My Favorite Kitchen Tools
I have been cooking my whole life and have been teaching people to cook in their own kitchens with my virtual cooking classes since 2020. With the amount of cooking I do, I have accumulated many kitchen tools and small appliances. I have tested out more than I would like to admit, some were great and get used all of the time, some are handy but don’t get used a lot, and some were not my favorite and do not have a home in my kitchen.
How to Slice and Dice Onions
Onions are the base of so many dishes. It is an aromatic that spans food cultures around the globe. In French cooking, mirepoix is onion, carrot and celery. In Cajun cooking, the holy trinity is onion, green pepper and celery. In Mediterranean and Latin American cooking, sofrito is onion, garlic and tomato with many variations depending on what country you are in. All of these contain diced onion. Not only are onions flavorful, they are low in calories and high in vitamins and minerals.
How to Use Garlic
Garlic is the base of so many dishes. It is an aromatic that spans food cultures around the globe. In Asian dishes, garlic is often used along with ginger to start the cooking of a dish. In Latin cuisine, garlic is part of the sofrito which is the base of many dishes. In Italy, garlic is used in raw sauces like pesto and is also used to flavor many cooked dishes.
The Perfect Foodie Day in Rome
Rome has some of the most incredible food in the world. It is a place that many people gravitate to for their vacation and to see all of the amazing sites, but I go for the food. The best thing to do is to explore all of the small streets and you may find that the better food exists away from the large tourist attractions.
An Italian Culinary Retreat with The Effortless Kitchen
I had this idea to join my love of travel and food and create an experience for people to go on a culinary trip with me. My goal was to bring a group of people to a region of Italy and explore that area’s food and food culture through cooking class and food excursions. I thought that we could connect based on this shared experience and common goal. All of this happened and more!
A Culinary Retreat with The Effortless Kitchen
Imagine eating the meal of a lifetime and being surrounded by people who enjoy it as much as you and are open minded foodies and love to talk about food and food experiences. That is my version of heaven.
Christmas and Chanukah Food Traditions
My family is big on traditions. With a Jewish mother and an Italian grandmother, we had big feasts for every holiday and it always had to be the same. Not that I am complaining because I looked forward to these holiday dinners every year. When I think about any given holiday, I can almost smell and taste the food.
Thanksgiving Traditions
My family is big on traditions. With a Jewish mother and an Italian grandmother, we had big feasts for every holiday and it always had to be the same. Not that I am complaining because I looked forward to these holiday dinners every year. When I think about any given holiday, I can almost smell and taste the food.
Brooklyn Is A Cultural Food Melting Pot
I grew up in Brooklyn and I got a huge amount of my food education from my childhood. What I love about all of these experiences is it was a window into the world outside of Brooklyn. I got a taste of food from other cultures without stepping on a plane. I had yet to travel internationally and it whet my appetite. I have a huge love of travel to experience the regions food and food culture and part of it comes from those early days of “traveling” around Brooklyn.
Food Memories
Have you ever eaten something and it brings you back to an earlier time in your life? Has food ever made you cry with a memory so strong and meaningful? Food memories like certain scents are ingrained in our minds and when you smell or taste, you are suddenly transported to Grandmas kitchen or an amazing vacation you took.
Exploring the world through food
Aside from eating, one of my favorite things to do is travel and of course, eat while I travel. I make sure to ask the locals where they like to eat as I really want the insiders perspective. I do not want to eat at the tourist spots unless it’s absolutely amazing. I would rather go somewhere family owned where Grandma is in the kitchen.
I love my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)
Since my kids were little, I have belonged to a CSA. I thought that it would be a great way to show my kids how our food grows which in turn would entice them to eat it. Great plan, not so great results. It became apparent early on that the farm was too hot, had too many bees and the kids were not at all interested in eating the Swiss Chard we picked earlier in the day. Read the full blog post for tips on how to use the bounty of the season.
Imposter syndrome- the lies we keep telling ourselves
So what I am really trying to tell you is just do it! Just go for it. Do the thing that scares you or the thing you think you won’t be good at or aren’t good enough to do because in reality, you ARE good enough. If it’s kitchen confidence you are struggling with, just do it. Take one of my classes or try a new recipe or get together with a friend to cook along with them. I promise you, you will be so happy you did.
What I learned from a James Beard Award winning chef
A lightbulb went off at the end of the night. There is no way I could have made the paella as well as I did from watching a YouTube video. And in that moment, I also realized another thing. THIS is what my students get from me when they take my classes. They get all of my years of cooking and eating and learning from classes and The Food Network and my mother and my grandmother all rolled up into one. So when I say tips and tricks they are really invaluable to making a dish come together to be it’s best.