I did my Super Bowl cooking (two chili's) last weekend, but after reading the posts now I want to make something for me to enjoy. Good luck with the snow.

I had a Chefmate from Target (Tramontina, designed in Italy, made in China.) From the start I was disappointed. First, they tell you to season the exposed metal on the lip of the pot and the lid. D...

Pulse: I know it is late in the thread, but did your pan have a smooth surface to start with? Or was it a result of the seasoning? Thanks.

I purchased a small Lodge cast-iron skillet at the hardware store the other week. I also own an older Lodge 11-inch skillet that I have owned for years (like 18). The 11" skillet is r...

Matchbookhymmnal: I must quote Monty Python's Life of Brian: "Blessed are the cheesemakers...?" “What’s so special about the cheesemakers?”

I was down at Seattle Fish wondering: Salmon burger, Halibut cake when I spied white king salmon. While previously frozen, white king is my favorite. This will be dinner tonight. I a...

In WA state I looked last week for the Unibroue TJ beer and came up empty handed. So maybe it is a seasonal thing, or maybe we bought out the the local supply. But it was good, and cheaper than the...

I was seriously thinking about installing a magnetic strip, and was just about to get one for my pot lids (used to cover skillets, and the actual pot they came with) when I remembered "D'uh...Stain...

I make stuff and freeze it for later with a FoodSaver. Which is great until you look in the freezer and all there is a variation on "Any dish you'd want as long as it has a bean or lentil in it" Gr...

I prefer to think of my 1954-era kitchen with pink/burgundy tile, 1980's era refinished varnished plywood cabinets as a cross between historic and mongrel. Nice stainless Vent-A-Hood, black nuker, ...

I am having my local family and a friend over for my version of CI's Beef Pot Roast with Root Veggies. Yeah, I could do it in the slow cooker, but I feel the extra effort of doing it in the oven wi...

I always joke that I didn't move up to Seattle until there was a TJs up here. The WA state TJs have a delightful Italian Conti Neri "Ripasso" or a Valpolicella given a rest on the le...

I am disappointed by most smoked cheeses--I get sucked in by the idea and hauled up short by the Liquid Smoke flavor, tasting as if they just spilled some in the milk. However, Beeche...

I haven't won a drawing for 40 years, and that gift was only mine for a week (a pre-Boggie board) but I promise to take better care of the olive oil. There is a cooking school in Cannon Beach cal...

I am considering the 101 Cookbook's "Giant Chipotle Beans Casserole" for Saturday night. I have some Rancho Gordo "Scarlet Runners" that surely qualify as giant beans. This way I have a "go-to" opt...

mattiemay: Don't know if you have heard of the "Dry Soda Company"? It is located in Seattle, and one of it's goals is to get a non-alcoholic drink that pairs with food:

Learp17: OK, I mis-remembered; the Tarte Tatin story was on NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story...

For Learp17: If you haven't already made the Tart Tatin, check out The Splendid Table website's story on Tart Tatin. They give a bit of the history and have a nice recipe. My only cautionary note i...

What I try to live by is don't buy something that duplicates the task of another thing that is still functional. When my 2Q Analon non-stick sauce pot started shedding Teflon, it was time to go. ...

OK, probably too late for nephil's question, but "Artisan Salt" makes an alder-wood smoked salt that might do the trick. A ham hock is pretty salty, so you might need to add salt anyway, and their ...