The hit U.K. game show The Wheel airs nightly (Monday-Friday) on NBC for two weeks. Celebrities including the late Leslie Jordan play with former LEGO Masters builders in a three-night holiday special. Beloved British cooking expert/judge Mary Berry gives tips for the perfect holiday meal on PBS.
Chris Haston/NBC
The Wheel
Not to be confused with the Pat Sajak–Vanna White TV tradition, this raucous game/quiz show, a hit in the UK, imports giddy host/comedian Michael McIntyre to lead a two-week takeover. (Episodes air this week through Friday at 10/9c, and next week at 8/7c.) It’s a noisy affair, with music pounding as six celebrity “experts” spin around a contestant who’s placed in the center of a 42-foot-wide circle. Where it stops, no one knows—but whoever the wheel lands on must answer a question in a designated category, whether it’s their specialty or not. (On opening night, the subjects range from Greek food, classic movies and late-night hosts to elections.) First-night guests, all grinning good sports, include rocker Mark McGrath, chef Cat Cora, Yellowjackets scene-stealer Christina Ricci, late-night host Amber Ruffin, flamboyant singer Todrick Hall and political analyst Steve Kornacki.
Tom Griscom/FOX
LEGO Masters
The games continue with a special three-night celebrity version of the recently renewed competition. The late Leslie Jordan makes one of his final TV appearances alongside The Masked Singer’s Robin Thicke, Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Cheryl Hines and comedian Finesse Mitchell as the stars pair up with LEGO builders from past seasons for holiday-themed challenges.
Courtesy of Cody Burridge for Rumpus Media
Mary Berry’s Ultimate Christmas
The beloved cookbook author and The Great British Baking Show judge leads viewers through a taste-tempting how-to guide for preparing the perfect holiday feast. She visits fellow chefs for a glimpse at Italian and Samoan twists on favorite foods, but Mary’s own menu is mostly traditional: a stilton and sage mini-scone canapé starter, lemon and herb roast turkey as main course with crispy roast potatoes, ruby red cabbage and apricot-chestnut stuffing as trimmings. For dessert: a British Christmas Pudding of dried fruit, nuts and boozy cream followed by a festive trifle of custard, cream, sponge cake and pear, topped with spun sugar. If you’re not already drooling, check your pulse.
HGTV
Celebrity IOU
Cheryl Hines, also seen in the LEGO Masters stunt, is in payback mode for the latest episode of the feel-good renovation show. She works with Drew and Jonathan Scott to surprise her close friend of nearly 20 years by turning a neglected garage into a stunning guest suite. Even Larry David might approve.
Inside Monday TV:
Betty White Christmas (noon/ET, BUZZR): Daily through Saturday, the game-show destination airs four-hour blocks of the undisputed late queen of game play, featuring some of Betty’s many appearances on Tattletales, Family Feud, Match Game and, of course, Password. (A Christmas day marathon airs Sunday from 11 am/ET to 2 am/ET the next morning.)
His Dark Materials (9/8c and 10/9c, HBO): As the fantasy’s third and final season nears its end, Lyra (Dafne Keen) and Will (Amir Wilson) head into the Land of the Dead to search for Roger (Lewin Lloyd).
American Dad! (10/9c, TBS): In the season finale, titled “The Grounch,” Roger rages when his Christmas sex party is stolen from him.
Aftertaste (streaming on Acorn TV): In the second season of the Australian comedy, disgraced celebrity chef Easton West (Erik Thomson) finds it hard to stay off the grid when his pastry-chef niece Diana (Natalie Abbott) returns from London on a career and personal high.
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TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – This year’s 12 Days of Christmas Recipes have been just as fun and delicious as ever, with live digital specials to watch, videos to enjoy, and more. And for day six, we wanted to add a new feature, with some international holiday recipes shared by some of our friends who now live here in East Texas, who work with us or we have met through our stories at KLTV and KTRE.
First, reporter Kristine Guevara, along with her dad Leonard and her boyfriend Tim Banzon, shares her family’s lumpia recipe. It’s a traditional recipe from the Philippines that is an enjoyable process to make and the flavor is incredible! Make sure to watch the video at the top of this story to see how they’re made.
