Chef's Notes Plus

Squash Season

‘Tis the season. Well, one of them! As you know, we’re big fans of seasonal eating, and winter squash season is a pretty big league time of the year for foodies. Winter squash, often called hard-skinned squashes are, you know, the squashes with hard skins. That means we’re putting away […]

Chef's Notes Plus

8 Steps to Banish Bland Food for Good!

Whether you’re a newbie or a top chef, there is one word that strikes fear deep into the heart of any cook. Bland. YIKES! Bland is just a nicer way to say boring or flavorless. It means your food isn’t even interesting enough to taste bad; it tastes like nothing. […]

Chef's Blog, Chef's Notes Plus

Recipes Between the Lines: Egg Wash

Egg wash is a common recipe term—and lots of recipes take for granted that the reader knows what it means. And even if you do know the basics of an egg wash, you may not know why you’re using it. An egg wash is a blended mixture of egg, salt, […]

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What I’m Cooking: Herb-Rubbed Roasted Pork

This recipe is really more about the rub than the roast, since it’s all-purpose and surprisingly versatile. Inspired by the seasoning typically used in porchetta, this rub is incredibly flavorful on its own, but a chameleon when paired with virtually any ingredient. Meaning you can eat a dish like this […]

Chef's Notes Plus

Purchasing Shrimp

Shrimp is an easy-to-cook protein, not to mention delicious (shrimp cocktail will never go out of style), but can be sort of confusing to pick out. So many sizes and names, not to mention the choice between farm-raised and wild-caught. Keep reading for a quick refresher on the must-knows for […]

Chef's Notes Plus

Simple Syrup

Keeping a jar of simple syrup in your pantry may seem like a waste of space, but once you have it, you’ll reach for it more than you think. And sure, you can buy a bottle of prepared simple syrup for many dollars, but it’s sort of absurdly easy and […]

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From the Garden: Basil Vinaigrette

I absolutely cannot keep a plant alive. Not even the easy ones, like aloe, even though I really try. The only plant that survives my path of destruction is basil, which is really a yearly tale of resilience. Now it’s mid-August, and for those of us who don’t know how […]

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What I’m Cooking: Lemon Baked Pasta with Broccoli Rabe

I haven’t always embraced my Italian-American identity. That’s not to say I’m not proudly Italian-American, or that I’m somehow ashamed of my Italian ancestry. It was more the Jersey Shore Italian-American stereotype that sort of haunted me, even before MTV entered the conversation. On campus at The Culinary Institute of […]

Chef's Notes Plus

All About Tofu

Tofu, also called bean curd, is made by coagulating (or curdling) soy milk before pressing it into semi-firm blocks. The process, similar to that of cheesemaking, results in tofu of various textures, ranging from scoopable to sliceable, all useful in different kitchen applications, both sweet and savory. Tofu is very […]

Chef's Notes Plus

Make Creamy Salad Dressings without a Recipe

As salad dressings go, oil and vinegar—their cute couple name is Vinaigrette—are sort of the popular kids. Everyone likes them, they get along with anyone/salad, and here’s where this metaphor falls apart: you don’t need a recipe. But sometimes a salad and/or your brain are just begging for a creamy […]