background preloader

Hone Your Chops: The Chef's Guide to Knives

Hone Your Chops: The Chef's Guide to Knives
Related:  kitchen

10 ingredients to fancy up your meals Sure, you can follow a recipe and whip up something elaborate when you want to show off. But you don’t do that every day. We don't do that every day. We all look at what in the stores on the way home, or check out the sagging vegetables in the crisper and improvise. Here are 10 things that you can keep around the house to make those dinners you whip up on the fly seem more like restaurant dishes.Sherry vinegar Sometime in the '80s, Americans discovered balsamic vinegar, the sweet and syrupy condiment that Italians had been enjoying for centuries. Pimentón Another Spanish import, pimentón is paprika – but not that tasteless, dusty stuff your mother sprinkled all over the chicken. Smoked sea salt Food geeks are in love with fancy salts: pink sea salt from Hawaiian beaches, hand-gathered grey salt from Brittany. Pancetta Cured pork makes everything better, and there may be no more useful form than pancetta, which is basically the Italian equivalent of bacon. Shallots Miso Fish sauce Dry vermouth

15 Basic Stir Fry Sauce Recipes I love a good stir fry and they are a great way to use up odds and ends of meat, vegetable and noodles. And let’s face it, they are a quick and easy dinner solution. Simply cook up some rice or throw in some noodles and it’s a family-pleasing meal. I rarely start with a recipe – just a pile of odds and ends. So it occurred to me recently that what I really needed was a stir-fry sauce “cheat sheet” – a handy reference for the combination of sauce ingredients I need to make different kinds of stir fry to combine with my collection of ingredients. Here I’ve collected 15 great stir-fry sauce recipes that can be printed to keep handy in the kitchen (or bookmarked, if you prefer). Instructions for all of these recipes … just combine the ingredients in a small bowl, stir well to combine, then add to your stir fry. Lemon Stir-Fry Sauce – Great with seafood stir fries, such as shrimp and/or scallops, as well as chicken. Lemon Stir-Fry Sauce II – nice with chicken and seafood. Tips: Tips:

25 Snacks That Will Give You Energy Throughout The Day *Alert* The Glowing Lean System Registration is OPEN… CLICK HERE to learn more Our energy is integrally connected to the foods we eat. The foods we choose to put in our body can either boost our energy, or drag us down. 1. Everyone knows “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” and it’s true! 2. Bananas are one of the best sources of potassium, which helps maintain normal blood pressure and heart function in the body. 3. Bell peppers are bursting with antioxidant vitamins A and C- also great for skin beauty. 4. Hummus is a healthy energy-boosting snack that is sure to satisfy the creamy-salty cravings. 5. If you have a sweet tooth, organic dark chocolate is sure to satisfy those cravings, and is better than having dessert snacks that contain refined starches, which will deplete B vitamins that we need for energy. 6. These seeds are packed with minerals such as magnesium, iron, and calcium, vitamin K and protein. 7. 8. Celery is a refreshing source of fiber, vitamin C and B-vitamins. 9.

Infographic: A Cheat Sheet For Grilling Out It’s surprisingly easy to cook a single piece of meat perfectly every time. If you can’t eyeball it, you can simply use a thermometer. But what can get quite a bit more difficult is juggling a few different proteins--bone-in chicken breasts, brats, and burgers--on a jam-packed grill for a bunch of friends. Click to enlarge. Luckily, this infographic by Column Five Media makes grilling as easy as looking at infographics. But where it gets interesting is in the graphic’s simplicity of quick comparison. Now I know, you’re a big-time grill master. [Image: Joel Gustaffson/Shutterstock]

Italian Sauces The traditional Amarticiana Sauce typically includes tomatoes combined with pork meat sautéed in olive oil, minced onions, garlic if desired, a small amount of ground chili pepper, and a pinch of black pepper. The recipe, when made in the manner of a true Amatrice sauce, is served with cured pork meat from the cheek of the pig, which is referred to as guanciale; however, it is common to find Amatriciana Sauce prepared with the Italian bacon known as pancetta. Other types of pork are also used when the sauce is prepared in areas outside of Italy, generally because or limited access to guanciale or pancetta. Substitutes such as Canadian bacon may be used when necessary in an attempt to keep the flavor of sauce as close to the original as possible. The second sauce from Amatrice is an Alla Grica Sauce, which is considered the "white" version of Amatriciana.

Top Ten Smart Foods Crossword puzzles alone won't save your brain and protect it from aging , though they will help. So will the right foods. Some edibles are especially good at protecting the brain's delicate nerve cells and blood vessels from the damage that accompanies aging. Most of them squelch free radicals, the renegade oxygen molecules spun off as the brain goes about the business of the mind. Most of the foods that are smartest for the brain are also good for the heart because both rely on a steady oxygen supply. Sweet wild blueberries are bursting with antioxidants, which mop up nasty free radicals. Chemicals called homocysteines are a normal part of protein metabolism, but high levels are linked with cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease (as well as heart disease), which accounts for most cases of dementia in the U.S. Fatty fish are full of neuroprotective omega-3 fatty acids. Research has finally caught up with mom's advice: Spinach turns out to be full of antioxidant power.