Kristine Guevara, her father and boyfriend show how to make lumpia(KLTV/Kristine Guevara)
Lumpia Shanghai
Makes 30
Ingredients:
25 sheets spring roll pastry
about 3 cups of cooking oil
Filling Ingredients:
1 lb. ground pork
1 onion, minced
1 carrot, shredded
¼ cup green onion, chopped
¾ tsp garlic powder
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 egg
½ tbs sesame oil
Dash of Maggie seasoning
Slurry:
About a tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in water
Instructions:
Add all the filling ingredients to a large bowl and mix.
Lay out one spring roll pastry wrapper in a diamond shape and scoop a heaping spoonful of filling. Place the filling at the lower half of the wrapper, leaving about 2 inches of space from the bottom point.
Spread out the filling into a log shape, leaving a quarter inch of space on the edges.
Fold the bottom point over the filling, then fold in the edges to create an envelope shape. Roll the wrapper toward the top point, keeping it tight. Brush the top point with the slurry mixture and finish the roll to seal the end.
For a shorter lumpia, cut the rolls in half with kitchen scissors or a sharp knife
Heat the oil in a medium pan or pot over medium-high heat.
Carefully place four to five lumpia at a time in the hot oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown.
Remove the lumpia from the oil and drain on a wire rack or paper towels.
Serve with sweet chili dipping sauce and enjoy!
Next, we have a recipe from Jennifer Blake, owner of The Caribbean Kitchen in Tyler. She said that she and her mother, a longtime chef who previously worked at the World Trade Center, are happy to bring homecooked food from the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Cuba, Puerto Rico to East Texas.
Blake shares a delicious roasted pork shoulder for the holidays with us:
Pernil Dominicano (Roasted Pork Shoulder)
INGREDIENTS
· 1 ½ – 2 heads of Fresh Garlic
· 1 tbs Dominican Oregano *Regular oregano will also work
· 3 ½ tbs salt for a 7 pounds Pernil
· 1 tsp Black Pepper
· 2 tsp Fresh Thyme
· ½ tsp Cumin
· 1 Red Onion
· 1 Sopita aka Chicken Bouillon Cube
· 1 Orange
· 1-2 Limes
· ¼ cup olive oil
· 3 cups of water
· ¼ – ½ cup of white vinegar
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Poke holes all over the pernil using a cross method to get small to medium holes
2. Then place in a large mixing bowl and add 1 cup of water and the vinegar
3. Massage the vinegar and water into the pork and let it sit for 5-10 while you mix the marinade
4. Combine garlic, oregano, salt, sopita, cumin, onion, black pepper, and thyme in a food processor and blend
5. Then add the freshly squeezed orange juice, lime juice, and olive oil. Mix again and set marinade aside
6. Drain the pernil—no worries if you don’t every single last drop of vinegar + water
7. Season pernil thoroughly using the marinade. Be sure to massage the marinade into the holes we made earlier. It looks weird at first, but your taste buds will thank you later
8. Cover pernil with saran wrap and let it marinade for a minimum of 4 hours. Best to marinade for a whole day.
9. In a LARGE pot, add pork—skin side up—and add 1-2 cups of water. Be sure to include all of the marinade that in the mixing bowl. Boil for 45 mins to an hour.
10. Switch Pork—skin side up—to a sturdy pan and roast covered for 3 hours at 350 degrees making sure to baste it every hour. The pernil will become light golden brown and juicy during this time.
11. At the 4th hour, take out 50{d2b09b03d44633acb673e8080360919f91e60962656af8ade0305d5d8b7e4889} of the juices and roast uncovered for one more hour
12. **Optional** Once the pernil is done, broil for 5 minutes to get super crispy skin
Next, the folks at Liefie Li Vine in Winnsboro, a South African restaurant, share a holiday recipe for a rich, traditional holiday beverage with us.
“It’s Summer time in South Africa and the holidays is all about Sunshine and the Beach! South Africa is famous for its lovely beaches with Atlantic and Indian Ocean frontage! Everything slows down and it’s easygoing (during the holidays in South Africa.) We do not cook much for Christmas, it’s all about cold meats and salads. So, here is one of our easygoing drinks to make and have on hand wherever your cooler box goes! Make some extra and pour it into a pretty little bottle with a ribbon as a gift.”
Melktertjie (roughly translates to “Milkpie”)
INGREDIENTS
· 1 1/2 cup of good quality vodka
· 1 can of condensed milk
· 1 cup of evaporated milk
· Cinnamon to garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Pour everything in a 1-liter bottle and shake it real good.
