steak nice, and it is not as cold, in other words. When you grill it, it will cook up nice and evenly. If the steak is cold, what happens is the outside gets charred and the inside is still red," he says.

When seasoning a steak, Iglesias keeps it simple – he only uses salt and pepper.

How often should you flip a steak? Only once, Iglesias says. "When you're cooking, we have the grill up. When you cook, you really want to keep the grill down. That way you don't lose the heat. And also, the meat isn't as tough if you keep the grill down. And pretty much it depends how you like it how long it is going to take," he says.

Before serving the steak, which Iglesias likes to pair with a red wine such as a Cabernet or Merlot, he says let the meat rest for about five minutes, so the juices don't all run out at once as soon as you cut into it.

Finally, if you are not in the mood for a giant steak but something smaller, Iglesias says choose a filet mignon. "Smaller cut, very tender, flavorful. It's always a nice choice if you want something smaller, smaller cut."

Source...

How to Grill the Perfect Burger

2009-05-23T07:09:00.001-07:00

Steven Raichlen, author of The Barbecue Bible and host of Primal Grill on the Public Television Service doesn't mess around when it comes to his favorite summer pastime: grilling. To begin working on the perfect burger, Steve recommends starting with a half-and-half mixture of ground chuck and ground sirloin: "the former for flavor, the latter for style." Look for a fat content of 10 to 15 percent. "The fat is where the flavor resides in any meat," says Raichlen. "The more fat you have, the more luscious and rich it will feel in your mouth. But you don't want to take it too far, because you don't want to bite into a mouthful of grease. Fifteen percent is the best of both words." If you want a lower fat content without sacrificing flavor, try an animal with leaner meat, such as bison. But the meat is just the beginning. Here, Raichlen shares with us his tips for grilling a perfect burger.

1. Keep the meat cold (it helps to wet your hands with cold water), and handle it as little as possible when shaping patties. Over-handling "bruises" the meat, and compressing the meat too much will lead to dense, dry burgers. Make the burgers a few hours ahead of time and chill them on a plate covered with plastic wrap. This firms up the burger and helps it hold together during grilling. Leave them in the refrigerator until the last minute, or place them on a sheet pan over another sheet pan filled with ice.

2. Keep it simple. Raichlen seasons his burgers with nothing more than sea salt and fresh, coarsely ground black pepper. "Save the fireworks for the garnishes," he says.

3. Lightly brush the burgers on both sides with melted butter or extra-virgin olive oil just before grilling. This helps prevent sticking and adds an extra layer of flavor. You'll also need to practice good grill hygiene by heating, scraping and oiling the grill's grate prior to grilling.

4. "Do not, I repeat, do not press on a burger with a spatula while it's grilling," says Raichlen. All this does is squeeze out the juices onto the fire.

5. After about two minutes on the grill, give the patty a quarter-turn to get those handsome grill marks. After that, aim to flip the burger only one time. "As you ascend the ladder of grilling enlightenment, you want to get to the point where you only flip once," he says. When the edges begin to brown or you see a few little pearls of blood bleeding through the top, the meat's ready for its one flip.

6. Do not overcrowd the grill. Follow the "30 percent" rule—leave 30 percent of your grill free of food. That way, if you get flare-ups, you have a place to move the burgers if they start to burn.

7. Make sure your burger's cooked: While medium or rare burgers are tasty, you don't want your burger to make you sick. Insert an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the patty to make sure you've cooked the meat to at least 160 degrees. But you don't have to sacrifice the joy of a juicy burger for your health. "I like to place a disk of herb butter in the center of the meat patty," says Raichlen. Or, try an "inside-out cheeseburger": mix shredded cheese into your raw burger meat. The cheese melts as it cooks, keeping even well-done burgers moist.

8. Let the burgers rest, off the grill grate, for a couple of minutes before serving. This allows the meat to "relax," giving you a juicier burger. (The same holds for grilled steak.)

9. Grill your bun. "An un-grilled bun is like an unpressed shirt," says Raichlen. "You need the gentle softness of the bun with the crunch of the bread." Brush the cut sides of the buns —Raichlen recommends the sesame variety—with melted butter or olive oil and grill for 1 to 2 minutes. Top with a red, ripe tomato—"the sort that goes splat if you drop it"—some lettuce, and maybe some grilled onions. Bon appétit.

Heidi Klum as a Pizza Girl

2009-04-09T05:46:00.001-07:00

CBS celebrated April Fool’s Day by putting Heidi Klum in a pizza parlor for the sole purpose of pranking the public. "I didn't wear makeup and I had my hair in a bun with a pencil in it." She says no one told her how to disguise herself, but she felt that if she showed up in full makeup, she would be too easily recognized. "I got to be the pizza girl. I got to be someone I am normally not. I was quite rude to people. I would bite their pizza and give it to them. I would drop the dough on the floor, pick it up and use it. I got a lot of [phone] numbers. I was flirting. I don't usually do that because I am happily married."

Heidi Klum as a Pizza Server in the CBS show "I Get That A Lot".

Bacon Sandwich Really Does Cure a Hangover

2009-04-08T05:15:00.001-07:00

All men everywhere know that bacon is a miracle food. It’s intuitively obvious.

And now here’s the scientific proof!

Researchers claim food also speeds up the metabolism helping the body get rid of the booze more quickly.

Elin Roberts, of Newcastle University's Centre for Life said: "Food doesn't soak up the alcohol but it does increase your metabolism helping you deal with the after-effects of over indulgence. So food will often help you feel better.

"Bread is high in carbohydrates and bacon is full of protein, which breaks down into amino acids. Your body needs these amino acids, so eating them will make you feel good."

Ms Roberts told The Mirror: "Bingeing on alcohol depletes neurotransmitters too, but bacon contains a high level of aminos which tops these up, giving you a clearer head."

Researchers also found a complex chemical interaction in the cooking of bacon produces the winning combination of taste and smell which is almost irresistible.

The reaction between amino acids in the bacon and reducing sugars in the fat is what provides the sandwich with its appeal.

Ms Roberts said: "The smell of sizzling bacon in a pan is enough to tempt even the staunchest of vegetarians. There's something deeper going on inside. It's not just the idea of a tasty snack. There is some complex chemistry going on.

"Meat is made of mostly protein and water. Inside the protein, it's made up of building blocks we call amino acids. But also, you need some fat. Anyone who's been on a diet knows if you take all the fat from the meat, it just doesn't taste the same. We need some of the fat to give it the flavour."

She explained that the reaction released hundreds of smells and flavours but it is the smell which reels in the eater. "Smell and taste are really closely linked," she said. "If we couldn't smell then taste wouldn't be the same."

Source...

Burger Grease Art

2009-03-15T04:40:00.000-07:00

Phil Hansen paints a masterpiece with burger grease.

Beef Made Easy

2009-03-05T02:54:00.001-08:00

Retail Beef cuts and recommended cooking methods.

Click to enlarge

Mushrooms That Taste Like Bacon

2009-03-04T03:01:00.000-08:00

Chef Elliot Prag of the Natural Gourmet Institute shows Sunita Reed how to make shiitake mushrooms taste like bacon and bring out their Umami flavor.

ROASTED, CRISP SHITAKES

Ingredients:
• 1⁄2 pound shitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
• 1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Cooking instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. In a bowl combine the mushrooms, oil, and salt.
3. Spread mushrooms on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in oven.
4. Roast mushrooms until dry and crisp, stirring about every 10 minutes, approximately 45 minutes to one hour. (Oven temperatures may vary.)

Around the World in 80 Buffets

2008-11-20T02:12:00.001-08:00

John Pinette is hysterically funny. He may be the best food comedian ever. According to Wikipedia, he's lost a lot of weight since this was filmed.

Enjoy!

Original NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-11-08T09:24:00.000-08:00

Category: Desserts
Style: American
Servings: Yields - 60

Description:
This famous classic American cookie is a treat no matter what the age or occasion.

Ingredients:
* 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 large eggs
* 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
* 1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

PAN COOKIE VARIATION:
Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars.

