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This Year's Best Online Recipe Resource

partysugar — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 07:45:51 -0800

As part of our Best of 2008 coverage we asked you what website is your favorite resource for recipes. The results are very close: Food Network beat out Allrecipes by one vote! Yum and I agree with the majority and are making Food Network the editor's pick for best online recipe resource.

Although I was initially taken aback by the site's recent makeover, I've come to love the new Food Network. Besides the huge collection of easily searchable recipes, I enjoy the videos and behind-the-scenes details. Why do you log on to Food Network?

What's Your Favorite Food Magazine of 2008?

YumSugar — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 11:45:16 -0800

As much as I love looking up recipes online, there's nothing quite like the secret glee that I feel deep down when I see a brand-new issue of a food magazine with an artfully done cover. For part of our Best of 2008 coverage, I want to hear your thoughts.
Who has the most stunning food photography, the most useful layout, and the best recipes?

Source

What's Your Favorite Online Recipe Resource of 2008?

partysugar — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:15:04 -0800

I'm not afraid to admit it: I love reading recipes and I love reading them online. The internet is a wonderful resource for recipes, and I often find myself searching several websites until I find the perfect one. My computer is even dirtied like a cookbook with sauce splatters and food smudges.

Since you read this website, I'm assuming you browse the web for recipes, too. Besides YumSugar and in honor of the Best of 2008 coverage, I want to know: Where do you like to read recipes online?

Source

Must Read: Field Guide to Candy

YumSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:30:04 -0700

With tomorrow being Halloween, we've unofficially opened the Pandora's Box that is Fall sweets season. That's why the Field Guide to Candy ($16) couldn't have come at a better time. Pastry chef Anita Chu, who authored the Field Guide to Cookies, has come out with a second book, which promises to teach you "how to identify and make virtually every candy imaginable." Does it live up to its promise? To find out, keep reading.

Let's Dish: What's Your Favorite Cookbook of All Time?

YumSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:50:01 -0700

Since I just quizzed your knowledge of classic cooking works, I figured I'd go full circle: Whether it's battered and old or trendy and new, I'm curious to know what your most beloved kitchen book is. I have so many, it's hard to pick, but among them, I love the Bon Appétit Cookbook for its exhaustive collection of American recipes, and Ten by Sheila Lukins for its thoroughly tested instructions, as well as On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee. Even though the last isn't technically a cookbook, it's a great resource for understanding the chemical interactions between food ingredients, and the science behind various cooking methods.

What are your favorite cookbooks?

Fast & Easy Dinner: Tilapia With Arugula and Tomatoes

partysugar — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 07:00:27 -0700

Just because you are cooking for one doesn't mean you shouldn't take the time to prepare a healthy and delicious meal. If you live alone, this recipe is for you. It's quick and uncomplicated, but flavorful and well balanced.

Tilapia, a light, flaky white fish, is cooked with tomatoes and arugula. A simple piccata-style pan sauce of butter and capers tops off the fish. Don't hesitate to be resourceful. Have a vegetable drawer filled with spinach? Use that instead. To treat yourself to this dish, get the recipe.

Monday's Leftovers: Crunchy Pork Chops With Spinach Salad

YumSugar — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:50:56 -0700

Even if you had pork chops and salad last night, it's still possible to enliven your palate with a new variation on the same standard. Stretch your dollar (and your resourcefulness) by using leftover bone-in pork chops.

Encrust them with a hefty smattering of breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese for a satisfying crunch. Complete the meal with a spinach and tomato salad tossed in garlicky vinaigrette. See the recipe when you read more.

Crunchy Pork Chops With Spinach Salad
From Nigella Lawson

Ingredients

Pork chops:
2 pork chops, approximately 8 ounces each
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup ground nut oil or similar, for frying

Spinach and tomato salad:
3 medium tomatoes
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 cups baby spinach leaves
Salt and pepper

Directions

Trim the thick white fat off the pork chops, cutting carefully around the outside edge. Lay the chops between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and, using a mallet or a rolling pin beat them until the meaty part of the chop is half as thick. You will need to beat around the bone, so turn them over once as you go.
Beat the egg in a shallow wide bowl with the mustard, oregano, and salt and pepper. On a large plate or platter, combine the breadcrumbs with the Parmesan.
Press each of the chops into the egg mixture, coating either side. Then dip the eggy chops into the bread crumbs, covering them evenly. Let them lie on a cooling rack to dry slightly while you heat the oil in a large frying pan. When a small cube of bread sizzles if dropped into the oil, then the oil is hot enough. Cook the chops until they are a deep golden color, about 5 to 7 minutes a side (depending on how thin you've managed to get them and how cold they were before going in the oil).
Meanwhile, quarter the tomatoes and take out the seeds, then cut the shells into strips and dice them. You can take off the skins, too, if you prefer, by steeping the tomatoes first into a bowl of just boiled water for 3 to 5 minutes. Combine the diced tomato, minced or grated garlic, oil, and lemon juice in a bowl, and season well with salt and pepper.
When the chops are ready, toss the spinach in the tomato mixture until well coated and divide the salad between 2 large plates, putting each chop alongside.