2. Place in refrigerator until cold.
3. Shake it until light foamy before pouring! Shake it, baby!
4. Sprinkle some fine cinnamon on top when served.
Listed below is our “secret” recipe for stuffed cabbage, töltött káposzta in Hungarian. This recipe was decreed the national treasure of Hungary by her highness Queen Elizabeth Hapsburg in the 1860′s.
Video: Stuffed cabbage Rolls by Brigitta’s Hungarian Restaurant
Brigitta’s stuffed cabbage rolls
2 heads cabbage, cored
3 pounds Hamburger
3 pounds Pork sausage
3 eggs
2 cups rice
3 tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
12 medium garlic cloves, minced
24 ounce pasta sauce (we use Hunt’s)
Prepare rice first. While the rice is cooking, core out the two large cabbage heads.
Fill a large cooking pot with water. Leave a couple inches from lip to be able to submerge the cabbage. Gently remove one leaf at a time from the cabbage. Set to the side to drain. Once all the leaves are obtained, shave off the spine ridge. This makes the leaf more pliable for rolling.
Once cabbage leaves are completed, place the hamburger and three eggs in large mixing bowl.
Pour the rice over the hamburger.
Add minced garlic, paprika, salt and pepper.
Then add the pork sausage.
Always review recipe list, then mix everything together, as even a blend as possible.
Now you are ready to stuff/roll your cabbage. I use one scoop from an ice cream scooper per leaf. Rolling the leaf isn’t hard, but is intimidating. The more rolling you do the easier they get.
Use one 24 oz of Hunts pasta sauce in cooking pot. Place your stuffed cabbage rolls in the pot, and add 24 oz of water. Bring pot to boil, then turn heat down so all simmers for 90 minutes.
East Texas Kitchen Christmas Recipes: Ensalada navideña with Vanesa Olvera
From Vanesa Olvera with Telemundo and Noticias de Este de Texas, we have a luscious Mexican holiday salad, full of red and green fruit and a special dressing that is poured over it. It quickly became a KLTV staff favorite when she made it with Mama Steph recently.
Ensalada navideña (Christmas salad)
1 can evaporated milk
1 and 1/2 cans condensed milk (or to taste)
1 block softened cream cheese
1 can of fruit cocktail
3 green apples
3 red apples
green grapes (1 pound)
strawberries (1 pound)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup raisins
Cut the grapes in half, cut the strawberries into quarters, cut the apples into squares (I cut the apples at the end so that it does not darken) and add them to a large bowl.
In the blender add the cream cheese, evaporated milk and condensed milk. Blend.
Pour over the fruit.
Add the raisins and pecans.
Mix well.
Test the flavor and if you like, add more condensed milk.
Let stand for at least an hour for the fruit to grab flavor.
Decorate with cherries and pecans.
Note: this makes a very generous amount of salad, so you’ll need to cut it in half if you’re only feeding a few people or don’t have a very large salad bowl to make it in.
Finally, from Belgium we have a recipe for bodding, a bread pudding, from our engineer Yves Masset here at KLTV. Yves said his grandmother made a great bodding, and he suggests adding dried raisins and a bit of rhum to the recipe.
To make bodding, you simply need some stale dry bread soaked in milk overnight and drained the next morning, an egg and an egg yolk, some raisins soaked in rum diluted with warm water and brown sugar. Quantities are customized as you make it based on how much bread is left over and your own personal taste; taste the mixture, and when you’re satisfied, pour into a greased baking dish and bake for about 45 minutes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees.
It is cold outside, and there’s nothing quite like a hot drink to warm the cockles. In the history of British mixed concoctions, there are arguably more hot drinks than cold for one simple reason: Central heating was not ubiquitous in the U.K. until the late 20th century. Before that, cold drinks were something of a novelty unless you frequented American bars, which specialized in iced drinks.
Here are five historical warming sips from Britain to see you through the bright lights of the holidays and the dark days of winter.
The drink seemed to follow the play’s success as it traversed from London’s West End to New York’s Broadway in 1823. It was recognized as a Christmas classic in 1843, when it was revered in “The Symbol, and Odd Fellow’s Magazine” as a more refined version of “a long concocted beverage,” the Flip. It might seem a bit fiddly to make, but the result is worth the extra effort.
