I live with a small, tight kitchen that has a lot of its storage tucked into the corners. There are old-fashioned Lazy Susan wheels in several corner cupboards, and they creak and bang and groan. But I didn’t realize there was any other option — until I saw this totally dreamy corner cabinet. Click through to see a video of this dreamboat cupboard in action!
Reader Amy just sent us a great tip for the holidays and all those nuts you’re probably chopping this time of year. It has to do with a very seldom-used tool in our kitchen: the pastry blender.
Our holiday guests today:
• On Chocolate Cake, Candied Oranges, & Hilarious Disasters by Hannah of Honey & Jam
• Add an Extra Ingredient to Your Holiday Recipes: Love by Art of Pleasant House
Our holiday guests today:
• King Cake, Boiled Codfish, and a Portuguese Christmas by Gasparzinha of No Soup for You
• Christmas Croquembouche by Liz of Zested
We recently asked for your advice for resident etiquette expert Helena, over at CHOW. She was wondering if and how you kick guests out of the kitchen so you can focus while you’re cooking. Well, her own take on the topic is up now at CHOW, and she refers back to some of your thoughts. Take a look!
• Hovering Kitchen Guest Conundrum at CHOW
Every week we bring you our favorite good eating from our friends at Serious Eats. This week there were several recipes that grabbed our attention (cheap lentil soup, Alice Waters’ long-cooked broccoli, and grilled lamb kebabs) plus a guide to mailing baked goods. Very helpful!
Need some last minute holiday gift ideas? Here’s a look back at our gift guides and lists from this year’s holiday season.
We love peeking into kitchens, of course, but we especially enjoy seeing kitchens that are all geared up to cook — or to entertain! That’s happening in these photos of Tyler and Sarah’s kitchen; it’s all prepped for a big cocktail party, and we picked up a few tips from their preparations.
Our holiday guests today:
• Salted Pistachio Brittle (Better Than Christmas Cookies!) by Kristin Silverman of The Kitchen Sink
• How To Make Gingerbread Christmas Tree Ornaments by Jennifer of Chocolate Shavings
Over the last few weeks we’ve published several recipes for hot, frothy, foamy espresso drinks that give you that cheery taste of holiday coffee without the hefty coffee shop bills. Here’s a quick recap!
Our holiday guests today:
• Merry & Modern Chocolate Peppermint Molten Cakes by Sara Morris of Sprouted Kitchen
• Memories of Christmas Breakfast Strata (and a Recipe) by Anne Zimmerman of Poetic Appetite
All of our candy recipes collected in one place, plus ideas for pretty packaging, affordable wines for gift-giving, beer-braised short ribs, two recipes for party nuts, and 15 really useful items for cooks.
Q: I’m planning a holiday party for my husband’s visual effects company. We just moved into a really cool office space, and I want to utilize it for the party. We’re fortunate to have a fully outfitted kitchen, but I don’t want to take on all the food myself. We’re planning to buy most of the beverages ourselves and hire a licensed bartender to serve. I’m going to need a rental company for a bar, glasses, plates and silverware.
Do you have any tips on how to make the most of our kitchen to do some of the catering ourselves, and have a professional do the rest of it? Or would I be better off just having food delivered and hiring my own servers?
Sent by Jennie
Q: I’m wondering if you can help me salvage a batch of caramels. I made two batches yesterday — the first was plain fleur de sel caramels and turned out perfectly. In the second batch I infused the cream with thyme but otherwise it was the same recipe. It hardened like a brick.
Could I put it back in the pan, melt it down, and add more cream? And if I did this, would it still keep at room temperature like they originally would?
Sent by Brittany
Q: I love all the wonderful goodies that people make this year. However my sweet tooth has been satisfied. I am curious what are some favorite salty snacks that people make this time of year.
Sent by Jamie
Q: My soon to be father-in-law just got diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I was going to send him cookies for Christmas but now I’m not quite sure. As a type 1 diabetic, I remember a chocolate chip cookie recipe my mother used to make — they had oats in them, almost no sugar besides the chocolate chips — but when I asked her, she informed me that she’d long ago given away the cookbook she got the recipe from.
Do you have any idea where to find the recipe I’m looking for? Or any other suggestions?
Sent by Sarah
Oh wow, we love these stylish wreaths made from plain old candy, over at Food Network. There are some with marshmallows, chocolate mints, and peppermint candies.
Plus flavored sugars as homemade gifts in pretty furoshiki wrapping, and great jar toppers for homemade jam.
A cheat sheet to the different sorts of cookware materials (and their pros and cons) plus candy cane syrup!
