SousChef Community

Sarah Kagan has a great take on the New York Times feature on pantry staples but lets the author off the hook on one thing that jumped out at me: the notion that you don't need a reamer or juicer or other ''junk'' for essential lemons. Maybe if you have kitchen assistants and a recipe-development budget you don't. If you want every last droplet of ...

There's something very alluring, exotic, and even comforting about the smell of spices in food, particularly baked goods. For me, the scents evoke warm, fuzzy feelings and conjure up images of a homey kitchen on a cold winter's day. I like to think I've mastered baking with spices. Sugar cookies that come alive with cardamom and chocolate chip ...

In today's New York Times, Mark Bittman has an article on pantry staples: which items you should always have on hand and which aren't worth the space. It's an interesting, opinionated list; I found myself agreeing with him on some items and disagreeing on others. Many of his ''out'' listings are convenience foods that produce results inferior to ...

Frying is the bacon of cooking techniques: It makes everything better. And never is that more true than with rice, my least favorite cheap staple. The Chinese treatment is a great way to stretch pricier ingredients (or just leftovers) into an excellent lunch (or offbeat brunch). Do it the Chiu Chow way I learned from Hong Kong, and it's nothing ...

My bank statement arrived today (I'm sure you feel my pain). And that fat envelope means the holiday season is officially over in my house. We are going through the pantry and looking for creative ways to avoid the grocery store for a few more days. It seems I'm not alone. Thrifty Epi members have been responding to a post on our Recipe Swap ...

You may have seen the commercials where Lisa Kudrow (the Vassar graduate who played ditzy on ''Friends'') and a little girl whip up a Chinese dish together with the help of a palm-sized gadget known as the Nintendo DS. That widget, of course, is known more for games like the totally, utterly awesome Mario Kart DS (to which I now challenge any and ...

The other day I saw muffins recommended as a homemade Xmas gift, which makes about as much sense as wrapping up a soufflé. Great muffins melt butter; they have a shelf life much shorter than Saran Wrap would lead you to believe. But that silliness made me realize lemon curd is actually a pretty smart late-breaking gift if you need something on the ...

Today from noon to 1pm, our editor-in-chief, Tanya Wenman Steel, and I are answering holiday questions in the Epicurious Chat Room. Come visit and get answers to your Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year's cooking and entertaining queries. Hope to see you there!

It's hard to believe, but there's less than a week left until Christmas, and only 4 days until Hanukkah. If you need last-minute advice, come visit the Epicurious Chat Room this coming Friday (12/19) from noon to 1pm, when our editor-in-chief, Tanya Wenman Steel, and I will be answering questions. Looking for a show-stopping finale for Christmas ...

Quick! Can you come up with ten different dishes for a food category such as seafood? Or how about ten different salsas? Mashed foods? Chocolate? Ok, that last one might be an easy one, but no worries if you can't because Sheila Lukins can and does in her new cookbook, TEN: All the foods we love... and ten recipes for each (Workman). With 320 ...