SLICE AND BAKE COOKIE VARIATION:
PREPARE dough as above. Divide in half; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Shape each half into 15-inch log; wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.* Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

* May be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week or in freezer for up to 8 weeks.

FOR HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING (5,200 feet): Increase flour to 2 1/2 cups. Add 2 teaspoons water with flour and reduce both granulated sugar and brown sugar to 2/3 cup each. Bake drop cookies for 8 to 10 minutes and pan cookie for 17 to 19 minutes.

Source

Soda or Pop: What Do You Call It?

2008-09-21T05:17:00.001-07:00

The Great Pop vs. Soda Controversy site uses the Web to gather data on which word North Americans use to describe their carbonated drinks.

Want a soda? Head to the Northeast. How about a pop? Michigan and Ohio are your best bets. Looking to quench your thirst with a Coke? Get on down to the South. If you order a Coke or a pop at the farthest reaches of the U.S., the residents of Hawaii and Maine will know immediately that you're not from those parts. Check out the site's large map to see the distinct differences in carbonated beverage nomenclature.

The Adventures of Little Gordon

2008-08-16T05:52:00.000-07:00

"Little Gordon" is a marketing campaign for the website Caterer.com. The "Little Gordon" videos feature a satirical child-version of the often 'harsh' reality show star and celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.

In the videos, the young Ramsay impersonator lashes out at his mother for making him an "anemic" school lunch and ridicules the manager of a restaurant for slow service.

This kid is a pretty good actor and has Ramsay down to a tee.

Part 1

Part 2

Forbes: Top Ten Earning Celebrity Chefs

2008-08-16T05:35:00.000-07:00

How much does your favorite celebrity chef earn in a year? According to the latest Forbes list of top-earning celebrity chefs, Rachael Ray leads the pack.

Is there anybody else you think should have made the list? Where is Emeril?

1. Rachel Ray- $18 million
2. Wolfgang Puck - $16 million
3. Gordon Ramsay- $7.5 million
4. Nobuyuki Matsuhisa - $5 million
5. Alain Ducasse - $5 million
6. Paula Deen - $4.5 million
7. Mario Batali - $3 million
8. Tom Colicchio - $2 million
9. Bobby Flay - $1.5 million
10. Anthony Bourdain - $1.5 million

Lost Three Stooges Baked Chicken Recipe Discovered

2008-08-16T04:49:00.000-07:00

Here is a recently discovered classic baked chicken recipe from the Three Stooges that also includes the use of popcorn as a stuffing... imagine that.

When I found this recipe, I thought it was perfect for people like me, who just are not sure how to tell when poultry is thoroughly cooked, but not dried out.

Give this a try.

4 - 5 lb. Chicken
1 cup melted butter
1 cup stuffing (Pepperidge Farm is Good.)
1 cup uncooked popcorn (ORVILLE REDENBACHER'S LOW FAT)
Salt/pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Brush chicken well with melted butter salt, and pepper.
Fill cavity with stuffing and popcorn.
Place in baking pan with the neck end toward the back of the oven.

Listen for the popping sounds. When the chicken's butt blows the oven door open and the chicken flies across the room, it's done.

The Three Stooges were geniuses!

More classic recipes by the Three Stooges can be found here!

100% U.S. Bacon in A Can

2008-05-29T03:47:00.000-07:00

They got my attention when they said bacon. They pulled me in when they added the word "canned." but they sold me when they camouflaged the label. Just Kidding... at $9.16 a can with out shipping. I think I'll pass.

Yoder’s Canned Bacon

For the first time in almost 20 years, canned bacon is back in this Country. Not available in any store!

More than 2 years went into the development of this bacon, and we’re proud to be able to bring this back to you after improving on a what was a very successful brand of canned bacon made years ago by Celebrity Foods (registered Trademark, all rights reserved).

With a shelf life in excess of 10 years, this bacon makes a perfect addition to your food storage program and it is great for every day use. Take some with you when you go camping, hiking or hunting - keep a case in the boat, RV, cabin or anywhere that you may need to prepare a meal but don’t have refrigeration!!

Woman Spends $10 A Week On Groceries For A Family Of Five Using Coupons

2008-05-17T04:43:00.000-07:00

Crissy Thompson is among the coupon clipping elite. A local news team followed her around one day to learn some of her secrets. At a local Publix, Crissy managed to get two-thirds off her grocery bill and at CVS she picked up $140 worth of goods for $5. Often, she spends only $10 a week on groceries and that's with 3 kids and a husband.

If I Didn't See It With My Own Eyes...

She is very sweet. Almost kind of shy. And she's nervous. She's never been on television before and she didn't expect to be anytime soon.

But what Crissy Thompson didn't count on was that I would meet an acquaintance of hers, and that we would strike up a conversation about coupons, and that this acquaintance would say, "Well my friend who lives in Gainesville, she spends sometimes, like $10 a week on groceries."

"What, for one person?"

"No, she's got three kids and a husband."

Okay, I am so there.

I call Crissy and ask her to let us spend the day with her to see how she shops. She seems a little hesitant but is very nice and agrees. We drive to her house in Gainesville and at her kitchen table we talk about how it all began.

"It got to the point where groceries were going up and paychecks weren't."

Crissy was pregnant with her third child and had reached the point that she was breaking even paying for childcare while she worked. She and her husband agreed it would be best for her to try to stay home with their children but they had to find a way to save money.

The family's grocery bill was $200 to $250 dollars a week. She began clippping coupons, trying to match them up with sales in the weekly fliers from grocery and drug stores. As Crissy's husband Joe puts it, "At first it kind of blew my mind because she'd bring things home and I'd be like is this legit or what? Are we going to get in trouble?"

It was legit alright.

And it took a bit of research and work. It still does.

Crissy says it takes her about an hour a week to get ready for her shopping trip, a trip that takes three to four hours and involves three to seven stores in the area.

She buys two copies of the AJC's daily double Sunday paper, getting four papers, four sets of coupons, for $5. She also goes to her favorite coupon websites (see links).

On the day we're with Crissy, we tell her we just want a sampling of what she does. She tells us we're going to CVS and Publix, two of her favorite stores.

I do coupons every week myself so I was very curious to see how she did it.

At the Publix, Crissy got her best deals with the buy 1, get 1 free items.

Most local grocery stores will let you buy only one item and get it 50% off. If you pair a coupon with that (most grocery stores double coupons up to 50 cents) you can sometimes get the item for free or next to nothing.

What I learned from Crissy is that you can use one coupon per item.

All this time I had misunderstood what it says on each coupon, only one coupon per purchase. I took "purchase" to mean "transaction." It's not.

For example, Crissy grabbed two boxes of cereal that were buy 1, get 1 free. The cereal was $3.79 a box. Crissy had a three dollar coupon for each box of cereal. She made over $2.00 when she pulled those boxes off the shelves. I thought I could only use one coupon, no matter how many boxes or cans or whatever I'd bought. So that's good for me to know.

She didn't buy any produce or meat when we were with her. The best deals that week were elsewhere and she told us she often gets her produce from local farmers at a nearby market where prices are very inexpensive. When we got to checkout her bill was $15.38 and she saved $36.22. Basically she saved two thirds of the bill.

Next we went to CVS in Dawsonville. "The best deals at CVS are coupons and Extra Care Bucks." Crissy explains that the Extra Care Bucks are given to you on specially marked items. You receive the bucks on your receipt and are good on your next purchase.

So Crissy does five separate transactions on this visit. CVS will have several items that are the best deal of the week, where you can essentially get the product for free.

Here's an example from our visit. Adidas deoderant was $4.99 and if you bought it, you'd get back $4.99 in Extra Bucks. They also had some toothbrushes that were $3.99 and you would receive $3.99 back in Extra Bucks. "By splitting it up into several transactions, I can take the extra care bucks I get and use it to pay for the next (items)."

Don't forget, Crissy also had coupons for most of these products. "That's the best when they have anything that's free after the Extra Care Bucks because when you have a coupon you're basically getting paid to buy the product."

