But there are other burgers, equally delicious: bison, grain (usually sprouted), lamb, legume (black beans, lentils), turkey and veggie burgers.

The next time you cook burgers, try a “burger bar” with an assortment of proteins. We’ve become converts to lamb burgers—plain, curried or topped with feta cheese. Lamb lovers will find them so much tastier than beef.

With so many burgers consumed, there’s lots of room for creativity. Check out:

Take beer. The New York Historical Society has just opened an exhibit called Beer Here, Brewing New York’s History. Chock full of artifacts, the exhibit runs through September 2, 2012.

At the conclusion of the exhibit, you step into a “tavern” to taste some outstanding craft beers from New York brewers. The selection varies daily. We happened to catch the new Small Batch IPA from Heartland Brewery, a brewpub with seven Manhattan locations. The IPA’s complex layering of herbal and floral flavors and aromas is simply thrilling.

But you don’t have to be in Manhattan to find an exhibit on beer, hot dogs, tacos and other favorite foods. Check with your local museums, historical societies and academic institutions to see what they may be cooking up.

As cities grew and local water supplies became polluted, microbes in the water caused disease in the population. People could not safely consume water that had not been boiled.

But beer making boils the water and kills the pathogens. Plus, in the 19th centuries it was discovered that the hops used to flavor beer had antipathogenic and preservative properties (and were even made into medicines).

Beer was one of the most common beverages in the Middle Ages, consumed daily by all social classes in the northern and eastern parts of Europe. Beer also provided a considerable amount of the daily calorie intake. Until clean municipal water supplies were developed in the 19th century, even young children drank beer.

In addition to serving as a vital source of nourishment, beer was a steady source of tax revenue.

As you enjoy a cold one, consider brewing your own. We really enjoyed making beer with a Mr. Beer kit.
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF BEER

  

Small, brown cremini mushrooms, the size of white button mushrooms, grow up into more complex-flavored portabellas. Meaty in both taste and appearance, they grow from three inches to an enormous 10 inches in diameter, with firm flesh. Like meat, they even release juices when cooked.

Scrumptious on their own, portabellas are also a food of choice for dieters, vegans, vegetarians and those watching their cholesterol. They can be grilled in lieu of beef, and they make wonderful grilled vegetable sandwiches.

Served them whole or sliced, stuffed or as “burgers.” For a simple yet elegant starter, serve sliced grilled portobellas drizzled with a balsamic reduction (recipe below), with some greens on the side (we love a feisty arugula-fennel-watercress combination with a few grape tomatoes).

Get the recipe for a portabella Philly Cheese “Steak” (photo below) and this beautiful portabella recipe, stuffed with a salad of microgreens and sprinkled with goat cheese.

1. Remove stems and save for another purpose (omelet, salad, etc.). Wipe the portabella caps with a damp paper towel.

2. Brush the tops with olive oil or canola oil. Cook portabellas gills down for the first 10 minutes to allow moisture to escape. Flip and grill tops.

3. Season as desired before serving.
PORTABELLA, PORTOBELLO or PORTOBELLO?

How can one mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, be known by so many names?

When young, the mushroom is variously called a baby portobello, baby bella, brown mushroom, crimini, Italian mushroom, mini bella, portabellini, Roman mushroom, Italian mushroom, or brown mushroom.

When mature, the mushroom portabella, portobella or portobello. We prefer portabella because it flows easiest off the tongue.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. Combine balsamic vinegar and garlic in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

2. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until the vinegar has reduced to 1/4 cup. Cool to room temperature.

3. Drizzle over grilled portabellas.

DO YOU KNOW YOUR MUSHROOMS?

Check out the different types in our Mushroom Glossary.

When we think of the good old scouting days, making S’mores in the woods by toasting marshmallows on a peeled branch over a crackling campfire, we think:

Why didn’t Mom let us make S’mores in the backyard on the grill, sparing us the poison ivy and mosquito bites?

