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The Craft of Cooking
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Written by Lizzy Butler
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 As an intern at America’s Test Kitchen – and also at its respective magazines Cook’s Illustrated, Cook’s Country, numerous cookbooks, and television series - you are able to see the entire recipe development process unfold right before your eyes. And, in most cases, you are experiencing it with your own hands too. By taking on the role as an intern, you are signed up to assist the test cooks as they tirelessly test every facet of a certain recipe, which often leads to a recipe being made forty, fifty, or even seventy times. This means a lot of ingredients, a lot of prep work, and a lot of tasting. And don’t take the vague descriptor of ‘a lot’ here lightly…I’m talking slicing forty pounds of onions to make ten batches of French onion soup simultaneously…in one afternoon. How else could we know what type of beef broth is best? This was what my days were like during the thirteen week period of my time there. |
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Features -
The Craft of Cooking
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 Just a quick post here to congratulate Local In Season writer, Jane Ward, on her terrific video in the online Gloucester Times. We know she's great, but here's your chance to see for yourself. Enjoy as Jane shows food columnist Heather Atwood how to make homemade ciabatta. CLICK HERE FOR JANE'S VIDEO! |
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Features -
The Craft of Cooking
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Written by Lizzy Butler
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 An unexpected gathering; a stormy New England day; the looming question of ‘What’s for dinner?’ after a long day at work; a sudden surge of hunger that cannot be ignored...we’ve all been there. We’ve all had those days when we need to whip up something fast without major planning or a trip to the grocery store. Although these situations can quickly turn into culinary nightmares, the solution starts within the walls of your kitchen. If I’ve learned anything about managing my own kitchen at home, one resurfacing truth has always been this: a well stocked pantry means a well prepared cook. No matter the source of pressure, it is aways comforting to know that our favorite backbone ingredients will be there for us upon opening the cabinet doors in times of need. I can tell you a few of my own pantry staples that I know are sitting there right at this moment: chicken stock, canned tomatoes, black beans, bread crumbs, jarred salsa...the eclectic list could go on. When I’m pressed for time, they pull through tremendously, and I am very thankful for that. But for the sake of time and convenience, flavor and quality are often sacrificed. |
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Features -
The Craft of Cooking
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Written by Lizzy Butler
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 Cheese has always held a special place in my heart. Ever since I was barely tall enough to sneak handfuls of cheese from my Mom’s cutting board at the kitchen counter, I have been a true fanatic. It’s salty, it’s savory, it’s just plain delicious. Not only have I always loved the taste of cheese, but the world of cheese has always fascinated me as well. The styles, flavors, and applications seem utterly infinite. Cave aged? Smoked? Fresco? With a layer of ash? How does one begin to choose? It seems to me though, that in the grand scheme of things, cheese mainly falls into one of two categories: there's cheese, and then there is good cheese. Let me explain. On the one hand, there’s cheese I put in everyday foods - in a sandwich for lunch, mixed into a salad, on top of weeknight pasta – and it does its job just fine. It lends some salty unctuousness to the dish, and that's about as far as it stretches for the palate.
But then…there's the latter. The Good Cheese. |
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Features -
The Craft of Cooking
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Written by Jane Ward
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 I love to bake bread, and bake as many as four loaves a week for the family’s breakfast toast and lunch sandwiches. And if those four weekly loaves weren’t enough, my bread baking intensifies between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. In that brief time, in addition to the standard sandwich loaves, I turn out poppyseed coffeecakes for gifts, an Italian sweet bread called pandolce alto, and our family’s traditional Christmas breakfast cinnamon rolls. For me there’s nothing nicer than warming up a cold a winter kitchen with batches of cinnamon-spiced rolls baking away in the oven.
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