Crissy walks through the store, shopping for her items. She advises people not to buy products or clip coupons for items they don't need because then they'll spend more money. However, she says when she can get things for free, she'll buy them and donate the items to a local shelter.

We get to the check out. Crissy does five transactions. She places a few items on the counter and says "This is my first transaction."

This is perfectly okay by the way.

We not only talked to the manager of the store about it, we talked to corporate headquarters in Rhode Island.

Her first total is $1.05. "It would have been $14. I paid $1.05 and I just got money back, Extra Care Bucks."

Then she places the next items on the counter and this time uses the extra care bucks to pay. "It would have been about $25. I just paid $1.61."

This is the way it goes for five transactions. At the end, Crissy has a bag full of household items ranging from toothbrushes to Tums. Her total would have been $140.00. I ask "How much did you pay?" Her answer, "Under five dollars."

I consider myself pretty good with coupons, or at least I did until I met Crissy.

I ask for her help for my purchases. We need some new toothbrushes, I need face cleanser and I would like a certain eye cream that is $20.

By following her directions, looking for items marked with the extra bucks sign, and using my own coupons I make my purchases. I also have $9 in extra bucks already in my wallet. My first purchase is $4 after my extra care bucks and coupons. I receive back $19 in extra bucks.

On my second transaction, the cleanser I buy is free with the purchase of the eye cream, an in store deal. My bill is zero.

I've just purchased $50 worth of products for $4. I practically jump up and down.

Now, this first time Crissy had to tell me what to buy and in what order so I could get the bucks back but I think I'll be quick to catch on in the future.

I got in the car and started calling my girlfriends, my sister and my mother. I was trying to explain to them how it worked and I kept getting frustrated because it's not that easy to explain over the phone and if you don't understand extra bucks.

Crissy says there are deals to be had everywhere. These were just two examples, but pretty impressive ones. She says at Target, you can print their coupons out from their website and use a manufacturer coupon with them, two coupons to buy one product.

Actually her best trip ever was at a Target. Her bill was over $380.00. She paid, get this, two cents. TWO CENTS!!!

I still don't know how she did that one. But even she was proud. She says she kept the receipt for a long time and that everybody heard about that trip.

I ask her about the stigma attached to coupons. I know in my grocery store I never see anyone with coupons besides myself.

Crissy is very matter of fact about it. "That piece of paper is that much money you're keeping in your bank account. No matter what you're income level is, you want to make that dollar go as far as you can and this is just a way to do that. To me personally, when I see someone in the store who has coupons I look at them as a smart shopper."

As for the looks Crissy gets? "When I go I get people behind me who are just glued to the register watching it go down." Other customers have asked her for advice, have exchanged e mails. "The cashier is either completely amazed or they're very offended like I'm stealing from them."

As for people who say coupons are for junk. "Some are junk, so don't clip them. If you buy everything you have a coupon for you're going to end up spending more than you would normally spend and you're going to have things you can't use."

For this stay at home Mom, coupons help the family live a better life. "It's the difference in my children being able to have the things they want and being able to have a decent place to live and get the bills paid."

That's something that is getting more challenging for many people.

Crissy Thompson is very humble about how good she is with coupons. If I tried my hardest, I don't think I could ever do anywhere near the two cent deal at Target.

But because of her, I know I'll be able to save my family even more each month.

Crissy jokes that the coupons are now her hobby, her addiction. Well if you have to be addicted to something, saving money at the grocery store these days is a good problem to have.

Real Man's Grill

2008-05-04T06:06:00.000-07:00

You’re looking at a 345 horsepower, 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine powered Barbeque. Yes… you better have a man card to work this grill. This grill was one the top 5 finalists of a contest entitled “What Can You HEMI?” It has enough power and space to sizzle 240 hotdogs to perfection in less than three minutes. For added entertainment, there is even a gas pedal, which the motor-head chef can tap to hear the rumble of the big-bore V8.

Hat tip: Real Men’s Barbecue Grills

Cook a Gourmet Meal With Items From The Dollar Store

2008-04-16T09:23:00.001-07:00

Food Network star Sarah Copeland knows how to budget. Inspired by Christine Jory's book "The 99 Cent Only Stores Cookbook: Gourmet Recipes at Discount Prices", Copeland showed "Good Morning America Weekend Edition" how to make delicious dishes on the cheap, and upscale from the book.

How To Make A 99 Cent Gourmet Meal

Cooking Tip Of The Day: Scrambled Eggs

2008-04-13T05:19:00.000-07:00

Here are two videos on the proper way to make scrambled eggs. You can decide which you prefer.

In the first video, egg expert George Weld, chef and owner of Egg in Brooklyn New York, demonstrates what he considers to be the perfect way to make scrambled eggs.

In the second clip, world renowned Chief Gordon Ramsay gives us his take on the perfect scrambled egg without yelling.

Produced by cia_b

Gordon Ramsay Makes Scrambled Eggs Without Yelling

Cheeseburger In A Can

2008-04-08T07:26:00.000-07:00

Not sure what to make for dinner tonight? Well have I got the solution for you! Ladies and Gentlemen; allow me to present to you the greatest invention since the wheel… Cheeseburger in a Can! Does it come with bacon?

And I have the perfect slogan for it; “Straight from the can to your can!”

Multiple Reasons to Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2008-04-07T03:53:00.000-07:00

If your doctor wants you to switch to Extra Virgin Olive Oil, these may be the reasons. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is great for the skin, hair, heart, preventing cancer, cooking, tanning, and whatever else you can think of.

This article on Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Johns Hopkins University is very informative and explains why you should be using EVOO to cook with.

The Benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

EVOO, which stands for extra virgin olive oil, is an abbreviation I first encountered watching Rachel Ray's cable TV show "30 Minute Meals."

The celebrity chef has even launched her own brand of olive oil (which she's dubbed EVOO, naturally). But even though Ray uses extra virgin olive oil in abundance, I was never sure what made extra virgin different from regular olive oil. A little research revealed that there are, in fact, culinary as well as health reasons behind choosing this type of olive oil.

Extra virgin olive oil, known for its strong taste and flavor, is produced from the first pressing of the olives and has no more than 0.8 percent acidity. Regular olive oil is a blend of virgin and refined olive oil and can have up to 1 percent acidity. The flavor and taste of regular olive oil is not as strong as that of extra virgin olive oil.

All olive oil contains monounsaturated fats that help lower total and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels in our blood. In fact, the FDA has stated that there is limited evidence to support consumption of two tablespoons a day of monounsaturated fat to help reduce the risk of heart disease.

So when you add fat to your meals, replace saturated fats, found mainly in animal products, with sources of monounsaturated fat, like nut, canola, and olive oils.

Like regular olive oil, extra virgin olive oil contains monounsaturated fats. Because extra virgin olive oil is less processed, however, it contains more of the antioxidant polyphenols, said to help reduce the risks of cancer and heart disease.

Despite the health benefits, I suspect Rachel Ray uses extra virgin olive oil in most of her dishes because of its distinctive flavor. The popularity of her term EVOO has made it a new addition to our culinary vocabulary.

April Is National Soft Pretzel Month

2008-04-01T08:07:00.000-07:00

In honor of “Soft Pretzel Month”, here is Alton Brown’s Soft Pretzel recipe from the classic Good Eats episode Pretzel Logic.

Homemade Soft Pretzels

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Intermediate
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 8 pretzels

1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Hat tip Slashfood

How To Make Mozzarella

2008-03-30T03:58:00.001-07:00

Mozzarella is a relatively difficult cheese to make. If you are attempting to make cheese for the first time, it is advised that you try your hands at cottage or feta cheese first.

