The Kitchn Archive: Apr 2014

If you spend your days reading food blogs, flipping through food magazines, and browsing cookbooks, chances are good you run into a lot of recipes you want to try. But how to ensure you actually make the recipes and don’t just let them disappear into the depths of Pinterest or your recipe binder? This is the very simple system that works for me. New dinner recipes are the ones I am always most eager to try, but for a long time, I was random in the recipes I chose to shop for and cook.

Q: How do I make a small batch of kimchi, enough to eat over two or three days? I have tried to make a small batch before and it ended up way too salty. I have tried several times with not much success. I am klutz in the kitchen. Can anyone help?

It’s always a gamble when you undertake a new project, and that was no different with my kitchen pot rail project this month. I’d long thought a pot rail would work somewhere in my kitchen, and I was right; I found an area with plenty of empty space and adequate studs, and the two rails were installed without any drama. Now that I’ve lived with this new system for a little over a week, you may be wondering how I like it.

Earlier today we shared one of our favorite treats, chocolate-dipped strawberries, so now let’s talk chocolate. Specifically, dipping chocolate. What kind of chocolate do you need for goodies like these? Take a few tips from this pastry chef — I’ve dipped a lot of chocolate in my time so let me give you the scoop. To temper, or not to temper? That is the question.

There’s black tea and there’s green tea, but within each of these categories is a vast and flavorful array of different varieties. Today we’re looking at green tea, what it is, how much caffeine it really has, and some of the most popular kinds from China and Japan. If you’ve been sipping just one or two types of green tea, you may be surprised at how many other kinds there are to explore.

Do you ever wonder why some wine bottles say Pinot Gris and others Pinot Grigio? Is there a difference? And should you prefer one to the other? Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio are in fact the exact same grape variety. It is a white grape, with a grayish / brownish pink skin (hence the name gris, or gray, in French). The grape originated in France (it’s from the Burgundian Pinot family), and is known as Pinot Gris in France, where it is most cultivated in Alsace.

Last week I took a look at whether or not adding baking soda to the boiling water makes hard-boiled eggs easier to peel and found that, unfortunately, it didn’t seem to make a difference. So are there any tricks that do work? You had plenty of ideas in the comments and on Facebook, but the one that intrigued me most was the suggestion to use a pressure cooker.

This month I’ve been taking you through my plan to fill my freezer with healthy meals in preparation for the arrival of my first baby in early June. I’ve got a list of recipesall the supplies I need So how exactly am I going to prep at least a month’s worth of meals and snacks for my husband and me? This week I sat down and came up with a plan that works with my busy schedule. I decided having about 30 days worth of meals for my husband and myself seems like a reachable goal.

Limes are crazy expensive this year, which means that once you get your hands on a few, you’ll want to squeeze out every last drop of juice. Here are a few easy tips for making sure you are getting the most juice out of your limes, lemons, and other citrus fruits. Whether you use a simple wooden reamerhand juicercitrus squeezer A good 20 to 30 seconds on high helps the citrus juice flow more easily, especially if you’re taking the fruit straight from the fridge.

Who cooks and eats here: Steven Soria of Make Smith Where: Santa Barbara, CA Visit Steven’s blog: Make Smith Blog Once you try Steven Soria’s banana brûléed pancakes, it’s hard to go back to any other pancake. In fact, I haven’t had a single starchy patty pass my lips since this encounter with pure banana caramelized joy. Why bother when greatness is just down my street within this cute California kitchen?

Do you shy away from cooking pork chops for fear of turning a pricey cut of meat into shoe leather? Fear no more! Brine small cuts of meat like pork chops and chicken breasts for just 15 minutes and they will always stay moist and tender. A brine is just a simple mixture of water and salt, though you can add some extra flavor to your pork chops with aromatics like garlic and rosemary.

Q: My 30th birthday is coming up this summer and I will be celebrating at a music festival with many of my favorite people. Since I will be camping that weekend, I know that a big fancy cake is out of the question, but I would like to bring some sort of birthday treat. I can bring some things from home, but quite frankly, much of the cooler space will be devoted to canned craft beer. The town nearby has basic groceries, nothing fancy.