Category Archives: Cooking

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

Recipe: Chicago-Style Giardiniera

Posted on September 1, 2023 by Burnt My Fingers

We have some Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches in our future for which Chicago-Style Giardiniera is a key component. Compared to our standard giardiniera it’s spicier, and contains oil. I long resisted the oil but am happy with the result. It … Continue reading →

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Food for thought: Lebanese food blogs

Posted on August 29, 2023 by Burnt My Fingers

A search for the best way to cook dried chickpeas led us to the Forks and Foliage Lebanese food blog. It’s a fairly new blog with just a few recipes but its author obviously has big plans judging from the … Continue reading →

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Trader Joe’s Premium Peeled Garlic

Posted on July 29, 2023 by Burnt My Fingers

I use a lot of garlic when I cook. I hate peeling garlic. Ergo, I use already-peeled garlic cloves. I have tried several brands from Asian markets and also the Spice World brand, which is sold at my local big … Continue reading →

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In search of the elusive chuck eye steak

Posted on July 20, 2023 by Burnt My Fingers

I was lucky in my experiment breaking down a chuck roast that I got one with a nice chuck eye steak included. This is by no means guaranteed. According to this source, there are no more than 2-3 chuck eye … Continue reading →

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Breaking down a chuck roast

Posted on July 14, 2023 by Burnt My Fingers

I used to sell meat for a living (Allen Brothers, Niman Ranch mail order) yet for the life of me I cannot reliably break down a larger cut of beef. Part of the problem is that the roasts marketed by … Continue reading →

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July 4th Barbecue

Posted on July 3, 2023 by Burnt My Fingers

We have a “Firecracker 4” run in our town that attracts thousands of visitors and our friends’ son Shea Weilbaker has won it twice in a row. We’ll go downtown to see if he three-peats, then turn our attention to … Continue reading →

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My grape jelly secret

Posted on March 16, 2023 by Burnt My Fingers

Actually I have two grape jelly secrets. The first is that it is a surprising ingredient in our Mystery Mayo, the doenjang dressing in Koreatown A Cookbook and in this collection which aptly describes it as “bright, lightly colored and … Continue reading →

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Taste test: How to keep bean sprouts fresh

Posted on March 8, 2023 by Burnt My Fingers

In the frozen tundra where I live, it’s a half hour drive to the nearest Asian market selling fresh bean sprouts. Consequently, I always buy more than I need. And the unused portion slowly turns into a sad puddle in … Continue reading →

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Vitamix 5200 review

Posted on March 2, 2023 by Burnt My Fingers

I have long lusted after a Vitamix blender because of the mystique surrounding the brand. It can make soup! It can grind anything!  It’s ridiculously expensive but worth it! And so on. Last year I finally bought one when there … Continue reading →

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Food for Thought: Onolicious Hawai’i

Posted on February 3, 2023 by Burnt My Fingers

During my advertising career, I had a dream assignment for a rental car agency based in Hawaii. Each year they’d run a sweepstakes for travel agents and it was my job to scout locations and attractions that might appeal to … Continue reading →

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