• Last updated 2/16/10 by phopper

  Artichoke Varieties A Year-round Variety Description: Globe-shaped in winterand spring Conical in summer and fall Green color, some purple at base in summer Thorns prominent in summer and fall. Less developed in winter and spring. Compact appearance Winter harvests may show frost damage on outer bracts, a cosmetic defect only. Frost tends to enhance "nutty" flavor of artichoke. Size: 18, 24, 30, 36, 48, 60 count, large loose (cocktail) and small loose (baby)... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by ddewitt

Generally speaking, chipotle in English refers to any smoked chile pepper. The Spanish word chipotle is a contraction of chilpotle in the Náhuatl language of the Aztecs, where chil referred to the hot pepper and potle was derived from poctli, meaning smoked. The word was apparently reversed from Náhuatl, where it originally was spelled pochilli. Other early spellings in Mexico are tzilpoctil, tzonchilli, and texochilli. The most commonly smoked chiles are jalapeños, named for the city of Jalapa in the state of Veracruz. They are also known in Mexico as cuaresmeños, or... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by ChefTalk.com

 Every year homemade ice cream causes several outbreaks of Salmonella infection with up to several hundred victims at church picnics, family reunions, and other large gatherings. From 1996 to 2000 (the latest year for which surveillance was completed), 17 outbreaks resulting in more than 500 illnesses in the United States were traced to Salmonella bacteria in homemade ice cream, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The ingredient responsible for the outbreaks is raw or undercooked eggs. A person infected with Salmonella Enteritidis (SE),... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by jwickes

 History / GeographyGrapes are the oldest fruit known to man. The Spanish are credited with the introduction of grapes to America over 300 years ago. Grapes are grown in the temperate zones around the world including Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America. California is the United States' major grape producer. ScienceGrapes are really berries. VarietiesThere are over 8000 varieties of grapes all of which are smooth-skinned and juicy. Some of these have seeds, others are seedless. Some have a "slip-skin", a skin which can easily be... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by sklein

Not that there aren't restrictions to foreign objects in food dishes, but considering the new twists and turns American standards have been assuming since "911", it's easy to understand how vulnerable we can be with our food supplies, drinking water and, not to mention, the kitchens of our favorite restaurants. There are many procedures and regulatory conditions our cafeterias, kitchens, delis, food stands and fast food operations are required to go thru in order to ensure proper health management and basic food preparation. One health inspection company, HACCP, an... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by mvogel

You're making pastry cream for a banana cream pie for dessert tomorrow.  Chilling it overnight should render it appetizingly cold by tomorrow.  Dinner concludes and it's time for the pièce de résistance.  To a herald of "oohs" and "ahs" you present your luscious banana cream pie.  But when you cut into it, you discover a runny mess.  Beneath the decadently deceptive whipped cream topping is a puddle of ooze.  What went wrong?  Most likely you never brought your pastry cream to a full boil.  Pastry cream is a custard, (an egg and milk mixture), thickened with flour or... read more

• Last updated 3/8/10 by Nicko

Written By Chef Peter Martin Having grown up in the restaurant business and being surrounded by great food, I am hard pressed to think of many food related revelations or epiphanies that I have had.  Sure there have been some great moments such as my first taste of Foie Gras, my first bite of a Maine lobster, or the first truffle I ever tasted, but these events were not life altering.  No, these events haven't had nearly the same impact on me as my first experience with great beer.  I wasn't 2 months into my culinary education at New England Culinary Institute, when,... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by mvogel

Gregor Johann Mendel (1822-1884) was an Austrian monk famous for his seminal work in genetics.  He uncovered a series of laws that govern how genes are transmitted.  Mendel made these discoveries with the assistance of the common garden pea.  He repeatedly crossed varieties of pea plants in an effort to observe how specific genetic traits, e.g., height, color, seed shape, etc., were imparted to ensuing generations.   Out of these observations arose the laws that became the basis of modern hereditary theory.  Peas are legumes, i.e., plants with seed pods.  Originating... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by JackBlack

Tonight while making ziti and meatballs for dinner I added raw garlic and onions to the meatball mixture, and as a preliminary step for tomato sauce I sautéed onions and garlic. Yesterday for dinner I had an asparagus omelette with onions and garlic, and the day before that, an apple and cheddar cheese sandwich with raw onion. In retrospect it dawned on me that I, like many people, use garlic and onions a lot, either together or separately. They're the type of ingredients that you either love or hate. Thankfully, I fall into the former category. I'm no rare exception,... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by hbrody

Mythologically, they are associated with lighting bolts. Astrologically, they fall under the awesome powers of Mars, the god of war. On the human level, they strike fear into the palates of mankind. They are chipotles - jalapeno peppers that have been ripened to a red color and smoked until they are brown. They can be found dried, pickled and, most often, in the international section of a supermarket, canned in a spicy Mexican  sauce. According to Dave DeWitt in his remarkably thorough book, The Chile Pepper Encyclopedia, the jalapeno pepper has always been the... read more