Back when I was working graveyard shifts as a hospital pharmacist, cooking dinner was the absolute last thing I wanted to do when I got home. Fortunately, I learned that I could quickly toss some ingredients into my slow cooker and pass out, confident that I’d wake up when things started smelling good — like these slow-cooked, Asian-spiced ribs.
Q: If I buy fruits or vegetables at a grocery store in cans that are very large (6 pounds) — whole-kernel corn, for example — can I open them up and put them in pint jars and reseal them in a hot water bath?
Sent by Linda
San Francisco may be best known for sourdough, but a few years ago it also became home to a new culinary mash-up: the sushi burrito. A combination of rice and fillings all wrapped — burrito-style — inside a sheet of nori, the sushi burrito is a very welcome solution for wheat-free burrito-lovers, like myself.
My chef sister, Fiona, is my go-to source for hands-on cooking advice and one of my biggest culinary heroes and influences. But even more important? Fiona came up with an umami-packed, Thai-inspired chicken recipe that immediately became a family favorite.
Q: Can the no-knead bread be made in a slow cooker instead of a Dutch oven?
Sent by Helga
Does it matter where you grocery shop? I mean, aren’t all stores basically the same? No, they aren’t. In fact, there can be a huge range of pricing for the very same item in a number of stores. Where you shop can save you money.
But did you know that shopping at the same store can also reduce your grocery bill week after week? Familiarity can breed contempt — but I prefer when it saves me some coin.
Adopting a Paleo lifestyle doesn’t mean that fried rice is forever off the menu. You just have to get creative.
Years ago, when I went Paleo, I experimented in the kitchen until I developed an Asian cauliflower fried “rice” that easily trumps the greasy, soy-drenched stuff peddled by your local Chinese restaurant. As long as you prep the veggies the night before, it’s a cinch to throw this one-wok meal together on a weeknight. The leftovers reheat wonderfully, and they are the perfect sidekick to lunches for the rest of the week.
Q: How else can Calphalon Kitchen Essentials 4 Cup Egg Poacher be used besides poaching eggs? Can you please share some recipes and tips?
Sent by Millie
Once a year, our family escapes to Hawaii — our home away from home. I love everything about the islands: the friendly people, the unhurried pace, the balmy climate, the sweeping beaches, the glorious sunsets, and the comforting local food.
Foremost among the Hawaiian dishes I crave? Kalua pig.
It all started with salt. My local grocery store had run out of their house brand sea salt and I couldn’t find another similar salt for a decent price on the shelves. Then I turned around and spotted it — in the bulk bin section, in a drawer I had never noticed before, selling for even less than the packaged generic brand.
That find inspired me to spend a little more time looking closely at the bulk bin sections of my local supermarkets, going beyond the usual nuts, grains, and snacks, and focusing on the types of foods you might not know you could buy in bulk.
