The Kitchn Archive
2012
June

The Kitchn Archive: Jun 2012

Recipe: Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad
Do you enjoy eating spicy food in hot weather? I love the refreshing combination of cool cucumbers and hot chile peppers, as in the case of Korean oi muchim. This quick and easy salad makes a great potluck dish, or a fiery alternative to kosher dill or bread and butter pickles alongside sandwiches. And, of course, it’s excellent alongside Korean BBQ (meat or tofu).
Emily Han
Jun 29, 2012
Cheese & Salad: Two Savory Red, White & Blue Dishes for the 4th of July
So you want to make something red, white, and blue to celebrate the 4th of July, but you’re not really into sweets. Or you want to avoid red and blue food coloring, Well, I have two awesome savory options for you, from two smart bloggers. Salad, and cheese — Independence Day-style!These are both ultra-simple ideas, and all the prettier for it.The first is a Red, White, and Blue Summer Salad from Roni at GreenLiteBites.
Faith Durand
Jun 29, 2012
Dish Soap Spout Dispenser from Haven
Faith Durand
Jun 28, 2012
A Food Tour of Israel: Machne Yehuda Outdoor Market in Jerusalem
For the last few days I have been walking, wining, and dining in Israel. I’m here on a 5-day food tour to explore and understand Israel’s diverse (and absolutely delicious, as I’m discovering) culinary scene. I’ll be sharing plenty of photos, insights, and recipes from my trip over the next few days and weeks, but for now I wanted to get it started with a look at Jerusalem’s outstanding Machne Yehuda outdoor market.
Cambria Bold
Jun 28, 2012
Great Value Wines: The Undiscovered Sparkling Wines of the Loire Valley
As regular readers know, I love bubbles — not just Champagne but a wide range of sparkling wines from all over the world. Following a recent trip to the Loire Valley in France I thought I would share some of the less well-known treasures of the region — the sparkling wines. Delicious Crémant de Loire, Saumur and Vouvray sparkling wines. Perfect for any occasion, and all for $20 (or less).The Loire ValleyThe Loire Valley wine region is large and diverse.
Mary Gorman-McAdams
Jun 28, 2012
One-Ingredient Upgrades That Make Mayo Taste 100x Better
Fancy mayo is a simple way to add an extra layer of flavor to everyday sandwiches is. But “fancy” doesn’t need to mean hard. In many cases, you only need to add one ingredient to take store-bought mayo to a whole new level. Below are some of our go-to mayo mix-ins. But there are no rules! Follow your mayonnaise-loving heart and do what sounds the most delicious. It’s hard to go wrong.
Anjali Prasertong
Jun 28, 2012
The Benefits of Making Your Bed
According to Charles Duhigg, making your bed every morning is correlated with better productivity and stronger skills at sticking with a budget. It has also been suggested that making your bed boosts happiness. Happiness? I’ll take it.
Carrie McBride
Jun 27, 2012
10 Inspiring Kitchens with Wood Cabinets and White Countertops
I hinted earlier this spring that I might be headed into a kitchen renovation, and sure enough, we are in the depths of kitchen planning right now! We’ve moved past the basic layout, and the budget (see our readers’ real-life stories of how much they spent on kitchen remodeling), and now we’re thinking about finishes. Personally, I’m almost settled on wood cabinets and some kind of white countertop (quartz? white granite? marble?).
Faith Durand
Jun 26, 2012
Solving a Mystery: Why Do Maple Syrup Containers Have Tiny Handles?
We’ve all seen them — those tiny handles on maple syrup jars. They’re too small to be functional, so what are they doing there? I know, I know … this question has been keeping you up at night, so I am about to put your mind to rest!
Cambria Bold
Jun 25, 2012
Which Gets Dishes Cleaner: Handwashing or Machine?
If you’ve ever wondered how cleaning plates without a dishwasher, by good old-fashioned hand-washing, stacks up in terms of cleanliness. Well, here’s your answer. • Handwashing vs. Machine Apartment Therapy
Carrie McBride
Jun 25, 2012
Saying Goodbye to a One-Butt Kitchen
I am moving again this week and about to inhabit and hopefully settle into my fourth kitchen in twelve months. So, you know … chaos and disruption, excitement and anxiety, cardboard boxes and dust bunnies. These weekend meditations tend to be about my immediate experience, and there’s probably a rose of wisdom I can pull from all this rubble, but frankly I’m just not up to it this time around. (Plus you can revisit all my other posts about moving over this past year.
