Even in the cocktail-forward South, tequila sometimes gets an unfair rep as the shot of choice for college kids, or something to hide beneath a margarita mix. But a fine tequila, such as Jalisco, Mexico’s Patrón Añejo, is aged in white oak barrels for twelve to fifteen months, and is a smooth, nuanced sipper. The oak imparts a warmth and depth reminiscent of bourbon. Just in time for the Mexican holiday Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead), swap in aged tequila for bourbon in a twist on an Old Fashioned.
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This meat sauce sounds delicious and different enough from our other family ragu recipes to at least give it a try. I like the use of sage and rosemary. We don’t use a lot of those herbs here although I like the flavor they bring to a dish. — Douglas
I had been living in a corner of southern Tuscany, in the Maremma, for a few months when I began noticing pasta alla buttera (translation: cowboy pasta) here and there—on countryside menus and at various sagre, outdoor food festivals that are especially good places to try regional dishes. I made a mental note to add another job-description-pasta-sauce to a quirky medley of a list that included things like spaghetti alla carbonara and pasta alla boscaiola, named after the charcoal burners and woodcutters that apparently invented and championed the dishes based on what readily available ingredients they had.
“The Incredible, Edible Egg” — as the old advertisement used to say. I found several different recipes I want to try from this article. My favorites include Shakshuka Focaccia, Bacon & Egg Ramen. Savory Ris-Oat-to with Poached Egg by Ali Conklin, and Sheet Pan Eggs by Ali Slagle. To be honest, I’m still reading my way through all the recipes and I might find even more I like. — Douglas
In culinary school my cooking instructors touted the importance of eggs: The traditional chef’s toque is rumored to have 100 folds, one fold to represent the hundred ways to prepare an egg. We’d be forewarned that sometimes the skills test given during line cook interviews would simply be to cook an egg.
Regardless of technique and form, it’s undeniable that eggs are an indispensable ingredient, well suited for any time of the day. Here are 29 of our favorite ways to use them:
These short food videos have become part of my regular YouTube viewing. Babish tries to emulate foods from various TV shows and — when the show’s food is totally inedible — creaates a recipe you might actually want to make at home. Yum! — Douglas
Dev Shah is a man who cares a great deal about food – so much so that he spends the better part of his afternoons scouring the internet for the very best taco truck. With season 2 delving even further into a culinary storyline, it only seemed appropriate to welcome back Master of None with Dev’s victory over pasta carbonara.
This is something I learned through experience, but it is always great to have some research and science to back it up! — Douglas
What’s the role of salt in cooking? Is it important to add it at certain times? Most recipes (and culinary schools) advise seasoning food with salt early in the cooking process, not just at the end. We decided to investigate this conventional wisdom to see if the timing of seasoning makes a notable difference.
Check out these ways to kick up your brownie game. — Douglas
Where do your brownie loyalties lie? Are you Team Fudgy, Team Cakey, or Team In-Between-y?
I’m a fudgy-as-a-truffle gal myself (Alice Medrich’s Best Cocoa Brownies are my old faithful, preferably straight from the freezer)—but today, we’re not here to discuss that age-old question.
Instead, we’re here to take you brownie purists and turn you into brownie hedonists!!!! eccentrics. Your ordinary brownies might be extraordinarily good, but consider these tweaks—in the form of swirls, sprinkles, drops, and swooshes (smears, if you prefer)—for when you want to give your brownie a night on the town, complete with facial glitter (that’s still a thing, right?) and a thick coat of mascara.
I’ve always had a sweet spot for bourbon as my go-to tipple, though I’ve never been one to chase the high-end of the market. Some of the most famous bourbons area unavailable no matter what the price, but I always look for something that shows off bourbon’s char and natural sweetness and goes down smoothly. I can foresee myself working my way through this list, just to expand my bourbon experience — and test out my taste buds. — Douglas
Living in Louisville comes with responsibilities; my 502 area code seems to confer with it bourbon ambassadorship. And while most of us around here just seem to have a good measure of bourbon coursing through our veins, I actually did study to become a Certified Bourbon Steward. However, being a bourbon enthusiast can get expensive, so I’ve learned how to do it without too much damage to the checking account. I’m always on the lookout for that sweet spot of price and flavor.
Here are eight favorites you’ll find on my bar — all for $20 or less. Pro tip: Serve them from a vintage crystal decanter and people will think you’re sharing your special stash.
I’m always looking for tips, tricks and rules of thumb for cooking and this article contains some great info. Learn how the fat you choose affects the taste and style of your dishes and more. — Douglas
Say you are making a beautiful carbonara. You’ve got the bacon crisping, the Parmesan shredded and at the ready, the pasta water simmering away, and—oh no. You used up all the olive oil making Maialino’s dreamy Olive Oil Cake! And all you’ve got on hand is… coconut oil. Drat. That won’t work!
Sure, it’ll fill the oily void, but the flavors of the dish will be all off. You might run out to buy more olive oil, or you might think of this instead as an opportunity for culinary experimentation. Up to you. Either way, it’s easy enough to tell that coconut oil isn’t exactly what the dish is calling for—and it’s certainly not what a nonna would reach for. At the same time, butter would be unusual in a stir-fry, and sesame oil very peculiar in a sauce for sole meunière.
