The Kitchn Archive
2017
February

The Kitchn Archive: Feb 2017

Here’s Why You Should Throw a Homecoming Party for Your New Appliances
A few days before this past Thanksgiving, my parents got all new appliances in their kitchen. As the person who does all of the cooking for the holiday, I was a little annoyed. And by “a little annoyed,” I mean almost rant-y. “Why would they get new stuff (that no one knows how to operate) right before the biggest cooking holiday of the year?” I asked my husband. Once we arrived at their house, though, I totally understood. My mom was excited to show off her new toys!
Lisa Freedman
Feb 28, 2017
A Kitchen from a Condemned Meth House Gets Majorly Modernized
(Image credit: The Kitchn) From Apartment Therapy → Before & After: Condemned Meth House Gets Majorly Modernized
The Kitchn
Feb 28, 2017
5 Things Food-Lovers Do When Ordering Room Service
Room service can be a beautiful thing. You, a robe, a king-size bed, and your favorite breakfast — what could be bad? Well, the food, for starters. Cold toast? Soggy salads? No thanks. Even five-star hotels often get room service wrong! (Think about what floor you’re staying on and how far away from the elevator your room is.) But don’t worry — there are strategies to ensure your food tastes as good as those hotel sheets feel.
Devorah Lev-Tov
Feb 28, 2017
Recipe: Weeknight Winter Salad
If you’re suffering from lettuce fatigue, it’s time to look further down the produce aisle to sweet Swiss chard. This hearty but tender green is the base of our favorite winter weeknight salad. It’s filled with shaved fennel, cubed sweet potato, and sliced cucumber and tossed with an orange vinaigrette. No need to get too fancy here — we want this to be a side dish that goes with everything from skillet pork chops to a hearty lasagna.
Christine Gallary
Feb 28, 2017
Learn Ina Garten’s Smartest Trick for a Gorgeous Cake
Have you ever set out to make the perfect birthday cake or treat for someone you love, only to fall short when it comes to the decorating part? There are so many over-the-top cakes on Instagram and Pinterest that look easy to make when you see the video or photo, but totally fall flat when you try to do it yourself. Well, if you’ve ruined one too many cakes with subpar decorating skills, there’s hope yet. Ina Garten is here to help you.
Susmita Baral
Feb 28, 2017
You Can Clean Your Entire Kitchen in 30 Minutes
Apartment Therapy
Feb 28, 2017
Make This Hearty Spaghetti Squash Casserole Tonight
When it comes to comfort food, casseroles are king. I mean, there’s a reason they are the go-to meal people make when bringing food to a new neighbor or a friend in need. They’ve got great make-ahead potential and, once they’re assembled, only require a brief stint in the oven before yielding a warm, satisfying meal. Easy-peasy! Most casseroles are also laden with lots of cheese and pasta (baked mac and cheese, anyone?
Lauren Kodiak
Feb 28, 2017
This Is What Cajun Food Really Looks Like
If a Cajun woman makes a pancake, does that mean it’s a Cajun pancake? That’s an ongoing joke in my home. With the commercialization of Cajun, it appears that anything can be Cajun. Truth is, there are so many different versions of Cajun and everyone’s Cajun breakfast table is different. This is mine. I grew up on Bayou Petite Calliou in Chauvin, Louisiana. I am one of six kids, and my mama, Maxine, cooked us breakfast every morning.
Melissa Martin
Feb 28, 2017
Ready to Live Longer? This Study Suggests It’s Time to Turn Over a New Leaf.
(Image credit: Esteban Cortez) From Apartment Therapy → Want to Live Longer? This Study Suggests It’s Time to Turn Over a New Leaf
The Kitchn
Feb 28, 2017
If Unicorns Were Household Items, They’d Definitely Look Like This
(Image credit: The Kitchn) From Apartment Therapy → If Unicorns Were Household Items, They’d Look Like This
The Kitchn
Feb 27, 2017
You Need This One Cleaning Tool in Your Kitchen
Apartment Therapy
Feb 27, 2017
This Is the Coolest Way to Drink a White Russian
Happy National Kahlua Day! If you don’t have a bottle of this coffee-flavored liqueur lingering in your pantry, consider this your excuse to run out and get one. (I’ll wait.) Got your Kahlua? Great. It’s time to make a White Russian, affogato-style. What is an affogato, you ask? It’s an Italian dessert (affogato means “drowned” in Italian) of vanilla gelato or ice cream topped with a shot of espresso.
