Calling All Men

The hippest blog in the manly universe - The Art of Manliness - poses the question: is cooking manly? Well, duh.

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Monday Review: Chef’s Secrets

Chef’s Secrets: Insider Techniques from Today’s Culinary Masters As Told to Francine Maroukian

By Stephanie Dickison

My friend and Co-Editor Chris Garbutt is going to go crazy for this one.  Since he just got a brand-new barbecue, he’s going to love “How to Build a Three-Zone Fire on a Charcoal Grill” by Steven Raichlen.  And for those rainy days, he’ll probably follow the instructions of Allison Awerbuch and “How to Do Your Own Stove Top Smoking.”

But that’s not to say that there’s not valuable tips and methods for you and I in this little book.

In fact, “How to Ensure a Crisp Roast Duck” by John Villa has me contemplating getting a whole duck to surprise my fella with when he gets home from a business trip and perhaps wow him with my new talents, thanks to Andrew Chase’s advice in “How to Filet an Eel.”

What I garnered most for this lovely book of expertise though, are the simple things that you really want to do well, like “How to Roast a Chicken - Pefectly” by Jimmy Bradley and the odd little things that only chefs come up with like Michael Cressotti’s, “How to Tenderize Octopus with Wine Corks,” and the revolutionary “How to Crisp Tender Greens and “How to Improve the Consistency of a Tomato.”

There are a few recipes throughout and after each chef’s advice, they are asked questions about their favourite food city, kitchen motto and bar snack.  But I bet it’s the advice you remember long after the pages have been closed.

You may think that you know most of what there is to know about cooking, but I assure you that you’ll find something that changes the way you make jus or improves your ganache forever.

And the best thing is that it only takes about an hour or so to read it cover to cover.

You can afford that to become a better cook, can’t you?

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: SUBMIT YOUR OWN FRIDGE!

Back when Pan first started, I did a piece on the contents of my fridge, along with some fridges of mine who weren’t too shy to divulge their culinary secrets.

 

It’s amazing to me how much our fridge has changed over the year. Now stocked with organics, whole grains and a ton of healthy drinks, it is barely the same at all.

 

So we’re asking you, our readers, to share your fridge or just one or two things in it and the story behind it. Is it a slice a cake from your first wedding anniversary still untouched? Did your partner buy something that you would never even consider eating like randy cheese or some exotic meat? Do you have ice cubes in the shape of body parts, unbeknownst to the rest of the family?

 

Whatever it is, we want to hear about it!

 

Send your short tale and picture to stephanie@panmagazine.ca and we’ll post them as often as we can.

 

Show us your fridge. I showed you mine.

 

Stephanie Dickison, Editor

Friday 5 - Fall Foods to Look Forward To

By Stephanie Dickison

It’s not that far away, people. We might as well start to get excited about all the squash, potatoes and stews.  And collecting recipes…

1.  Pumpkin and corn soup!  It doesn’t get much more fall than that.

2.  Well, when the cooler weather hits, fast and easy does sound rather appealing, doesn’t it?

3.  To our lovely vegetarian readers, you’ll want to skip over this one.

4.  But here, I’ll make it up to you with these squash side dishes!  I hope we’re okay now.

5.  Fall’s Most Fattening Foods.  ‘Nuff said.

Watch Stephanie Dickison on Slice TV!

Watch Stephanie in her role as Restaurant Critic on Slice TV’s “The List!

Click here and go to THE LIST – S2 Full Episodes

Click on Episode 24 – Part 4 (6:47 minutes)

Monday Review: Fine Waters

Fine Waters: A Conoisseur’s Guide to the World’s Most Distinctive Waters by Michael Mascha

By Stephanie Dickison

Okay, before you go and get all upset about a book about fine waters, just remember that there’s already a ton on beer, wine, coffee, and the like.  Why not a book about water?