The answer, most likely, is that she didn’t want us stripping the forsythia and pussy willow bushes. (Those were the days before the advent of metal marshmallow skewers.)

But no plant is denuded to make these delicious S’mores-on-the-grill.

This recipe suggestion comes from the folks at Tastefully Simple, who used their creamy caramel sauce to make S’mores even more festive.

The history of s’mores.
 
 
RECIPE: S’MORES WITH CREAMY CARAMEL SAUCE

Ingredients For 4 Cookie Sandwiches

 
Preparation

1. Roast marshmallows on a skewer over a grill or low flame, until browned and puffed.

2. Place a graham cracker square on a small plate; top with a square of chocolate and the hot marshmallow.

3. Top with second graham cracker square; drizzle with warmed caramel sauce.
 

[1] Turn this Girl Scout standard into a cookout favorite (photo © Tastefully Simple, Inc. Used with permission).

[2] How about homemade graham crackers? Here’s the recipe (photo © Go Bold With Butter).

Our chef’s favorite new book, a great gift for sophisticate cooks (or those who want to be). Photo courtesy the authors.

Whenever my profession comes up in conversation, there is one question I get asked more than any other: “What is your favorite cuisine to cook at home?”

The closest approximation I can offer is that I’m a champion of “guerilla cooking.”

By this, I mean that I open the refrigerator and figure out my menu on the spot. Scanning the fridge for proteins and produce, thumbing through spices and jars in the pantry, I put together a meal that rarely fits neatly inside the label of any one cuisine.

I suppose I love this kind of cooking so much because of my mom, the earliest and most ubiquitous influence on my identity as a cook. She was a working mother who often found herself at the end of the week with odds and ends in the fridge, limited time on her hands and five people to feed. Each and every time, she made the kind of dinners that had the neighborhood kids lining up for their turn to eat over.

So it only makes sense that when I cook, I feel perfectly comfortable going in blind. One of the keys to success in such circumstances is knowing which products and flavors complement one another.

The most effective way to gain such knowledge is experience. However, for those with less experience, The Flavor Bible is an invaluable book to help fill in the blanks. I bought my copy during culinary school on a classmate’s emphatic recommendation, and I will probably use it for the rest of my life.

The Flavor Bible starts off with 30-plus pages on the nitty-gritty details of what exactly constitutes “flavor.” It begins by defining it in the equation, TASTE + MOUTHFEEL + AROMA + X-FACTOR = FLAVOR.

The “X-factor” is anything perceived by our senses of sight, smell and taste, as well as emotional or mental reactions to the food. Each component of the equation is discussed in depth, even addressed philosophically at times; and is explored in as many contexts and from as many perspectives as you’re likely to come across.

These charts contain a virtually all-inclusive list of ingredients, from meat to dairy to seafood to produce, from herbs and spices to oils and vinegars—even liquors and wines. Listed below each ingredient are any and all complementary ingredients, flavors, seasonings, and cooking methods.

Even with a blinding headache, you can figure out exactly what goes best with whatever you happen to have on hand. You’ll also find recipes from notable chefs peppered throughout the charts, and simple dishes and meal ideas in the margins. Warm Frisée and Bacon Salad with Beet Carpaccio and Toasted Walnuts? Yes, please!

For those who want to start off in a general direction but keep things fast and loose, world cuisines are listed with their traditional and most popular ingredients and flavors for easy reference. Throwing a party for a Cuban friend whose family is in town? With The Flavor Bible, you know to fill your house with allspice, avocado, beans, beef, bell peppers, chicken, chocolate, citrus, cumin, garlic, lime, oregano, pineapple, plantains… you get the idea.

So pick up a copy of The Flavor Bible. Then stride fearlessly to the refrigerator and swing the door open with confidence. No matter what you find starting back at you, rest assured you have the knowledge (and then some) to transform it into something delicious.

And that’s a bible to swear on!