After a few years of observing the kitchen habits of myself and others, I’ve decided to put together a little list that I think a lot of us could benefit from. This list briefly details 10 things that I believe will help make cooking less stressful and more enjoyable.
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10 Rules for a Happier Kitchen
December 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Is Beeswax the Cure for Allergy Suffering?
October 8, 2011 by Leave a Comment
AAACHOOOO!!! My conversation was cut short as I hastily whipped my head to the left and brought up my arm just in time to block my sneeze before covering the lady two feet in front of me with a goobery barrage of Chris germs. “¡Perdóneme!” I said while fervently searching my pockets for anything to wipe my nose with. I had inconveniently used the last of my tissue paper just minutes before. The only option was to keep my arm up in front of my face; to bring it down would mean displaying to the world the inner workings of my nasal cavity.
The sneeze had made my eyes water, adding to their itchy redness. “I’m not sick,” I hastily commented. “It’s just allergies; they’re killing me!”
The lady backed behind her entry-way door, sure that I was sick and contagious. “Then you should chew some beeswax,” she hastily replied. Though my arm still covered my face, our eyes made brief contact. Hers said, “Duh!” and mine said, “Are you crazy?”
The notion of chewing beeswax to cure allergies seemed preposterous to me—so preposterous, in fact, that I have never forgotten it. That was 10 years ago in Ipala, Guatemala, and I could still take you to the exact door where I sneezed. Not that it really matters (it was red, by the way), but it’s fun to think about visiting my old sneezing grounds. It’s almost like marking my territory, but we won’t go there. Moving on…
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10 Ways to Make Cooking Enjoyable for Kids
May 28, 2010 by 6 Delicious Comments
For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while now, you know that I enjoy cooking with my family in the kitchen, especially with my daughter, Maggie. The best part about it is that Maggie enjoys cooking with me. This is a tradition I plan to continue for as long as Maggie wants to hang out with me. From what I hear, once they get into those teenager years, “dads” become nerdy. What kids don’t understand is that some of us have always been nerdy–but we can talk about that at a later time.
Today, I want to share with you some ideas to get your youngsters involved in the kitchen.
If you’re lucky, your kids will want to know what you’re doing in the kitchen and they’ll take an interest in it and even pitch in voluntarily. Maybe you’re not so lucky and your kids think the kitchen pretty much sucks and is just another way for you to torture them. Who knows, maybe they’re right–but it doesn’t have to be that way.
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The Difference between Yellow, White, and Red Onions
March 30, 2009 by 32 Delicious Comments
Welcome to The Cooking Dish blog! This is quickly becoming one of the highest read articles online about onions, and I hope you find the answer you’re looking for. If not, please leave a comment below and I’m more than happy to answer your question.
If you’ve ever been in the grocery store buying onions and couldn’t figure out which color of onion to buy, you’re not alone. Or perhaps you’re cooking and realize your recipe calls for a white onion and all you have are yellow onions… dont’ worry. There are many onions out there, each with their different purposes, but typically they fit into two categories, green and dry onions. This post discusses the dry onions (red onions, yellow onions, and white onions). Although there are many types of each of these dry onions, the general rules for them are as follows.
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All about Watercress
March 25, 2009 by Leave a Comment
My first memories of watercress are at my grandma’s house. I was spending the evening with her after elementary school and she gave me a sandwich with a stringy, small-leaf herb packed between the sandwich meat and bread. I didn’t know my herbs back then and thought she had packed it full of sprouts. It was quite a shock when I took a hefty bite full of fresh watercress and its vibrant flavor filled my mouth.
Watercress is an excellent herb you can use in salads (watercress salad), salad dressings, herb butters, soups, hamburgers, sandwiches, brussels spreads, etc. I’m not quite sure how to explain the flavor, it’s a little different than other herbs, but I’d say it has a zippy, peppery, fresh, maybe pungent taste (as if that description helps). Additional from a unique flavor, it’s also high in vitamins and minerals and is often recognized as a super food.
When you prepare watercress, thoroughly rinse it in cold water and then cut off the stems. once the stems are cut off, you can chop the rest of it up and mix it in with your spreads or add it to your soups. If you’re using it fresh in sandwiches or salads, consider adding it to the dish without cutting it up. Also, if you want the original flavor, you can eat it fresh; cooking the watercress diminishes the flavor substantially and also eliminates some if it’s health benefits.
As a word of caution, if you’re new to watercress, I’d recommend taking it in easy doses first, or you might find the flavor overwhelming.
What is Kosher Salt, and What is It Used For?
March 20, 2009 by Leave a Comment
The other day I posted a short article regarding the differences between Sea Salt and regular Table Salt, but I didn’t mention Kosher salt. And why didn’t I mention kosher salt? There’s a deep physiological reason behind this, so think deeply. Have you figured it out yet? The truth is, I just didn’t feel like writing any more about salt, so I stopped after sea salt and table salt. But, one of my co-workers caught me on it… so now here’s a post dedicated especially to my coworker (you know who you are). So, what is kosher salt and what is it used for?
I like to think that kosher salt belongs somewhere in between sea salt and table salt because it’s an excellent salt to both cook and cure with. Kosher salt has larger crystals which make drawing out a meat’s moisture and blood easier. (This also is the reason it’s called kosher salt, as this is part of the process to make meats kosher.)
Because kosher salt has a larger surface area that absorbs the moisture more readily than regular table salt and because of it’s subtler flavor, it might take a few trial and error dishes to learn how to use it instead of table salt. But once you start cooking with it, chances are you’ll learn to love it. And, by the way, this is a great salt to top homemade pretzels with.
As a quick note, kosher salt doesn’t contain iodine, but no fears, there’s plenty of iodine in other foods you consume.
Read about sea salt and table salt by clicking here.
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