Category: Kitchen

Pasta Carbonara
Kitchen IQ

The Four Classic Roman Pasta Dishes

There’s plenty of pasta dishes to be had in Rome, and myriad more to be had across Italy, but there are four pasta dishes that have become intricately tied to Roman cuisine: Cacio e Pepe, Gricia, Carbonara and Amatriciana.

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Measuring Spoons
Kitchen IQ

In Recipes, Measurements Are Guesstimates

Bill Buford’s book Heat is subtitled “An Amateur’s Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany.” He learned a little bit about recipe measurements along the way.

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Pasta, cooked in a small amount of sub-boiling water
Kitchen IQ

Kenji’s New Way to Cook Pasta

All credit for this technique goes to my favorite celebrity cooking scientist, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. After giving this technique a try, I’ve never looked back. It’s how I cook short style dry pasta. Give it a try to see if it works for you.

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Bowl of Various Eggplant Varieties
Produce

A Lot About Eggplant

This post is all about eggplant. Currently it is under development, so not every section is filled in. But, the intention is to talk about eggplant varieties, how to select and store eggplant, and most importantly how to cook eggplant.

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Two Peaches
Kitchen IQ

A Tale of Two Peeled Peaches

There are two ways to peel peaches. What are they? When do you choose one way over the other? What are the results? This post will give you the quick lowdown.

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Box of Mixed Farmers Market Tomatoes
Pantry

What’s Your Favorite Way to Celebrate Tomato Season?

We all know that grocery stores get tomatoes that are selected to be shippable and have a long shelf life. In the early summer, when locally grown tomatoes, selected for their flavor become available, it’s time to celebrate. Here’s a half dozen ways I celebrate fresh, uncooked tomatoes. Do you have a favorite?

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Mixed Selection of Summer Squash
Produce

A Lot About Zucchini and Other Summer Squash

Let’s talk about summer squash. Don’t be afraid to branch out from zucchini! We’re going to talk about summer squash varieties, how to select and store summer squash, and most importantly how to cook summer squash.

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Caramelized Onions in Bowl
Kitchen IQ

You Can’t Caramelize Onions in 10 Minutes!

How often do you see a step in a recipe that goes something like this: “Sauté the onions until nicely caramelized, about 10 minutes”? I’m here to tell you that’s a lie! I’m also here to show you how to properly caramelize onions.

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kohlrabi in the garden
Produce

About Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi is one strange looking vegetable. It looks like a root vegetable, but it’s actually a bulbous stem which grows just above the ground.

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Pinocchio Nose
Kitchen IQ

Recipes Lie!

OK, the title is overly assertive. I’ve never reacted to a recipe with “Liar, liar, pants on fire.” But recipes often, for varying reasons, misinform.

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