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Expiration Dates

Daniel Kohler ·

Expiration dates are not actually tied to food safety at all, though that is how we think of them. Instead, they’re chosen by the manufacturer to indicate the date at which optimal flavor has passed. But that doesn’t mean your food is unsafe to eat. Here's the full breakdown on how it all works!

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Use the Best Oil

Daniel Kohler ·

There are many vegetable fats to consider when we walk down the grocery aisle these days. Do we cook with olive oil or should we use canola? What’s the difference between sunflower and safflower? Though these are all produced from various plants, they differ considerably in their application once we step into a kitchen

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New Year Fortune Food

Daniel Kohler ·

Let’s start the new year on good footing, yes? For centuries we’ve found fortune and favor in the foods we eat, interpreting shapes, and colors to portend success and harmony. Many countries, and indeed, cities, have their own traditions and today I will investigate three of my favorite

Drink, Read

Champagnformation

Daniel Kohler ·

Though champagne can be consumed year round, most of us turn to the bubbly stuff when December pushes its last seconds through the hourglass. As I pour myself a cold flute of the golden liquid my mind turns to the more technical aspects of this spectacular drink. It’s time to investigate the physics of champagne!

Breakfast, Home & Family, Dinner Party Theater, Read

EggSplanation

Daniel Kohler ·

Pick up any carton of eggs today and you are bombarded with language meant to obfuscate the truth. Free Range one carton exclaims, while another touts Cage Free! What's the difference? Here's a handy list that will help you interpret the marketing on egg cartons across the country.

    Dessert, Read, Winter

    Gingerbread Architecture

    Daniel Kohler ·

    Gingerbread houses can be the cause of much frustration. After spending hours planning, baking, and then constructing, it can all fall apart due to simple mechanical issues. The prime culprit in any gingerbread house disaster is the cement used to hold everything together. Do you know what kind of icing you’re using?

    Dairy Free, Dinner, Breakfast, Fall, Drink, Read, Winter

    Bone Broth 101

    Daniel Kohler ·

    You’ve certainly heard chefs say loudly, “Make your own stock, it’s better than anything you can buy.” And they aren’t wrong. But if you’ve been holding off because you think it’s too labor-intensive, then now is the time to tune in and pay attention. Making stock (or bone broth if you insist on pop-culture terminology) is easy and you should start today. 

    Home & Family, Read

    Infusions Abound!

    Daniel Kohler ·

    Infusions are easily personalized, you could very well make a few different batches and hand out various treats to your family but I like to brew one big batch of something flavorful, label it with the particular year it was made, and then give it away with a bow on top. Over the years I have infused many different liquids, and I will now look at the options with you.

    Read, Winter

    Potato, Potahto

    Daniel Kohler ·

    Surely, we’ve all seen the words "starchy" and "waxy" used to describe potatoes in bins. Or perhaps you’ve been baffled by the use of those words in recipes as you prepare for Thanksgiving or Christmas. All potatoes are not created equally. The semantic distinction is significant, and it is worth understanding how a potato is built in order to affect your cooking.

    Read, Winter, Fall

    How do spices work?

    Daniel Kohler ·

    It is now the time of year most firmly associated with dark spices. You know those of which I speak, the oily powders we keep hidden away through the summer only to find perpetually at our side as the days grow shorter. Cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cloves, and allspice; these are the spices that keep our hearts smoldering like coals through wind and snow. 

    Dessert, Dinner Party Theater, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Read, Snack

    Bubble Gum Breakdown

    Daniel Kohler ·

    Is there any other food so closely associated with teenage rebelliousness? Imagine a hallway full of gum-smacking adolescents, three or four walking toward you unaware of your presence. You quake in your oxford loafers while they pass. But while gum may be culturally connoted with the under-18 crowd, it has a long history of supplying adults with something sweet to keep their mouths occupied during long work days.

    Breakfast, Read, Winter, Spring, Fall

    Maple Syrup Science

    Daniel Kohler ·

    When the weather changes, and the air becomes crisp with wintery anticipation our minds turn to the burnished flavors of fall. Apple, cinnamon, pumpkin, and that king of all syrups: maple. At some point in our lives each of us has pulled a bottle of the liquid gold off the grocery store shelf and marveled at the price tag. Indeed, maple syrup is a costly item, but one that is more than worth the investment

    Breakfast, Fall, Home & Family, Read, Winter

    Apple Genetics

    Daniel Kohler ·

    Apples hold a special place in world culture. We give them to teachers as a sign of respect, we tell our loved ones they're the apple of our eyes, and we still hold to the age-old medical advice: an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Ever wonder what makes apples so special? 

    Read, Home & Family

    Water Filtration

    Daniel Kohler ·

    We live in a world inundated with water filters, I bet nearly everyone reading this has, at some point, owned a Brita filter or some other such product. But do you know what these filters do? Do you know what they remove?

    Read, Home & Family

    Rice, Decoded

    Daniel Kohler ·

    Rice is the staple food for over half of the world’s population. As a commercial crop it has the third highest worldwide production (after maize and sugarcane). But, considering that much maize is not even grown for human consumption, rice is the most important crop to our species. It provides more than one fifth of the calories consumed around the world by humans.