Chef's Notes Plus

How to Make a Pan Sauce with No Recipe

Just like you, we’re not making fully formed extravagant dinners every night of the week. Sometimes a basic pan-cooked protein + side is as good as it gets, like a sautéed chicken breast or seared pork chop. But just like the foundations of French cooking tell us, nothing makes a […]

Chef's Notes Plus

The Perfect Condiment for Summer Sandwiches

It’s Laura here, your DISH editor and certified beach bum. I grew up at the Jersey Shore, and between Memorial Day and Labor Day, there were three priorities: swim, sun, snacks. For me, the perfect beach snacks are as follows: cubed melon, pretzel rods (not sticks), shortbread cookies for a […]

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Happy 75th Birthday, CIA!

This weekend, we are celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the founding of The Culinary Institute of America. This great celebration is not ours alone, and we hope as a friend of the CIA, you’ll help us mark the occasion by channeling your inner foodie and eating something worthy of 75 […]

Chef's Notes Plus

All About Baking Soda and Baking Powder

Both baking soda and baking powder, referred to as chemical leaveners, give breads, cakes, and other doughs and batters a light texture by introducing carbon dioxide gas into the batter. The gas expands the bubbles that are already present in the batter due to the action of mixing or creaming. […]

Chef's Notes Plus

Our Ten Favorite Recipes to Cook for Mom

A special recipe doesn’t have to be fancy, it just has to be delicious! If you want to make something special for your Mom this weekend, try one of these sure-to-please dishes. There’s something for every Mom, or anyone you love like one! Onion Soup Gratineé Croque Monsieur  Crab and […]

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The Spring Pantry

While February gives way to March, you’ll still find carrots, winter squash, celery, potatoes, parsnips, and turnips in the markets coming from cold storage, along with onions, apples, and garlic. When spring arrives (March in San Antonio, but not until late April or early May in Hyde Park, New York) […]

Chef's Blog, Chef's Notes Plus

Thoughtful Gifts for Your Foodie Mom

Mother’s Day is coming up, and whether you are celebrating your mom, your wife, your mother in-law, your grandma, your sister, or maybe even yourself (treat yourself!), the mom or mom-figure in your life may be a foodie like you. If your mom isn’t already a DISH member, that’s a […]

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How to Choose Olive Oil

Olive oil can be fruity, nutty, sweet, zesty, peppery, rich, intense, and assertive; mild, mellow, light or heavy, subtle, and delicate; opaque or clear, deep olive green, pale green, gold-green, golden, or pale yellow. Like wine, no two olive oils are exactly alike. The most wildly-available olive oils in the […]

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How to Make a Hearty Vegetable Soup Without a Recipe

Hearty vegetable soups (broth + veggies + other ingredients, left chunky) are for more than the cold of winter, since they can showcase some of our favorite spring and summer veggies! Best of all, you don’t need a recipe to make a flavorful hearty soup, as long as you follow […]

Chef's Notes Plus

How To: Cook Asparagus

When the local crop of asparagus first starts to trickle into the market, we can’t wait to get it home. Tender and sweet, asparagus is wildly versatile and easy to cook, making it a favorite for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Asparagus can be sold in several sizes, from pencil-thin and […]