Ingredients for batter mix (makes about 40 servings): 3 eggs (whites and yolks separated) 15 ml rum 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/8 tsp ground clove 1/8 tsp allspice 1/8 tsp creme of tartar 1/8 tsp vanilla extract 120 ml caster sugar
Method: In one bowl, beat the egg whites to a stiff froth. In another bowl, beat the yolks until they are as thin as water.
Mix yolks and whites and add the rum and spices. Thicken with sugar until the mixture attains the consistence of a light batter.
Ingredients for one serving: 60ml of Irish whiskey Milk of choice Grated nutmeg
To make one serving: Combine one tablespoonful of Tom and Jerry batter with Irish whiskey in a coffee mug. Fill the mug with hot milk. Garnish with a little grated nutmeg.
2. Gin Twist
Among the most popular gin drinks during London’s severe winter of 1822, the Gin Twist was immortalized in several poems published in London newspapers. One such poem comprised 149 lines with each stanza comparing the tipple with other popular drinks at the time, such as this one about rum:
Ye Bailies of Glasgow! Wise men of the West! Without your rum bowls, you’d look certainly tristes; Yet I laugh when I’m told, that liquor so cold Is as good as a foaming hot jug of gin-twist.
It is a remarkably simple drink made with gin, sugar, water and lemon juice, plus a lemon twist garnish to prove the concoction was made with fresh lemon juice — a true luxury back then. The Gin Twist still offers a superior drink today.
Ingredients: 50 ml gin 25 ml simple syrup (or a tablespoon of white sugar) 25 ml fresh lemon juice 75-100ml boiling water
Method: Combine ingredients in a teacup or Irish coffee mug. Stir. Garnish with a lemon twist.
3. Dog’s Nose
This might seem an odd combination to a modern palate more accustomed to sugary mixers, such as cola or tonic water, but the blend of porter or stout, gin, and brown sugar or dark treacle makes for a remarkably good winter sip. The Dog’s Nose first emerged in Charles Dickens’s 1836 book “The Pickwick Papers.”
Thereafter, the potion was frequently mentioned in newspapers and magazines for nearly a century before its popularity waned. Served at Victorian-era room temperature or heated with a loggerhead (a red-hot poker heated in the fireplace), this drink warms both the heart and soul as the wintry snows settle on the ground.
Ingredients: 25 ml gin 100 ml porter or stout 10 ml dark treacle
Method: Combine gin and treacle in a rocks glass or tumbler. Stir to dissolve the treacle. Add the porter and stir gently once more. Warm in a microwave if you want to make the heated version.
4. Smoking Bishop
When Ebenezer Scrooge finally came to his senses in Dickens’s 1843 novella “A Christmas Carol,” he said to Bob Cratchit with a smile:
We will discuss your affairs this very afternoon, over a Christmas bowl of smoking bishop, Bob!
There is a bit of mystery to this drink’s origins. While Dickens appears to have added the “smoking” to the name, the English literary critic George Saintsbury hypothesized in his 1920 “Notes on a Cellar-Book” that it was born at Oxford University.
Its earliest mention is in the 1827 edition of Oxford Nightcaps, the first British book devoted to drink recipes. That book calls it a traditional drink and cites its origins in antiquity — and its rich, spicy tones and imported ingredients may have indeed made it a favorite among the elite in late medieval England.
Ingredients: 6 Seville oranges 115 g caster sugar 1 bottle Portuguese red wine 1 bottle port whole cloves
Method: Stud the oranges with cloves and roast them in a small metal bowl or baking tray until they are golden brown. Deglaze the roasting pan with wine. Combine the remaining ingredients with the roasted oranges in a pot and simmer covered on a low heat for about 20 minutes. Optionally, you can also press the oranges in the pot and sieve the liquid before serving.
5. Brandy Toddy
To heat drinks before microwaves, many landlords opted for a loggerhead, which took a Toddy from a cold drink to a boiling hot one in five seconds. Heated with a loggerhead, the Toddy acquires a distinctive taste since the heat from the loggerhead is so intense it caramelizes the sugars in the drink and fills the room with the aroma of toasting marshmallows.
You can occasionally find a loggerhead on Etsy or eBay mislabelled as a “fire poker.” The dramatic effect of heating a Toddy with this antique device is a holiday visual treat, but they are quite dangerous so I advise caution. Here we recommend making this warming winter nightcap the modern way.