Dana Velden
Jun 24, 2012
Cooking Without Sight: Tips from Masterchef Contestant Christine Ha and Other Blind Chefs
Think blind chefs can’t possibly cook at full speed? Just watch Christine Ha blaze through the competition on MasterChef. She shares some amazing tips and tricks on how she can cook without being able to see, with BBC News. Many tips apply to all chefs, too.As one would imagine, blind chefs rely heavily on their sense of smell, taste, and touch.
Stephanie Barlow
Jun 22, 2012
It’s No Joke: Bowser Beer = Beer for Dogs!
It’s hot and muggy outside, and you know how good it feels to throw back a beer or two with friends. Well, Man’s Best Friend wants to get in on the action, too. Say hello to Bowser beer, a non-alcoholic, non-carbonated “beer” for dogs!Unlike regular beer, Bowser Beer doesn’t have any hops in it, which are toxic to dogs; rather, it’s made of meat-broth, malt barley, and glucosamine, which is added for joint health.
Cambria Bold
Jun 22, 2012
Helpful Hint: Serve Heavily Garnished Green Salads on a Platter
We’re all familiar with ‘sinkers’, right? They’re the delicious but weighty additions to green salads that immediately end up on the bottom of the bowl after one toss. Think radish, tomato, avocado, beets, any chunk of vegetable or nut that has a bit of weight to it. The solution? Forget the salad bowl and reach for a platter instead!Salad bowls are great for simple green lettuce-only salads or maybe salads with the lightest of garnish such as shaved radish or Parmesan.
Dana Velden
Jun 21, 2012
Recipe: Miso Tahini Dressing
I don’t often get so attached to one thing that it’s all I eat, day in and day out, but it happened with a salad dressing a few months ago. A simple shake-up of miso paste, tahini, and lemon, it’s nothing revolutionary, and certainly nothing I hadn’t had before at the local healthy lunch joint, but for some reason it’s really been hitting the spot.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Jun 21, 2012
The History of the Espresso Machine
What is espresso and how did it ever come about? These questions are at the heart of Smithsonian Magazine’s recent dive into the history of the espresso machine, which is a fascinating read for any coffee lover.Contrary to what you might think, espresso is not a roasting method, or bean or blend. Rather, it’s a method of preparation so precise and molecular that no discussion of espresso could exist without discussing the machines and how they changed the whole business.
Cambria Bold
Jun 21, 2012
Should I Throw Away My Scratched Nonstick Pan?
Q: My cheap immersion blender warped in some hot soup, and the blades cut the nonstick Teflon coating on the bottom of my pot. I remember reading that Teflon isn’t really the best thing health-wise. Should I throw out my pot?Sent by NossiEditor: Two things happen once nonstick coating develops scratches. One is that little bits of the coating can start to flake off into your food as you cook and the other is that the pan becomes less nonstick.
Emma Christensen
Jun 20, 2012
5 Simple Ways to Enhance the Experience of Dining at Home Alone
When having a solo meal at home, the company you keep often comes in the form of inanimate objects. Many people hang out with their TV, book or newspaper but there are other ways to be in good company while enjoying a meal alone. Read on for five simple ways to enhance your solo meal.1. A favorite piece of music. Most of the time we’re playing music as a background to an activity like cleaning or driving the car. It’s rare that we just sit and listen.
Dana Velden
Jun 20, 2012
What Is the Best Replacement for My Senseo Coffee Maker?
Q: I am a Senseo owner but it looks like they are being discontinued in the US. Pods are nearly impossible to find in supermarkets or online. I’d love to replace it with a similarly priced machine that can deliver a good cup with the same sort of Senseo crema.Sent by HaleyEditor: Readers, any suggestions for Haley? I have little to no experience with the single serve coffee makers. Any comparable models with (we hope!) longer staying power?Next question?
