TIP OF THE DAY: Add Crunch To Your Foods

When chefs create a recipe, they include elements of salt, acid, fat and heat (and sometimes, a pinch of sweetness). It’s all about flavor: Salt enhances flavor; acid balances flavor; fat delivers flavor and mouthfeel; and heat (pepper, chiles, etc.) is a counterpoint. But what about texture? Good recipes take time to add texture as…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Beyond Ants On A Log

[1] Ants On A log have friends: like these caterpillars and snails on a log (photo courtesy Woman’s Day: photo Steve Giralt; prop stylist: Megan Hedgpeth; food styling: WD Food Dept). [2] Hummus logs, with either celery, fennel or cucumber logs (photo courtesy Cava). [3] Classic Ants On A Log, given a classy treatment: angled…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Spices For Meat

Recipes for simply-cooked meat or poultry—roasted, grilled, sautéed—typically advise: season with salt and pepper. You can do better than that! Chef Sarah Russo of Pre Brands beef suggests additional seasonings that work for almost all meat and poultry. Her technique for maximum flavor is to use at least three spices plus salt. For example: Chile…
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TOP PICK OF THE WEEK: Grass-Fed Beef From Pre Brand

[1] Check out the marbling on this grass-fed beef (all photos courtesy PRE). [2] How about a stir-fry? [3] A ribeye steak. [4] Filet mignon salad (here’s the recipe).   We don’t eat a lot of beef because we don’t like cleaning up after it. But when we befriended new neighbors, serious carnivores, we received…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Fried Potato Peels (Save Potato Peels For A Snack Or Garnish)

Yesterday we featured murasaki, Japanese purple sweet potatoes. Today, it’s a completely different view of potatoes: Fried or roasted peels! We knew that we could freeze potato peels (and all vegetable peels) to make stock. We never thought to cook them as a standalone food. But, in that time-honored tradition of letting nothing go to…
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