Category Archives: Cooking

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

Foraging sumac

Posted on September 15, 2024 by Burnt My Fingers

Sumac is an important ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking. And foraging sumac in the wild is not that hard if you live an area where the bushes with their opposing branches and bright red “horns” grow wild. For our recent … Continue reading →

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Shish Kabob hacks

Posted on September 3, 2024 by Burnt My Fingers

Shish kabob by definition is sort of a hack, yes? You take random pieces of meat and veggies, marinate them in some way, then arrange on a stick and grill so the flavors meld. Our prep is pretty traditional with … Continue reading →

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Recipe: Pickled Strawberries

Posted on August 20, 2024 by Burnt My Fingers

Pickled strawberries are a good way to extend the season’s bounty. They’ll last longer in the fridge and can be used in salads or as a component of a charcuterie plate. This balanced version is not overly sweet or sour … Continue reading →

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Taste test: house brand Worcestershire sauce

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Burnt My Fingers

The Lea & Perrins brand is synonymous with Worcestershire sauce, right? But what if a supermarket house brand is just as good at a fraction of the price? Time for a house brand Worcestershire sauce taste test! According to Wikipedia, … Continue reading →

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Time to plant the shiso!

Posted on June 14, 2024 by Burnt My Fingers

We have two nice pots of shiso which reseed themselves every year, but if you’re not so fortunate it’s (past) time to plant the shiso for a summer harvest. What is shiso you ask? According to this excellent Australian food … Continue reading →

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Is Santa Maria style barbecue a thing?

Posted on June 11, 2024 by Burnt My Fingers

We ran into a good deal on tri tip roasts on a trip to San Francisco. This cut is rarely seen on the East Coast, so it was a no brainer to grab a couple of roasts and stuff them … Continue reading →

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Taste test: marinated mushrooms

Posted on April 13, 2024 by Burnt My Fingers

I hoovered some delicious marinated mushrooms from the charcuterie board at a recent event and resolved to make them myself. Researching online recipes, I found a surprising variety of methods and even definitions of what “marinated mushrooms” implies. As executed, … Continue reading →

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Making Maagchi’s japchae

Posted on March 5, 2024 by Burnt My Fingers

After our toasted sesame oil taste test, of course we had to make some japchae, the iconic Korean dish with glass noodles and various vegetables and meat. Making japchae is a simple process but it has many steps, which is … Continue reading →

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Toasted sesame oil: taste test

Posted on March 2, 2024 by Burnt My Fingers

There’s no mistaking the taste of toasted sesame oil: sweet, nutty, caramelized like the aroma of a slice of bread just out of the toaster (some say the smell is the most important aspect, vs how it feels on your … Continue reading →

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Breaking down a duck

Posted on February 24, 2024 by Burnt My Fingers

For a brief moment, my local upscale market had frozen Pekin ducks for 6.99 a pound. My previous experience with frozen ducks was not satisfactory; the Maple Leaf Farms product at Hannaford was “just” $4.99/lb but included a pound of … Continue reading →

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