Faith Durand
Jun 20, 2012
Onions in Salads: Soak Them in Water First
There’s nothing wrong with a good hunk of onion in a salad: it’s crunchy, and filled with pungent flavor. However, when that strong flavor takes over the dish, not to mention the next few hours of the victim’s mouth, that’s when one starts to push those crisp onion slices off to the side of the plate. But there’s a great way to have your onion and eat it too!
Stephanie Barlow
Jun 20, 2012
Small Batch Recipe: An Adaptable Chutney
During my early childhood years, my family lived in Southern California. Our house was tiny, but the backyard was a huge, tiered thing that sloped upwards to a two-story garage and an alley that served all the homes on the block. That property was a wonderland to a small child and nothing was more magical to me than the fact that we had three productive plum trees. My sister and I would pretend we were pioneers and the plums were our harvest.
Marisa McClellan
Jun 19, 2012
7 Ways to Make Any Salad Taste Better
I picked up two prepared side salads at the store the other day, thinking they’d help round out the meal I was planning. They looked beautiful in the case and beautiful when I transferred them to serving dishes, but after one bland and disappointing spoonful, I was done. Should you find yourself in a similar situation, I have a few easy tricks for turning a boring side salad into something tasty with none the wiser.
Emma Christensen
Jun 19, 2012
Solving a Mystery: Why Does Greek Yogurt Have Paper On Top?
If you’re a fan of Greek yogurt, you’re probably familiar with the brand Fage. And like us, you’ve probably wondered about the round piece of soggy parchment paper covering the top of every container of Fage yogurt. Why is it there? What does it do? Thanks to the website Food Republic, we finally have an answer.It’s a pretty straightforward answer: the parchment round absorbs any excess whey that rises to the top after the yogurt is packed.
Anjali Prasertong
Jun 19, 2012
The Pleasures of a Breakfast Salad
A salad for breakfast? Indeed! This has been one of my favorite breakfasts lately. Rich, satisfying, and fresh.A few weeks ago I showed you this dish of prosciutto, mozzarella, and basil with a poached egg on top. It was an easy lunch, and as there was no bread in the house at the time, a great substitute for more run-of-the-mill toast and eggs.
Faith Durand
Jun 19, 2012
Better Raw Kale Salad: Massage It!
Want to take a raw kale salad from good to great? Use your fingers. Kale makes a delicious and healthful salad green, but it can also be tough and somewhat bitter. By massaging the fibrous leaves, you can bring out their sweetness and transform them into something tender and more easily digestible. We’ve known people who proclaimed not to like raw kale go crazy for the massaged version. If using a simple vinaigrette, you can massage the dressing right into the kale.
Emily Han
Jun 18, 2012
Wine Words: Variety vs. Varietal
Variety and varietal are two wine words that are so often confused and misused. Unfortunately wine professionals confuse the two as much as everyday wine consumers. Do you know the difference?Variety vs. Varietal: The easiest way to remember the distinction is to remember that one (variety) is a noun and the other (varietal) is an adjective.The word variety refers to the grape variety, grown and used to make the wine such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and so forth.
Mary Gorman-McAdams
Jun 18, 2012
Smart Tip: For Better Fruit Salad, Just Add Nuts
It’s easy to make a bad fruit salad. Throw together underripe melon chunks, bruised stone fruit and banana slices turning to mush, and you’ll have the sort of sad mixture T. Susan Chang used to serve at brunch parties. But, as she reveals on NPR’s Kitchen Window, a little care goes a long way when making a memorable fruit salad — and so does a handful of nuts.
Anjali Prasertong
Jun 18, 2012
Coconut Water After a Workout: Is It Really Better For You Than Water?
It may be refreshing and delicious, yes, but advocates (and PR companies) claim coconut water replenishes your body better than water after a strenuous workout. Nature’s Gatorade, if you will. But is that really true? The big deal with coconut water, according to Andrea Giancoli, registered dietitian and spokesperson for The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, is that it has a lot of potassium, which is important for heart health and regulating blood pressure and other body systems.
Cambria Bold
Jun 18, 2012
What Kind of Salad Servers Do You Use?
Serving a green salad with grace and competence is actually a tricky thing to do. Success ultimately depends on how comfortable you are with your salad serving implements. The classic salad server set usually consists of one spoon-like and one fork-like implement, but these days there are a dizzying number of options to choose from, including spoon, fork, and flat implements as well as the short, chubby salad ‘hands’. And for some, a pair of tongs or chopsticks is the only way to go.
