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Monday, September 15, 2003

Cooking Shows

I admit it. I'm addicted to watching cooking shows on TV. Almost all of them. There are a few I don't care for, but I'll save that for another time. I was thinking about the things I have learned from cooking shows and here are some of the specifics:

Rachael Ray. She hosts a cooking show called "30 Minute Meals". From her I learned about the "garbage bowl" keeping a bowl at your workspace saves you steps to the garbage and the inevitable messes that happen in between.

Jacques Pepin. From Jacques (I like to imagine we are on a first name basis) I learned a quick and easy sauce for fruit--simply mix some fruit jam or marmalade with lemon juice and chopped mint. Voila! A great way to perk up fruit that is not fabulous on its own.

From Julia Child I learned that a little butter makes almost everything taste better.

From Alton Brown of "Good Eats" I learned that an egg slicer is great for slicing mushrooms in a hurry.

From Mario Batali who hosts several shows on the Food Network and is a frequent guest on other people's shows, I learned the secret to neatly flipping stuff in a pan is to tilt the pan downwards first.

From Martha Stewart I learned that insider trading is naughty. No, actually I learned that the best, lightest, most fluffy mashed potatoes come from using a ricer, not a potato masher.

That's just a taste of what I've learned and remembered. I'm sure I have absorbed plenty without even realizing it...but every once in a while it's worth giving credit where credit is due.