TIP OF THE DAY: Ingredients For Dazzling Desserts

Dessert lovers: This one’s for you. Today’s tip is adapted from an article by Ann Pietrangel on Care2.com. To get recipes attached to the tips, see the original article. Pietrangel interviewed Chicago-based pastry chef and restauranteur Malika Ameen, a Top Chef Just Desserts contestant and proprietor of By M Desserts. Ameen recommends five ingredients that…
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TIP OF THE DAY: How To Grill The Perfect Steak

Ready for the grill: a beautiful porterhouse steak from AllenBros.com.   Chef Jan Birnbaum of EPIC Roasthouse in San Francisco enjoys a good steak on the grill. In fact, he designs his cookout menus so that he can cook everything outside! Here are Chef Jan’s tips for grilling the perfect steak. 1. Don’t cook cold…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Measure Ingredients Using The Right Measuring Cups

If you bake, take note: Liquid and dry measuring cups are not interchangeable. Precision is especially critical in baking, which is an exact science. Variations can compromise the recipe, especially if it’s a fragile recipe like macarons and angel food cakes. That’s why so many professional recipes are listed by weight (grams) instead of volume.…
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COOKING: Grilling Tips For Meat, Fish & Veggies

What a beauty! Photo courtesy Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet.   Memorial Day Weekend is the official launch of grilling season. We asked Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet, the inventors of the Hybrid Fire Grill (the only grill that can cook with gas, charcoal and wood), to share their top grilling tips. 1. Prepare Marinate your food in advance.…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Don’t Wash Meat & Poultry Before Cooking

Don’t wash raw poultry, meat or seafood. Photo courtesy Chicken.org.au.   Recently we received a pitch for a line of food cleaning sprays that purport to eliminate harmful bacteria. “Outdoor cooking leads to more trips to the hospital because of the improper handling of meats and veggies while grilling,” it advised. “Many of us take…
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