Chef's Blog, Chef's Notes Plus

All About Quick Pickles

If your kitchen cabinets are currently storing more than one empty glass jar, you are officially missing an easy pickling opportunity. Pickled fruits and vegetables are the absolute best way to add some excitement to any recipe, cheese plate, or mid-afternoon snack attack. There are many pickling strategies, which can […]

Chef's Blog, Chef's Notes Plus

Exploring Mediterranean Cuisine: France

The term Mediterranean cuisine might leave anyone living in one of the many countries that surround the Mediterranean Sea scratching their heads. This is because the region is culturally and geographically diverse; twenty-one countries border the Mediterranean, among them France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Algeria, and Egypt. What we consider Mediterranean cuisine […]

Chef's Notes Plus

Guide to Radishes (and What To Do With Them)

When I first moved to the United States from Germany, where I grew up and began my career, I was surprised at how little radishes are used in American cuisine. They are, to me, delicious! Not to mention inexpensive, long-lasting, and full of nutrients. Radishes are root vegetables of which […]

Chef's Blog, Chef's Notes Plus

Home School: Prepping Vegetables

From trimming and peeling to slicing and dicing, many vegetables and herbs need advance preparation before they are ready to serve or to use as an ingredient in a recipe. Presenting perfectly cooked, aesthetically beautiful dishes begins with the mastery of these fabrication techniques. The best dishes begin with the […]

Chef's Blog, Chef's Notes Plus

Pan-Steaming for Tender-Crisp Veggies

Pan-steaming is a technique that cooks food partially submerged in liquid and covered to produce steam. Similar to shallow poaching, pan-steaming is primarily used for vegetables or other tender, quick-cooking items like steamed dumplings or shrimp. By creating hot steam in a closed environment, this technique produces bright, tender-crisp vegetables […]

Chef's Blog, Chef's Notes Plus

The Essential Cooking Techniques

Knowing how to cook comes down to mastering a few simple techniques, which opens up a world of original cooking for you. You are no longer tied to having a recipe, buying the ingredients, and then cooking. You can pull together ingredients you already have on hand and use the […]