Dana Velden
Jun 18, 2012
Too Hot to Eat, Cook or Think
I live near a foggy bay where it’s fairly cool most of the time. This has made me into a bit of a lightweight because on the rare occasion when the temperatures rise above 87 degrees, I become impossibly helpless. My mind goes soft and unfocused, and my only kitchen activity involves standing in front of the open refrigerator “looking for something to eat.” And then closing the door when I begin to feel guilty for wasting energy.
Dana Velden
Jun 17, 2012
Grilling Recipe: Lamb Chuanr
My Chinese teacher once told me that all Beijing expats start out by learning the same three words: nihao, pijiu, and yangrou chuanr – hello, beer, and lamb chuanr. Those three words are the essentials, because that’s all you need to know to get a great dinner anywhere in the city, just find the nearest chuanr stand. Chuanr (pronounced like “chwar”) are skewers of food seasoned with cumin and chili powder, then cooked over a propane or charcoal grill.
Elizabeth Licata
Jun 15, 2012
The Pleasures of Grilled Asparagus
Last night I realized that I had never grilled asparagus. Why not? I wondered. This was an obvious oversight, and so, instead of pan-frying the asparagus I had bought for dinner, I headed outside to the grill.The grill was already hot, since my husband was grilling chicken thighs (soaked in olive oil, garlic, and rosemary — so easy and yummy!). We turned the grill up extra-hot while I tossed the asparagus in some olive oil.
Faith Durand
Jun 15, 2012
Recipe: Thai Grilled Steak Salad
Call me crazy, but when the weather heats up, I don’t feel like eating big hunks of meat. Slow and sluggish might work for winter when everyone is half-hibernating anyway, but in the summer, salads like this are what I want to eat — full of freshness and crunch, with a salty-tart lime dressing and just the right amount of juicy grilled steak.
Anjali Prasertong
Jun 14, 2012
Collecting & Investing in Art on a Budget
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Stocks, bonds, mutual funds, 401Ks — all those things I don’t understand and am bored to tears by. I’ve promised myself that if I get a 401K, I can truly diversify my portfolio by investing in a little bit of art. • Collecting Art on a Budget Apartment Therapy
Carrie McBride
Jun 14, 2012
Why Constant Flipping is the Key To Perfectly Grilled Meat: And Other Tips!
When grilling meat, styles may vary but one thing remains constant: everyone wants that perfect rich, brown crust with a juicy, evenly cooked center. So how do you do it? According to one notable chef, the key is to flip the meat constantly… …or so says Adam Perry Lang, author of the new cookbook Charred and Scruffed: Bold New Techniques for Explosive Flavor On and Off the Grill. in a recent NPR Splendid Table episode, he calls it having “a dialogue with heat.
Cambria Bold
Jun 13, 2012
Solo Grilling with a Tiny Grill
If you live alone or frequently eat alone, you may not think that grilling is for you. It’s such a group/family activity, after all. And who wants to bother making a charcoal fire or heating up the gas grill for one lone hamburger patty and a few rings of red onion? Well, if you have something as cute as the Fyrkat Green Grill from Crate & Barrel (pictured above), you’d just might have to change your mind about that, would’t you?
Dana Velden
Jun 13, 2012
Griller’s Best Friend: The Rib-Eye Steak
Rib-eye is what most of us picture when we think of “steak.” It’s the cut that beckons to you from the meat case as you walk by, tempting you with its swirls of red and white marbling and the snowy cap of fat along the side. Rib-eye is also our top choice when we cook steak at home, whether it’s in a grill pan on the stove or over the flames of a grill.This cut is called a rib-eye because of where it comes from: the rib section of the steer.
Emma Christensen
Jun 13, 2012
Tip: Clean the Grill With an Onion
We came across a Flickr photo entitled “Matt cleaned the grill with an onion…” and we were instantly intrigued. Cleaning the grill with an onion? We had never seen this particular method before, so we did a little searching. It seems that rubbing a hot grill with half a cut onion (cut side down) will loosen up baked on grit and grime and basically take it all right off the grill.
