As I stated in my guide to renovating your kitchen, splurging on good quality kitchen cabinets is usually a good idea when it comes to redesigning your home kitchen (especially if you’re looking to stay in your home for long term).  High quality kitchen cabinets are usually composed of solid wood cabinet faces (e.g., maple), full plywood box construction, dovetail […]

Essential Kitchen Tools (Part II) Back in October of last year I wrote about essential kitchen tools and kitchen simplicity.  The article attracted a few comments from readers stating that my list was too extreme and left out some key tools and items.  So, I’ve decided to take another look around my kitchen and update my essential kitchen tool list […]

I love pasta; in fact, I’d venture to say it is a glorious food product and it’s why we put together our guide To dry pasta!  And it doesn’t really matter how it’s prepared (condiment or sauce-wise, that is); I’ll eat penne rigate with good extra virgin olive oil  and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano,  Bucatini with a fresh, tomato, pan sauce , […]

Nothing makes a home more desirable these days then a new kitchen with all the bells and whistles (well maybe good schools and neighborhoods are more important!).   And most new homeowners either look for a home with a great kitchen or desire to renovate their kitchen at some point during the home ownership experience – hence our kitchen renovation guide. The kitchen […]

Photo: via Veri on Flikr. If you haven’t experimented with Couscous then you’re missing out on a wonderful product.  Most couscous is made from semolina wheat, but Israelis make their couscous with hard wheat and it’s usually larger in size.  Traditional couscous takes a good amount of time to prepare, but most folks in the US use the quick cooking, and thus […]

I wasn’t always a coffee drinker, in fact, I made my way through my senior thesis at the University on granola bars and orange juice alone (I must have been crazy not to consume caffeine).  However, once I graduated and began the 9-5 routine I needed a pick me up to get me going in the morning and sustain me […]

I’m kicking myself for missing a great food article by Mark Bittman published back in January.  The article, “Fresh Start for a New Year?  Let’s Begin in the Kitchen”, is a one stop source for what every aspiring cook needs to have in his/her pantry and fridge to cook well and, more importantly, quickly! Let’s get right down to the […]

MyPressi Twist is taking pre-orders for a unique, hand-held, espresso machine that promises an outstanding cup without the need to plug in a bulky machine.  The Twist uses pneumatic pressure, via re-chargeable Co2 cartridges, throughout the extraction cycle.  The CEO of MyPressi promises that his little caffeine stick provides tons of crema and real espresso goodness all for under $129.00.  […]

As a young kid, I used to marvel at how sophisticated our Genoa-born neighbor Amelia used to appear as she sipped her pre-dinner drink on the back porch.  Amelia would often put together a bitter aperitif (usually red vermouth and Campari), along with a few toasted pieces of bread and Italian cheese, and sit elegantly waiting for her pasta water […]

According to Food and Wine magazine home cooking is the number one food trend for 2009!  And the news is no surprise as more and more people elect to not eat out and cook meals from scratch.  This is great new, right?  Well, according to a recent New York Times article by Tara Parker Pope it really depends who is […]