Original Mozzarella is made with water buffalo milk, but because such milk isn't always available the most common substitute is cow milk, although many use goat milk

Ingredients:

Fresh Milk (1 gallon - Water Buffalo preferred, but goat or cow milk will also do)
Fresh Plain Yogurt (3 Tablespoons)
Fresh Cultured Buttermilk (3 Tablespoons)
Rennet (1 tablet)
Salt
Stainless Steel Pot (enough to hold 1.5 gallons)
Thermometer
Whisk
Long Knife
Colander
Spoon (with slots)
Glass Baking Pan

Instructions:

Head the milk until the temperature reaches 32C in pot
Dissolve Rennet in 1/4 cup of water
Mix Yogurt and Buttermilk with a small amount of milk.
Blend in Yogurt-Buttermilk-Milk mix into pot
Blend in Rennet-Water mix and mix thoroughly and let sit about 45 minutes
Use the knife to cut the curd into 1/2 inch cubes
Reheat to 32C while stirring and let sit for 15 minutes
Pour out the whey and add 2 quarts of cold water. Rinse and drain into the colander.
Let curds sit at room temperature overnight
The next morning, check if the acidity is correct. To check heat a few cups of water to 85C. Take several clumps of curd and put into water. Pull on it. If it's soft and can be drawn into strings it's ready. If it breaks let the curds sit a few more hours and try the test again.
Once ready, cut the curds into pieces about 1/2 inch pieces and place on the glass baking pan.
Heat half a gallon of water to 85C
Using the slotted spoon, pour the warmed water over the curds and stir
Cut the curds into pieces and form into lemon-sized balls. Stretch and fold over itself several times to create thin layers.
Create a brine by taking 1 tablespoon of salt to 1 quart of water.
Put Mozzarella balls into brine and into the fridge for at least 2 hours, but it can survive in the brine for a few days.
The Mozzarella is now ready to be eaten

Original Source

Cooking Tip Of The Day: Eggs Over Easy

2008-03-27T08:05:00.001-07:00

Egg expert George Weld, chef and owner of Egg in Brooklyn New York, demonstrates the perfect way to make eggs over easy.

Produced by cia_b

Mario Batal: How to Sauce Pasta

2008-03-26T07:29:00.001-07:00

Serious Eats features a video of renowned chef Mario Batali, from the series "Mario Unclogged", sharing his secrets to saucing pasta the Italian way. Mario claims that the sauce should be treated as a condiment to pasta, and should not interfere with the pasta itself. "What you want to eat when you eat a bowl of pasta is pasta," he says defending Italy's way of serving pasta and criticizing the American way as "overdressed."

Editor's note: When we thought of who we wanted to star in Serious Eats' first regular video series, Mario Batali's name kept coming up over and over again. Why? He's funny, passionate, generously spirited, smart as hell, and a great cook. So we hope you'll enjoy Unclogged, Mario Batali as you've never seen him before. —Ed Levine

Previously:
How to Cook Pasta Properly

Amusing Restaurant Names

2008-03-20T14:40:00.000-07:00

Someone actually took the time to compile a pretty extensive list of crazy restaurant names broken down by cuisine type. Enjoy!

Dew Drop Inn and Lettuce Entertain You: Onomastic Sobriquets in the Food and Beverage Industry

COFFEE HOUSES, ESPRESSO BARS and PASTRY SHOPS

Aroma Borealis, Alberta, Edmonton, CN

Brew Ha Ha, Phoenix, AZ

Brewed Awakenings (chain)

Bump and Grind Café (American chain and also one with the same name in Sydney, Australia)

Common Grounds, Syracuse, NY

Cup-A-Cabana, Corvallis, OR

The Daily Grind, Oceanside, NY and Seattle, WA
The Daily Grind Coffee House and Bakery, Cullman, AL
The Daily Grind Cyber Café, Oak Park, IL

Espresso Yourself, Juneau, AK

Full of Beans (defunct) Mystic, CN

Gotta Hava Java, Saskatoon, CN (chain)

Grounds for Divorce, Santa Barbara, CA

Happy Endings, Syracuse, NY

Higher Grounds, (chain)

Hot Shotz, Washington, D.C.

In the Black, NY, NY

Jolt N Bolt Coffee & Tea House, Washington, DC

Just Desserts, (5 in the San Francisco Bay area of California; another by
the same name in Sydney, Australia)

Late for the Train, Flagstaff, AZ

Latte Da, Anchorage, AK
Latte Da Coffeehouse, San Leandro, CA
Latte Da Coffee Cafe, Longmont, CO (chain)
Latte Da Coffee Club , Sarasota, FL
Latte Da Coffee Stop Cafe, Chelan, WA

Legal Grounds, Dallas, TX

Northern Lattes, Anchorage, AK

Perked Up, Denver, CO

Pony Espresso, Dubois, WY, on the pony express route (and also a few in UT)

Sacred Grounds, San Francisco, CA

Some Things Brewing (chain)

Spill the Beans Espresso Cafe, Sheboygan, WI

Sufficient Grounds, Berkeley, CA

Sweet Dreams, San Francisco, CA

Thats Aroma, Edmonton, CN

Uncommon Grounds, (chain) based in Berkeley, CA

HOT DOGS

The ubiquitous hot dog is found everywhere in the United States. In fact, on May 11, 2001, a special program on the hot dog and hot dog businesses was aired on PBS.

CHICAGO STYLE HOT DOGS

A classic Chicago-style hot dog is served on a poppy seed bun with yellow mustard, pickle relish, hot sport peppers and celery salt. Chopped raw onions, sliced tomatoes and pickle spears are also routinely served with them. However, there is one hard and fast rule which distinguishes the Chicago-style hot dog from those of any other city--no catsup. Sauerkraut is best left to the street carts of New York City. The following twenty-one hot dog purveyors are located in the United States. The most clever appellations, however, are concentrated in Chicago.

Als Fun in the Bun, Chicago, IL
Bobs Barkers, Syracuse, NY
Dog House, (chain)
Dog Day Afternoon, Chicago, IL
Eat It and Beat It, Western suburbs, Chicago, IL
First National Frank, Chicago, IL (defunct)
Franks A Lot, East Dundee, IL
Franks for the Memories, Mundelein, IL
Frank n Stein (chain)
Hot Diggity Dawgs, Gurneee, IL
Mustards Last Stand, Evanston, IL
There is another of these in Colorado which serves purportedly Chicago-style hot dogs
Puppy Love, Plymouth, NH
Red Hot Mamas, Chicago, IL
Relish the Thought, Chicago, IL
Red Hot Lovers, Ann Arbor, MI
Tail o the Pup, Los Angeles area, CA
U DAWG U, Niles and Glenview, IL
Wiener and Still Champion, Evanston, IL
Wiener Take All, Buffalo Grove, IL
The Wieners Circle, Chicago, Il
3 Dog Night, Chicago, IL (defunct)

ASIAN RESTAURANTS

Proprietors of restaurants serving up Asian food have exhibited some marvelous creativity in their naming practices. Here are some of the best.

Beau Thai, Portland, OR
Bow Thai, Margate, FL
Once Upon a Thai, Chicago, IL
Shang Chai, a Kosher Chinese Restaurant, Brookline, MA
Shang was for an early pre-500 B.C. dynasty. Chai is Mandarin or Cantonese for tea; in addition to chi being the 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet, it is a Jewish letter/symbol for lifelchim in Hebrew/Yiddish. So it constitutes a triple word play!
Seoul Food (Korean bar-b-que), CO
TenPenh, an Asian-inspired restaurant so named for its location on the corner of 10th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C.
One that should be popular among attorneys is the Sue Mee, Mt. Prospect, IL
Thai Foon, San Diego, CA and Newton, New South Wales, Australia
Thai Panic, Sydney, Australia
Thai Tanic, Sydney, Australia
Tokyo Rose, Charlottesville, VA
Try My Thai, Hollywood, FL
Wok n Roll, (chain)
Wok-N-Roll, (Japanese cuisine), Pasadena, CA
Wok N Roll Buffet, Manassas, VA

