CookShelfSweet August has arrived and in thirty-one days, September will be embraced by my open arms. As temperatures are still sweltering here in the US, many cooks are looking for options to feed their families that can be…
Peak tomato season is here for most of us in the Northern Hemisphere. Home gardens and farmers markets are flush with heirloom varieties in a rainbow of colors. You can find delicate yellow orbs, huge meaty beefsteaks,…
Earlier today I took two sticks of butter from the fridge, plopped them in a saucepan over medium-low heat, and walked away. No, I did not have what my husband refers to as a "space cadet" moment, I just wanted to make…
I am still on my quest for chocolate chip cookie perfection (#chocolatechipcookies). Yesterday, I was on the phone with my best friend and we always discuss our baking experiments. She was putting together dough for…
One of my favorite pastimes is to find recipes that recreate classic American snacks like Oreos and Twinkies. I look for recipes that are not exact duplicates, but rather better versions of these iconic treats (this is…
Before I discovered my secret to transporting cakes, pies, and other delicate food items safely, I went through a lot of trial and error. I tried various types of containers and boxes, built up "dams" around the object…
With much of the world in lockdown for the spring, when The Great British Bakeoff (known in the US as The Great British Baking Show) is usually filming, most GBBO fans probably thought that there would not be a 2020…
Kate McDermott is the queen of pie. Her debut cookbook Art of the Pie: A Practical Guide to Homemade Crusts, Fillings, and Life is beloved by bakers worldwide. This title made most of the best book lists of 2016 as well…
Whenever someone asks me the question, "If you could start over, what profession would you choose?" my answer is "professional baker." There are many reasons that never happened, and recently my excuse has been that I…
My husband and I have a running joke that the only thing that cannot be improved by deep-frying is iceberg lettuce. What makes deep frying so special? One reason is the breading or coating that adds a pleasant crunch to…
As you may have deciphered from my Fear of an empty pantry, part two – the baking edition article last week, or any other baking-related piece I've shared (and there have been many), I am a baker. While I love all…
Perhaps I'm stretching the definition of spice a bit by including garlic, but it is generally treated more like a spice than a huge part of the meal (chicken with 40 cloves of garlic notwithstanding). Anyway, this post…