Lauren Kodiak
Feb 27, 2017
The Style Evolution of This Budget-Friendly Countertop Option
(Image credit: The Kitchn) From Apartment Therapy → Another Look at Laminate: The Style Evolution of this Budget-Friendly Countertop Option
The Kitchn
Feb 27, 2017
Another Look at Laminate: The Style Evolution of this Budget-Friendly Countertop Option
(Image credit: The Kitchn) From Apartment Therapy → Another Look at Laminate: The Style Evolution of this Budget-Friendly Countertop Option
The Kitchn
Feb 26, 2017
Here’s How to Clean and Season an Old, Rusty Cast Iron Skillet
(Image credit: Ashley Poskin) From Apartment Therapy → How To Clean and Season an Old, Rusty Cast Iron Skillet
The Kitchn
Feb 26, 2017
How Long Is Too Long to Leave Up Your Indoor Fort?
So you took our advicedid Yes: If you can salvage your fort with minimal repairs, go for it. If you basically have to rebuild, take it as a sign that it’s time to restore your living room to its natural state. No: Good job! Are you a professional builder? An architect? A Lego expert? Yes: Don’t be ridiculous (or dirty!). You will have to sacrifice your fort in the name of cleanliness. No: You own an impressive number of sheets!
Lisa Freedman
Feb 25, 2017
5 Ways the South Turns Vegetables into Healthy Comfort Food
What do you think of when you think of Southern food? Fried chicken? Red velvet cake? Sweet potato pie? If you don’t immediately say vegetables, you’ve got Southern cooking all wrong. Vegetable cookery has a hallowed place in Southern cuisine, with a few of the most nutritious vegetables standing out: okra, cabbage, and dark leafy greens of all kinds. Southern cooking has the ability to take these nutritional powerhouses and turn them into comfort food of the finest caliber.
Hali Bey Ramdene
Feb 25, 2017
10 Little Things I Always Do for Houseguests
Apartment Therapy
Feb 24, 2017
You Should Totally Steal This Cute Snack Table Makeover Idea
The party problem: You want to have a movie night (with lots of food), but your plain snack tables are just that — plain. The party trick: Jazz them up with a custom paint job. We used eggshell paint because we like the matte look, although a satin or gloss finish will work just as well, if not better because glossier paints are easier to wipe clean if you spill food on them. You don’t even need a big thing of paint for this. In fact, a quart will be too much.
Megan Hopp
Feb 24, 2017
11 Things You Can Do for a Good Night
Apartment Therapy
Feb 24, 2017
Check Your SodaStream Carbonating Bottles ASAP
Your SodaStream bottle that turns plain water into carbonated water may have more in common with the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 than you think: they’re both at risk of exploding. On Tuesday, the company issued a voluntary recall for 51,000 bottles. The reason behind the recall is that the brand’s one-liter blue carbonating bottles are a risk, as they “burst under pressure, posing an injury hazard to the user or bystanders.
Susmita Baral
Feb 24, 2017
The Weird Reason Why People Are Eating Oranges in the Shower
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of eating an orange, then you know the juicy deliciousness of the fruit comes with juicy stickiness. Some people don’t mind the mess, while others avoid eating the fruit because of this fact. Well, it turns out there’s a solution for the messy-averse. A subreddit called Shower Orange proposes a simple, but revolutionary, solution to the inconvenience: Enjoy oranges in the shower to ensure you’re staying clean.
Susmita Baral
Feb 24, 2017
Does Pineapple Belong on Pizza? The President of Iceland Doesn’t Think So.
Pizza can be a very divisive issue. (Just ask New Yorkers and Chicagoans.) If regional styles weren’t dramatic enough, pizza toppings are now under scrutiny by international leaders. Or, at least, a politician from one Nordic island nation. Iceland’s President had some choice words about pineapple as a pizza topping this week. Spoiler alert: He’s not about it.