Ingredients: 1 tsp caster sugar 60 ml brandy or cognac 60 ml boiling water
Method: Pour brandy or cognac into a coffee mug. Add sugar and water. Stir to dissolve.
This story is part of Gift Guide, our year-round collection of the best gift ideas.
I love to eat, but I also love to cook. What the parade of meals coming out of my kitchen has taught me — most dishes humble but tasty, some of them a little more involved — is that the cooking tools I use matter.
There are some kitchen tools I really love that are worth investing in, like my Le Creuset lidded baking dish and drop-dead gorgeous knives. But there are also the workhorse tools I use alongside them, like the $5 doohicky that saves me hours of soaking, scrubbing and swearing during dish duty.
I’ve owned and used all these items for years now, and I still love them as much as I did when I first ripped open the package — if not more. I hope you like them, too. (P.S. — I recently updated this story with new favorites and checked for pricing and availability. Note that both price and availability can and do change.)
Read more: 11 Must-Have Kitchen Buys That are Worth the Extra Dough
Screenshot by CNET
I’ve searched high and low for a spoon rest I don’t hate — and I finally found it. This space-saving Yamazaki Home stand keeps cooking spoons, ladles, tongs and pot lids from clattering to the counter and spraying my cooking surface with goopy sauces and splats. It’s stylish enough to blend into most kitchen environments (it also comes in white/grey and there’s a similar style that’s all-white with a bamboo rest bar). Importantly, the bottom catch tray pops out, so all pieces are easy to clean.
Note that lighter colors may have you more nervously eyeing stains, especially if you cook with lots of red, oily sauces or yellow seasonings like turmeric. I haven’t had a lasting stain yet, but when in doubt, the black color will be more forgiving.
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Xujia via Amazon
The wide, saucer-shaped bowl, long handle and pleasant weight make these beautiful spoons perfect for almost everything — eating soup, curries, rice dishes, spooning yogurt out of the tub, spooning anything out of any tub, really. In my family, these Korean stew and rice spoons are now the dominant, and most asked-for spoon of choice — to the point they’ve been nicknamed “life-changing spoons.”
You can buy long-handled spoons online or in many Asian markets. My personal preference is to get a set with round handles, not the thin kind with the flat ends. Prices vary, but they’re not expensive either way — say $16 for a pack of five good quality spoons, or even $15 for a pack of eight.
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Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET
I’m a huge fan of countertop risers and have these shelf organizers from multiple brands in my kitchen, bathroom, shelving and right next to me here on my desk. They not only double your storage and organizational space by creating a second tier but also enhance the environment as an accent piece that happens to be functional. For example, use them to elevate a paper towel holder or smart display while storing spices or other tools below. Or perhaps create a hot drinks center like I did, with sugar and tea canisters on the top deck and flavored syrups below.
Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET
I’ve owned my fair share of kitchen sink caddies. They’re fine. I like how they corral the sponges and soap, but too often the decorative trays pool water, soap, and grime, while the more utility-focused are either bleh-looking, overwrought, or come equipped with suction cups (always come unstuck, collects mold) and deep grated bottoms (hard to clean, traps gunk). I finally found this Nieifi caddy, which neatly holds my sponge, cleaning wand, pot scraper (see below), dish soap and hand soap. It looks nice and understated, and you can easily pick the whole thing up to tip out water from the collection tray below. You can also pop that into the dishwasher, or soap off when it needs a refresh. So far, so good.
Amazon
I’m sure I could live without a pair of kitchen shears like this one from Henckels (also known for making reliable knives), but I don’t particularly want to. A dedicated pair of shears makes opening food bags, cutting meat and fish and trimming green beans dead easy. Storing them with your knives or utensils keeps them accessible where you need them and eliminates cross-contamination with your other scissors. Sturdy shears can butterfly poultry and this model unhinges for dishwashing — it’s dishwasher safe if in need of thorough sanitizing, but it usually cleans easily with soapy hot water and a sponge. This particular model costs under $15 on sale.
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Tovolo
Bench scrapers, also known as pastry or dough scrapers or cutters, are typically used to pry dough off a work surface, though I use mine multiple times a day for either scraping or lifting items from my cutting board to a pan or bowl. I used to use the side of whichever knife I had in my hand, but this useful kitchen tool shovels more diced onions at a time and is safer anyway.
