(Photo: Espresso machine meets Battlestar Galactica) I was a big fan of the Sci-Fi series Battlestar Galactica.  Battlestar, as it was known to series insiders, was serious science fiction that was elegantly produced with big ideas, a great script, and blissful (almost film noir) type visuals.  The central plot of Battlestar centered on man made machines called Cylons that evolved […]

My mother can pretty much make a fabulous meal out of anything she has laying around the house (her culinary skill set constantly amazes me).  Here’s a classic example: uovo rotto al aqua con cipolla e prezzemolo, literally translated from the Calabrian dialect, “egg broken over water with onion and parsley” or poached eggs with parsley and onion. My mother’s […]

The Tradition You Come From Matters One of the critical life lessons I learned from my Italian family is how to value food and dispel the myth of equating poor eating habits with economic class or spending power.  Specifically, I was taught: How to cook and the closely associated idea of, Why food is important and should be taken seriously. My mother […]

(The unit comes in many colors and is perfectly sized.  The two simple buttons are large and easy to use.  The LCD screen is huge and there’s no guessing the amount when scrambling in your kitchen preparing a dinner party)  Update: Congrats to Ami for winning the contest.  The giveaway is now closed. For years, I’ve used a Salter metal […]

Negotiating With Contractors is in my blood and, like many first generation college grads, I come from a long line of blue collar workers (though I don’t like the “blue color” phrase as, in my experience, many old world “blue collar workers” are as capable and technical as the average college grad here in the US).  My father, for example, was […]

Wolf Duel Fuel Range Review February, 2015 Update: Our Wolf Duel Fuel Range (DF366) has now encountered an issue with the oven, in both convection and standard mode, where the unit cannot hold temperature and, in certain instances, cannot reach set temperature.  A customer service call to Wolf / Sub Zero resulted in no solution (the call center is not […]

Chemex Coffee Maker I was flipping through the latest issue of the New Yorker and an article by Malcom Gladwell caught my eye, as it usually does whenever I see his name in the table of contents.  Gladwell writes clearly and as deeply as a popularizer of big ideas can so I look forward to his articles (you’ll never get all the […]

(photo: Scordoni awaits grapefruit juice and a quick stir) I didn’t always like Campari; in fact, I thought the liquor was bitter, fowl, and just unappetizing.  I remember ordering a Negroni (made with gin, sweet/red vermouth, Campari, and bitters) at a fancy New York restaurant and thinking this drink is strong, but it’s really not doing much for me on […]

(photo: tarallini made with red pepper flake) I’m going to ask the inevitable question; how many bags of chips did you consume this weekend?  And did you include some dips like sour cream and chives or salsa to go with the multiple bowls of corn and potato chips?  Well, I’m not going to scold you because it was Super Bowl […]

(photo: incorporating olive oil, garlic, and parsley with spaghettini) Update: Congrats to Susan for winning the contest.  The giveaway is closed. Back in September of 2009, in my overview of dried pasta entry, I made the claim that dry pasta is NOT inferior to freshly made pasta (this is the type of pasta which I often make at home with […]