Susmita Baral
Feb 24, 2017
13 Cute & Clever Things Every Book-Lover Will Appreciate
(Image credit: The Kitchn) From Apartment Therapy → 13 Cute & Clever Things Voracious Readers Will Love
The Kitchn
Feb 24, 2017
Hello NYC and LA Readers! Would You & Your Home Like to Be Featured on Our Sites?
We are scouting NYC & LA—based readers to be part of future sponsored features on our sites. We love sharing our readers’ homes, challenges and successes with our audience, and we are often in search of participants for branded programs. Would you be interested in sharing your home and being on camera for future projects with the Apartment Therapy and Kitchn’s Creative Studio? We make sure working on these programs is a lot of fun for you!
Anna Hoffman
Feb 24, 2017
This Often Neglected Small Detail Will Make a Big Difference in Your Kitchen
The Kitchn Editors
Feb 24, 2017
I Tested 17 Talenti Gelato Flavors and Ranked Them
Apartment Therapy
Feb 23, 2017
The Best Foods to Eat with the Movie You’re Watching Tonight
The power of suggestion is so very strong. Whenever I watch a movie with food in it, whether it’s truly appetizing or just evocative, chances are I will be craving it in a major way. So before you watch any of the following films, consider stocking up on these heavily featured foods. Hint: This list goes far beyond the usual pizza.
Gabriella Gershenson
Feb 23, 2017
4 Southern Rest Stops That Are Worth the Detour
For a bag of pork rinds, a can of coke, and a taste of a little local twang, any old gas station in the American South will do. But while there are plenty of filling stations peddling processed food and cheap souvenirs, only a few are destinations in and of themselves. Infinitely hard to classify, each of these sprawling pit stops is one part rest stop, one part restaurant, and one part souvenir shop.
Morgan Childs
Feb 23, 2017
The Best Way to Remove Butter Stains from Anything
The only problem with buttery movie-style popcorn at home? The fact that it has a tendency to lead to greasy fingerprints on the sofa. Warm, crusty bread spread with a creamy pat of butter? There’s almost always a glob that falls off the knife onto your shirt. And tender lobster dunked into melted butter? A tablecloth’s worst nightmare. The points is, that buttery deliciousness we love almost always come as a stain-removal cost.
Amy Roberts
Feb 23, 2017
5 Unexpected Things Happy People Keep in Their Homes
(Image credit: Sophie Timothy) From Apartment Therapy → 5 Unexpected Things Happy People Have in Their Homes
The Kitchn
Feb 23, 2017
This Small-Batch Matcha Tiramisu Perfectly Serves Two
Sometimes I have a hankering to bake or make a special treat, but I really don’t want to whip up a batch of two-dozen cookies for just my little family of two. If you also struggle with this, allow me to introduce you to a sweet solution: small-batch desserts. Small-batch desserts, like this recipe for matcha tiramisu for two, are the answer to your “I want something more than a square of dark chocolate, but less than a three-tiered chocolate cake” dilemma.
Lauren Kodiak
Feb 23, 2017
This Is The Best Way to Get Grease Stains Out of Clothes
Apartment Therapy
Feb 23, 2017
An Interior Designer’s Tips for Building an Awesome Indoor Fort
You probably have some experience from your childhood building forts, yes? Chances are, though, your structures never looked quite this good? That’s because you were a child and you didn’t have the design sense or the wherewithal to make something so Instagram-worthy. You’re an adult now! And that means you have the skills (and the permission) to take your fort-building to the next level. Trust me — you can do it. Here are my best tips to help you.
Megan Hopp
Feb 22, 2017
10 Fun Ingredients to Have on Hand Just Because
Snow days are like unplanned, inconvenient little vacations. All your plans are cancelled whether you like it or not. (Surprise!) Resistance is futile. There is nothing to do but lean in. That includes partaking in cooking projects and indulging in some special-occasion treats. What else are you going to do? Unpopped popcorn: The ultimate snack for hunkering down and staying in, popcorn is satisfying, festive, and very, very easy.
Rachel Sugar
Feb 22, 2017
Cook All Day, Eat All Month: 3 Meal Planners Share Their Secrets
When it comes to meal planning and prepping, how much should you do in one go? I’ve always thought of meal prepping as a weekly ritual, with Sunday as the magic day to prep delicious lunches, hearty dinner salads, and budget-friendly meals that use up all the leftovers. Meal prep Sundays are not only a sacred day for many food-lovers, but also incredibly important for anyone trying to stick to a budget. Well, maybe it’s time to reconsider this weekly strategy.
