cooking

One of the benefits of writing about food is being asked to judge and attend foodie events. Here are some of my top picks for this weekend and next, including two events I�ll be attending.  San Jose Beer and Bacon Classic This is a new event that was very successful last year in New York and Seattle. The Bacon and Beer Classic takes place at baseball stadiums on non-game day Saturdays across the country.  A ticket is all inclusive and the event features craft breweries and local restaurants for plenty of beer, food plus music, interactive games, beer schools and cooking demos. There are two sessions, one from 12- 3pm and another from 7-10pm.  Some of the breweries include Schubros , Lagunitas , Anchor Brewing and Saint Archer . Some of the participating restaurants included are Casa de Cobre, Park Place , Frozen Kuhsterd and 71 Saint Peter.   I will be attending this event at both sessions, if you�d like to attend, you can purchase a ticket with a 20% discount usin...

I�m pretty satisfied with the cookware I own, which is a combination of stainless steel, cast iron, enameled cast iron, stoneware  ceramic and ceramic non-stick, but I�m always open to checking out what�s new. Every once in a while there�s a line of cookware that offers something different from the rest. It�s either safer, more versatile, or just a more attractive design. Neoflam ceramic, branded NatureCook seems to check all the boxes. It�s a Korean brand that recently launched in the US so you won�t find many reviews yet. It�s free of PTFE, PFOA, heavy metals, and other toxins. It�s very good looking and extremely versatile. It�s specifically designed to work on gas and electric ranges, oven and broiler, grill, microwave and freezer. Best of all you can actually take it from the freezer and put it into the oven because it�s engineered to �withstand dramatic and sudden temperature changes.� As you might imagine, it�s also dishwasher safe. I didn�t have enough room in my fre...

Are you a sweet snacker or a salty snacker? I like both and the Fancy Food Show is a snacker�s dream. Though it took place over a month ago I am still snacking on some samples I collected at the show. There was quite a range from healthy to indulgent, classic treats and new and innovative ones. This year more than a few made an impression on me that you might want to try too.  On the sweet side I was impressed with two different ice creams. One was Choctal . Choctal makes single varietal chocolate ice creams from Costa Rica, Ghana, Dominican (from Hispaniola) and Kalimantan (from Borneo) that each taste very different and very good! My favorite was the Ghana. They also make vanilla ice creams, but I found them a bit too sweet for my taste.  I�ve written about Magnolia ice cream before, they make wonderful Southeast Asian inspired flavors such as Thai tea, lychee and coconut. This year they introduced a new flavor that will remind you of Hawaii--Kona Chocodamia Nut. It�s coffe...