Category Archives: Cooking

Here you’ll find everything about cooking that isn’t actually a recipe. Tips, techniques, gripes, whatever.

Refried beans from the can

Posted on September 8, 2016 by Burnt My Fingers

There are very few items I will heat and eat straight out of the can. Old El Paso Traditional Refried Beans is one of them. When a guest approvingly guessed I had added lard, my answer was no ma’am, that’s … Continue reading →

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How to win a cookoff contest

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Burnt My Fingers

Last Saturday I was a judge in the Trial By Combat cookoff, part of the Enchanted City steampunk festival in Troy, NY. The contest was sponsored by Yelp and organized by Daniel B of FUSSYlittleBLOG. We went shopping in the … Continue reading →

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Experiments with smoked vegetables

Posted on August 25, 2016 by Burnt My Fingers

The other night I fired up the Weber Bullet in the usual way, loaded some nice applewood… then, instead of a brisket or turkey on the lower rack I put in vegetables. And on the top, a tray of maple … Continue reading →

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Memories of the 2016 Kneading Conference

Posted on August 9, 2016 by Burnt My Fingers

On July 28 and 29 I spent a highly entertaining and educational couple of days at the 2016 Kneading Conference in Skowhegan, ME in the company of 250 folks, most of whom were professional bakers or food educators. Skowhegan is … Continue reading →

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Milking the Milkweed

Posted on August 2, 2016 by Burnt My Fingers

The milkweed season is almost over and I am glad to come to the end of my culinary explorations of this friendly yet boring wild plant. (Earlier we examined sautéeing the young stalks, and making a side dish out of the … Continue reading →

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Judging BBQ at Troy Pig Out

Posted on July 19, 2016 by Burnt My Fingers

Last Saturday I judged the team barbecue competition at Troy Pig Out in upstate New York, for the second year in a row. One of the seasoned judges shared some tips he learned from his KCBS mentor, and they’re good … Continue reading →

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Register now for 2016 Kneading Conference

Posted on July 12, 2016 by Burnt My Fingers

It’s just a couple of weeks till the 2016 Kneading Conference, a full schedule for which is available here. From what I understand from past participants, it’s like the best of spending time with the great bakers and teachers at … Continue reading →

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Snows-style BBQ brisket for 4th of July

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Burnt My Fingers

For the 4th of July meal, I decided to try Snow’s BBQ brisket technique as described by pit boss Kerry: rub the meat all over with salt with some pepper mixed in (I used about a 1/5 ratio) and let it … Continue reading →

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How to cook and eat milkweed buds

Posted on June 21, 2016 by Burnt My Fingers

We’re back with the milkweed. The sprouts we were sautéing whole a couple weeks ago are now 3 feet high and producing clusters of buds that very quickly blossom into pretty purple flowers. Should we pick, cook and eat milkweed buds? Of … Continue reading →

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How to clean cast iron skillets

Posted on June 16, 2016 by Burnt My Fingers

In my home are a number of cast iron skillets in various states of repair. The picture is my 12 inch Lodge. I use it all the time for steaks and other seared meats. I crank it up high, sprinkle … Continue reading →

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