• Last updated 3/5/13 by Terricakelady

When I got started in cake decorating, there were few mediums and tools to work with. Everything was done with buttercream icing in different consistencies to pipe lettering, borders or flowers. Few people decorated cakes and rarely could you find a bakery offering anything remotely artistic. Today, not only has the skill evolved but all the tools used to do it. The television reality shows featuring cake decorating competitions has pushed the hobby/career to the forefront, making a carved cake the in thing to have at a wedding or special event.   The types of... read more

• Last updated 2/16/13 by Jim

  Panda Palace, Jade Garden, #1 China, Noodle House. Chinese restaurants dot every neighborhood, across every demographic, around every socioeconomic pitfall and paradise. They can be tattered looking, plexiglass-enclosed safe houses to brightly lit, neon glistening meccas of General Tso, Pekin Duck and Mu Shu. The menus are always ridiculous in depth, far-reaching and spread across the culinary landscape to squeeze every possible ingredient into a stir-fried confluence of deliciousness. And they are inexplicable. They are staffed by warrior-like operators that... read more

• Last updated 2/2/13 by Jim

        The 5 Facets of A Good Restaurant Jim Berman   A good restaurant is not just about the food. It is about the experience. The experience is about service, the surroundings, the food and a bit of the colorful panache that gets served with each dish. And a bit about the way a titillating dining experience makes you feel after you leave.   1. Do I want to go in there? The cut-out, strip-malled, fake stucco and neon green trim is no more inviting than going to the proctologist with your girlfriend. The McRestaurant landscape is plum-full of... read more

• Last updated 1/11/13 by Jim

How to, What to, When to Sear Jim Berman CCI       Searing is profoundly necessary in the contemporary kitchen. Quick hits of serious heat can be a formidable technique for the right ingredients. And you can get some outlandish results. So why does searing prove elusive to even some otherwise competent cooks?   Fundamentally, the searing experience should start with a screaming hot sauté pan and a trace amount of high temperature-tolerant oil. The pan, preferably steel or cast iron should be dashed with a coating of fat. I stay away from the non-stick... read more

• Last updated 11/20/12 by Nicko

Bringing Technology to the Kitchen     A computer is handy for a cook FOR the kitchen in streaming cooking shows or tutorials off of youtube. It's a great resource for new recipes or for your old family recipes as well. But a computer hasn't been handy to have IN the kitchen. A keyboard to fill with debris and spills, same for the mouse. And where do you put the monitor? Not to mention all the cables. Now with smartphones and tablets, you have some options to help you out smoothly and seamlessly.   It would be nice to have a stand to angle the tablet... read more

• Last updated 10/8/12 by kaneohegirlinaz

On the bucket-list for DH and I is to drive the entire length of the Pacific Coast Highway.  Now, we’ve already completed a good portion of Oregon a few years ago, as well as part of southern California last year.  Road trips are a fantastic way to see the Country, we think anyway.  Also, we can taste foods that may not be available to us. For our blast-off days, I like to have at least one meal prepared ahead to take with us.  Hand held is best and not crumble-y.         Breakfast burritos fit that bill nicely. I took flour tortillas, softened... read more

• Last updated 8/10/12 by tasunkawitko

Mad Hunky Meats A friend of mine, RichTee, is the proprietor of Mad Hunky Meats, located at www.madhunkymeats.com. Rich, who is half-Italian and half-Hungarian (hence the moniker, "Mad Hunky"), was raised in some true, old-world traditions where meats are concerned. This background gave him a unique advantage as he developed an interest in barbecue, smoked meats and charcuterie, providing a well-grounded knowledge base and a unique perspective that stands apart from conventional attitudes toward barbecue while adhering to its roots, which have much in common with... read more

• Last updated 8/3/12 by kaneohegirlinaz

It’s been awhile, well just shy of two months, that we came home from our last adventure, Let’s GO! My Dear Husband planned this trip himself with no help from me this time.  He had decided that we should take off over my Birthday Weekend and visit with friends in the Prescott area. The drive isn’t bad at all, about 4 hours.  I like to pack a light snack for journeys, that way if we don’t feel like stopping we can just motor on through.  We had some fresh fruits as well as cheese; put everything on ice along with loads of water, this is the desert after all. ... read more

• Last updated 7/28/12 by Nicko

  Recently in Chicago many restaurants received their first Michelin star. Some received one, some two and in a singular instance the coveted three Michelin stars. When the stars were awarded it was exciting to have so many Michelin worthy restaurants in our midst. However, many of the stars seem misplaced and the star ratings just didn’t seem to match up in my opinion.   Since the Michelin stars were awarded it has raised the question, are the standards for the United States vs. restaurants in Europe the same? By my observations they seem grossly unequal.... read more

• Last updated 7/14/12 by kaneohegirlinaz

Summer brings a wonderful bounty of gorgeous fresh fruits and vegetables.  Summer also brings the Monsoon Season in the Desert South West. For a little Hawaiian gal like me, it terrifies me!  This year is starting to be a particularly bad or good, depending upon how you look at it, Rainy/Lightening/Thunder Season.  Today was an exceptionally bad weather day and I was stuck inside for a second day. I was inspired by another Chef Talk member, thank you thatchairlady, to try again to “put up” as my Great Grandmother would say, some Dilly Beans. ... read more