WORD PLAYS

Adams Rib, Riverdale, IL
Ally Gators Restaurant, Kissimmee, FL
Bowled-Over, Morton Grove, IL
Casa Too Mucha, New Hartford, NY
Counter Culture, Portland, OR and Santa Fe, NM (sandwich shops serving ethnic food)
Crepevine, San Francisco, CA
Cross-Rhodes, Evanston, IL (Greek)
Crystal Pallas, Arlington, VA (Greek)
Custards Last Stand, Boulder Dam, NV (founded in 1946, it serves soft ice cream)
Eggspectations, Montreal, PQ
Great Eggs Pectations is the menu at the Fresh Start Cafe in Elmhurst, IL where they serve such dishes as the Empty Nest Egg, Eggs Actly, and Egg Cellent.
5 & Diner, Tucson, AZ
Food 2 U, Berwyn, IL
For Heaven's Cakes. Atlanta, GA
The Good Steer, Lake Grove, NY (as opposed to "a bum steer")
Once Upon A Vine, St. Louis, MO
Pelicatessen Fine Foods, Naples, FL
Queue de Cheval, Montreal, PQ (literally the Horses Tail, figuratively, the Horses Ass, a steak house." They bill themselves as vegetarian because their motto is "All our cows eat only grass."
The Real Macaw, Naples, FL
Sir Loins, Arkansas chain
The Steak Out, Tucson, AZ
Steak-Out Char Broiled Delivery, Mobile, AL
Star Spangled Bagel Boy
The Stinking Rose (a restaurant specializing in garlic dishes), San Francisco, CA
Sub Contractor, Pompano Beach, FL
Too Good Eggs, Margate, FL
II Jacks, Chicago, IL (named after the father and son proprietors, both of whom are named Jack)

BOOK and MAGAZINE TITLES and LITERARY CHARACTERS

Eaton Gogh, Norfolk, VA
Field and Stream, Minot, ND
Grateful Bread, Seattle, WA
The Hearty Boys, Chicago, IL
Jonathan Livingston Seafood, a defunct Lettuce Entertain You restaurant, Chicago, IL
Lawrence of Oregano Pub, Halifax, NS
Mad Dogs & Englishmen, Tampa, FL
The Virginian, Charlottesville, VA
Zane Graze Caf & News, Albuquerque, NM
Ethnic Designations and Distortions
Bohemian Crystal, Westmont, IL,
Carlos Murphys (chain)
Carlos OKellys, Topeka, KS
Jose O'Shea's, CO
Panchos Villa, (chain)
Red Square, Miami Beach, FL
Films and Television
Breakfast at Tiffanys, Clinton, NY
Butterfield 9, Washington, DC
A Fish Called Avalon, Miami Beach, FL
Goodfellas, Tampa, Fl (and others)
The King and I, Minneapolis, MN
My Tin Man diner, Falmouth, Cape Cod, full of Wizard of Oz memorabilia
Pulp Kitchen, Santa Fe, NM
Notz Landing, CO
Shogun (sushi), CO
Tequila Mockingbird, defunct bar in Chicago, IL

HUMOROUS EPITHETS

The Honest Lawyer, London, ON
The Jewish Mother, Virginia Beach, VA
The Perfect Wife, Manchester, VT

WORDS and PHRASES

Auntie Pastos, Honolulu, HA
Bread Line, Washington, DC
By The Way, Syracuse, NY
By Word of Mouth, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Elbow Room, Vancouver, BC
"French Toast of the Town," is a cinnamon swirl confection at the Dennys chain.
Hook, Line & Sinker, New Hartford, NY
Its All Greek to Me, Tampa, FL
Its Greek to Me, Minneapolis, MN
Judge for Yourself, restaurant located a block from the courts, Santa Barbara, CA
Let Them Eat Cake (pastry shop, chain)
Lox, Stock and Bagel, (chain)
The Melting Pot, (a fondue chain restaurant)
Nut-N-Fanci, Syracuse, NY
Off the Eaten Path, Tampa, FL
Parma Johnnys, Champion, PA
Pasta La Vista, Winnipeg, CN
Pastabilities, Syracuse, NY
Rolling in the Dough Company 3, Hinsdale, IL
SideBerns in Tampa, FL is the "little sister" restaurant to the famous Berns Steak House
Veritable Quandary, Portland, OR
Whatever 4 Restaurant, Cicero, IL
Whats Your Beef, Syracuse, NY
The Whole Enchilada, Moss Landing, CA

PIZZA

Augies Tower of Pizza, New Orleans, LA
Pizzadelic, Montreal, Quebec, CN
Upper Crust, Santa Fe, NM

BARS

Bar None, 4900 sq. ft. party bar in Hoboken, NJ
Bar None, Singapore Marriott Hotel, China
Bar None Cafe, gourmet vegetarian cuisine, Courtenay, Vancouver Island, BC., Canada
Carpool, a bar-restaurant w/pool tables that is housed in a former car dealership, Washington, DC
Chez When, San Antonio, TX
Daves Not Here, Santa Fe, NM
Hes Not Here, Forest Park, IL and Ontario, CN
Hung Jury, Washington, DC, (lawyer lunch crowd, lesbian/gay bar at night)
Rhythm and Brews, Jackson, MS
Sit and Bull, Chicago, IL
Stoned Crow, wine bar, Australia
Spread Eagle, Australia

SONGS

Blueberry Hill, St. Louis, MO
Boogie Woogie Bagel Boy, Alameda, CA
Brew Moon, Honolulu, HA
Catch A Rising Star, NY, NY
Chances R, York, New Brunswick, CN
Fus Rush Inn, Hewlett, NY
Grill from Ipanema, Washington, DC
Hello Deli, Albuquerque, NM
The Dennys restaurant chain has an item on the menu called "Moons Over My Hammy," which is a ham and egg sandwich on grilled sourdough bread.
Jamaica Me Crazy Chops are served at the Rainforest Caf chain.
Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises (a full service restaurant company), Chicago, IL
O Salad Mio, Washington, DC
YesterDaves, Albuquerque, NM (50s restaurant)

BRAND and TRADE NAME PUNS

Barnum and Bagel (chain)
First Federal Frank & Crust, St. Louis, MO
Grub Med Greek Ristorante, Edmonton, Alberta, CN
Quaker Steak & Lube, a play on Quaker State Motor Oil originally from western PA
Snacks Fifth Avenue (chain)

SEAFOOD

The Angry Trout, Grand Marais, MN, specializes in grilled lake trout
The Boston Sea Party (chain)
The Contented Sole, West Palm Beach, FL
Justfor the Halibut Fish n Chips Caf, Haines, AK
Maine-ly Lobster, Albuquerque, NM
The Merry Crab, Seychelles Islands
Somethings Fishy, Santa Barbara, CA
Wholly Mackerel, Jackson, MS and Covington, LA

INNS

The Barge Inn, Syracuse, NY (once a canal town)
Come Back Inn (all over)
Come Along Inn, Fort Worth, TX
Dew Drop Inn, a search in Google, turned up almost 4,000 matches and in Yahoo over 1000 for businesses with this name. There were over 300 matches in Google for businesses with the moniker, Do-Drop-Inn.
Inn Between, Syracuse, NY
The Inn Place, Pittsburgh, PA
Follow Me Inn, Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia
Pack-em-Inn, Tucson, AZ
Peer Inn Bar & Grill adjacent to Pier 39 on SFs Embarcadero
Stumble Inn, Buffalo, NY
Stroll Inn, Pittsburgh, PA
Tune Inn, Washington, DC
Welcome Inn, Syracuse, NY
The Yall Come Back Inn, Lockhart, TX

RESTAURANT DELIVERY and CATERERS

Food on the Move, Seffner, FL
Dine One One, Tampa, Fl (this is an establishment that delivers food from 40 different area restaurants)
Lettuce Deliver, Pompano Beach, FL

The World's Best Saffron Coming To Costco In May

2008-03-18T14:44:00.000-07:00

Starting in May, you'll be able to buy the world’s best saffron from Spain's Castilla La Mancha region at your local Costco.

Just one question remains: How long will it take to use up a Costco size pack of saffron?

The world's best saffron — at Costco?

When I got home I spoke with Costco buyer Gary Kotzen. "We're really excited about this," he said, incredulous that I had been in one of the very fields where Costco's "next big thing" was being harvested. But I was equally incredulous. How could this truly artisanal specialty food find its way into my local warehouse store?

