Summer is all about hot weather, cook-outs and no-fuss parties, and sometimes this easy attitude extends to the raw chicken your host has left marinating on the counter for several hours before getting it on the grill. As a cook with some food safety knowledge, you know this is dangerous, but as a guest, you're hesitant to speak up. What do you do? More

Have you ever asked for a recipe only to be rebuffed? Or asked for a recipe but received something that was not quite the same as what you had originally tasted? I may be off base here, but I find the idea of not sharing a recipe a little old-fashioned. There's something so retro about it to me, a throwback from a time when the household was the sole outlet for a woman's personal expression and even something as simple as a recipe was a closely guarded asset.

My boyfriend and I have spent a good portion of July traveling and visiting family — in short, being other people's houseguests. Then last week, my boyfriend's mother came to visit for a week, and we have Bay Area friends coming into town this evening. I love having visitors, but I always worry a little too much about what to feed them. So when Sam's mom came to town, I decided to put together a list of great recipes that are nice to have around for snacking and easy meals. More

There's an etiquette question in DIY circles that not everyone is familiar with: when gifted with a jar of homemade jam, pickles or other preserves, should you return the jar when you are done? Read on for my take on this gifting dilemma. More

We've all experienced that moment (usually at a wedding, or other formal event) when you find yourself seated at a table for a multi-course dinner surrounded by complete strangers. You may stumble into this situation unexpectedly, but how one chooses to react can make or break the night. What do you do? What do you talk about? How do the heck do you get out of there alive? More

Weddings aside, when was the last time you sent or received a printed invitation in the mail? Maybe it's the crowd I hang with, but it is becoming increasingly rare to open my mailbox and find an invite inside. These days more casual gatherings are organized by phone call, email or Facebook. For a special occasions, many people use websites like Evite or Paperless Post, leaving the mailed invite mostly for weddings.

The other day I went to a friend's home for dinner. After greeting me at the door, she took my jacket and lead me … straight to the dining room table. Within five minutes of arriving, I was eating the first course of our dinner. I have to confess, I found this a little disorientating. More

It's Wine Week here at The Kitchn and it's always a rough time for me. You see, I'm one of the few folks on the planet that refrains from the consumption of alcohol (with an occasional exception for cooking wines). It always results in slightly awkward conversation in mixed company but there are a few tips and tricks I've learned along the way for making things less awkward. More

When talking dinner table etiquette, every other question is small next to this one: Elbows on the table, or no? Is resting your elbows on the table during eating a shocking breach, or is it simply part of being in an engaged, animated conversation over good food? Or is it situational? We're very curious to know what you think — take our survey and explain in the comments!

Most of us know the essentials of dinner table etiquette: Wait until everyone is served to take the first bite, sit up straight. Here are these essentials, plus a few more that may not be as well known, illustrated so charmingly! More