I’ve also used straight-sided bench scrapers, but the offset design is much easier for sliding under a pile of chopped food. It’s equally adept at its intended purpose of working with bread and pastry dough. This Tovolo bench scraper is the one I use and costs around $12.
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Lifver Home via Amazon
Small bowls are hardly interesting or new and I have plenty of them, especially fluted and ribbed ramekins. But these wonderful dip bowls have made cooking and serving food more of a delight. I just love them. They’re useful enough for daily prep and pretty enough to serve on.
You can mound a surprising amount of food in the hollow, like lemon zest, olive oil, wasabi or even grated cheese like fresh parmesan. They cost $18 for a set of eight 3-ounce bowls.
Here’s how I use them:
Spoon rest
Used tea bag holder
Salt piggy
Egg holder
Prep bowl for ingredients like garlic, shallots, ginger
Prep bowl for blending spices (the mix flows into the pan really easily, without getting stuck in creases)
Garnish server
Server for individual desserts, like squares of chocolate, a brownie or a tiny scoop of ice cream
Sugar caddy for after-dinner coffee or tea
Ring valet (especially when taking off to work with slimy or sticky food)
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Prep Solutions via Amazon
My dad endearingly referred to these as “rubber fingers.” This set of two — one with a pointy end (pictured) and one that looks more like a paddle — are awesome for scraping, scooping and pushing down all types of food. Think the last little bit of something gooey like peanut butter from the jar, or getting every little bit of beaten egg out of a small bowl. I still use full-size spatulas for large work bowls, pots and pans, but these nonstick minis work better than spoons or my finger and fit really well into drawer dividers. They’re machine washable, too.
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Lodge via Amazon
I had never heard of a pan or pot scraper until my colleague Rich Brown sang its praises. I have an elaborate and finely tuned method for steaming and scraping off stuck-on crud from pots, pans and bakeware, but I started getting a lot of time back once I began using this indispensable tool.
This kitchen gadget fits into your palm and easily scrapes away gunk with its flat and curved edges, which can also better reach into corners. Still expect a little sponge work, but mostly to wipe away loosened and leftover stuff. I was amazed with how my Lodge pot scraper obliterates the scum that builds up in a ring around the pan, say the leftovers of reduced marinara.
It cuts through residue faster and more efficiently than a hard plastic spatula and it won’t gunk up the scrubby side of a sponge with cheese, egg or starchy buildup. I recommend keeping it visible on your sink, near your sponges and dish soap. I initially put it into a drawer and forgot about it, but now it’s top of mind.
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Jessica Dolcourt/CNET
My friend bought a fancy new dishwasher with built-in wine holders and gave me three purple silicone tubes that help keep your wine glasses safe in the machine. “Here, you like wine,” she said. “You should use these.”
She was right. They may look derpy, but this perfect gift probably saved my wine glasses more than once. You fit one grippy end around your overturned stemware (as pictured) and slide the other end, a hollow tube, over a peg on the bottom rack of your dishwasher. A wire that runs two-thirds the length of the attachment supplies structure.
If a glass feels extra wobbly in the center of the bottom rack, I’ve been known to clip on two of these silicone holders for extra stability, one on either side. I used to hand-wash my wine glasses and still managed to break one here or there. Not anymore. It costs between $10 and $15 for a set of eight (depending on discounts and sales). I’ve run them in the dishwasher on a weekly basis for almost two years.
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Jessica Dolcourt/CNET
Great for elegantly draining pasta, reaching for items on the top shelf, juicing lemons and even cleaning window blinds. A pair of 9-inch or 12-inch silicone-tipped tongs costs about $17 and has become a trusty kitchen companion that does far more for a chef than just flip browning veggies and meat. Here are seven clever uses for kitchen tongs.
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Endurance via Amazon
I love a small saucepan for so many reasons, including frying perfectly round eggs one at a time and reducing broth and sauces. Melting butter and making modest quantities of caramel or hot milk and cream are also great in an itty-bitty pan, especially if you’re trying to keep a small amount of liquid from evaporating too quickly.
I bought a “cup measuring pan” that’s a lot like this one, with a long handle, and I like it, though it’s not as thick as some of my other kitchen pots. I’d also happily consider a butter melting pot for butter, sauces, warming milk and boiling single eggs, but I currently use a tiny milk frothing jug for that, intended for espresso. Whichever pan you get should cost between $15 and $25, tops. Mine was about $15.
