I am positive that just about everyone reading this post will have bought packs labeled “Parmesan” from their local supermarket. I am also sure that just about everyone will have used said Parmesan in their cooking, whether it was as the basis for a sauce or simply grated over a bowl of steaming pasta.
Unfortunately, much of what is on sale in the U.S. is mass-produced, a pale imitation of true Parmigiano-Reggiano from Northern Italy, and lacks the texture and deliciously nutty flavor of the genuine article. The good stuff may be pricey, but it is worth every penny and I really hope that Battle Parmigiano will inspire everyone to go out in search of the real deal.
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The fourth episode of Worst Cooks in America had the remaining recruits tackling some of America’s favorite dishes in a quintessential atmosphere — a New Jersey diner. Diners have been a part of American history since the late 1800s and often resemble a mobile home. Known for offering a wide variety of dishes like French fries, nachos, grilled cheese sandwiches, chicken fingers and milk shakes, diners are a casual place to grab a bite to eat.
This week, Bobby and Anne tasked their teams with making two of those dishes: French fries for Team Anne and nachos for Team Bobby. Each team was shown the basics of frying and then they were asked to reinvent the classes with creative toppings.
Members from Team Anne aced the creativity portion of their test, creating sauces, guacamole and frying up eggs, but many of them had an issue with cooking the fry perfectly. According to Anne, all French fries should be double-fried; watch this video to learn how to cook French fries perfectly.
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Follow tough-love restaurateur Willie Degel as he busts the bad habits of struggling restaurants on Food Network’s new show, Restaurant Stakeout. See what really happens when waiters, bartenders and kitchen and service staff think no one is watching. Armed with hidden-camera footage and covert surveillance from restaurants across the country, Willie doesn’t hold anything back. He tackles kitchen hazards and impossible customers alike, but is it enough to make a difference?
Tune in to the season premiere Wednesday, August 29 at 10 pm EST to find out.
This week’s ingredient was certainly not the most unusual to ever appear in Kitchen Stadium, but that doesn’t mean that the task of impressing the judges was any easier for the Iron Chef and the challenger. In fact, such a well-known ingredient can often be tougher than a more exotic one as the chefs will have to be even more creative to avoid producing dishes that everyone has seen before.
Despite its familiarity, it’s well worth having a look at the history of the humble sausage to see where it originated and how it is used in the cuisines of the world.
What is sausage?
By definition, a sausage is made of ground meat, most often pork and beef, that has been mixed with salt, fat, herbs and spices. It is either sold in bulk or encased in tubes made of natural or synthetic materials. This sausage is then either cooked from fresh or cured to preserve the meat to be eaten later.
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Tonight on an all-new Food Network special, Savoring Harlem, Chef Marcus Samuelsson leads us on a mouth-watering culinary tour of this iconic New York City neighborhood, showcasing the food culture of long-time staples like Sylvia’s as well as his own 18-month-old restaurant, Red Rooster Harlem.
This afternoon, Chef Samuelsson, a Chopped judge, Next Iron Chef competitor and Harlem resident, answered questions from our Facebook fans. In case you missed it, here are some of the highlights: Read more »
Kitchen Stadium is a surprising place.
When the Iron Chefs face off against their challengers, you are never quite sure what they are going to come up with. In fact, I’m positive, neither are they.
The biggest surprise of all, of course, is the Chairman’s secret ingredient. Some of the foods revealed are very familiar, but many are unusual (some of the judges may say cruel and unusual), and I have heard many a battle-hardened chef whimper when the altar rises to reveal an exotic ingredient that has never graced their chopping boards before.
But that’s what being an Iron Chef is all about, and one thing is for certain: The Chairman’s challenges are not going to get any easier. He is continually searching far and wide for ingredients that will really test the mettle of the Iron Chefs and those who dare to challenge them.
For the upcoming season of Iron Chef America, I am delighted to announce that the good folks at Food Network have asked me if I would put together a series of guides showcasing the delights the Chairman has in store for the contestants.
What is paiche? »
The second episode of Worst Cooks in America had the remaining 14 recruits thinking international — that is, making meatballs from Sweden, India, Lebanon, France, Spain, Greece and Morocco. For their demos, the teams watched as Bobby took on a Mexican Meatball With Red Chile Tomato Sauce and Queso Fresco, while Anne took on an Italian meatball called Polpettini.
So what is the difference in these meatballs?
Join Next Iron Chef competitor Marcus Samuelsson as he explores the food revolution in Harlem. In this Food Network special, Savoring Harlem showcases the food culture of restaurants like Marcus’ Red Rooster and long-time staples like Sylvia’s. As the neighborhood continues to change and thrive, cuisine from around the world makes Harlem a vibrant food destination. French, Ethiopian, Spanish — there are new restaurants and green markets popping up on every corner.
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Even though we’re only one episode into the new season of Worst Cooks in America, there’s one contestant in particular that’s caught my eye: Erica Weidner. Playing for Team Bobby, she’s quirky, ready to learn and hilarious.
For the Baseline Skill Challenge, the contestants were asked to cook a dish that would “explain who they were.” Erica, whose family has dubbed her an impractical cook, thinks she’s just resourceful. We saw this come to play when she used scissors to cut up a bell pepper. In the past, she’s also used disposable razors to peel turnips and plyers to remove giblets from a frozen chicken.
This got me thinking: What other gadgets have people used to cook up a dish in the kitchen? Tell us in the comments below. The person with the most unique double-duty gadget technique will be featured in an FN Dish post next week.
On last night’s season premiere of Worst Cooks in America, we were introduced to 16 new “recruits,” each nominated by family and friends for their atrocious cooking skills. They were split into two teams: Team Anne and Team Bobby.
For their first challenge, the teams were tasked to make breakfast: pancakes, bacon and eggs. Their mentors showed them how to make their favorite version of a pancake, plus four basic ways to make eggs: poached, sunny-side up, over-easy and scrambled.
As Bobby is getting his feet wet as a first-timer on this show, he quickly realized that he couldn’t take teaching his team for granted when Vinnie Caligiuri asked him whether cinnamon sticks would melt in maple syrup when heated on the stove.
After tasting all their dishes, it was evident that making pancakes isn’t as easy as it looks. Too heavy, not cooked all the way through and forgetting flour were just some of the mistakes that both Bobby and Anne dealt with.
Have you run into these same problems at home? If you want to make super-fluffy pancakes, Anne says to fold in egg whites.
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