Roast Chicken Risotto / Clean Burnt Stains off Stainless Steel Cookware / Blood Orange Tart

Blog Post & Recipes: Chicken Out

The risotto that results from the roast chicken is deeply satisfying and brings new meaning to leftovers.

Chicken Stock ... Roast Chicken Risotto with Sweet Corn

Blog Post: How To Clean Tough Burnt Stains Off Stainless Cookware

Materials

Stainless steel cookware blackened with burned on food from months and months of heavy use
Vinegar
Water
Baking soda
Mesh dish cloth

Blog Post: Blood Orange Tart

The flaky pastry crust is just the right base for the slightly bitter blood oranges which manage to taste remarkably fresh and vibrant despite spending over an hour in a hot oven. This is due, in part, to the fact that you freeze the assembled tart until it is solid which buys you some extra baking time for the crust.

Watercress Pesto / Washing Mushrooms / Another Blogger's Favourite Posts of 2009

Blog Post & Recipe: Watercress Pesto

Watercress is a perennial herb and part of the Nasturtium family and is known for its peppery flavours. As it ages though these flavours can turn bitter so it's best to use younger specimens.

Blog Post: Should you wash mushrooms?

(One of the responses comes from a poster who works in a mushroom farm -- scroll down to 'MatMatMat.')

In the red corner, we have the traditionalists – Delia, Gordon, Larousse Gastronomique – warning me to keep my precious cargo away from the sink at all costs.

Beckoning me from the blue are the hip young guns for whom rules are as old hat as Gordon himself – among them, the scientifically-minded food writer Harold McGee and his disciple Heston Blumenthal, who dismiss this ancient prohibition as 'nonsense'. Go on, they urge, give them a good old rinse.

Blog Post & Recipes: my favorite recipes from 2009

cinnamon oatmeal waffles ... millet vegetable bowl ... lemon, parmesan & chickpea cabbage salad ... strawberry rhubarb crumble ... the easiest pizza dough in the world ... bouchon's simple roast chicken ... tomato & corn biscuit pie ... stewed peppers, tomatoes & onions ... chicken thighs in riesling ... chocolate chip maple walnut cookies ... sweet potato, corn & jalapeno bisque ... better than from a bakery granola

Deep-Fried Butter. Chinese Braised Beef Ribs. Washing Dishes.

Recipe: How to make your own deep-fried butter [Warning: this newspaper sometimes decides not to let you see a page until you've signed up. There is another deep-fried butter recipe here and a photograph of the original deep-fried butter here.]

The butter center must be made ahead and frozen to ensure perfect crispy outside with a creamy center.

Blog Post & Recipe: Chinese Braised Beef Ribs

Ribs need a good long cook to ensure they are not tough so I went for a slow-braise rather than a roast and although my first thought was red wine instead I want for something with some spice.

Blog Post: How To: Hand Wash Dishes To Conserve Water

... we wanted to find out what tweaks we could make to our dishwashng [sic] routine to conserve water...

Start with two basins ... Use an eco-friendly dishwashing detergent ... Scrape your dishes well ... Let the well-scraped dishes soak ... Plug your sink ... Rinse the soapy dishes ... Use the greywater

Tofu Dumplings. Baked Goat Cheese. Cleaning Egg Off.

Blog Post & Recipe: Tofu Dumplings

I just adore these wee things. They are so tasty and so much fun to make and they can very quickly be cooked in a variety of ways straight from the freezer.

Blog Post & Recipe: Warm Baked Goat Cheese

One of my favorite ways to serve goat cheese is the way we did it back when I worked at Chez Panisse; marinated in olive oil, coated with good-quality bread crumbs, then baked ...

Blog Post: Why Is Dried Egg So Hard to Clean Off?

When it comes to cleaning off egg residue, Swanson’s best advice is to soak the dish in hot, soapy water before you try to wash it because most detergents have fat solubilizing and wetting agents that can penetrate and break down the protein-lipid mix.

Anzac Biscuits. Mint Grilled Tofu. Decluttering.

Recipe: Mint Grilled Tofu

(Via this post at The Kitchn)

The trick to grilling tofu is to actually grill it twice—once to get it firm and absorb the smoky flavor and then a second time after adding the sauce.

Here’s how I made my sweet mint grilled tofu ...

Recipes: Anzac biscuits

With Anzac Day coming up soon, we've got plenty of Anzac biscuit recipes, as well as a few ways to use them in tarts or crumbles. You can also find out more about the history of Anzac biscuits.

Anzac biscuits ... Chewy Anzac biscuits ... Giant Anzac Biscuits ... Cinnamon Anzac biscuits ... Anzac biscuits with macadamia nuts ... Anzac tart with macadamia praline & cinnamon syrup ... Anzac biscuit tarts

Blog Post: Kitchen Cure Week #2: Declutter and Give Away Kitchen Equipment

... it's time to pay a little attention to the equipment piled up in your kitchen. Take a long honest look at the stuff you keep in your cupboards and on your counters ... Do you truly need three strainers? This week we'll be posting our thoughts of the bare bones essential kitchen tools and how best to clean out those crumby drawers.

N.b. Added a new tag: 'kitchen.'

Walnut Miso Noodles. Pantry Staples. Oven Cleaning.

Article: 10 pantry staples to keep your family fed on a budget

1. Rice is the most versatile staple ...

Blog Post & Recipe: Walnut Miso Noodles Recipe

I made a quick, creamy walnut-miso dressing and used it coat whole wheat noodles, plenty of sliced asparagus, the neon chard stems, and a few other ingredients I had within reach. I was quite hungry or I might have taken the time to top off with a poached egg or two.

Article: More Adventures in Oven Cleaning

We tried the self-cleaning feature, which you can read about here. Now we're trying that age-old trick of baking soda paste. To be honest, we always read "Just baking soda and salt!" and think, "Yeah, right."

Clear out your kitchen.

Article: Fresh Start for a New Year? Let’s Begin in the Kitchen.

... you might clear out a bit of the detritus that’s cluttering your shelves. Some of these things take up more space than they’re worth, while others are so much better in their real forms that the difference is laughable. Sadly, some remain in common usage even among good cooks. My point here is not to criminalize their use, but to point out how easily and successfully we can substitute for them, in every case with better results.

Here, then, is my little list of items you might spurn, along with some essential pantry and long-keeping refrigerator items you might consider.

There is also a comments section. Writes one poster:

Reading this article made me think of al those articles in the Travel section; nice places to visit, but I have neither the time nor the money to go there.

Another:

Well, if I had your salary/grocery budget I might follow your suggestions more seriously. I have a couple of suggestions: stock a few packs of Ramen to recover from the flu, a hangover or a fit of the lazy day blues- add some fresh sliced/diced onion and celery, frozen peas while the water comes to a boil- add noodles and cook- throw in a few bits of meat/fish- the dry season mix, and a slice of ginger (next hint)- splash with low-sodium soy sauce- or if you have run out and your car is frozen, teriyaki sauce.//Grate fresh ginger and roll in plastic wrap like a log and freeze. Cut off slices as needed.//Continue buying canned tomato paste. Tubed paste is a rip-off. Open both ends of can and squeeze onto plastic wrap and freeze. Cut off as needed.//Peppers can be frozen without blanching as long as the seeds and pith are removed.//Yams spoil easily in the fridge. Bake them and freeze for future use.//Carrots are good keepers and should be looked on as cakes, muffins, soups besides being sticks.//Dry spices have been hoarded and the cause of wars for centuries- just keep them cool and dark.//How much does it cost to toast croutons? Buy them on sale instead of potato chips- adds heft to soups.