• Last updated 2/16/10 by crenfrow

As I stumbled into the kitchen this morning, I glanced out the window and was somewhat surprised to see a wild tom turkey strutting about in the back yard. Half asleep, I drifted from thoughts of roast turkey with all the trimmings to recollections of Chef Paul Prudhomme's marvelous recipe for turducken, a wonderful dish of a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken. Collecting illusion food recipes has been a hobby of mine for a long time, you see, so it doesn't take much to get me thinking about it. (If you're not familiar with them, illusion foods are dishes... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by jemmerson

There are a few things that I need to say regarding one of my country's most favored foods. Dating back to the seventeenth century, fish and chips have had a long standing as Britain's best loved fast food. Fish and chips are not served in newspaper. The news paper thing is from days gone by. The reason for the use of yesterday's news to serve this fine product was not just our century old tradition of recycling but of course cost. Being that newspaper print is a little toxic people started going off the concept of eating food from it. Cod & Chips! When I return home... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by kroyse

We all want to make a difference, to create magic moments in the lives of our customers and employees. I will show you how you can make a difference. My goal is to get you so excited, you can’t wait to try this out because you know you are going to be awesome. The first thing I ask my clients who want to improve their service is, "What's it like to work for you? Do your employees feel respected and appreciated?" Before you can ask your employees to deliver service with a smile, you first have to ask yourself, "Am I giving them anything to smile about?" One of the... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by hbrody

If you like horseradish - I mean really like horseradish - then everything that is remotely edible is fair game. For instance, with apple pie, and that's not apocryphal. At the annual horseradish festival in Collinsville, Illinois, horseradish is revered with the kind of passion one usually associates with baseball in the "glory days" at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field. The farmland around Collinsville produces ten million pounds of horseradish a year, and has been appropriately named by the town's promoters as the "horseradish capital of the world." For centuries this member... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by bsullivan

Fish is the health food of the 90s and baby boomers are buying it up by the pound. The leading reason for fish being a health hero is fish is practically the only natural source of Omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are an essential nutrient that almost all Americans fall short on. In this low-fat, no-fat world this may seem strange. Simply put, the human diet requires a balance of certain fats. What Americans get too much of is Omega-6 fatty acids. Nutritionists suggest that the average American consumes six servings of Omega-6's for every one serving of... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by ckoetke

Chefs get asked all kinds of questions. Recently, I received the following question: "Dear Chef Christopher-- I dream of being a great cook. What equipment should I have in my kitchen so that I can fulfill my dream? I want everything I need to be a great cook." For those who aspire to be the best cook they can be, having the proper kitchen equipment is paramount to maximizing success and limiting the frustration (you know, the kind you get when trying to whip egg whites with a fork and a small plastic bowl, or roast a turkey in a flimsy pan that's plainly too small--all... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by hbrody

Have you ever noticed that California fruit trees seem to be among the most fertile in the country? Artificial insemination. That's the answer. Dust pollen on the trees, the bees do their thing, and crop sizes increase. Sugar Ranch in Visalia, CA owned by Rebb Firman is one of a handful of agricultural producers of pollen, and he can become downright lyrical about a trade that traces back to his grandmother's inspired efforts. It is believed that she was the world's first collector of pollen to be sold to farmers for agricultural purposes. Undoubtedly, that doting... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by bsullivan

Buying fresh fish has never been easier. Restaurants commonly have a fish selection while more and more grocery stores are providing fresh fish counters. Finding fresh fish is not the problem. The problem is finding good quality fresh fish. For restaurants and retail stores "what sells" does not always keep customers coming back. Yet, a select number of eateries constantly have patrons asking the kitchen where they purchase their fish. So what are the secrets of these elite fish buyers? The goal of this article is to provide you with a description of fish buying basics... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by mgorogianis

Just Ask Why Chef Jon Campbell was faced with the biggest opportunity of his career. The chance to operate the city's most prestigious restaurant. Well recognized as the place where kings of industry meet, where the elite hold their soirees, this all is going to be Chef Jon's. The restaurant's chef of 26 years was retiring and Chef Jon was the winner over a short list of prestigious names. This was Chef Jon's big chance. He wanted to show the world that he was the best. His first order of business was to focus on operations. After all, the restaurant already had an... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by ckoetke

Welcome back to class. I hope that you have been successfully sautéing after last class session. As we learned in our last class, there are several broad categories of cooking methods--dry, wet, and a combination of both dry and wet. Sautéing is classed as a dry cooking method. Grilling also falls in the same category, in that it utilizes dry, intense heat to cook the product. During the summer months, grilling is the quintessential cooking method as it is done outside, thus not further heating up an already hot kitchen! While most people own a grill and use it... read more