Breakfast, Dairy Free, Dessert, Dinner, Drink, Gluten Free, Fall, Home & Family, Spring, Summer, Video, Winter

Home & Family: Fermented Coffee

Daniel Kohler · August 29, 2015

Microbes are the oldest life form on this planet. They can be found in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and indeed inside our own bodies. Check out how food-hackers are changing the flavor of coffee with these tiny organisms!

Breakfast, Dairy Free, Home & Family, Video

Home & Family: Hot Sauce Science

Daniel Kohler · August 27, 2015

Chasing the high of another chili pepper? Ever wonder what makes us crave spicy food? The neurological science behind the pain in your tongue is fascinating, catch it all here!

Breakfast, Dairy Free, Dinner, Fall, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Read, Side, Spring, Veggies, Summer, Winter

CapsaiScience

Daniel Kohler · August 26, 2015

Chili Peppers are not unique to one country or culture. Evidence of their cultivation dates back to 4,000 BC. But the love of hot foods is exclusive to humans. The rest of the animals on this planet either lack the neurological receptors to register hot food or they avoid peppers altogether, lumping them in with other poisonous plants. Why do we love them so much then?!

Dairy Free, Dinner, Fall, Gluten Free, Spring, Summer, Veggies, Winter, Home & Family

Jerk Sauce

Daniel Kohler · August 25, 2015

I miss many things about NYC, primary among those cravings are my local jerk joint. The well-known neighborhood favorite is The Islands, but for my tastes Fever Grass takes the gold medal (never mind that their storefront was directly across from the crimson entryway to my apartment building).

Dairy Free, Dessert, Dinner Party Theater, Drink, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Summer, Video

Home & Family: Strawberry Shrub

Daniel Kohler · August 4, 2015

Trust me on this one, drinking vinegar is great for you. A shrub is a vinegary preserved, fruit syrup that will keep you satisfied all Summer long. Stir some into soda water or shake it with a cocktail!

Dairy Free, Drink, Summer

Plum Basil Shrub

Daniel Kohler · July 31, 2015

Once you've graduated from the Strawberry Shrub, it's time to incorporate fresh herbs. A noseful of basil pairs well with most fruits and I am partial to swooning over its combination with fresh plums. Indeed, on the road to this shrub I ate fistfuls of torn green leaves wrapped around slices of bleeding plums.

Dairy Free, Dinner, Dinner Party Theater, Drink, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Summer

Summer Crush Cocktail

Daniel Kohler · July 29, 2015

We all have one. Sometimes it's the ringmaster of that traveling circus with ice-blue eyes, sometimes it's the lifeguard sitting perched atop a lookout, clad only in red. Wherever you may be in life, it is never too late for a summer crush. While I'm pining for that man in the top hat I will make do with this blush colored cocktail. A mix of tequila and my strawberry shrub, this couldn't be easier to assemble. Wow your guests with a non-margarita tequila drink and fall in love with this sweet sip.

Breakfast, Dairy Free, Dessert, Dinner, Dinner Party Theater, Fall, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Snack, Side, Summer, Video

Home & Family: Mealy Fruit

Daniel Kohler · July 22, 2015

The secret to avoiding mealy fruit this summer lies in temperature control. Learn the science behind those unfortunate peaches and get some tips on storing your favorites while the weather is still warm!

Breakfast, Dairy Free, Dessert, Dinner, Dinner Party Theater, Drink, Fall, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Meat, Side, Snack, Spring, Summer, Veggies, Video, Winter

Home & Family: Nomiku Sous Vide

Daniel Kohler · July 16, 2015

What was once a tool fit only for commercial kitchens has been adapted for your home! The Nomiku is an immersion circulator for the modern cook. Control temperature within a fraction of a degree for perfect cooking.

Dairy Free, Dessert, Home & Family, Video, Winter, Summer

Home & Family: Candied Fruit

Daniel Kohler · July 9, 2015

Preserving fruit with sugar is a centuries-old tradition that seems to rear its head every Christmas. As we celebrate Christmas in July with Hallmark, take to heart some candying tips. Get started on this now and you'll have gifts aplenty on your shelf to dole out come December!