"We want the best of the best, and we want to offer it to our members without them having to pay the premium," Kotzen said. "We'll bring it in, package it ourselves and offer it to our members at about one third or even one fifth of the cost of similar saffron . . . We did the same thing in 1997 with Tuscan olive oil."

By mid-April, or perhaps early May, he said, certified saffron from La Mancha will be in the stores.

Kirkland Beer: Costco To Sell Its Own Beer

2008-03-17T14:12:00.000-07:00

I hope it comes in a 250 pack!

Costco looking at selling own line of beer

Costco Wholesale Corp. has applied to sell its own brand of beer, according to Bloomberg News.

The Kirkland Signature label applications for pale ale, amber ale, hefeweizen and a lager were approved last week by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Bloomberg reported Costco already offers Kirkland Signature wines and is one of the top sellers of wine in the U.S.

Costco to Become a New Name in Battle of the Brews

The big brewers have fretted that decades of copycat, chucklehead advertising has reduced their biggest-selling brands to indistinguishable commodities in the eyes of many consumers. Now they may be reaping what they've sown: Costco, one of the nation's largest warehouse retailers, is readying its first line of private-label beers.

One analyst said said the rollout of Kirkland Signature Hefeweizen is most likely to hurt sub-premium brands.

The retailer has filed label applications with the federal Tax and Trade Bureau for a Kirkland Signature Hefeweizen, amber ale and pale ale. The beers will be brewed by San Francisco-area craft brewer Gordon Biersch, which also brews private-label beers for the Trader Joe's supermarket chain.

Big-box stores such as Costco have been a lucrative source of case sales for brewers and any additional competition in the channel will not be appreciated at a time when those brewers are struggling to increase sales.

Who will suffer more?
Stifel Nicolaus analyst Mark Swartzberg said the rollout's impact is most likely to hurt sub-premium brands such as Anheuser-Busch's Busch and Natural Light, Miller Brewing's Milwaukee's Best Light and Coors' Keystone. That category of beers is underperforming overall as of late, he said. "It's a very cluttered space, and price and promotions tend to matter more there."

Still, while private-label brands generally tend to compete with the low end of their categories, sub-premium brands don't have much of a presence at Costco, which tends to sell higher-end items at bulk prices. Craft-beer styles such as Hefeweizen might appeal more to drinkers who would otherwise be buying Michelob or Sam Adams than they would to the typical purchaser of a Busch Light 30 pack.

That suggests that it's premium brands that might hurt more from the Costco entry. "If you ask the brand guys if they'd rather the private labels didn't exist, they'd say yes," said Mr. Swartzberg.

Could grow the market
Then there's the possibility that the new entry could simply grow the market. The presence of a private label might actually cause shoppers to buy more beer than they would have otherwise, he said.

A call to Costco's corporate office was not returned, but the retailer has been offering private-label wines -- including a Champagne and a New Zealand sauvignon blanc from the heralded Marlborough region -- and spirits for some time.

The Kirkland label application -- first reported by Miller Brewing Co's corporate blog, BrewBlog -- coincides with a court ruling against Costco yesterday in a long-running dispute between the retailer and Washington state beer wholesalers. A federal appeals court rejected a lower court's ruling that Washington statutes banning certain volume discounts and preventing retailers from taking beer directly from a warehouse. The decision strengthened the position of beer distributors, who have been in the somewhat awkward role of warring in court with their biggest customers.

Pictures Made With Food

2008-03-16T03:41:00.000-07:00

Incredibly, everything you see in these images can be found in the kitchen. Photographer Carl Warner has meticulously captured all kinds of food in a series of still life photos.

Guinness Stout Brownies: Perfect Recipe For St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-15T02:33:00.000-07:00

The original version of these brownies was developed in Ireland. The malt in the Guinness stout beer intensifies the flavor of the chocolate in these delicious brownies. The texture is an interesting combination of fudge, mousse, candy, and traditional brownies. Although decadently chocolate, they are surprisingly light due to the eggs. You won't taste the beer at all. Great for St. Patrick's Day or any day.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted room temperature butter, cut into cubes

8 ounces dark bittersweet chocolate, chopped

3/4 cup white chocolate chips

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup superfine or granulated sugar

1-1/4 cups (10 ounces) Guinness Extra Stout beer (see Note below)

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/8 cup (about) confectioners' sugar for dusting

PREPARATION:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick foil.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.

Melt butter, bittersweet chocolate, and white chocolate chips in a double-boiler over very low heat, stirring constantly until melted. Remove from heat.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add melted chocolate mixture, beating until combined.

Beat reserved flour mixture into melted chocolate mixture. Whisk in Guinness stout beer. The batter will seem a bit thin. Drop semisweet chocolate chips evenly on top of batter (some will sink in).

Pour into prepared baking pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes on center rack in the oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean.

Let brownies cool, uncovered, to room temperature. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Note: The Guinness should be at room temperature. This recipe uses a little less than a standard 12-ounce bottle of Guinness stout beer. Do not include foam in the measurement. Either spoon off the foam or let it rest until the foam subsides.

Yield: 36 to 48 brownies, depending on cut size.

Original Article

Picture Of The Day: How To Cook Everything

2008-03-10T04:10:00.000-07:00

How to cook everything including the baby!

Fortune Cookies Originally From Japan

2008-03-09T05:25:00.000-07:00

Just when you thought everything was made in China!

Jennifer 8. Lee of The New York Times wrote an interesting article on the origins of the fortune cookie recently. It details research that suggests the fortune cookie is Japanese, not a Chinese, invention.

Solving a Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery Inside a Cookie

Some 3 billion fortune cookies are made each year, almost all in the United States. But the crisp cookies wrapped around enigmatic sayings have spread around the world. They are served in Chinese restaurants in Britain, Mexico, Italy, France and elsewhere. In India, they taste more like butter cookies. A surprisingly high number of winning tickets in Brazil's national lottery in 2004 were traced to lucky numbers from fortune cookies distributed by a Chinese restaurant chain called Chinatown.

But there is one place where fortune cookies are conspicuously absent: China.

Now a researcher in Japan believes she can explain the disconnect, which has long perplexed American tourists in China. Fortune cookies, Yasuko Nakamachi says, are almost certainly originally from Japan.

Beer: Drink to Your Health

2008-03-07T13:37:00.000-08:00

This news comes just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. What timing!

"May your glass be ever full. May the roof over your head be always strong. And may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead."
-Old Irish Toast

Raise a Glass!

Downing a few beers on St. Patrick’s Day may give you more than the luck of the Irish and a hangover.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine say Guinness stout has more heart-healthy flavonoids and triggers more anti-clotting activity than light-colored beer. And beer hops contain xanthohumol, a flavonoid that may help ward off some cancers, say Oregon State University researchers. Hops may also fight hot flashes and osteoporosis.

But you’d have to drink a whole keg to get enough of the flavonoid to make a difference—and we don’t recommend that! Luckily, there may soon be a “health beer” with enhanced concentrations. For now, porter, stout and ales have the highest levels. So raise a toast to the hearty hop.

Food Network Cooking Up New Magazine

2008-03-07T06:50:00.000-08:00

Hearst Cooking Up Magazine for Food Network

What's in the oven at Hearst? In recent weeks, the magazine giant has been staffing up for a secret development project, picking off editors from the Reader's Digest-owned Every Day with Rachael Ray. But for what?

According to a well-placed source, the project in question is a new food magazine to be published in partnership with the Food Network. Like previous TV-to-print adaptations Hearst has housed -- ESPN The Magazine, O, The Oprah Magazine and the ill-fated Lifetime -- the title would carry the Food Network's brand and be published as a joint venture, in this case between Hearst and Scripps, which owns the channel.

Asked about that, a Hearst spokeswoman said, "I can tell you that we are at a very early development stage on a concept in consultation with The Food Network. Any speculation about specifics at this point would be premature."

Will this one be a hit like O or a bust like Lifetime? The source, noting that Hearst is not the first publisher Scripps approached with the idea, predicts the latter. The problem is that the network's personalities aren't an automatic part of the package. And of course Ray, possibly the network's biggest star, has her own magazine, as does Paula Deen. "All you really get is the logo," says the source.