Serves 2.

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Must-Read: Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It

YumSugar — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:00:20 -0700

Given that some say we're in the middle of a food revolution, and local, sustainable, home-grown produce is popping up everywhere, it's only logical that an uptick in home preserving will happen, too. Enter Karen Solomon's Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It, a new book that's focused on making your own artisanal food products, either to keep or to give as gifts. The tome isn't simply limited to fruit jellies and quick pickles - it also includes instructions on making everything from flatbread to watermelon Popsicles to chai tea. But did it live up to its high expectations? Find out when you read more.

Pros:

The cookbook covers a wide range of basic preserving techniques that run the gamut from dairy products to cured meats.
Each recipe provides a general overview of the dish, estimated time required, and suggestions for storing.
Book size and binding make it easy for the tome to stay on the desired page.

Cons:

This do-it-yourself book could benefit from having more instructional pictures.
Recipe directions are written in paragraph form, which can be hard to navigate.

Recipes: I'm excited to create homemade versions of many different comestibles using the book's artisanal techniques and tips. Intriguing projects include:

Baked potato chips
Kimchee
Gravlax
Smoked trout
Ricotta salata
Lemon curd
Jamaican ginger beer

Imagery: While only a quarter of the book contains images, all of them are vivid, visually appealing color photographs.

Overall Rating: If you're looking to be a resourceful kitchen do-it-yourselfer, then this book would seal the deal.

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Spice Up Your Summer With Chili-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

YumSugar — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 08:00:01 -0700

It's a week into June, but judging by the number of San Franciscans huddled up in coats, you'd never have known it. Since it was too cold to be grilling and chilling outside, I opted for another meat-centric meal inspired by the fiery flavors of Southwestern cuisine.

This recipe calls for baby carrots and red jalapeños, but I didn't want to waste any of the resources I already had on hand, so I used conventional carrots and green jalapeños instead. Whatever ingredients you use, the end result is full of complex flavors. To make this for dinner, read more.

Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin With Roasted Carrots
Adapted from Bon Appétit

Ingredients

Carrots:
2 pounds carrots, peeled, trimmed
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter, diced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 small jalapeño, seeded, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
Pork:
2 1- to 1-1/4-pound pork tenderloins
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Prepare carrots

Prepare pork: Preheat oven to 400°F. Roast carrot mixture covered until just tender, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, arrange pork tenderloins on another rimmed baking sheet. Stir oregano, cumin, chile powder, smoked paprika, and 1 teaspoon coarse salt in small bowl; rub mixture all over tenderloins. Heat oil in heavy large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork to skillet and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Return to rimmed baking sheet.
Remove foil from carrots. Nestle pork among carrots on baking sheet, arranging carrots in single layer around pork. Roast uncovered until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 145°F, stirring carrots occasionally if beginning to caramelize, about 18 minutes. Let rest 5 to 10 minutes.
Transfer pork to work surface. Cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange carrots on platter. Top with pork slices, drizzling any pan juices over.

Serves 6.

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Monday's Leftovers: Salmon With Sugar Snap Peas Over Rice

YumSugar — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 08:00:08 -0700

Salmon is remarkably versatile and can be cooked to perfection in a multitude of different ways, from roasting to searing to grilling. One of my favorite ways to prepare this pink-fleshed fish is by poaching it in water until it's just barely cooked through, which results in an ultra-moist piece of seafood.

Work a savory salmon dinner into your hectic schedule tonight by adding leftover fillets to an already-simmering pot of rice. Cooking multiple elements of a dish together simultaneously not only saves time, but it also saves resources like water and energy. Bring together this one-pot dinner in under 30 minutes when you read more.

Salmon With Sugar Snap Peas Over Rice
From Real Simple

Ingredients

1 cup long-grain white rice
1 pound salmon fillet, skin removed
Kosher salt and pepper
4 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
4 scallions, trimmed and sliced
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

Directions

Mix the rice and 2 1/3 cups water in a medium skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
Slice the salmon on a diagonal into four 3/4-inch-thick pieces. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place on top of the partially cooked rice. Cover and cook 7 minutes.
Scatter the peas over the salmon and rice. Cover and cook until the rice and peas are tender and the salmon is opaque and beginning to flake, 3 to 5 minutes.
Mix the soy sauce, scallions, vinegar, ginger, and sugar in a small bowl. Spoon the sauce over the salmon, rice, and peas and serve.

Serves 4.

Nutritional information per serving: Calories 418, Protein 32g, Carbohydrate 49g, Sugar 5g, Fiber 2g, Fat 9g, Sodium 706mg

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