Dairy Free, Dessert, Fall, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Side, Snack, Spring, Summer, Winter

Candied Lemon Peel

Daniel Kohler · July 3, 2015

This is not a new trick, it is simply good, old, cooking at its best. When we slowly replace water content in food with sugar we act to reduce the amount of H2O necessary to support the growth of bacteria and microbes. Which is to say, we preserve the food. Sugar is a most excellent prison for your lemons. Keep them alive far past their due date with this solution.

Drink, Dinner, Dessert, Breakfast, Dairy Free, Fall, Home & Family, Snack, Spring, Summer, Video, Winter

Home & Family: Coffee Roasting

Daniel Kohler · June 9, 2015

What is a morning without the powerful aroma of coffee twisting through your skull? Learn the history behind the world's most popular beverage and start roasting your own beans at home today!

Dairy Free, Side, Snack

Chicken Fat Chili Lime Popcorn

Daniel Kohler · April 28, 2015

I love the flavor schmaltz brings to the corn, making something already spicy and salty ever more savory. Regardless of the fat you use here, you'll have to remind yourself to walk away from the bowl. Otherwise you'll eat it in one sitting.

Dairy Free, Dessert, Side, Snack

Cocoa Puff Popcorn

Daniel Kohler · April 25, 2015

Though I normally skew toward the savory side when it comes to popcorn, this flavor has me eating greedy handfuls. What started as a chocolate drizzle, morphed into a cocoa dusting when I started experimenting in the kitchen.

Breakfast, Dairy Free, Dessert, Dinner, Fall, Gluten Free, Side, Snack, Spring, Summer, Video, Winter

Home & Family: Kitchen Hacks

Daniel Kohler · April 20, 2015

Let me save you from the terrifying moments when you realize, mid-cake, that you're missing an ingredient. A little chemistry goes a long way when it comes to kitchen hacks!

Breakfast, Dairy Free, Dessert, Dinner, Drink, Fall, Gluten Free, Side, Snack, Spring, Summer, Veggies, Winter, Read

Kitchen Swaps

Daniel Kohler · April 16, 2015

The cold sweat that drips down your neck when you realize you're missing an ingredient, and the cake batter is halfway finished, is real. You have guests scheduled to arrive in mere hours, nay, minutes. Do you rush to the store and grab a bundt cake shelled in plastic? Oh no, not here. NEVER ACCEPT DEFEAT.

Dairy Free, Dinner, Spring, Summer, Side, Veggies

Preserved Lemon Couscous

Daniel Kohler · April 14, 2015

The pillowy grains of couscous offer ample space for the absorption of preserved lemon in all its salty glory. Ever in search of the intersection of salty/sweet/spicy/sour, I found its address in this couscous. Preserved lemon, currants, fresh chili, (and some pinenuts for texture) all crash together in the final dish, causing a riot of flavor and color. Couscous cooks in mere minutes, and with the lemons you've got on hand this dish is a snap.

Dairy Free, Dinner, Gluten Free, Winter, Side, Video

Home & Family: Preserved Lemon

Daniel Kohler · April 13, 2015

Packing citrus fruit with salt is a technique used the world over, but when we talk about preserved lemon we mentally fly to Morocco. This is a terrific way to make use of your leftover winter crop, concentrating the flavor of lemons into a salty, tender, treat.

Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Side, Winter

Preserved Citrus

Daniel Kohler · April 10, 2015

What began as an experiment in the Moroccan tradition of preserving lemons turned into a mason jar proliferation of cured citrus. Once I cracked the code on preserving lemons (not terribly difficult) I decided to try the technique on every kind of citrus I could find at the market. Now I've got jars of lemons, meyer lemons, limes, valencia oranges, blood oranges, and grapefruit, sitting in my cabinet awaiting their debut on my dinner table!

Dessert, Gluten Free, Dairy Free

Caramel Seafoam

Daniel Kohler · April 2, 2015

Against my mother's will I used to choose this airy, caramel confection when we were taken to the candy shop as kids. She will eternally favor truffles, the grand nexus of chocolate. But I like a bit of hardened texture in my confections, and this treat could not be more satisfying. Caramel seafoam is the adult equivalent of a teething biscuit. It presses against your teeth as you bite into the brittle caramel, rewarding you with sweetness for the task of chewing.