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Wisconsin lawmakers, ag business drive back on federal rule that would exclude cranberries as a healthful meals
Nutritious food items are not typically top of thoughts through the holiday seasons. But most of the calendar year, advertising a food as “nutritious” can catch a consumer’s eye.
The U.S. Foods & Drug Administration has a formal definition of what it suggests for a foodstuff to be balanced, which the company is at this time working to update. But some in Wisconsin’s congressional delegation and agriculture market fret the new definition leaves out cranberries and tart cherries.
Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin joined a bipartisan team of federal lawmakers in sending a letter to the head of the Food and drug administration, asking the company to make exceptions to the additional sugar restrictions for the two one of a kind fruits.
The FDA’s proposed definition of nutritious sets specific restrictions for included sugars, saturated extra fat and sodium for foods merchandise. For fruit solutions, zero grams of added sugars are permitted. The lawmakers argue that cranberries and tart cherries have “lower intrinsic sugar content,” meaning they are not obviously sweet like other fruits.
“Thanks to both cranberries and tart cherries absence of intrinsic sugar written content, they need sweetening to enhance palatability for most customers,” the letter said. “Even so, there is ample research indicating that the human human body does not distinguish in between sugars intrinsic in fruit compared to individuals additional to fruit products and solutions.”
1 nourishment skilled says the lawmakers are not just sugar-coating the science.
Ted Wilson is a nutritional physiologist at Winona Condition College who evaluates the validity of health and fitness promises about various food items, including cranberries and raisins. He explained cranberries and tart cherries are one of a kind since they’re very significant in phenolics.
“Phenolics are the molecules that give crops colors, that is what we’re all acquainted with,” Wilson claimed. “But they also give them flavors. Like a dark red wine, a merlot vs . a chardonnay, all of all those tastes are from phenolics.”
Wilson mentioned the phenolics in cranberries and tart cherries are useful to people’s wellness. Cranberries have been demonstrated to help stop urinary tract infections while tart cherries have been linked to far better physical exercise recovery. Info has prompt that both assist lower inflammation.
But the superior amounts of phenolics also make the fruit amazingly tart, earning it tricky to persuade persons to take in it refreshing or by alone in a product or service. On prime of palatability, Wilson reported adding sugar to the dried goods helps handle bacterial progress and tends to make the items shelf secure, a purpose that comes about by natural means in other dried fruits like raisins.
Tom Lochner, government director of the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association, mentioned guarding the cranberry’s status as a wholesome foods is crucial for the sector. Around 97 {d2b09b03d44633acb673e8080360919f91e60962656af8ade0305d5d8b7e4889} of cranberries in the United States are applied to make juice and dried goods.
“The dried cranberry industry has been the region that is been rising in consumption for us,” Lochner claimed. “We assume it can be been a thriving marketplace from the standpoint that we’re placing a products out there that persons can just eat right out of the bundle or it really is really adaptable and can be included in all kinds of different meals goods.”
Lochner reported processors and growers stress the FDA’s new definition could interrupt that and set them at a aggressive disadvantage in the dried fruit portion.
“You set those on a shop shelf and you have one particular item that has ‘healthy’ on it and the other one particular isn’t going to, consumers are heading to gravitate toward that healthy label,” he said.
Wilson agreed, indicating the additional sugar that is already disclosed on the diet facts chart and ingredients lists can scare shoppers absent from the item.
“At the close of the working day, anything we can do to increase people’s intake of fruits and veggies is likely to improve people’s good quality of lifestyle,” he claimed. “In The us, we just do not get sufficient fruits and veggies in our diet program and everything we can do to strengthen that will be handy.”
He anxieties that if the Fda does not make an exception for these one of a kind fruits, processors will convert to synthetic sweeteners that do not rely in the definition of balanced or as an additional sugar on the nutrition details chart. Wilson stated these sweeteners can mess with the body’s all-natural means to notify when it’s full and to appraise the nutritional price of the foods we take in.
“I genuinely do not think artificial sweeteners are the alternative to every little thing, for the reason that then it just teaches us that every little thing must flavor sweet,” he mentioned, “I imagine that’s the slippery highway that both (dried cranberries and tart cherries) finish up going for walks down.”
