What’s Cooking This Weekend? — Weekend of October 4-5, 2014

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It’s a big weekend around here — the last one before The Kitchn Cookbook launches itself into the world. We’re so excited to share it with you! And Sara Kate and I hope to meet many of you at our west elm book parties in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Columbus, and Philadelphia. Check out the tour dates and come on out for treats, books, and Kitchn fun.

Also, our first ever Cooking School kicks off Monday — are you enrolled? It’s a busy fall but dinner still has to happen, so take a look at some of my favorite dinner posts from the past week. Tell us what’s cooking tonight!

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14 Absolutely Free Ways to Improve Your Cooking — Life in the Kitchen

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When you think about making your meals taste better, or becoming a better cook, what presents itself to your mind? Do you wish you had the money to splurge on luxurious ingredients like really high-end olive oil and aged cheese? (Personally, I wish I had a white truffle perched on my windowsill all the time.) Or do you wish you could go to culinary school and learn the fine arts of French cooking?

All of these things are well and good, but there are so many ways you can improve your cooking right now, without spending a dime. Here are 14 absolutely free ways to take your cooking up to the next level.

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Here Is the Correct Way to Serve Grapes — Tiny Tips from The Kitchn

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I always gravitate toward the cheese platter at buffets or cocktail parties. Who doesn’t like cheese, sweet grapes, and maybe a few slices of prosciutto or salami? While there’s zero cooking involved in a putting together a cheese platter, here’s one tiny tip about the best way to serve that big cluster of grapes that makes a big difference.

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The Top 10 Things I Learned in Culinary School — Culinary School Diaries

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Last week was my final week of culinary school. For the past 12 weeks I’ve learned so many things, from basic vegetable prep, to stocks, fish, meats, and pastry. I learned an incredible amount in the short time period, and could not be more thankful and enthusiastic about the whole experience.

Here are the top ten things I learned in culinary school. Some of these things are easily teachable (like quartering a chicken), while other things like reading recipe simply require a good teacher or time in the kitchen.

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