We've introduced you to the next set of Top Chef hopefuls, however we've been lucky enough to get to know a few of them better. You already met Andrew, and today we'd like to present Richard.

Richard Blais is already known in the industry as being innovative and adventurous. He's got a penchant for molecular gastronomy, but he's got the résumé to go with it. He's worked along side Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud, and Ferran Adria, plus he's helmed several restaurants including One Midtown Kitchen in Atlanta. And if he looks strangely familiar to you, it might be that he recently battled Mario Batali on Iron Chef America.

So, what should we expect from him? And why would someone with such a fantastic résumé even bother with Top Chef? To find out what he had to say, read more

Why dye the outside of Easter eggs, when you can dye the insides? Check out this recipe for beet-dyed ruby eggs. — A Veggie Venture

Whenever I make a cake, I usually use a bit of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan. This way the cake won't stick to the pan and I'll have nice and even surface to work with. I either cut out a square or circle to fit the bottom of the pan, or I create a parchment-paper sling.

Unfortunately I said usually. To find out what happened when I didn't, read more

Irish stew is a great dish to serve at a St. Patrick's Day dinner party. In general, stews make wonderful dinner party fare because they're a one-pot meal that must be made in advance. Originally a peasant's meal, Irish stew normally consists of lamb, potatoes, and onions. To encourage that you experiment with this traditional recipe, I've found two versions. Both are straight forward, but one cooks the stew on the stove and the other bakes it in the oven. Choose which one suits your culinary needs or combine the two to make a delicious masterpiece. For both recipes please read more

The annual International Home and Housewares Show begins next week in Chicago. Each year there are always a lot of interesting gadgets and gizmos — I'm sure we'll be hearing about a lot of items for our What Is This game — as it seems that everyone has something innovative up their sleeves.

Every time I think about innovative new kitchen gizmos, I always end up thinking of those vintage 1960s Kitchen of Tomorrow type of videos. So I decided to find a good one on YouTube when I came across this video for "Dream Kitchen" by Frazier Chorus. The song samples old kitchen commercials and the video is made up entirely of 1960s futuristic kitchen clips. It's a lot of fun, and answers the age-old question of "What is a kitchen anyway?"

To check out the video for yourself, read more