Forget The Turducken: Meet The Monster Roast

2008-03-07T06:48:00.000-08:00

Chef Phillip Corrick samples the monster roast
The Monster Roast is a turkey stuffed with 12 different birds, that costs more than $1,000 and serves 125 people. As Alton Brown would say, "Now that's good eats".

It serves 125, takes eight hours to cook and is stuffed with 12 different birds ... now that really IS a Christmas dinner

For decades, a few simple slices of turkey were all it needed. But now even the traditional Christmas dinner has been supersized.

Multi-bird roasts, where different types of bird are stuffed inside a larger one, have become the thing to carve this year - and the more birds involved the better.

One of the top-sellers is the Waitrose four-bird roast: guinea fowl, duck and turkey breast stuffed inside a goose. Demand has soared 50 per cent this year - even though each roast costs an eyewatering £200.

The surge in popularity may have something to do with TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's creation of a ten-bird roast on his show two years ago.

He stuffed an 18lb turkey with a goose, duck, mallard, guinea fowl, chicken, pheasant, partridge, pigeon and woodcock - producing a remarkable Russian doll-like dish.

But now his effort, inspired by recipes dating from Tudor times, has been dwarfed by a behemoth containing no fewer than 48 birds of 12 different species.

This massive roast, the proud creation of Devon farmer Anne Petch, weighs almost four stone (more than most airlines' baggage allowance), costs £665, and has enough meat to serve 125 people.

It contains about 50,000 calories and takes more than eight hours to cook in an industrialducksized oven.

Anne, who runs the Heal Farm shop near Kings Nympton, said: "The True Love Roast has a bird for each of the 12 days of Christmas.

"It uses skinless breast meat from several birds of each species with flavours that work well together."

The roast contains turkey, goose, chicken, pheasant, partridge, pigeon squab, Aylesbury duck, Barbary duck, poussin, guinea fowl, mallard-and quail with herb and fruit stuffings.

Anne added: "It takes about 45 minutes to build the roast. However, it takes at least three hours before that to bone the birds and another couple of days to make all the stuffings.

"We've been making smaller multibird roasts for a while, but I wanted something with a real wow factor.

"It was only when I was halfway through the first prototype that I realised what a crazy idea it was. But I still think that next year we'll have something even more spectacular, perhaps a 21-bird roast.

"These sorts of things used to be made with great bustards and swans, but they are protected birds now."

To put the True Love Roast to the taste test, we took it to the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall, London - home to a mammoth convection oven capable of cooking our monster.

Chef Phillip Corrick said: "I was taken aback by the sheer bulk of meat. Something of this size is difficult to cook because it could get very dry, but in the end, I was surprised.

"It was very moist and had an interesting mix of textures and flavours. All the citrus stuffings cut through the strong gamey flavours really well.

"I'd happily eat this on Christmas Day. But I found that although the game has some powerful flavours, it's difficult to distinguish-which is which because the flavours mingle together.

"I think a better result could be achieved by simply taking the four most distinctive-tasting birds - the goose, the Aylesbury duck, the turkey and either the pheasant or partridge.

"As it is, this is more interesting than turkey, but not very practical.

"There's no doubt it's a very impressive thing to serve. But much as I enjoyed it, the impression is better than the taste."

Food historian Ivan Day said that despite popular opinion, multi-bird feasts were historically cooked in pies, rather than roasted because with the real fires of the era, rather than ovens, the outer meat would have become dry and tough.

"These pies would have given Bill Oddie nightmares," he said: "There was one baked for the Earl of Lonsdale in 1753 after which there must have been not a single bird singing for miles.

"It had dozens of things like yellowhammers in it and weighed 20 stone."

Hotel Room Glasses: You Won't Drink From One Again!

2008-03-06T05:44:00.000-08:00

Do you think the glasses in your hotel room are sanitized? Unless they're plastic and wrapped, think again.

This is pretty disgusting! One maid wears the same glove to clean the toilet and bathroom that she does to clean the glasses.

Bacon-Flavored Vodka: Drink Of The Gods

2008-03-04T03:40:00.000-08:00

It doesn't get any better than this. Here is our recipe of the day.

Bacon-flavored Vodka

Bacon Vodka

Makes up one pint

Fry up three strips of bacon

Add cooked bacon to a clean pint sized mason jar. Trim the ends of the bacon if they are too tall to fit in the jar. Or you could go hog wild and just pile in a bunch of fried up bacon scraps.

Optional: add crushed black peppercorns.

Fill the jar up with vodka. Cap and place in a dark cupboard for at least three weeks.(No need to refrigerate)

At the end of the three week resting period, place the bacon vodka in the freezer to solidify the fats. Strain out the fats through a coffee filter to yield a clear filtered pale yellow bacon vodka.

Decant into decorative bottles and enjoy.

Mario Batali Talks About Being A Celebrity Chef

2008-03-03T12:50:00.000-08:00

Mario Batali talks about being a Celebrity Chef and in the process shows us what a good television personality he really is.

Batali gives celebrity view on celebrity

"It's like this," Mario Batali said, sitting in his Eighth Street restaurant and talking about being famous. "I'm happy to sign autographs and do all of that, but there are times when I'm just trying to eat breakfast with my kids and the person I ask to wait for an autograph calls me an asshole. I'm not going to go off, though, like some celebrities, and punch a paparazzo or anything."

But that's the beauty of New York, he said. "Even if 8 million people hate you, there's still 9 million people left, and a lot of them will still come to your restaurant."

The Food Network alumnus - famous for his show "Molto Mario" - talked to GSP sophomores from professor Elayne Tobin's course, "Celebrity: A Cultural and Historical Exploration of Modern Fame." They ate a three-course meal at his restaurant Otto.

Batali reflected upon his experiences and relationships, drawing upon time spent with his college roommate James Gandolfini (later, of "The Sopranos"), his work in the restaurant business and his celebrity friends - like Gwyneth Paltrow, with whom he recently filmed a television special about Spain.

Batali said it can be hard to toe the line between being a celebrity and being a chef.

"It's the ability to back celebrity chef status up in the real world - that's what often makes the difference between having a restaurant and all of this and a situation like Rocco," Batali said, referencing the reality TV chef whose restaurant and celebrity status, Batali believes, have been altered by personal and business conflicts.

The TV personality explained the personal and strategic importance of the look communicated by his black polar fleece, basic button-down shirt and his signature orange Crocs.

But he tries to use his success for the greater good, Batali said. For example, his $4,500 watch is a limited edition from his new line of customized watches, from which 10 percent of the profits will be donated to the Food Bank, one of his favorite causes.

Batali left the Food Network in 2004, when his show "Molto Mario" ended. He said newer Food Network shows, for which Batali had unkind words, are different than his was.

"Everybody focuses more on things like getting it done in 30 minutes than doing it authentically," Batali said.

Still, he said he does not mind the change too much.

"At the end of the day, I'm happy to have anyone cook anything - I'm more against Arby's and McDonald's than people who cut corners and whatever to get dinner on the table."

Mario Batali: "I Am A Fashion Disaster"

2008-03-03T12:46:00.000-08:00

What's My Logo?: Mario Batali Dishes On His Signature Shorts And Orange Crocs: "I Am A Fashion Disaster"

Chef Mario Batali started a culinary empire in 1998 with his Greenwich Village restaurant Babbo. He is the chef/owner of six celebrated restaurants in New York City, author of numerous cookbooks, and host of the upcoming PBS gastro-tour Spain...On The Road Again, co-hosted with Gwyneth Paltrow. Most recently Batali launched Carnevino in Las Vegas, but no matter where he hangs his hat, he always wears his signature orange shoes and shorts (even in the dead of winter). Batali, who was recently refused entry to a fellow chef's hip downtown birthday party due to his casual duds, dished on his quirky style:

You are almost as famous for your orange shoes and perennial shorts as for your acclaimed cuisine and restaurants. How did your look start?
10 years ago my wife gave me the shoes and the kids wear orange all of the time because it's such a happy color. The first pair of orange shoes she gave me were Calzuro Italian operating room clogs. Now, I wear Crocs; and the company have created a pair called The Bistro, which are specifically designed for people in the food service industry, and which come in signature Mario Batali orange!
I like shorts because, by nature, I am always warm, and I like to be comfy.