I mean, if you’re going to drink water, why not something a little more special than the brands you find at the grocery store next to the microwave popcorn like Cape Grim, Bernina or Llanllyr Source?

This book tells you the brief history of bottled water, flavours, and even on bottled water etiquette - what foods go with still and what ones to pair with effervescent.

And the bang of the book comes with the 100 Bottled Waters, complete with photos of the bottles (some are pretty swank!).  There are tasting notes, much like you’d find in a wine bible, the region it’s from and its contents.

You might think it’s a silly book at first, but I expect that upon a closer look, you’ll be swept away and looking at bottled waters a little differently.

Friday 5 - Summer Drinks Edition

By Chris Garbutt

1. Just for the heck of it, there’s Tahitian wine.

2. Cool, refreshing, and, uh, savoury: Cucumber-Rosemary gin & tonic.

3. Cold beer. Seems everyone’s celebrating beer this week. My favourites in the summer: Mill Street Organic Lager, Amsterdam Natural Blonde, and Steam Whistle Pilsner. For more on beer in Toronto, check out A Good Beer Blog.

4. I’m not usually one for liqueurs, but two make my list as summer favourites. Cointreau on ice is one. Or you could make this, which I haven’t tried. I love the orange flavour in Cointreau, much subtler than Grand Marnier, which can be a bit cloying. The other is a straight-up shot of the Czech Republic’s Becherovka, served supercold. Apparently it’s made with over 100 different herbs, but to me the strongest flavour is clove.

5. Seaking of liqueurs, here’s a limoncello gelato for dessert.

Friday 5 - Random Links

By Chris Garbutt

1. The world’s most expensive foods, from CNN.

2. Looking for a great dip idea? Try the Baked Garlic with Goat Cheese here.

3. Radishes - one of my favourite vegetables for home growing! Grow them in a tiny spot, and because they grow so fast, you don’t have to wait long to eat them!

4. Taste.To takes a tour of tea in Toronto. You can do a lot more than drink it!

5. Cooking tips from the Onion: the Dream Omelet.

Monday Review: How To Cook Everything – 55 Recipe Cards

How To Cook Everything – 55 Recipe Cards

by Mark Bittman

By Stephanie Dickison

Usually, if you’ve been cooking for awhile, the books and cards about the basics go to the wayside as the piles of large coffee table books amass on niche topics like carpaccio, bone marrow and vegetable terrines.

But there is a reason why we also go back to the basics – because they are simple, comforting and oh-so-good.

Mark Bittman has compiled 55 recipe cards that come in a bright lemon box, complete with dividers. The cards are cleanly designed and easy to read, which makes them much more accessible than the ones that are in a small italic, serif font that are yellowing on my bookshelf.

The dividers are easy to see and read:

Salads, Side Dishes and Soups

Pasta, Grains and Beans

Fish and Seafood

Poultry and Meat

Desserts and Quick Breads

And the recipes within are really all you need to make good food all week long.

There’s the comfort of a simple Vinaigrette, Chicken Soup with Rice or Noodles and Classic American Potato Salad. There are also those dishes that are great ones to master like Simple Roast Chicken, Classic Meat Loaf and Pot Roast.

For a girl like me, who finds cooking a breeze, but baking perplexing, I am grateful for the uber simple (and fast!) dessert recipes like Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies, Quick Coffee Cake and Corn Bread.

There’s nothing wrong with branching out and trying new things, but I promise you – you’ll always come back to the oldies and goodies.

And now they are completely accessible and readable in a convenient yellow box.

I put mine right next to the stove, right where it belongs.

Friday 5 - Great Summer Dishes from the Blogosphere

By Chris Garbutt

1. How about grilled rapini? Or as others call it, broccoli rabe.

2. Watermelon feta salad, anyone?

3. Are you ready for spaghetti squash?

4. For dessert, how about a chocolate-cardamom sorbet? (Liquid nitrogen is optional).

5. Or, for something a little simpler, a no-cook vanilla ice-cream.