5 Things I Learned from Working in a Test Kitchen — Life in the Kitchen

Making Scotch eggs in CHOW’s test kitchen.
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Working in a test kitchen seems like a dream come true, right? Cook, eat, and cook some more all day long. I’ve been lucky to have worked professionally in two high-volume, bustling test kitchens. I absolutely loved my times there, despite the constant stomachaches I would experience from tasting so much food (first lesson learned: graze, don’t gorge!).

I’ve tested hundreds of recipes, both mine and from other recipe developers and chefs, over the past few years. Along the way, I’ve learned a lot about how good recipes are written!

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5 Grocery Store Myths That Need to Be Stopped — The Grocery Insider

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There are many theories, myths, and misconceptions about how and why grocers operate. Some things are true. Yes, items near the registers are meant for impulse buys. Yes, the type of music affects how people shop. Yes, delicious smells of rotisserie chickens and freshly baked breads help to fill that basket. (In my grocery days, we used smells to cover things as well. When we cleaned the grease trap, we’d simmer a pot of aromatics on the stovetop to cover the sulfurous odor.)

However, not all myths are true. Here are a few ideas to clear the (hopefully deliciously scented) air between you and your grocer.

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21 Recipes to Make You Feel Like a Mad Scientist in the Kitchen — Recipes from The Kitchn

Whether you know it or not, if you’re an avid cook and like experimenting in the kitchen, you’re also a secret mad scientist. A simple dinner salad may not require a white lab coat, but the simple secrets of a proper vinaigrette get their magic from the wonders of science.

From two-ingredient Nutella brownies, blueberry pie overnight oats, and bread that you can make in the slow cooker, here are 21 recipes that will make you feel just a little bit like a mad scientist in the kitchen, cooking up sweet miracles.

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artichoke gratin toasts

artichoke gratin toasts

As someone who claims that her favorite food on earth is artichokes, it’s strange that this cooking website boasts so few recipes that feature them, that the last one was over 5 years ago, and I came to the conclusion years later that I liked it better without the artichokes. Something is not adding up. But while I like to believe that I cook what I want — it’s all about me, me, me, baby — and not solely that which will please a real or imagined audience, the reality is that it’s not much fun to make food that few people get as excited about as you do. It would be like inviting everyone you knew to a viewing party on the latest Science Channel documentary on, say, how rolling luggage is made only to find that all of your friends were simultaneously, apologetically busy that night. (WTH, you want us to return to the dark ages of lifting luggage by hand?)

what you'll need
cooked until tender, patted dry

When it comes to artichokes, most people are divided into a few camps: those that do not like them and are wrong (uh, in my opinion) and those that have tasted their delicious magnificence for what it is. But, even in the pro-artichoke camp, very few people have the patience required for all of the pesky trimming, paring, thorns and fuzzy chokes of preparing them for a relatively small yield of heart for the price. Sure, you can buy prepared artichokes, either oil-packed in jars or brine-packed in cans, but neither taste like much more to me than their respectively slick/tinny confines.

just a little potato, for bulk

… Read the rest of artichoke gratin toasts on smittenkitchen.com


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Brew Your First Batch of Beer in The Kitchn’s Beer School! — The Kitchn’s Beer School

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  • The Kitchn’s Beer School: 20 lessons, 7 assignments to brew your first 1-gallon batch of beer.
  • Beer School Starts: May 4
  • Enroll here: The Kitchn’s Beer School

Have you been wanting to try brewing your own beer, but aren’t quite sure where to start? Or what equipment you might need? Or if you even have enough space in your apartment? Mark your calendar for May 4th and enroll in The Kitchn’s Beer School! We’ll guide you through brewing your first 1-gallon batch of beer.

Curious? Intrigued? Excited? More details below.

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