Do you think personal style is a professional asset?
Definitely. It is important to create a recognizable brand.

What are the benefits of making a statement with your wardrobe?
Instant recognition - which is sometimes good and sometimes bad; sometimes it's nice to fly under the radar.

Was it your intention to create such a strong visual brand identity?
No, it was accidental; but I have been dressing this way for the last 15 years.

Can you recall your biggest professional fashion disaster?
I am a fashion disaster.

Has anyone ever made a negative comment to you about your signature look?
Yes, thousands of angry and anonymous bloggers!

What statement does your style make about you and your work?
The statement it makes is that I am comfortable in my own skin and do not need to dress up much.

Besides creating a visual brand identity with your clothes, what are some of your other signature style traits?
I ride a Vespa. I profess that life is a constant source of joy, and I smile a lot.

Whose look do you admire?
I think Jack White is very cool and I love Michel Stipe.

Who are your style icons, in the kitchen and out?
In the kitchen: Marco Pierre White, Jeremiah Tower, Gabrielle Hamilton. Out of the kitchen: Jack Nicholson, Jim Harrison and Gwyneth Paltrow.

What advice do you have for professionals just starting to create their own logos?
Choose something and stick with it until it bothers you.

Robert Irvine Fired From the Food Network

2008-03-03T12:19:00.000-08:00

Robert Irvine, host of the show "Dinner Impossible", has been fired by Food Network. Why? He made false claims on his resume.

His next assignment: "Employment Impossible".

Food Network Cans "Impossible" Chef

"Dinner: Impossible" chef Robert Irvine has been fired from the Food Network's kitchen!

After it was discovered that Robert lied about his credentials -- including having designed Princess Diana's wedding cake -- Food Network honchos investigated the situation and today released a statement saying they "have not renewed Robert's contract for future seasons" and "will be looking for a replacement host."

Robert apologized for his actions adding, "I was wrong to exaggerate in statements related to my experiences regarding the Royal Family."

How to Cook Pasta Properly

2008-02-29T03:22:00.001-08:00

I know, I know. What kind of idiot doesn't know how to cook pasta? Believe it ...or not a lot of people don't do it right.

Check out Cooking Index for a very informative article on how to cook pasta properly.

How to cook pasta properly
According to a survey in September 2005 by the Italian pasta manufacturers Barilla, more than half of all Americans do not cook their pasta properly. With 88 per cent of American adults eating pasta at least once a year and 35 per cent eating it at least once a week, that’s a lot of pasta being prepared poorly.

We surveyed a selection of chefs and Italian experts to highlight the mistakes people make and to get their hints and tips for cooking pasta properly. We came up with the top seven mistakes people make when cooking pasta

1. Not using a big enough cooking pan

This is probably the most common mistake people make when cooking pasta. You need a lot of water to cook pasta properly. The very minimum that the experts recommend is four quarts of water for one pound of pasta (just under 3.8 litres of water for 450 grams of pasta – so the best way to say this for those using metric measurements is that you need at least 4 litres of water for 500 grams of pasta ). However the experts we consulted said they would use between five and six quarts of water for each pound of pasta (4.75 litres to 5.7 litres per 500 grams) to get the very best results.

If you do not use enough water to cook pasta then the water tends to become very cloudy (from the natural starches in the pasta), the pasta will not have enough space to move around and cook properly and very often it will stick to the side of the pan. Because the starch is not diluted enough, the pasta will become sticky and unpleasant.

The problem for most people is that they tend not to have a big enough pan in their kitchen. If you cook pasta on a regular basis it is well worth going out and buying a specific pasta pot (with a good solid base – avoid any pan with a very thin base as it will not heat the water consistently) as you will really notice the difference in the taste of your pasta.

2. Not adding salt to the water

Because we are constantly being told about the perils of salt in our diet and the prevalence of low sodium diets, many cooks are tempted to add only a tiny pinch of salt to their cooking water or even to leave it out altogether. This is a mistake. Pasta needs plenty of salt to cook properly. If you leave it out the pasta is likely to cook unevenly and, most importantly, the surface will be slightly slimy. Add roughly a teaspoon of salt per litre of water that you put in the pan (this may seem like a lot to you but this is how every Italian will cook it and it really does make a difference).

The pasta does not absorb salt in the same way that vegetables or potatoes do, so you will not notice the saltiness when you eat it.

The only exception to the ‘add plenty of salt’ rule is cooking fresh pasta, in which you do not need to add salt to the water. The way fresh pasta is made means that it does not need salt in the water to react to the surface in the same way that dried pasta does.

3. Adding olive oil to the cooking pan

It is hard to work out where this idea came from originally but 44 per cent of Americans say they add olive oil to the cooking pan. I suspect the idea is that the oil will stop the pasta sticking together in the pan but what it in fact does it to coat the pasta with a thin layer of oil which means that the sauce you serve with it will not stick to the pasta properly.

If you have used enough water and remember to stir your pasta regularly as it is cooking, it will not stick together. So there’s no need to add oil.

4. Adding the pasta to the water before it has boiled

Pasta needs to be cooked in boiling water. Make sure that when you add the pasta to the pan the water is on a rolling boil (ie boiling very hard). Also make sure that if it stops boiling when you add the pasta that you get the water boiling again as quickly as possible. If you add pasta to cold water and then heat up the water, the pasta will not cook properly.

5. Not stirring the pasta once it is cooking

Pasta needs to be stirred while it is cooking. This stops it sticking together (especially spaghetti, linguine etc) and ensures that all the pasta cooks consistently.

6. Overcooking the pasta

How cooked you eat your pasta is obviously a very personal thing. Different people will cook the same pasta for as much as five minutes difference and each will claim that they have cooked their pasta perfectly. But, while accepting that taste is a subjective thing, there are definitely people who undercook their pasta and people who overcook their pasta. Undercooking is less common because undercooked pasta is crunchy and obviously indigestible. Overcooked pasta is limp and loses its shape easily. If you overcook pasta you might as well throw it away and start again as it will taste disgusting!

The key to cooking pasta well is to keep testing it as you cook it. There will be a guide cooking time on the packet so about a minute before that time is up, start tasting the pasta. It will be ready when it is slightly firm to the bite – a state the Italians call al dente – but with no crunchiness. At this point you should turn off the heat and drain the pasta in a colander. Shake the pasta to get rid of all the excess water (you need to be especially careful to do this properly if they are pasta shapes which might catch pockets of hot water) and serve immediately. The pasta continues to cook while you are draining it in the colander, so when you are tasting remember that what you eat will be cooked for approximately a minute longer during the time when you are draining and serving it.

7. Rinsing the pasta after cooking

51 per cent of Americans say they rinse their pasta under boiling water after cooking their pasta. This is not a good idea. Cooking to the al dente level means that there are just the right amount of starches on the surface of the pasta to absorb the sauce you will serve with it. If you rinse the pasta then you will take these starches away.

There are two exceptions to this rule. If you have cooked your pasta in too small a pan and the water is very cloudy and starchy then it may be worth rinsing your pasta with boiling water to remove these starches. This is likely to do more harm than good for your pasta eating.

The other exception is when cooking pasta for pasta salads. It is best to rinse the pasta under boiling water – because for a pasta salad you don’t want the pasta to be so sticky - and then to immediately rinse it under cold water to stop the cooking process and keep the pasta at just the right level of ‘bite’. People who cook pasta for pasta salads often just turn off the heat (which means it keeps on cooking for far too long) or drain the pasta and let it stand. In our experience it is better to rinse it.
Although all these suggestions may seem a little prescriptive, we promise you that if you do follow them you will significantly improve your enjoyment of pasta. Good luck!

Cooking With Google

2008-02-29T03:18:00.000-08:00

This looks like a pretty handy tool. Google recipe search lets you search by Main Ingredient, Course, Meal Type, Servings, Calories, and Preparation time.