Tina and I have different preferences when it comes to knives. I have chef's knives that are well-suited to my hands and my cutting style, while she has her favorites. The problem is, my knife block has only two slots that will fit a 2-in. wide blade (and I want both of those slots). Tina uses a couple Japanese vegetable knives (also with 2-in. wide blades) so our options are limited - buy another knife block (only to use the two larger slots), get a cabinet mounted vertical knife rack (which is too large so sit on the counter and we can't wall mount it in our current place), get a custom knife block (expensive), or try the Kapoosh Knife Block which lets you put in knives however you want in whatever size and shape you've got.

I had been meaning to write up a review for Food, Inc. ever since I got to watch it last week. Unfortunately, I've been pretty busy with work and haven't had much of a chance to write. It's still hard for me to find much time, so I'll keep this review relatively short. For the really short version, read this next line: Food, Inc. is in imperfect documentary, but does an excellent job portraying the picture of how Americans get their food that the film sets out to portray.

If you're like me, you love trivia. I enjoy all sorts of trivia in areas that I find interesting - science, computers, math, geography, world culture, television, film, and, of course, food. Mike Bellino, an electrical engineer who now focuses on microfarming, published a book last year that helps to fulfill my need for food trivia. It's called Fun Food Facts and it really is a fun read.


Fun Food Facts is available in the following formats:
Paperback

Here in Austin, I'm finding myself craving fresh squeezed juices and homemade lemonade whenever I do yard work (which is every week). (I think the heat has something to do with it.) I went out looking for a good citrus juicer, but instead ended up with this disappointing Metrokane Mighty OJ.

I love spicy buffalo chicken wings. I also love chili. And yes, I love to cook too. So when the company I work for (Boeing) presented a chili cook-off contest a while back, I took the challenge to heart (and the drawing board!). There are a few versions of buffalo chicken chili circulating the web, but I came up with a variation that I think adds much more texture, intense flavor, and plenty of heat while minimizing the labor and time. And best of all, this chili recipe is quite healthy. (Oh, and I won the cook-off with this chili.)

Tony Olson has a passion for cooking and playing around with cooking gadgetry. He is currently experimenting with rice-cookers and the plethora of tasty dishes that can be created in these one pot wonders.

When an English language translation of Herve This's Kitchen Mysteries was published in late 2007, I was pretty excited to read what he had to say. This (I think it's pronounced "tees") is famous as one of the founders of molecular gastronomy and for publishing a book by the same name in 2002. In his new book, he dives into some of the science of the kitchen and how it affects the way we cook. I was hoping for a book similar to those written by Harold McGee and Robert Wolke, but, unfortunately, that wasn't what I got.


Kitchen Mysteries is available in the following formats:
Hardcover

This year's Fancy Food Show was excellent. I tasted a lot of new products, visited with some familiar companies, and learned a bit more about the food, food makers, and the food industry. I spent two days roaming the halls and only saw a fraction of what was on display, but here's what caught my eye during those couple of days.

A friend recently told me about a new website called Foodoro that is an online marketplace for independent food producers. She mentioned that Foodoro is selling products from some well-known food companies in the Bay Area so I decided to check them out. I also had a chance to talk with one of the founders, Jay, to learn a little bit more about them.

Having worked at Intel's headquarters in Santa Clara for a number of years, I knew of the existence of Parcel 104 (located in the Marriott just one block from the Intel offices), but never suspected what a great dining experience was to be found there. Years passed and I started hearing positive reviews of Parcel 104, but never found myself dining there. In January 2009, as Tina and I began our preparations for our move out of the Bay Area, I made it a point to go and dine at this restaurant that focuses on fresh, seasonal produce with an emphasis on Bay Area farmers and ranchers.


Parcel 104 (website; reservations)
2700 Mission College Blvd.
Santa Clara, CA 95054
(408)970-6104

I spend a lot of time in the kitchen when I'm preparing a recipe for Cooking For Engineers. Sometimes, after a while, my feet, knees, hip, or lower back can start to hurt. I don't like wearing shoes inside the house, so my feet really aren't getting the support that they are supposed to have especially if I'm on them for a few hours. Enter the GelPro Mat - a soft but supportive floor mat that absorbs shock and spreads out the weight across the whole foot. I've been using the Mat in my kitchen for the last six months, and I can definitely say that it works!

