You are in official Halloween weather watch mode, when you finally decide: do I have to wear a jacket over my awesome costume!? Your friends at the CIA are rooting for you, and our fingers are crossed for clear skies and warm breezes for your candy-gathering adventures! But before you […]
Dust Off the Cinnamon, It’s Time for Fall Baking
Autumn is for bakers, and for good reason. Fall is known for its bountiful harvest of seasonal ingredients like apples, pumpkins, pears, cranberries, and spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Cooler weather offers the freedom to turn on the oven and warm the house, and the upcoming holiday season […]
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**No part of this site, ciafoodies.com, may be reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the permission of the copyright owner.** Live Q&A with DISH Editor, Laura Monroe New Episode Live – To Be Announced These Live events are exclusive for DISH Members only. Not a DISH […]
How to Measure Half an Egg
At the CIA, each kitchen classroom is equipped with several scales for measuring ingredients, and we are firm believers in scales for home cooking and baking. Not only are weight measures more accurate, but they can make for quick and efficient measuring (not to mention less dirty dishes to clean […]
Gingerbread: History on Display
“And I had but one pennie in the world, thou should’st have it to buy Gingerbread” -Costard in Love’s Labour’s Lost, William Shakespeare c. 1598 When I was a child, one of my favorite holiday traditions was when my family and I would visit Mystic Seaport in Stonington, Connecticut for […]
Pasta Crock: The Louder, the Better
A baked red-sauce and cheese pasta dish with a thick crunch and béchamel sauce. Typical kid foods are composed of simple and delicious flavors, which is why I think you might be fibbing if you said there wasn’t something off the kid’s menu that you occasionally crave. Mine is Pasta […]
All About Ceviche
It is funny in the food world how trends come and go, yet some dishes fly just under the radar. Ceviche is a dish that continues to be interesting but has yet to reach the cross-cultural influence that, say, sushi has. The origins of both are not as far-flung as […]
When Chefs Write
Grading student journals and project assignments isn’t a favorite pastime, but if you are the adjunct instructor of College Writing at The Culinary Institute of America, ya gotta. More correctly stated, I gotta. The semester usually starts with the same complaints: You want me to read HOW MANY PAGES? I […]
Roasting
If you are unsure about the right cooking method for an ingredient, roasting is almost always the right choice! From vegetables to poultry, and yes, even fruit, every ingredient is made better by the deep, rich flavors that come from roasting. Your One-Stop Shop for Everything Roasting Looking for menu […]
Grilling
There is something special about cooking outside, and whether you wait for summer or are an all-weather enthusiast, grilling is an essential technique for your Foodie tool belt. From gas to charcoal and low and slow smoking, we’ve got everything you need to know to prepare meats, poultry, and veggies […]
The Chinese Pantry
It’s a fact that Americans love eating Chinese food. There are over 40,000 Chinese restaurants in the U.S.; there are more Chinese restaurants than McDonald’s. You can probably name a favorite Chinese restaurant and a dish or two you love. It is also a fact that many cooks feel intimidated […]
In Defense of Spam
Early in the semester, CIA students in my Food Writing course read “On Chicken Tenders,” by Helen Rosner, published in 2015 in Guernica. In this amusing but sincere defense of a derided, children’s menu staple, Rosner effectively argues against those who look down on ordering, eating, and celebrating the “perfect” […]