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I took a chance on some Japanese style kitchen knives made in China made from 7CR17 steel. Shipped direct from China via China Post (20 days). Yallabumba is the seller. Don't know who made them. Well, they are not bad at all, and I am pretty demanding and have been sharpening my own knives for...

I like to think my wife and I are pretty efficient shoppers, but things come up. Living in a rural area, we tend to buy for a week at a time. I put our dial at about 70% "use up the fridge".

Excellent American made cookware. Mostly 5 ply (stainless-aluminum-stainless-aluminum-stainless). I highly recommend. All usable sizes. "Made In".

I think 5-Ply is better and by a noticeable margin. I have some 5-Ply from "Made In" cookware that is stainless-aluminum-stainless-aluminum-stainless, sandwich and also a couple of pieces of All-Clad Copper Core, which I think is stainless-aluminum-stainless-copper-stainless. Both are better...

I had always julienned carrots the traditional way; cut rectangular planks out of the round carrot and cut those down to julienne. Here is, I think, a better method I stumbled across. Cut the carrot on an extreme bias down the length of the carrot. This makes long oval planks that can then be...

Pressure cookers are great for a few things, among them dried beans. My method for black beans is to cover them with salted water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let them sit for an hour. Then drain and rinse, cover them with water again, add a tsp of oil to prevent frothing and...

I have tried it and gone back to cornstarch for a thickener. Now, I know cornstarch doesn't hold up for leftovers, but I try to make just enough gumbo for one meal (for two) so we don't have leftovers. Anyway, the weather is getting cold around here and perfect for this Cajun comfort food...

Assuming you had neither, which would you buy first, a saucepan or a saucier pan? Or, put another way, if you could only have one, which would you choose?

I have blended up a can of diced tomatoes and plan to cook those down and add some tomato paste to thicken it up. This is for beef enchiladas tonight. Here's hoping it is a reasonably good substitute.

I am looking for a measuring pitcher with flared edges and no spout. Spouts always spill when I use them but flared edges pour perfectly. I'd love to find one made of Pyrex glass, but all those have spouts so far. The frothing pitchers (whatever they are) are all stainless steel, can't go in the...

Since I just bought a couple of high-end stainless steel pans (All Clad), I have been cooking stuff previously relegated to cast iron only. I am finding that they cook more evenly and just plain come out better using the stainless. Not much sticking and easy clean-up, too. They go in the...

Here's a chart y'all might find helpful. I was surprised by the huge jump from cast iron to aluminum and again by the huge jump between aluminum and copper. Of course thermal conductivity in cookware isn't the only thing to consider. But it's not trivial, either. Thermal Conductivity of common...

This is an indulgence. I realize there are better bargains but I have always wanted one of these so I bought a 4-Quart 5-ply saucepan with the copper core. Looking forward to making a batch of Marinara sauce in it this afternoon. These are going in the dishwasher, like my other Stainless Steel...

Every recipe calls for fresh herbs, but they are expensive and don't keep well. So I am interested in ideas for dried herbs. For example, I have found that I can often substitute garlic powder for minced garlic. I have a jar of dried horseradish that I have no idea what to do with. So, do you...

My favorites are (in order) carbon steel, Japanese VG-10, American S35. Carbon steel will rust if you are not careful and will tarnish no matter what you do, but for taking an edge and holding it, I think it has not yet been surpassed. However, there are some stainless steels that are coming...

I don't know why I waited so long to get one of these things. They are so superior to any other way to put food away for freezing. You can get the bag rolls for about 15 cents a foot, too. Good bye ice crystals and good bye freezer burn.

Everybody who likes hot sauces has their favorites, but this is just science. I can tell y'all that I have a bottle of Da Bomb and it is dangerous and too hot for me to use in anything. Hot Sauce Ranking by Scoville Units

I have to say I am not a big fan of the natural cool down method. It introduces too many timing uncertainties. Pressure cookers are only good for certain foods and you always have to get the timing exactly right. So I'm a quick cool-down guy.

Handy reference chart here: Smoke Points of Various Fats - Kitchen Notes - Cooking For Engineers

When I first got serious about cooking I tried to make fancy recipes. Some came out good , most not so much. Then I learned to dial that back, concentrate on basic skills, recipes with a few basic ingredients, etc. It made a big difference. I don't even have to think much now about how to cook a...

For thickening things like beef stew I've been using a heaping TBS of cornstarch mixed with some water and put in the liquid around 15 minutes before the stew is done. It seems to accomplish the same thing without the chance of burning the flour. I don't think either one of them adds any flavor...

Waiting delivery on two cleavers. First is the standard heavy-duty bone crunching kind, but the second is the more delicate Chinese style. Thinner blade, 15 degree blade angle, etc. Anyone have any experience with these? I was inspired by a recent magazine article and the price was right. Also...

These are really delicious. Sliced jalepenos- ends cut off, seeds scooped out, sliced lengthwise into 1/8 in strips. Some sliced onions. 3-6-3 pickling brine: 3 C. water, 6 TBS white vinegar; 3 TBS kosher salt (dissolved). About 1/2 TBS pickling spices (more or less to taste) A crushed garlic...

My Shun Santoku finally needed resharpening after 11 months of daily use. I probably should have done this a month ago so I am subtracting one month. 10 months of daily normal kitchen use. It got to the point where I couldn't really bring the edge back on my ceramic honing rod. Still, that's not...

I know all the Internet advice- no pasta, no rice, no kale, no eggshells, no chicken bones, etc. Except.... except I have always put those things down every disposal I have ever had and never clogged it or the drain. Mostly small amounts, like a half cup of cooked rice and so forth. Chicken...