Category Archives: Cooking

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

The real problem with fast food today

Posted on November 19, 2015 by Burnt My Fingers

Walk into most any fast food establishment, approach the counter to order, and what do you see? Typically a bank of dispensing stations with the actual food preparation nowhere in sight. I think separating the kitchen from the people who serve … Continue reading →

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Taste test: best way to cook beets

Posted on November 17, 2015 by Burnt My Fingers

Why boil beets when you can roast them? That seems to be the mantra of many nurturing, comfort-food recipes this days and it makes some sense. Since beets have a high sugar content, roasting should produce a caramelized exterior to add … Continue reading →

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How to know when a recipe isn’t going to come out right

Posted on November 5, 2015 by Burnt My Fingers

My mother was a great one for buying cookbooks because they had beautiful photography or came from a famous restaurant, then throwing up her hands because the dishes were too difficult to make. I think she was a big influence … Continue reading →

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No ma’am, this brisket is NOT tough

Posted on October 13, 2015 by Burnt My Fingers

Smoked my first and probably last brisket of the season this past weekend. (Apologies to Bruce Frankel, whom I promised I would get some males together and roast a whole animal on one of his spits. Next year!) Got a … Continue reading →

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The difference between home cooks and professional chefs

Posted on September 1, 2015 by Burnt My Fingers

The other day I got pressed into service on a canning operation. My job was to peel 25 pounds of tomatoes and pass them on to be made into sauce. This required the set-up you see here: a pot of … Continue reading →

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The five most popular recipes on Burnt My Fingers (2015 Edition)

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Burnt My Fingers

I usually do this on our anniversary in September, but am feeling summer laziness so it becomes a fill-in post right now in late July. Anyway, with thousands of clicks apiece, these five most popular recipes are so far ahead … Continue reading →

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Eating sous vide steak with the Emperor

Posted on June 30, 2015 by Burnt My Fingers

This weekend I fired up the Anova sous vide cooker I bought on sale at Amazon.com to make some sous vide steaks. A friend had been hankering for a “steak dinner” so I pulled out a porterhouse, a big sirloin … Continue reading →

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How do you like your olive oil to taste?

Posted on June 18, 2015 by Burnt My Fingers

The folks at California Olive Ranch are conducting an interesting marketing experiment. In my supermarket currently are 500 ML bottles of their Extra Virgin Olive Oil, evenly distributed between olive oils that say “Mild & Buttery” and “Rich & Robust”. … Continue reading →

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Battle Mandram: A family history

Posted on June 6, 2015 by Burnt My Fingers

Judy Cromwell is a longtime friend who frequently comments on my recipes. She agreed to share her Mandram recipe and contributed this bonus description of her family’s tussles with this dish through the decades. Chef Otis’ interest in recreating southern … Continue reading →

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How I made sourdough bread in a hotel room, sort of

Posted on May 8, 2015 by Burnt My Fingers

Staying this week in a hotel room with a kitchenette, I decided to build on my experience with hotel room kale salad. Was it possible to come up with an edible loaf using only flour, water, store-bought yeast and salt? … Continue reading →

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