Cooking

David Chang and Other Top Chefs to Host Virtual Cooking Classes

By Jaime E. Love 1 week ago

The upside to spending an inordinate amount of time at home due to the pandemic is that many people have had the opportunity to get creative in the kitchen. And now, at-home chefs have a unique opportunity to take their skills to the next level with virtual cooking classes courtesy of AirBnb, taught by award-winning chefs like David Chang.

“As a chef, we connect with our guests through our food, but we don’t often have the chance to share and explore the stories behind dishes with diners directly,” the Momofuku founder said in a press release. “These Online Experiences give us the opportunity to do that, while paving the way for chefs from around the world to connect with guests virtually from afar.” Chang’s class is called “One-Pot Deliciousness,” and will teach guests his favorite recipe for Chicken and Rice Donabe with ingredients that are accessible and flavorful.

See the
… Read More

COVID-19 pandemic means we will be cooking from home for a very long time

By Jaime E. Love 2 weeks ago

The cooking from home surge that has commenced this year due to COVID-19 is likely here to stay for some time, thinks the chairman and CEO of spice maker McCormick.

“All aspects of cooking at home continue to be strong. Consumers are still concerned about their health. Many of the food service venues are closed and headlines we’re seeing is all about the resurgence of the virus. People will be cooking at home for a very long time. This isn’t bad news for them,” said Lawrence Kurzius on Yahoo Finance’s The First Trade. “McCormick has gained market share. People are coming back more. All of that says consumers are trying our brands and like them enough to buy them again. And clearly they are having a good experience. For many, it will be a new habit.”

McCormick is days removed from its fiscal second quarter earnings, which underscored Kurzius’

… Read More

Giada De Laurentiis on the Challenges of Shooting a Cooking Show on iPhones in Isolation

By Jaime E. Love 2 weeks ago

From learning how to do her own camera-ready hair and makeup to adapting recipes to work around grocery store shortages during a global pandemic, Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis faced more than a few challenges when filming her new limited series, “Giada at Home 2.0,” in isolation this spring.

The Italian-American chef says the six-episode series, shot in a rental house using nothing but a handful of strategically placed iPhones and the help of her boyfriend, will offer viewers a rare peek into her life that they wouldn’t normally see when it premieres on Saturday, June 27 at 12 p.m. ET/PT.

“I basically haven’t done it all by myself in 18 years. When I started I did it alone, but I haven’t done it in so long,” she said in a recent interview with TheWrap. “I’ll tell you, prep everything in advance on your own, wash all the dishes

… Read More

Want to drastically improve your cooking? Get the right types of salt and use them well

By Jaime E. Love 3 weeks ago
<span class="copyright">(Hanna Carter / For The Times)</span>
(Hanna Carter / For The Times)

Salt is often the difference between a good dish and great dish. To season with it right and well, it’s helpful to understand the different types of salts and the best ways to use them.

Where does salt come from?

True “sea salt” is harvested from shallow marshes, ponds or other low-lying areas. It comes from either sunshine and wind evaporating the water and leaving behind the salt or from raking salt off the surface of still water.

Other cooking salts come from solution mining. After water dissolves salt deposits, the brine solution is evaporated and purified. The salt left behind is then dried and refined, ending up as almost entirely sodium chloride.

The harvesting and processing determine the shape, size and taste of cooking salts. Here’s a guide to the most commonly used types:

Kosher Salt

Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt: My go-to salt

… Read More