Alice Waters Says…Eat Your (Organic) Garlic

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Our friends over at Good Bite have an interview this week with Alice Waters, locavore extraordinaire, author of the new book In the Green Kitchen: Techniques to Learn by Heart, and all-around culinary superhero.

What ingredient does the average home cook need to make more use of these days?
Garlic – it’s the spice of life. It’s something you can’t ignore. Its presence makes a really big difference in the taste of food. And it’s of course, very very good for you.

What do you tell all the grocery store shoppers out there that are still buying the pre-chopped and diced garlic?
It’s a whole other world — that’s not garlic for me. Because garlic is something that changes very quickly, in the presence of oxygen, when it’s opened up, and exposed to the air, the flavor changes. And so, you need to cut it, and use it right away. Peel it, and use it.

Now, again, going back to the standard grocery store shopper. Being forced to choose between organic or local — if they have to choose, what do they do?
Well, I want both. And so I make a point of going to the farmers market, and if I’m at the supermarket, I go right to the produce director in the back, and say, where did this food come from? Where was it grown? When did it come into your store? Can I get it locally and organically? I think that the big markets want to sell, and if you say that you’re ready to buy, they’re interested.

What should every home cook go home and learn to do right now?
Make a vinaigrette for a salad. Just A simple little salad dressing. Rub that garlic in the bottom of the bowl, use a little vinegar and olive oil and you can make a salad.

More AW, on farmers’ markets, school lunch, and cooking tips, over at Good Bite.

Feed Us Back: Comments of the Week

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Alex is not buying this $15 “homemade” pizza thing:

ok stop me if this is a dumb question, but why wouldn’t you just make actual homemade pizza, considering that it would cost significantly less and be significantly easier (i.e., no need to leave the house)?

Whoever can give us a good reason why wins a free ES pizza delivered to their door.

– westcoast is not standing for any Alice Waters bashing, facetious or not:

Alice Waters is my hero. It’s like a Jesus or Palin sort of obsession, but more serious.

While Tyler drops a little-known GF fact:

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Cheflebrity Smörgåsbord: Back to Basics

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The latest and greatest news about celebrity chefs, served up buffet style.

– Hey, Anthony Bourdain isn’t just about deep-fried cobra heart.   Being a good cook begins with the basics.

– Speaking of the fundamentals, Alice Waters‘ new cookbook takes you back to square one with the help of well-known chefs.  And you thought she only cared about the Slow-Food extremists!

After the jump…chefs that are:  annoying, dangerous (!?) and just plain cool.

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Cheflebrity Smörgåsbord: Everything’s Coming Up Gail

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The latest and greatest news about celebrity chefs, served up buffet style.

– Sweet News: Smörg fave Gail Simmons will be the host of Top Chef: Just Desserts.

– And she’ll also be a regular judge on the second season of Top Chef: Masters beginning April 14th.

After the jump…taking shots as Alice Waters, the Jersey Shore crew contributes to our knowledge of the mixology and Food Network gets muy caliente!

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We Love To Cook. And It Shows.

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I’m a terrible, terrible gift receiver. And I really hope my family isn’t reading this post. For Chanukah last year I asked for a creme brulee set with a mini blow torch. I don’t know what intrigued me to light food on fire, but I couldn’t wait to caramelize everything that came out of my kitchen.

But because that beautiful set has not been used yet, I didn’t request any gear for the kitchen. I still landed two cutting boards (thanks Mommy and 80P); two books, Watching What We Eat (thanks 80P’s parents) and Alice Waters’ The Art of Simple Food (thanks Justin); a pizza peel (thanks Scott); and a bagel guillotine (thank’s 80P’s parents). And I’m sure I’m forgetting some things.

So besides the neglect of my 2008 presents, I also didn’t ask for anything because I binged purchased for myself recently (and there is >>thismuch<< room left in my cabinets). I cannot deny the allure of thrift store kitchen items. So cheap, so cute, so unique, so unnecessary, which is actually part of the charm.

Above you will see the set of 6 mini bakeware dishes. I don’t know what that kind of canoe-like shape is called, but it was just too cute. I love sets of things. I love that green. And when I have a dinner party for 6 everyone will be able to have an individual side of um, something. I actually already used one for a shallow dip bowl.

More purchases from unexpected brands post jump.

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