Ariel Knutson
Feb 22, 2017
3 Smart Lessons to Steal from This Pantry Makeover
Designers like to joke that the master bedroom is usually the least loved (or least decorated) room in a house, but I’d like to give that nomination to the pantry. So often, people who are lucky enough to even have a pantry just throw their shelf-stable ingredients (and maybe even some other random stuff) inside and move on to the next grocery bag that needs to be unpacked.
Lisa Freedman
Feb 22, 2017
Home Depot Sells Beautiful Furniture for Every Space (Who Knew?)
(Image credit: Jacqueline Marque) From Apartment Therapy → Home Depot Sells Beautiful Furniture (Who Knew?)
The Kitchn
Feb 22, 2017
4 Pro Designers Share Their Best Tips for Improving a Rental Kitchen
Apartment Therapy
Feb 22, 2017
This Tiny Kitchen Proves You Can Cook Even When You’re Short on Space
(Image credit: Julia Brenner) From Apartment Therapy → A Tiny Kitchen That Proves You Can Cook Even When You’re Short on Space
The Kitchn
Feb 22, 2017
The 4 Pieces of Kitchen Wisdom Found in a Pot of Greens
There are stories of wise, mystic women stirring cauldrons to create potions and seek divinations. I get that. My cauldron, which is actually a big ol’ Le Creuset pot, is where I stir up a mess of greens with equal parts mastery and beginner’s mind. And then I get to eat them. Truth.
Sheri Castle
Feb 21, 2017
Here’s How to (Steam!) Clean Your Microwave Quickly & Easily
(Image credit: Ashley Poskin) From Apartment Therapy → How To (Steam!) Clean a Microwave Quickly & Easily
The Kitchn
Feb 21, 2017
11 Things to Do for a Good Night
People always talk about what to do to get a good night’s sleep and how to have a good morning. But what about the nighttime leading up to those things? You know, those few hours we all have between getting off work and going to bed. Here are the best things you can do for a good night. We know you’ve heard this one before (if not from your mother, then from all those darn magazine stories out there). So why are you still not pulling those covers up before you leave for work?
Lisa Freedman
Feb 21, 2017
20 Kitchens With Beautiful Butcher Block Countertops
Apartment Therapy
Feb 21, 2017
40+ Ways to Make Your Home the Cleanest It’s Ever Been
(Image credit: Laurel & Wolf) brett@decorotation.com From Apartment Therapy → 45 Ways to Make Your Home the Cleanest It’s Ever Been
The Kitchn
Feb 21, 2017
8 Southern Sweets Y’all Are Saying All Wrong
Southerners are known for their sweetness, and so are Southern desserts. But if you’re going to pay a visit south of the Mason-Dixon line, you’d best be sure you’re calling our sweet treats by their real names. Here are eight favorite treats that all y’all up north tend to mispronounce, fixed up real good with a guide for getting it right. And remember: Savor each of those vowels like a fine bourbon. We’re in no hurry.
Morgan Childs
Feb 21, 2017
Watch These Students Drink Beer from a 5,000-Year-Old Chinese Recipe
Most college students enjoy cheap Budweiser — after turning 21, of course — but students at Stanford University have decided to think beyond the status quo and make their own using a 5,000-year-old recipe. The beer was made under the guidance of Li Liu, a professor in Chinese archaeology at Stanford, as part of the final project for the course Archaeology of Food: Production, Consumption, and Ritual.
Susmita Baral
Feb 21, 2017
10 Stove Safety Tips Every Cook Should Know
The stove is the real workhorse of the kitchen, and even more so when you’re cooped up because of a winter storm and, er, cooking up one. But do you really know how to use it safely? Here are 10 stove safety tips every cook should know, according to Doug Rogers and Anthony Arroyo of Mr. Appliance repair services. What’s an anti-tip bracket, you might ask? It’s the thing that comes with most ovens and is usually tossed aside without a second thought.
Amy Roberts
Feb 21, 2017