Christine | January 28, 2010
“A bit of friendly advice,” said the seasoned Italian chef who conducts the class in Kitchen Lab #1 immediately before ours. She routinely offers us an educated opinion on a wide range of topics as she packs up her computer bag and we set up our workstations.
Our own chef willingly yielded her time, backing away [...]
Christine | January 26, 2010
Prior to this one, my salads have been pretty frenetic by comparison. That’s because they didn’t bother to obey the six commandments of salad assembly but followed the “what’s left in the vegetable drawer” tenants instead.
Christine | January 25, 2010
The Park Slope ChipShop in Brooklyn takes its deep frying very seriously.
The list of food the cooks at this British-themed fry joint will submerge in hot oil includes fish, bangers, chips (that’s English for French fries), bananas, pizza, plum pudding, Mars bars and anything (within reason) that a customer brings into the shop and wants [...]
Christine | January 20, 2010
Ham hocks pulled me back from the ledge this afternoon.
No, I am not alluding to some beefy ex-Marine (although I do have one of those sharing my stainless steel work table in Lab Kitchen #1 daily) who heroically talked me down from a harrowing suicidal situation. I’m talking about two smoked pig ankles, simmering in [...]
Christine | January 19, 2010
Today I made eggplant parmesan with one guy who didn’t know what the purple oblong fruit sitting on the cutting board in front of him was, a second who was open to the idea but had never actually eaten it, and a third who assured me it would be one of the best things I’d [...]
Christine | January 14, 2010
The first Le Cordon Bleu culinary class was taught on January 14, 1896, in Paris. The chefs conducting that particular cooking demonstration were among the first to publicly use the newest weapon in the culinary arsenal at that time: the electric stove.
I know this tidbit of information because the marketing arm of the Chicago-based Career [...]
Christine | January 13, 2010
Viruses and parasites and toxins, oh my!!
Navigating the path of microorganisms that cause food borne illness is certainly as perilous for us as the walk down the yellow brick road was for Dorothy and her friends.
Instead of trees that pick up their own apples and throw them at your head, we’ve got ground beef that [...]
Christine | January 11, 2010
I adore my sharp and shiny new toys.
The 10-inch chef’s knife is my new best friend. Sorry all of you old BFFs, you’ve been replaced with a svelte new German model made of high carbon stainless steel. I think I will call her Gisela.
I stand in awe of the long, sleek slicer and its fraternal [...]
Christine | January 7, 2010
During our kitchen equipment treasure hunt today we happened upon what I think is one of the most underrated pieces of cooking equipment: the melon baller.
No, I am not talking about that slime green Midori cocktail. I don’t fancy reliving the horrible evening I spent with those the first time I went off to [...]
Christine | January 6, 2010
A men’s size 10!! How can my feet be that big?
The lovely forest green pumps with the black Mary Jane strap I bought in London last summer were a wee Size 8 ½ women’s. Granted that’s in accordance to the British sizing scheme. But still, I love those shoes
I hate these shoes.
I look down at these [...]
