cooking

Something about the food world leaves it ripe for the influx of trends.  It seems like there's always the "next best thing" being rolled out for diners to try.  The recent popularity of bacon, free-range, organic, and cultural-foods demonstrate the need for restauranteurs to entice their customers with something different or exotic.

Chili is the perfect hot-meal compliment to the cold winter weather we've experienced the last month or so.  A piping hot "bowl of red" warms the core and sticks to your ribs - just the kind of food Northlanders love.  Most folks can agree on this.

Tonight's premier of The Taste on ABC-TV has a local tie-in:  Chef Sarah Master is originally from Hibbing.  The 1996 Bluejacket graduate heads up the kitchen these days at Barbette in Minneapolis, and this show is an excellent way for her to show off her culinary skills on a national level.

Sriracha sauce has been in the news a lot lately.  While the community where the red sauce with the green tip bottle is made has tried - unsuccessfully - to get the plant shut down over odor concerns, it seems like the hot sauce has suddenly shown up at just about every restaurant you go to.

It's time for that annual tradition that always seems to come around in December:  The "best of" list - where someone summarizes what the important trends were throughout the past 12 months.  I've been chosen to compile a pseudo-summary list of what was hot in the food industry in 2013.

Roasting a turkey is one of the easiest things you can make, so it's strange that so many people get so nervous about the process.  I have full details on the entire process in a past post, but if you're looking for a quick answer to how to know when your turkey is done cooking -  read on.

There's something new in the kitchen and I think it's revolutionary!

Northern Minnesota shares the spotlight with Amy Theilen in the new Food Network show "Heartland Table".  The food-lifestyle show is filmed near Park Rapids, Minnesota - yes - that's right, Park Rapids - which just misses the Iron Range by a few miles, west of Grand Rapids. The series debuted on Food Network over the weekend, in advance of her new cookbook called "The New Midwestern

How many of you prep your chicken breasts by washing them in the sink? Yes, I do too. Well, now the experts say, after testing, it is very unsafe to wash your chicken. You may be spreading the bacteria instead of washing it off.

It's a fact worth repeating:  The food world's most-important people are not necessarily its most recognized. Sure there's Bobby Flay and Paula Deen (remember her?);  But for every Emeril Legasse - who touts his pots, pans, and cookbooks on the shopping network, there's two-handfuls of people you may not have ever heard of that truly dictate the trends and create the foods and ingredients that set

Nothing beats fresh pineapple.  But how do you know when it's ripe?

As the resident "foodie" in the building, I'm often called upon for cooking tips - so when I discover a new trick myself, I like to share it.