PowerCooking.net

I have to admit that I was skeptical when our downstairs neighbor raved about the FarmFreshToYou.com local grocery delivery service.   Basically, they deliver a box of locally-grown fruits and vegetables to you every week, bi-weekly, or every month, straight from their farm, or nearby farms.

How is this any different from your local Whole Foods you might ask?  Well, maybe it’s placebo, but I have to say that I could TASTE the freshness/crispness in the grapes, green leaf lettuce, chard, etc.

We will have to do a FarmFreshToYou, farmer’s market, and Whole Foods side-by-side comparison at some point to really know for sure.  But, for now, I’d encourage you to try a service for yourself.  FarmFreshToYou seems to be available only in California, but punch in your zip code on the site and see.

Will report back if we feel any differently with our second shipment!

I’m sure we’ve all had leftovers from dinner and stuck them in the refrigerator.  But, how long can it last before you should throw it out?  Or maybe you’ve spied a bottle of ketchup and it’s a couple of weeks past it’s food expiration date.  Is it still good?

Now there’s an online site called StillTasty.com where you can type in what food or condiment you’re wondering about, and it’ll tell you how long you can store it in the refrigerator or freezer, and how you should store it.  Super handy, no?

BUT, here’s an important point. Let’s go back to the ketchup bottle.  There’s a difference between opened and unopened prepared foods/condiments (duh, of course).  So if you’re like me, you probably have no idea when you even opened that bottle.

Here’s a simple trick, just keep a permanent marker in your kitchen, and remember to mark the “open date” on the jar or bottle.  A few months later, when you open your fridge, you won’t be scratching your head and wondering whether you’ll be getting sick if you eat what’s in that jar.

Go check out StillTasty.com now.

Father's Office Burger

If you live in L.A., you’ve probably heard about the Father’s Office burger, deemed by some as the “Best Burger in L.A.”   And, if you don’t live in L.A., the next time you visit, it might be worth the trip to Santa Monica or Culver City to get a taste of this burger.

The Father’s Office burger is one that you can’t “customize,” meaning, you can’t say cook it well done (not that you ever would), or skip the cheese.  It only comes out of the kitchen one way, and ONLY one way.

But, now, you just might be able to recreate the Father’s Office burger with this post from Meemo’s Kitchen that reverse engineers the burger recipe.  Looking at the recipe, I think back on how it tasted and I believe it does a pretty good job replicating it.

What’s a bit disheartening is the health information posted: 1000 calories for the burger alone, and some absurd amount of sodium.  But, oh so good.  Can I get a side order of sweet potato fries with that?  And don’t forget a cold microbrew to go with, because that’s part of the Father’s Office experience as well.

• Read about the deconstruction of Father’s Office burger

Do you like deconstructing recipes from popular restaurants?  Try these eBooks:

• Secret Restaurant Recipes eBook – recipes from popular restaurants
• Copy Cat Recipes eBook – recipes from popular restaurants

Here’s a tutorial on How to Fry an Egg.  Basic, straightforward, and effective.

Fried eggs!

Stay tuned for an unexpected breakfast recipe with fried eggs.  I’ll give you a hint, it involves waffles. 

I’ve been looking for a good meat temperature chart since I bought a top-of-the-line instant-read digital thermometer, the  Thermapen (more on this in another post).

So after a bit of searching, I found something I think may be a keeper.  This chart below is from the Knol wiki, and has “chef” cooking temperatures, which is what restaurant chefs use.  Also listed are the USDA Recommended temperatures, which give you temperatures at which you will be absolutely safe from bacteria.

I recommend you read the wiki entry for more detailed explanations and tips from the author. Obviously, use this info at your own risk as I don’t claim to be a food safety expert.