3 posts tagged “read”
We love Cook's Illustrated. The magazine is simple in its design - relying on drawings and B&W photos - but what an encyclopedia!
We first learned about CI through their PBS show - America's Test Kitchen. The show is a simple how-to cooking show, but rather just just tell you what to do - they actually explain why you need to take a specific approach. They explain the science behind cooking, or at least what can go wrong if you try something a different way. It's more than just a new source of recipes - it's educational.
Well, CI is like the show, only it's in book form and waaaay more thorough. The editors really do a good job of telling you exactly what can go wrong with a given recipe. And the lessons work. So far, everything we've tried from them has been fool proof - Chinese pork, Rainy-Day BBQ pork chops on the stove top, Chicken Tikka Masala. They even have tricks for perfecting steak!
(For a thick steak, heat it in a slow oven until internal temp reaches 90 Fº then throw it on the grill for a few minutes to char it and finish cooking the inside. The 15-20 minutes of slow cooking helps break down proteins making for more tender meat, and you don't overcook the outside while trying to cook the inside).
They run you through every conceivable part of each recipe - from what cut of meat to choose (and why) to which can of tomatoes tastes best. What more could we want?
So we recently subscribed to the magazine. It hasn' arrived yet, but we also ordered the annual hardcover collected editions for both 2007 and 2008 (they were on 2 for 1, yay!) and they arrived last week, chock full of info!
So much to learn. So much great food to try.
Because I know you're dying to know what I do on my lunch hour, here's a brief vlog entry about where I go to get away from my desk.
And here are a couple of pictures from that spot too. On a nice sunny day, it's just a beautiful spot - even if you are surrounded by concrete!
This weekend we discovered a new lazy-afternoon activity (or inactivity if you prefer).
Given that we're steps away from the Rideau Canal and the Ottawa bike paths, Junkii had the brilliant idea to just grab our books and our ipods and just wander over there to find some shade, to read, and to people-watch.
We don't have our own lawn at home, so it was nice to find a shaded patch of green where we could just laze around and take it easy. The only thing that would have made it nicer is a tall cool drink. But boozing on public property is still frowned upon in Ottawa, so we contented ourselves with what we had.
Definitely a nice way to spend a summer Sunday.
