I saw this video of Mark Bittman from the 2007 TED conference.  Not that you have to agree with everything he says (and I’m not claiming I do), but I think his history of food in America (at the 7:45 mark) is interesting, and it’s certainly not a bad idea to think more about what we’re [...]

Posted in Health, Other 2 Comments »

I was in the middle of making calzones the other night (which turned out to be the best calzones I’ve ever eaten, but I’ll save that for another post), when I opened my tub of ricotta cheese and found a spot of mold on one of the edges. I didn’t know what to do. [...]

Posted in Health, Kitchen Tips 4 Comments »

This post is part of a series called Cooking 101, which introduces the basics of cooking. The series follows the book Culinary Fundamentals. Check out the previous posts here.

Unit 3: Sanitation
Sanitation – everyone’s favorite topic, right? I know, it’s not exciting but I thought I’d run down some of the basics [...]

Posted in Cooking 101, Health 4 Comments »

Freezing food is a great way to save it for later – but how do you thaw it safely? Much to my surprise, the book Culinary Fundamentals advises not to thaw food at room temperature.
Many, but not all, pathogens grow best within a temperature range from 41 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit (5 to 57 [...]

Posted in Health, Techniques 6 Comments »

The safety of nonstick, Teflon coated pans is a topic that I’ve mentioned recently and I decided it was worth looking into. My cookbooks offered a little information, but nothing extensive. Mark Bittman voices his worries in How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, explaining that he only uses nonstick for eggs or sauteing, and [...]

Posted in Equipment, Health 7 Comments »