When summer rolls around, I think of two things: grilling and ice-cold beverages. To me, nothing beats loading up the grill with charcoal, letting the smell of smoke get stuck to your clothing, and imbibing the most refreshing drink you can find.
A long time ago I was reading an issue of Saveur and saw an article about a trendsetting bar in Portland. The bartender at the joint had started making enormous blocks of smoked ice for his cocktails. When a patron ordered a drink that called for the smoked ice, the bartender would chip off a large chunk and place it in a glass with the booze. Then, as the ice slowly melted, the drink would take on more and more smoky notes, and the flavor profile of the beverage would change with every passi...
Other than salt, there's no ingredient that's as big a kitchen staple as olive oil. And just like salt, there are a million little known uses for it.
When I was in college, I invited a girl over for a date. It was a glorious spring day, and I thought it would be the perfect time to fire up the unused barbecue that had been sitting on my patio all school year. I prepped all the food, chilled all the beer, and then I realized I had no way of lighting the coals for the barbecue.
It's a basic law of cooking: whenever you're really craving something, you don't have it. All you want is a glass of wine? Chances are you finished the bottle while braising meat last night. Want nothing more than a sandwich right now? Yep, you finished the bread with breakfast. You'd kill for a steak? They're all in the freezer, and you don't want to wait while they thaw; you want your steak now.
As a kid, my favorite part of Easter were the days leading up to the holiday, when my family would dye eggs. This became an enormous event in my household, as dozens and dozens of perfectly white eggs would become little oval canvases for arts and crafts.
Poaching, the cooking method that gently cooks food at the barest simmer, is awesome because it keeps in moisture and flavor. The no-cook poaching method is even better, because you don't add heat to your kitchen on hot days, and you don't have to watch the pot.
One of the most mind-blowing meals I ever ate occurred when I was 12 years old. The main course and sides were good, if unmemorable, but my jaw dropped during dessert when my friend's mother whipped out a blowtorch—as in a bona fide welding torch from the hardware store—to finish off the crème brûlée.
I first became acquainted with this dish when I worked across the street from a Chinese restaurant. After that I ordered it every time! Now that I don't work by there anymore I don't get to eat it but I sure do still crave it! So I researched and tried a couple recipes and this was my favorite. Hopefully this version lives up to your expectations.
Cookies for breakfast seem like a clear dietary no-no, but these three-ingredient breakfast cookies are easy, healthy, portable, and can be made in advance. They're also dairy-free, egg-free, and have no added processed sugar, so they can also be called allergy-friendly cookies. If you use gluten-free quick oats in this recipe, they are also gluten-free breakfast cookies! Besides all of those reasons, these cookies are only about 50 calories each when they're made with just the original three...
Garlic: almost every cuisine in the world considers it a staple, and for good reason. Its pungent flavor gives depth and character to food. Dishes made without it seem bland and forgettable. And on top of all that, it's been studied for its potential anti-cancer properties (and don't forget: it's been mythologized for warding off vampires).
If you have ever attempted to mix and shape your own meatballs or burger patties, you may have endured bits of meat continuously and stubbornly sticking to your hands. This can make shaping more challenging than it should be.
Minor mishaps occur all the time in the kitchen, whether you cut your finger while dicing an onion, scorched your hand in a grease fire, or burned the roof of your mouth because you were to eager to taste-test your killer pasta sauce.
You either love kimchi or you hate it, but for those of us who love it, its salty, briny, spicy crunch is the stuff of life. Honestly, if you're not eating it regularly, you should start, since it's being studied for an amazing list of health benefits, including anti-cancer, anti-aging, and antioxidant properties; obesity and high cholesterol prevention; and promotion of immunity and skin health. The beauty of kimchi is manifold:
I don't deep fry food that often, mostly because it uses a ton of oil, which is expensive, and the cleanup is a son of a mother. (That oil really splatters everywhere.) Plus, no matter how careful you are, you will get hit by hot oil at some point and it will not be pleasant.
Aluminum foil is one of those things that every cook, experienced or just starting out, has in their kitchen. And while we may think we know how useful this handy material can be, there are hundreds of ways we could be utilizing tinfoil to make our lives a whole lot easier.
There are several reasons why restaurant food tastes so good. One is that the cooks know how to make reductions, which involves cooking down large amounts of liquid until it becomes a pool of thick, glossy sauce. While this technique isn't hard to learn, it can be time-consuming.
When it comes to squeezing as much battery life as possible out of our smartphones, most people aim for software solutions, or ones that can otherwise be easily managed right from the touchscreen.
Dried fruit makes a great, healthy snack by itself, and it's a nice addition to both sweet and savory dishes. Most people assume you have to have a dehydrator to make it at home, but you don't really need one unless you plan on drying fruit pretty frequently. Your oven does the job just fine. Drying fruit in an oven is a pretty simple process: just bake it at a low temperature for a long time. It's usually cheaper than buying dried fruit from the grocery store, and a great way to use extra fr...
LEDs have slowly become the standard for DIY lighting projects because they consume less power and last way longer than regular light bulbs do. Light-emitting diodes have no filament, meaning they generate their light solely by the movement of electrons in a semiconductor material.