Dulce de leche is a traditional South American candy that is very similar to caramel. Like caramel, it can also be prepared as a sauce simply by cooking it a little less. The "classic" recipe for dulce de leche is to boil a can of sweetened condensed milk for hours until the contents form a dark brown, thick fluid. I think this takes too long, so let me share with you the fastest way I know how to make dulce de leche.


Dulce de leche (makes about 1 cup or 200-250 mL)

Food science books are all the rage these days and naturally of particular interest to readers of Cooking For Engineers. The top dog in the library is still Harold McGee's incredible work, On Food and Cooking. Last month another food science book, The Science of Good Food, was published. This new book might be more accessible to the casual curious cook due to its easy language and beautiful layout.

On a recent trip to Napa, California to Camalie Vineyards, a family vineyard and winery owned by my friend Mark, Tina and I celebrated this year's Cabernet harvest and crush. When we were ready to leave, Mark suggested we try a new restaurant that his friend just opened - Elements. It sounded like a great idea, so off we went.

Last week, Tina and I visited Nate and Annie of House of Annie for an heirloom tomato tasting. They provided twenty different tomato varieties that they grew in their backyard (as well as providing a wonderful dinner) to try. After the tasting, they packed me a care package of tomatoes and suggested I make gazpacho.

Update Oct. 4, 2008: Cooking For Engineers' laptop giveaway contest begins today and ends October 11, 2008. Read this article for all the details.

Starting today, September 23, 2008, HP is giving away 15 laptops through 15 websites and Cooking For Engineers is one of them! You can actually participate in all fifteen giveaways to maximize your chances of getting a laptop. Cooking For Engineers will be giving away an HP Pavilion dv5t notebook computer on October 11, 2008.

While preparing soft boiled eggs, I tested a variety of methods (including cooking the eggs in boiling water as the name suggests, bringing the water up to temperature while the eggs are in the water, holding the water at 150°F until the eggs are cooked, and steeping in just boiling water) in pots of different sizes. After deciding on the steeping method, I reran time tests to determine the best steeping time for a just peelable soft boiled egg. Here's the various stages of soft boiled eggs so you can choose the time that gives you the results you prefer.

My favorite way of preparing eggs is to fry them over medium. But sometimes, I like to switch it up a bit and boiling them in their shell until soft is my favorite way to do that. It's faster than boiling them hard, and (since I don't much like solid yolks) it's tastier. Here's how I do it.

Soft Boiled Eggs

As a food-lover and a parent, I've attempted to educate my kids' palettes as best I can. While I doubt that I'm succeeding to the extent of the Italians, there's certainly a lot of simple things we parents can do. Regular trips to restaurants, farmer's markets and the grocery are great ways to teach children about the selection, consumption and enjoyment of food. At home, I try to cook a wide variety of dishes using seasonal ingredients drawing from a variety of cuisines. Family dinners with the whole brood seated at the table teach your kids that meals are a great time for conversation and enjoying the company of others (and that the TV isn't a welcome dinner guest). And preparing simple recipes with a child can go a long way towards helping them appreciate food and show them that homemade food isn't that difficult and can taste better than their store-bought or processed counterparts.

So it was with much pleasure that I recently received a copy of Cricket Azima's "Everybody Eats Lunch" (published by Glitterati Inc., 2007).

Everybody Eats Lunch is available in the following formats:
Hardcover

David Papandrew loves all foods but is especially fond of roast lamb, winter squash, stews and chocolate chip cookies. When not cooking he spends most of his time working on fanpop.com.

I've been planning on writing down my recipe for barbecue pork ribs for a couple years now. I kept avoiding it to prevent runaway discussions on whether or not this is the best way or the correct way to barbecue ribs. I finally decided to just sit down and write it. This is how I do my ribs, barbecue style. They come out delicious, tender and juicy, and full of smoky flavor.

Barbecue Pork Ribs

On a recent visit to Austin, Texas, I made sure I had a chance to dine at Uchi, the highly respected Japanese inspired restaurant helmed by executive chef Tyson Cole. I expected some good sushi, flavorful beef and pork, and some beautiful presentations. What I got was beyond my expectations. To date, my three-and-a-half-hour dinner at Uchi is the best meal I've ever had.