It’s all about harmony and yin-yang. Which sounds tritely New Age-y, but really is the key to Chinese cuisine. Because as with so much of Asian cooking, the blend of seasonings known as five-spice powder is intended to trigger a sense of balance in the mouth and nose. How? A careful selection of spices thatRead more »

Chorizo is a bit like pornography. You’ll know it when you see it, but it’s a bit hard to define in the abstract. That’s because there are several hundred varieties of this sausage made across at least three continents and many bear little resemblance to the others. Making matters worse, chorizo makers in the U.S.Read more »

So you think you know steaks? Maybe you do. But truth is, you probably only really know the particular cuts you buy over and over again. That’s good, but there’s a world of great beef out there to explore. And many of those cuts (and by the way, butchers are creating new ones all theRead more »

Mmmm … Nothing says good eats like soy residue. Except that in Chinese cooking, it really can. And you very likely have enjoyed that soy residue. Many times and in many ways. We’re talking about hoisin sauce, a classic ingredient for sauces — both for dipping at the table and basting during cooking — inRead more »

Not sure what crème fraiche is or why you should care? Consider it a relative of sour cream. Except that while both are white, thick and creamy, crème fraiche is the richer, sexier and more talented relative. Here’s the deal. Like yogurt, sour cream and crème fraiche are dairy products produced thanks to the miracleRead more »

Most of us have plenty of ideas for using whole almonds. Eat them whole. Bake them into treats. Scatter them over salads or green beans. But what about almond butter — toasted (and sometimes salted) almonds that have been ground to a peanut butter-like consistency? After cranking out a few AB&J sandwiches, most people pushRead more »

Several thousand years ago, people discovered that exposing fish to intense amounts of salt and smoke was a great of preserving the catch for later. Today, our smoking techniques are considerably more refined, and we do it more for flavor than as a means of preservation. Which makes it a shame that more people don’tRead more »

Hominy is one of those foods you might think you’ve never tried, yet almost certainly have. Or at least a close relative of it. That’s because the ingredient that starts as hominy can end as many different dishes across many cultures, from Mexican pozole to Southern grits to the corn nuts down at your neighborhoodRead more »

If you’ve ever had a California roll, you’ve had nori. Now it’s time to learn what else you can do with this ubiquitous yet always overlooked paper-like ingredient made from seaweed. Nori — also called laver — is a somewhat generic name for a variety of seaweeds cultivated for use mostly in Japanese cooking. IRead more »

Most people consider polenta a restaurant food. Because as good as this creamy, cheesy Italian staple is, few of us have the hour needed to crank it out. But hidden on the grocer’s shelves is a shortcut that can help get polenta on your dinner table any day of the week in minutes: prepared polenta.Read more »