Most people wouldn't think of butter as a flammable substance, but in this project—it definitely is! We're making emergency candles that burn for hours using just some toilet paper and a bit of butter!
Summer is here, and temperatures are rising. Instead of shelling out for an expensive new air conditioning unit, why not build one yourself with a few bucks worth of old computer parts?
Hello! I want to share a few hints about staying literally cool when the temperature of the air outside rises incredibly. So, if you're in a very hot area, please continue reading!
Fairs and festivals are awesome, and one of the best parts about them is the food. Sure, it's all deep-fried and terrible for you, but it's so delicious. It's also always on a stick, which makes eating fried food even easier for us fat Americans.
What's the first thing you would do once you realized you were lost in, say, a desert? If you're like me, you would immediately pull out your cell phone and start dialing every number. But what if you have no service? What if your battery is dead?
You don't need heat to get your hair curly. And you don't need a lot of time. This video will show you how to curl your hair with that wavy fluff, with only a little bit of time, and no heating products. It's super simple, and will leave you curly all day long.
If you want to shake up your style or pay tribute to the 90s, then bust out that crimping iron. You will bring the party with this fun and funky style that can worn down, up or added to bring a little flare to more traditional styles.
Here is a take on a cheap but very romantic valentines gift that your loved ones would truly enjoy. Here's how to make your perfect chocolate dipped strawberries. Gather the ingredients that you'll be needing: a batch of chocolate chips (dark and white chocolate) and 16 oz strawberries. Prepare also the following cooking utensils: 1 pot and 2 heat proof bowls along with a laid out foil or wax paper (whichever is available to you). Start by cleaning and rinsing strawberries along with their st...
To make Arabic coffee, first grind Arabic spices with a mortar and a pestle. Next, add the spices and the coffee to a single serving sized can. Pour water into the can and add a bit of granulated sugar. Stir the coffee, the spices, the sugar and the water together. Place the can over a flame and heat the coffee until it almost boils over. Spoon the foamy coffee mixture into a cup. Once the foam is gone from the coffee can, heat the remaining coffee again until it almost boils over. Pour the p...
We have all had a sticker stuck on something that just will not come off. No need you scrape all day. Use a handy science trick and apply some heat to loosen up the adhesive and remove that unwanted sticker.
With this video demonstration, you'll learn how to iron a jacket using the Batisella universal ironing board, the technical specifications of which are as follows: board type 50x130cm with automatic steam generator [6,6kW power and 8lt boiler capacity] for 1 iron, board suction and blowing unit 0,37kW, board steaming, board heating power 0,8kW, ironing board height 92cm, heated 0,15kW and vacuum sleeve ironing buck. Equipped with turning iron support, double pedals [enabling work on both side...
Expert massage therapist Jinilee Reavis offers an introduction to hot stone massage therapy in this video series. She offers information about heating the stones, how the combination of heat and weight is therapeutic for relaxing muscles, and when to apply lotion to maximize the benefits of hot stone therapy.
Are you in the mood for a good chicken and vegetable stir-fry. This recipe is quick and it is delicious.
It doesn't matter if you're a chocolate lover or just a casual chocolate eater, these chocolate brownie trifles are extremely addictive! If you whip up a batch of these trifles, you're sure to be the king (or queen) of the potluck or dinner party. No doubt about it. Everyone can enjoy a sweet chocolaty dessert.
Gazpacho isn't all tomatoes! This wonderful gazpacho summertime soup has tomatoes and it has roasted red peppers and garlic. It's the perfect summer treat during a hot day in the sun. Check out the video recipe for all the steps to preparing this Spanish-style soup.
Corn is everywhere, and there are a large amount of methods for preparing it. If you're a corn on the cob kind of guy, you may be fascinated to know that a microwave is all you need to cook it. Bring the fresh taste of summer to the dinner table in a few short minutes by using your microwave to cook corn on the cob.
The most used and most washed articles of clothing are undergarments. Underwear, specifically bras and panties, are in desperate need of attention after each and every use. They're not like a pair of jeans, wearing them twice in a row is not a good idea, nor clean. Shabby’s not chic when it comes to lingerie. Use a little extra care to keep your lace and silk bras and panties looking good.
Home accidents. It's up to you to protect your family… your children… from accidents in the home. And there's one place that seems to get the most attention when dealing with safety concerns… The kitchen is one of the busiest, most accident-prone rooms in the house. Design a kitchen that will keep your family and guests safe.
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to make fried shrimp won-tons. The ingredients required for this recipe are: 1 package of won-ton wrapper, 2 cups of chopped shrimp, 1 cup of chopped cabbage, 1/2 tsp of salt, pinch of black pepper, 1 tbsp of corn or tapioca starch. Begin by mixing the copped cabbage, chopped shrimp, salt and black pepper together. Add 1/2 tsp of water to the mix. Users may also add one minced garlic clove. Wetting the won-ton wrap and add in 1/2 tsp of the stuffing. ...
It doesn't have to be summer to get deliciously fresh herbs and spices. Check out this tutorial, and learn how to preserve and dry your spices in the summer for use in those dull winter months.
