As a chef, it’s the one question I hear more than any other from aspiring home cooks. They’ve bought a beautiful, expensive bottle of extra-virgin olive oil. They love it. They use it on salads, for dipping bread, for finishing pasta. Now, they’ve just unboxed a brand new carbon-steel wok, and they reach for that…
Let’s paint a picture. You’re in your kitchen, wok in hand, ready to unleash your inner Ken Hom. You’ve got your veggies chopped, your protein marinated. You crank the heat, add your oil, and… BEEEEEP. BEEEEEP. BEEEEEP. The smoke alarm screams, your eyes are watering, and a cloud of acrid smoke fills the room. That,…
Let’s get one thing straight. As a chef, I love olive oil. I adore it. I have three different bottles of extra-virgin olive oil for finishing salads, fish, and even ice cream. But here is a truth I’ve seen countless home cooks ignore at their peril: in most cases, olive oil has no business being…
As a chef with decades of experience, I can tell you that choosing the right cooking oil is the single most important—and most misunderstood—decision a home cook makes. It is the very first ingredient in your pan; it lays the foundation for your entire dish. Yet, the grocery store aisle is a wall of confusion….
undefined We’ve all been there: you dream of a vibrant, crisp, and flavorful stir-fry, but you end up with a soggy, grey, and watery pile of steamed vegetables and tough meat. This is the most common failure in home cooking. The truth is, most people aren’t stir-frying at all; they are “steam-boiling.” This guide on…