cooking

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.

Think you know your Ribeye Steak from a New York?  Or a Pork Butt from a roast?  Think again!  In an effort to make meat choices more clear, the USDA is renaming more than 350 cuts of meat - just in time for the summer grilling season.

It's happened to me.  A couple of years ago, I took food out of my oven that I had baked in a glass pan, set it on a dry cutting board with a hot pad underneath it, and then watched in horror as it shattered into a million pieces of hot flying glass.  It sounded like a gun went off.  The hot glass melted into my floor.  My insurance company was not amused.

Buying gifts for someone who likes to cook? Rest easy - you have plenty of gift options that most-any "foodie" would love.  As someone who likes to cook, allow me to suggest a few items that range in price from the "dollar-or-two" stocking-stuffer-status to a Kitchen Aid stand-mixer - which would be a good gift if you have an extra couple hundred dollars in your wallet. Read Mo

McKenna Pope is 13 and has a 4 year old brother. Her brother wants an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas, but is embarrassed to ask for one because of the "girl" colors that are available, and the teasing he would take from Uncles and friends.