Cooking

Fall may or may not be in the air in the part of the country where you happen to live, but another aspect of the season is definitely live no matter where you call home: football. From back yards to parks to stadium parking lots, the oddly shaped ball is being tossed back and forth, and the players are sure to be working up an appetite. Luckily, there is one thing (well, in addition to beer) that is the perfect accompaniment to football games everywhere. I speak of course, of tailgating.

If you are ready for some tailgating, the Cuisinart CCG-400 Charcoal Grill-On-The-Go … Read more

Some foods carry along with them an aroma that is unmistakable and at times intoxicating. Bacon, for example. Popcorn also has a way of permeating every nook and cranny, sometimes smelling better than it tastes. Chocolate-chip cookies are another example of a well-loved baking scent. But it is not always comfort food that resonates with our senses; sometimes it is something much more simple. When it comes to kitchen staples, it's hard to get much more basic than bread.

The scent of freshly baked bread in the air never fails to draw attention, but there's no need to … Read more

Remember when IKEA told you you were crazy to imagine a lamp had feelings? Well, it turns out that you might just have been ahead of your time. IKEA predicts that the kitchen of the future--it's set its sights on 2040--will "be so technologically advanced that it will almost be alive, responding actively to our needs like only a mother could."

A recent report on future kitchens by U.K. brand consultancy The Future Laboratory looked at social trends and drivers that will affect our home lives in the future. In response, IKEA created three concept kitchens. … Read more

Some might say cooking is all about getting in and getting your hands dirty. When it comes to pasta, that means flour slowly turning into dough, kneaded by hand, leaving a fine mist of white everywhere. Depending on experience, skills, and the recipe, that fine mist of flour can just as easily turn into wet little pieces of wanna-be dough sticking to anything and everything. And all this before the dough even hits the extruder. Though a hand-cranked pasta extruder is a time-honored and classic way to create a variety of pastas, sometimes it's OK to let modern technology … Read more

It's no secret that preparing a meal from scratch can be a rewarding experience (especially when the reward is eating it). Getting hands-on with your food is fun, and it has the additional benefit of being appropriate and educational for both kids and adults. When it comes to making pasta, even the tools are fun.

Cranking out pasta like a Play-Doh Fun Factory, the Italian-made Marcato Pasta Extruder features hand-operated usability that the whole family can enjoy. After dough is placed in the hopper, the crank is turned, producing a variety of pastas. Chrome-plated steel and plastic discs are … Read more

The kitchen is all about ambiance, and the new Lumen vent hood from Miele knows it. The stainless steel canopy is elegant enough on its own, but the integrated multicolored LED light band takes things to a new level. You could go with the ordinary white, green, red, or blue lights--or you could take advantage of the built-in feature that lets you transition through all 196,000 colors in the spectrum. You can set its color changeover at 1 minute or 15 minute intervals--or pick your favorite illumination and stick with that.

The hood also sports front-mounted controls, halogen dimmer … Read more

Though it may seem obvious that flavor is the name of the game when it comes to cooking, just think about how many tasteless meals are being consumed right now. The simple truth is that building flavor requires effort and patience, not to mention a little know-how. When it comes to infusing foods with great smoky flavor, the methods can be downright daunting. But it doesn't have to be that way.

The Smoking Gun is a clever kitchen gadget that requires none of the patience, effort, or knowledge that other smoking methods demand. The small battery-operated accessory weighs only … Read more

At the risk of sounding as old as I am, do you remember that "Seinfeld" episode where Elaine decided to create a bakery that sold only the top part of the muffin? They baked muffins, cut the tops off to sell, then debated what to do with the leftovers. Eventually, she donated them to a homeless shelter and was told in no uncertain terms that the homeless had no interest in her rejected muffin bottoms.

If she had just used this muffin crown pan from Norpro, she could have avoided the whole messy confrontation.

This nonstick pan lets … Read more

I know it only seems like mincing piles of fresh herbs feels like it takes forever. It isn't that tough a task, but it can be made easier and faster with the Microplane Herb Mill. Just fill the mill with fresh, leafy herbs and with a twist of the handle, they are minced and ready to be added to all sorts of recipes. Add to tasty sauces, salad dressings, curries, soups, or just sprinkle over a finished plate as garnish. Best of all, the Microplane Herb Mill keeps your fingers away from blades.

The Microplane Herb Mill uses dual-action … Read more