Dragon Fruit: Science for Kids in the Kitchen

Well, not exactly science but a lot of fun and education while spending some quality time with your young ones.

My wife, Cherie and I love to expose our children to new experiences. One area of great entertainment is with exotic and new foods. As a chef with a vast knowledge of foods and how to prepare them my professional education is transformed into a fun activity for all of us. I am not saying you need to be a chef to enjoy this activity with your children rather my enthusiasm for food is where this ritual sprung from.

SLO County

For the majority of my life I have always thought of California's northern coastline as one of my homes. From my youth and into my early adulthood I would always return to the Santa Cruz county coastline after my adventures in other parts of the country. I was in my late 30's when I finally took notice of the central coast and since then I have enjoyed returning there as an escape than another home.

Cayucos Pier

Calibrating Your Instant-Read Thermometer

Forgotten in the back of a kitchen drawer rolling around with an odd number of corn cob handles and a tiny wooden mustard spoon. Surfacing once maybe twice a year to check the Thanksgiving turkey and the holiday prime rib roast. Maybe you have just purchased one or use one all the time yet get unsatisfactory results. How do you know if it is accurate? How do you check it?

Calibrate

Cookbook Stands

One more point I have been asked to discuss is how to successfully and easily read along with a recipe in a cookbook or magazine while working in the kitchen. Along with sharing my tricks I thought this would be an excellent time for some shameless advertising paired with my curt opinion. Win, win!

To Brine A Chicken: Quick Method

Brinning a chicken (whole, cut or boneless) is a great way to help your bird retain some of it's natural moisture but more importantly heighten flavor. Let me put the notion to rest that a brined bird will survive poor cooking methods. An un-brined bird can be cooked to juicy and flavorful perfection just as much as a brined bird can yield the flavor and texture of sawdust if cooked carelessly. However, taking the time to prepare a brine and appropriately cook a chicken will give you an obvious results that will have you and your guests satisfied with your efforts.

Reading A Recipe

As this blog grew to encompass recipes and techniques, I realized I had neglected to offer some very basic yet fundamental advice.