Cooking For Engineers®

These days when I reach for a spatula to turn food in a pan, I've been finding myself grabbing the GastroMax Slotted Turner more often than not. Tina bought this spatula for me after months (or maybe years) of listening to me complain about our various spatulas. After buying the GastroMax Turner, my complaining has stopped.

Twelve years ago, I wrote an article comparing plastic and wood cutting boards which may be why one of the most frequent questions that I get is what cutting board do I use in my personal life. For the last six years, I have been using cutting boards made by Epicurean Cutting Surfaces and my wooden cutting boards haven't come out of storage for years. Here's why I like the Epicurean boards.

In the United States, food grade containers are containers manufactured with materials that the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has approved as safe for use in food preparation and storage. Food grade materials are generally known to not leach harmful substances or react with food in a harmful manner. In most home kitchens, we'll find an assortment of different materials used in our containers ranging from glass to plastic to ceramic to metals. But are all food grade materials similar? Should we care if a container is marked Microwave Safe? Let's take a closer look at some common materials used in food containers and if they are microwave safe. Additional information can be found at: foodsafety.gov Food Grade Containers for Brining

The selection of pots and pans can be a complicated affair. The shape of the cooking surface and handle(s), materials used in its construction, the intended purpose of the utensil's design, and its flexibility of use in the kitchen all are important factors in choosing cookware. Understanding the materials used is a good first step in understanding how cookware works and what factors may be important to your cooking style.