Buffalo Wild Wings Recipes I’m more of a classic buffalo sauce(Frank’s, butter, and vinegar) man myself, but I had these recipes for my favorite wings at Buffalo Wings Wings, so I thought I would share. Some of these may seem a little labor intensive, but they definitely taste a lot better with fresh ingredients. Enjoy. updated: November 21st, 2009 Parmesan Garlic 1/2 cup butter, melted1 teaspoon garlic powder1/2 teaspoon onion salt1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated Spicy Garlic 1 Cup Frank’s cayenne pepper sauce1/3 Cup vegetable oil1 Teaspoon granulated sugar1 Teaspoon garlic powder½ teaspoon course ground black pepper½ teaspoon cayenne pepper½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce Medium Wing Sauce 1 cup Frank’s cayenne pepper sauce1/3 cup vegetable oil1 teaspoon granulated sugar1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper1/2 teaspoon garlic powder1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce1/8 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper Hot Wing Sauce Blazin’ Mango Habanero Asian Zing Carribean Jerk Cooking Instructions:

Recipes from Kevin & Amanda This post is in partnership with French’s Sweet Yellow Mustard and Spicy Yellow Mustard. I received compensation to write this post through the Sweet and Spicy Influencer Program. All content, photos, and opinions are my own. Today I’m partnering with French’s Mustard to bring you this fabulous Honey Garlic Shrimp. How fabulous do these veggie noodles look?? Here’s all you need: Shrimp, garlic, honey, red bell pepper, zucchini, squash, parsley, red pepper flakes, chicken broth, and French’s Sweet or Spicy Yellow Mustard. You can use either one of these new mustard flavors from French’s today! First we’ll make a decadent sauce for this Honey Garlic Shrimp. Next, cut the zucchini and yellow squash into noodles (long, thin strips). Delicious yellow squash noodles! Next, dice up a couple red bell peppers and saute over medium high heat. Until slightly blackened. Add a few cloves minced garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes for flavor. Then add the honey mustard sauce and veggies to the pan.

Pesto, Olives and Tomato Grilled Cheese Feet have growing pains, you know. It’s true because our 5-year-said so. I asked him to put away his toys and his response was, “I cannot walk as I have too many growing pains in my feet.” I get those around my waist. Odd. Well, no need to expand your waist or feel any guilt with this grilled cheese recipe. Start with fresh ciabatta or your favorite bread. Grab your favorite prepared pesto or make your own. Let the schmearing begin. Did you schmear the pesto all over both pieces of bread? Grab your favorite type of olives and prepare to chop them up. Chop up to your preferred size and scatter over the pesto on one of the slices of bread. Now slice up that gor-gee-ous tomato into two or three slices, depending on the width of the bread, and layer over the olives. Slice up your favorite cheese. Still staring, eh? That’s better. Spray both sides of the sandwich with olive oil or butter-flavored nonstick spray. Place the sandwich on the plate, cut in half and prepare to dig in. Description

The Perfect Pantry Article Pierogi Recipe | Cooking Momofuku at home October 2, 2010 My mom is obsessed with keeping a stocked freezer, but I guess I don’t really take after her, because my freezer tends to be relatively empty, aside from random containers of stock/ramen broth, frozen dumplings and pierogi. I admit, I store buy frozen chinese dumplings and pierogi for those times that I just don’t feel like cooking. I tell myself it’s because of ease and convenience, but really, I just love the taste of frozen pockets filled with deliciousness. Pierogi are fast, tasty, and ideal for when I let myself get too hungry and become a crazy unthinking monster. It’s Oktoberfest right now and that means two things: beer and sausages. I found an old Gourmet magazine pierogi recipe on epicurious.com and for my first pierogi making experience, it was great. I couldn’t resist putting my own twist on the pierogi though: instead of filling all the pierogi with a potato cheddar cheese filling, I mixed up potatoes with green onion oil.

Chinese Tea Eggs Eggs, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee soft-boiled with some kaya toast dipped into the runny yolk. And scrambled with some herbs and melty cheese. Tea eggs are a common street snack and even sold in convenience stores in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. - 6 eggs - 2 bags of black tea - 4 star anise - 1 cinnamon stick - 1/4 cup of soy sauce Place the eggs in a pot and fill with water until just covered. Place the eggs back into the pot of water and add the tea bags, spices and soy sauce. Alternatively, you can simmer the eggs for about 2-3 hours instead of soaking them overnight. (Ru ware image from here) zp8497586rq

100 Greatest Cooking Tips (of all time!) 1. Remember, y'all, it’s all about the prep. Take away the stress by doing the prep the night or day before. You'll look like a star.Paula Deen Paula’s Best Dishes 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Related: