Chef's Notes Plus

Regional Food Spotlight: Pork Roll

If you’ve grown up and stayed close to your hometown, you may take your favorite foods for granted. During your childhood, your world is small, and things that are familiar to you are surely familiar to everyone else, right? But for those of us who find ourselves far from home, […]

Chef's Notes Plus

Got Almond Milk?

If you’re thinking about eliminating or limiting your dairy intake—whether for health or ethical reasons—you may be wondering about easy substitutes for your favorite recipes. Almond milk, and other non-dairy milk options, are so popular right now, as you may have noticed in the dairy aisle at your grocery store. […]

Chef's Notes Plus

Why Add Acid to Food?

If you’ve watched any TV cooking show, you’ve probably heard, “It needs more acid.” But do you know what that means? When chefs create a dish, they always consider the balance of flavors. All of the ingredients in a recipe should mingle, but they should never compete. Of course, individual […]

Chef's Notes Plus

Poaching Pears

Apples get an unfair amount of attention during the fall, but pears want to be covered in caramel, too! Pears are kind of the dark-horse of the fall produce scene. Some people don’t like their mealy texture, and we’ve probably all bitten into way more bad pears than bad apples. […]