This tale republished with authorization from Wisconsin General public Radio
When Maricel Presilla was a child in Santiago de Cuba, her mom fed her pan and avocado, a dish that had been eaten in Latin American countries for centuries. But in 2015, avocado toast, as it has come to be known, gained popularity in the United States, gracing many brunch and appetizer menus.
Avocado toast is an example of how Latin American food and culture have influenced American favorites like tacos, arroz con pollo, plantains, empanadas and skirt steak.
“These are things that are very easy to duplicate and things that are not esoteric. They are not considered weird,” said Presilla, a culinary historian and former owner of Cucharamama in Hoboken.
“What is in a chimichurri sauce?” she asked. “You have parsley, peppers, oregano and garlic. There are onions. Those ingredients are familiar.”
The fried duck empanadas at Sol Y Luna in Mountain Brook, Ala., are served with chimichurri sauce and queso fresco.(Bob Carlton/bcarlton@al.com)
Chef Bren Herrera said the beautiful thing about Latin America is that it is not monolithic.
“There are 21 countries that make up Latin America,” said Herrera, an author and activist who hosts Culture Kitchen, a national TV show. “There are countries and islands that are African descent and others that don’t really pull or rely on that ancestry. You get a very diverse palate.”
Presilla, author of Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America, said the variety available within Latin cuisine is part of what makes it so appealing “We have spicy. We have a version of Italian food because we have so many immigrants from Italy in places like Peru and Brazil. We also have the Japanese in São Paulo in Brazil, Peruvian ceviche.”
There’s a moment when Americans would only talk about Croque monsieur, a hot sandwich made with ham and cheese and originally served in French cafes, she said. Now, they request the Cuban sandwich.
Cuban Sandwich from Old World Deli
– Photo courtesy of Old World Deli, via Yelp
And the Latin influence on American culture doesn’t stop with food.
The daiquiris, mojitos, and margaritas that create the cocktail culture in the United States are another example of the Latin traditions, Presilla said.
She and Herrera said they are glad the food is gaining popularity because it means more people are interested in the culture.
“I live by this mantra that the way to know a people and culture and their history is through their food,” said Herrera, who is of Cuban and Jamaican descent. “The food tells a beautiful story of what that culture is.”
Presilla, of Weehawken, sits on The Culinary Institute of America’s Worlds of Flavor International Conference and Festival advisory committee. She helps educate others about the history of Latin American Cuisine.
“Latin Americans are so proud of their culinary culture,” she said.
Presilla said Latin cuisine is a mix of cultures steeped in the legacy of slavery. She said that Africa represents the backbone of American foods, noting that 12.5 million people made the transatlantic voyage from Africa as enslaved people. About 400,000 came to the United States, 4 million went to the Caribbean, another 4 million went to Brazil and the rest went to Latin America. “That is the reality of it,” she said.
“This is important to understand,” Presilla said. “That’s a foundation we need to acknowledge as Latin Americans, that so much of our cuisine and so much of the way we eat has to do with West Africa.”
“It is beyond the ingredients alone,” she said.
Jonathan Rigg, a mental health counselor from Bellmawr, thinks about the years growing up eating his Cuban Godmother’s arroz con pollo.
He remembers her making rice similar to Jamaican rice and peas, but it had a coconut flavor.
“The rice was just always so good, the way she would make the chicken with the different types of sazón then, with patacones or fried plantains,” said Rigg, an Afro-Hispanic whose family is from Costa Rica and Jamaica with ancestry in Panama.
– Josette and Walwyn Jackson run Elbita’s Cocina, a food truck serving Puerto Rican comfort food like fried plantains, arroz con pollo and stewed beans. Alaina Potrikus | abeckett@syracuse.comAlaina Potrikus | abeckett@syrac
“The flavors make it unique,” he said of the cuisine that keeps him connected to his heritage.
Presilla recently came across a high-profile article about chicha morada,a punch made with purple corn from Peru.
“I had been serving that for decades now, and any Peruvian joint they all have that. It’s not news,” she said. “It has been there. But now, because of the article, maybe it will become trendier. So, that is how it happens.”
Herrera agreed. “Latin cuisine in general, regardless of a country, is very heavily rooted in customs and traditions,” she said. “There is always a deep level of history of where it came from, how it got there, why it was eaten.”
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Shaylah Brown may be reached at sbrown@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @shaylah_brown
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