May 29th, 2012
Maggie Beer, John Torode, Rick Stein, George Calombaris, and Manu Feildel...the menu is set. What about the chance to win dinner and paired wines for four on the Thursday prior to the Good Food & Wine Show...is the apetite whet? The Fisher & Paykel ‘Dine with a Chef’ competition will offer the winner and their three friends a meeting with a celeb chef plus a night’s accommodation at a city hotel, VIP ... Read more
May 28th, 2012
As the Laura Star disappears, awake she sheds a silent tear A blood red dawn begins to rise, and reflects the fear in Rinnai's eyes, For through old promises to Omega She has sealed her Bromic's demise. (Have you read part one?) The brave little kettle shouts out his warning As Bromic dives for his Sharp sword, The piercing whistle Brevilles out through the morning 'Til St George slays Morphy and the blood starts to pour. Rinnai looks Delonghingly as ... Read more
May 28th, 2012
We were going to suggest sticking an iPad to the fridge...but then we discovered a gourmet version of what we had in mind, Qooq. It sounds like Australian for kook, but foolishness is far from this tablet's menu. Qooq is a robust 10-inch tablet specifically designed to handle the heat and spills of kitchens. Made in France however, where there is no such thing as function over fashion, ... Read more
May 25th, 2012
The US equivalent of Australia's Choice has rated Bosch, GE and Whirlpool as some of the most reliable appliances on the market today. While consumers swoon over smart appliances with all the bells and whistles, and others look for style, sophistication and perfect integration in the home, consumer watchdogs Choice and its US equal, Consumer Reports search out and test the most reliable and trustworthy appliances. Based on ... Read more
May 25th, 2012
Here’s a hypothetical for you – how would you go living in a garage? Not just hanging out for a few hours, or camping in there overnight, but turning it into a proper home. Would you still be able to cook and eat well, or would you have to survive on takeaway food? One couple in New Zealand have proven that healthy garage living is indeed possible. When ... Read more
May 24th, 2012
Four seasons into MasterChef Australia, you might wonder how much longer a nation can continue to be entertained by a bunch of 'ama-tah' chefs running around having stress-induced emotional breakdowns before programmes with things like 'a plot' (other than which MasterChef contestant is going to burst into tears this episode as their 'dream' disintegrates before their very eyes like so much overcooked gingerbread) start to seem ... Read more
May 24th, 2012
Slow cookers are pretty great, aren’t they? We think so, and so does Choice.com.au, which tested 25 slow cookers priced under $200. Here are four reasons why we love slow cookers, paired with four of our favourite picks from the Choice's Top Nine: Slow cookers are convenient It really doesn’t make sense to cook a big, elaborate meal in the evening, when most of us are tired after a full day ... Read more
May 17th, 2012
So you had a quite a lot to drink with your mates last night. You were feeling pretty peachey at the time. It was the advent of a new era of peace, love and understanding. You may or may not have spent at least an hour talking to a tree. And it was only decent and right to have those tequila shots. Hell, if you had refused, ... Read more
May 15th, 2012
If the way into a person's heart is through their stomach then V-Zug is doing a swell job of enamouring Australians at this year's designEx in Sydney. Positioned squarely in the middle of the design show is a fully functional kitchen feeding bystanders with ridiculously delicious canapes: port infused figs wrapped in prawn and prosciutto, medium-rare scallops on filo pastries with home-made aioli, and that's just for starters. The premium Swiss appliance brand ... Read more
May 10th, 2012
I wonder if some Mum's would prefer it if someone actually did the vacuuming, rather than buy her a vacuum cleaner for Mother's Day? Doing the chores for Mum this Sunday is one way to sweeten her up. But the weekly jobs are a short lived respite for Mum. So here are a few other house hold duties with more long term benefits: Give the refrigerator-coils a quick ... Read more
May 9th, 2012
Like a two-minute noodle sandwich consumed from the kitchen floor at 4:30am while drunk on cask wine and Malibu, MasterChef is a guilty pleasure of mine. I know there are better uses of my time – such as exercising, socialising, or anything else – but as a fan both of food and watching people suffer, there's just something about this show that floats my proverbial gravy boat. That ... Read more
May 8th, 2012
Um, we're not really sure why you'd like to make anything BUT sweet, sweet ice cream. However, if the waistline is protesting or simply the novelty has worn off, here are a few alternative ways to create chillin' delicious fare with an ice cream maker. Frozen soft drink slushies: This is a very easy one. Whatever your poison of choice is, Coke, Fanta, or L&P, pour it in ... Read more
May 8th, 2012
There is often a lot of hot air spoken about the difficulty of combining sleek design with functionality in kitchen appliances. But Bosch has attempted to literally blow that away with the presentation of its new incline rangehood. The latest design, showcased at EuroCucina in Milan, features a glass cover over a brush stainless steel surface which conceals the usually exposed fan filters. The panel then drops down to act ... Read more
May 7th, 2012
With celebrations for the Diamond Jubilee Festival (marking 60 years of the Queen being Queen) kicking into gear, a portrait of her majesty made from cake is set to go on display. Apparently this royal sugar hit will be constructed from 3,120 individual cakes (each representing one week in her reign). Handcrafted by the bakers at Konditor & Cook, a central London-based caked shop, it’ll require more than ... Read more
May 7th, 2012
In Australia we seem to have the knack for cooking meat fairly down pat. Of course, we've grilled enough prawns to know a thing or two about that, too. But when it comes to boiling seafood, some of us revert to the old British culinary crime of overcooking. Over-boiling delicate crustaceans leads to rubbery, flavourless flesh; a tragedy that is easy to avoid. At the Sydney Seafood School (SSS) ... Read more