modern rules

Rescuing Beans from Disaster

13 February 2011

Who knew that burned cannellini beans smelled like coffee? While lost in recipe editing one afternoon, the smell of malty coffee filtered into the room. This was unexpected.  I was the only one home, and I hadn’t made coffee. Upon entering the kitchen, the source was obvious. I had scorched a pot of cannellini beans. [...]

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Snow Days for Amateurs

4 December 2010

It takes gloves, a hat, a baggy, water-resistant jacket, and a pair of jeans tucked into rubber boots to prepare oneself to shovel a driveway. I still take inventory of these things before I head out the door. Even after more than five years of living in Chicago, I’m still a newcomer to snow. Growing [...]

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How to Survive Thanksgiving

22 November 2010

Port Washington, New York-based market research firm NPD Group reports that the average size of the Thanksgiving dinner table is 9.3 guests.  (For anatomy’s sake, let’s round and say 9.) But how to put a meal together on time that is at once hot, satisfying, and balanced for 9 people, or more? The answer is [...]

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Shake it up: Vinaigrettes in a Jar

12 June 2010

I like mustard, but I like these 16-ounce glass jars even without their former contents. They make ideal storage containers for an open can of jalapenos en escabeche, for instance. But I really like them for making vinaigrettes. All you have to do is put the ingredients in the jar, give it a good shake, [...]

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Stepping up to the Scale

8 June 2010

I’ll get to the dishes I made using the various cuts of pork from the Mado butchery session, but first I thought I’d mention a modest investment that any practicing cook should consider. It’s a digital scale. It’s not expensive. And it’s handy. I’ve been editing recipes from chefs for at least four years. One [...]

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Choice Cuts: Butchering a Pig at Mado

3 June 2010

There’s a lot of well-documented talk among chefs about using various cuts of pork. Particularly when a restaurant takes the initiative to buy the whole animal, break it down into its primal cuts, and then fabricate the meat into more-familiar pieces: the chops, the ribs, the belly, the shoulder, and so on. No wonder these [...]

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A Modern Rule: Don’t Apologize

23 May 2010

With the abundance of food-styled spreads in books and glossies (who knew goulash could look so glam?) it’s easy to feel a sense of defeat when our pot looks congealed in comparison. So we play it safe and stick with dishes we know how to make— or, worse, we apologize for our mistakes. But if it tastes good, why worry?

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