Faith Durand
Jun 13, 2012
Grilling Recipe: Smoky Salmon BLTs
“I’ll take a salmon BLT, hold the bacon, lettuce, and tomato. And as many extra lemon slices as you will give me.” Yep, that was my go-to lunch order at our favorite little hometown cafe. I was a very particular little kid. At least I ate the salmon, but thank goodness the times have changed!I just gifted my fiancé with a fabulous new natural gas grill for his 30th birthday. (Okay, I secretly bought it for me, too, but don’t tell him that.
Nealey Dozier
Jun 12, 2012
How To Make a Budget Yakitori Grill
Do you dream of churning out charred chicken skewers or blackened shishito peppers just like a Japanese yakitori restaurant? If you don’t have the funds or the space for a specialized Japanese grill, there is an easy and inexpensive way to rig up a DIY yakitori grill.Setting two foil-covered bricks on the grates of any type of grill will give you an elevated surface that mimics the steady, indirect heat of a traditional Japanese grill.
Anjali Prasertong
Jun 12, 2012
Wine Words: Sediment
Many wine drinkers have come across little solid particles in their wine at some time. Is the wine flawed? And are they harmful? What are they? No, the wine is not flawed and they are not harmful. Sediments are natural deposits thrown by the wine over time in the bottle.Solid particles in your wine glass or bottle are known as sediment. However, most wines that are destined for early drinking do not throw sediment.
Mary Gorman-McAdams
Jun 11, 2012
Smart Tip: Don’t Grill a Cold Steak
Looking to grill the perfect steak? Here’s a quick tip to help get you there: take your meat out of the refrigerator well before you cook it.Taking the chill off a cut of meat — also called tempering — allows it to cook more evenly on the grill, so that the inside is the proper doneness by the time the outside is nicely charred. The LA Times Test Kitchen recommends letting meat sit in a cool, protected spot indoors for about 20 minutes for thin cuts, longer for thicker cuts.
Anjali Prasertong
Jun 11, 2012
10 Ways to Preserve Cherries
Emily Han
Jun 8, 2012
Why Small Batch Canning Is Awesome: And What You Need To Get Started
When I first started canning, I made huge batches of jam. Between the cleaning, peeling and chopping, I’d be dripping with sweat and every inch of my kitchen would be covered in sticky fruit residue. Despite the fact that each jamming session took hours and hours, I did it that way because that’s just how I thought canning was supposed to be.
Marisa McClellan
Jun 8, 2012
Ginger Ale vs. Ginger Beer: What’s the Difference?
Dark and Stormy. Moscow Mule. Two favorite warm weather cocktails that rely on ginger beer as one of the main ingredients. But wait: ginger beer doesn’t actually have any beer in it. So then how does it differ from the beloved ginger ale?First thing’s first: ginger beer was the very beginning. It originated in the 1800’s in England and, at that time, did contain a small percentage of alcohol.
Megan Gordon
Jun 8, 2012
Top Yogurt with Tiny Crunchy Grains: How To Make Toasted Amaranth
I find breakfasts this time of year pretty exciting, mainly because I can subsist on yogurt and fruit and be quite happy, and summer fruits are finally here! But I also have a little secret up my sleeve: toasted amaranth.If you’re not familiar with amaranth, it’s a seed that folks generally lump into the category of “whole grains” (like quinoa). It’s gluten-free and especially high in protein and calcium.
Megan Gordon
Jun 7, 2012
Store Produce Without Plastic
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) I want to go completely plastic-free (for both health and environmental reasons) so I was interested to see this guide on storing fruits and vegetables without plastic. The guide includes 60 fruits and vegetables from artichokes to zucchini! • Produce Storage The Kitchn
Faith Durand
Jun 7, 2012
Bright, Fruity & Refreshing: 10 Thirst-Quenching Aguas Frescas
One of the most refreshing ways to enjoy fresh fruit is in an agua fresca, a beverage made with pureed fruit, water, a touch of sugar and maybe some lime juice or herbs. Here in Los Angeles, every taco stand worth its salt has a big jar or three of the brightly-colored drinks standing by, but you don’t have to be eating a drippy carnitas taco to enjoy the thirst-quenching, pure fruit flavor of aguas frescas. Especially not when they are this easy to make at home.
Anjali Prasertong
Jun 7, 2012