• Last updated 2/16/10 by rlaudan

Whenever I mention that I write on the history of food, someone is bound to ask "When was pasta invented?" For Europe, that's a tricky question to answer. For China, though, we have a pretty good idea: about 300 BC. We have it on the authority of Shu Hsi, an official editor of ancient texts and one of the most learned men of China. A pasta enthusiast, in about 300 AD he composed a poem "A Rhapsody on Pasta." Although today we don't think of poems as culinary reference works, they were back then. Shu Hsi's rhapsody was effectively a pasta encyclopedia. The Chinese... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by ckoetke

In our last class session, we discussed the importance of knives and learned how to judge the quality of a knife. In this class we will look at which knives any well-organized kitchen should have, and how to keep them sharp. A trip to a cooking store will reveal a wide array of different knives. They vary in length, thickness and function. While each knife is valuable, I consider the following 5 knives essential tools for any serious cooking: Chef knife-This is the workhorse knife that chefs reach for the most often, and for that reason it is the most important knife... read more

• Last updated 2/28/11 by BenRias

With late winter storms postponing spring indefinitely, the allure of the common cup of cocoa is certain to wear thin. So now is the perfect time to try and make something new, like a cup of the traditional Mexican hot chocolate drink, champurrado. Champurrado is a rich and decadent hot chocolate drink, spiced with cinnamon and anise. It also distinguishes itself from its American counterparts by being thickened with masa, then whipped, into a frothy, fluffy cup of goodness. When prepared properly, champurrado is not unlike a traditional cup of cappuccino—espresso... read more

• Last updated 3/8/10 by Nicko

Written By Chef Peter Martin Part I  Choosing Your Steak Yes, I know, it is still the middle of winter, so why am I writing an article on grilling steaks?  Because, if you are like me, then grilling is a year round pursuit.  Sure, my grills see almost constant use during the summer, but they are also in use for a good part of the winter.  I have even been known to grill in subzero weather and with blizzards raging around me.  What better way is there to chase the winter blues away than firing up the grill and grilling up some of your favorite foods?  For me one of... read more

• Last updated 8/25/10 by ChrisLehrer

The Japanese term santoku [三得] means “three virtues,” which has a distinct Buddhist connotation. Somewhere around 1920 or so, this term was applied to a hybrid Western-style knife, manufactured in Japan and constructed with the modern Japanese housewife in mind. Far more recently, the term has come to refer to an approximate blade shape that has gained a large market-share in Western, perhaps especially American, home kitchens. Despite the hype and advertising schemes applied, the knife in question is in no reasonable sense traditional to Japan. No clear figures are... read more

• Last updated 2/28/10 by Nicko

by: Chef Jim Berman "Chicken pays the rent," said the chef for whom I worked during my apprenticeship, "it's what people want to eat when they don't know what to eat." That was the gospel for me. Have chicken; pay bills; got it! Being the twenty year-old know-it-all, I asked about cutting whole chickens. "I could pay somebody to take them apart, use the breasts and try to find a use for the rest. I buy them boned and skinned, then buy necks and backs for stock." So, I have been torn over the years; lower price to buy whole chickens and fabricate them myself, with added... read more

• Last updated 9/6/11 by KGraf88

“Coffee in styrofoam is against my religion.”  ~Betsy Cañas Garmon   The difference between your average cup o’ joe and the freshly roasted, ground, and brewed coffee you are about to see here is like night and day, black and white, right and wrong…you get the point.   Too often I hear people say things like, “I don’t like my coffee too strong, it tastes bitter” or “All coffee tastes the same to me.” Well, the truth is, over-extracting coffee grounds with too much water is more likely to give you a nasty, bitter taste. As for all brews being the same…well, I’ll give... read more

• Last updated 8/18/11 by Nicko

  1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need Every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.   2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, Put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a Cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that Quick pick-me-up that can last for Hours.   3. Tired of your bathroom mirror Fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a Cucumber slice along the mirror, it will... read more

• Last updated 4/3/12 by kaneohegirlinaz

by kaneohegirlinaz So some of you may have been reading, I have been trying to get the correct proportions of a recipe from a restaurant in Hawaii. Zippy's is an institution on Oahu to be specific, they have many menu item at their fast food take-out locations as well as casual diners. One side dish that has been long coveted is their Macaroni Salad. Now, you may be thinking to yourself, yeah, so what? Why don't you Google Zippy's Mac Salad and see how many hits you'll get from us forlorn Islanders who have moved away to the Mainland. I have been searching the... read more

• Last updated 4/27/12 by m brown

  Session One: Temper Temper   Written and Performed by Michele E Brown, CB Photographs by Cari Avit, Collin College            This beautiful PolyScience® Anti-Griddle was delivered in a big brown box. No special assembly required; no Swedish-to-English assembly  instructions with bags of screws and one-time use tools. Just the Anti-Griddle and its protective cover.   No-nonsense yet elegant, the Anti-Griddle looks like a box with air vents. There are no intimidating or fussy controls. The operating manual, too, is straight forward: lightly... read more