Ben Franklin talks turkey, electrocution and oyster sauce
The famous statesman and bon vivant now visiting the Houston Museum of Natural Science (Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World) was a champion of the turkey, famously writing, "For my part, I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen as the Representative of our Country; he is a Bird of bad... Read more…
The gadget you didn't realize you needed: a turkey sling
Add the Sili Sling to the arsenal of approaches for lifting a roasted turkey out of a hot pan. The oval-shaped, perforated silicone liner with handles can sit on the rack, directly under the bird. Read more…
Stuffing sack is a tidy way to cook dressing in turkey
One of the most peculiar new products this year is the new Reynolds Stuffing Sack. You put the cheesecloth sack into the turkey, then you put the stuffing into the sack. When it's done, you pull the sack out of the turkey and empty it into a bowl. Read more…
Love those leftovers: Put 'em in a pita
The roasty flavors of sizzled vegetables prove irresistible in Grilled Vegetable-Turkey Pitas. Read more…
Tips to keep your cool in the kitchen
Thanksgiving is rife with potential pitfalls, so here's expert advice on getting the turkey to the table - without feeling like a chicken with its head cut off. Read more…
Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow you may diet
Let's be realistic. Come Thursday, how likely are you to pile your 14-inch plate with roasted Brussels sprouts and salad, and take the tiniest sliver of pie? Exercising moderation at Thanksgiving, with its groaning board of holiday fare, is a pretty tall order. But here are some tips from weight-loss experts on how to minimize the caloric damage. Read more…
Thanksgiving 101
Thanksgiving 101 Has it been a year since you last roasted a turkey or made stuffing? Here's a refresher course, complete with pounds per person, thawing and roasting times and cooking temperatures. Relax, we've got you covered. SHOP Read more…
Make-ahead side dishes: squash, salad and potatoes
Here are some Thanksgiving sides you can work on ahead of time: Glazed Squash, Fennel and Orange Salad, Mashed Potatoes. Read more…
Thanksgiving recipes, from simple to sophisticated
On Thanksgiving, nostalgia is an honored guest at our table. As far as we're concerned, this is a holiday where "same old, same old'' is a compliment. Read more…
Variety Show
Edible Garden’s new chef refines the restaurant’s fresh-from-the-fields mission. Read more…
French Surprise
Now that La Petite France has a new owner, are fishy secrets revealed? Read more…
Narrow Passage
At The Boathouse, stick with pub grub and pizza. Read more…
Da Lat
New Mekong offshoot adds personality to Broad Street’s growing Vietnamese corridor. Read more…
New York Deli
The Reuben still rules, but what about the other features? Read more…
Cous Cous
First Sticky Rice, now Cous Cous. The Yamashita touch turns hip to gold. Read more…
Carytown Seafood at Innsbrook Restaurant and Market
It takes more than fish to catch a clientele. Read more…
The Dining Room at The Berkeley Hotel
Chef Michael Hall gives you reason to dress for brunch. Read more…
Food | In the Magazine: Eat, Memory: The Paris Match
A romantic lunch at Taillevent, and the author recalls eating only her words. Read more…
Going Gallic in Dupont Circle
** Montsouris Read more…
Is it safe to eat out?: Diners denied easy access to restaurant inspection reports in Delaware - (The News Journal (DE))
Every few months for three years, Delaware health inspectors visited Captain's Pizza in Selbyville and documented the filthy conditions they found behind the kitchen doors. The story says that inspectors saw moldy, rotting food and an infestation of flies in the kitchen. They saw kitchen workers cracking raw eggs and handling other food without washing their hands. The dishwasher wasn't sanitizing utensils. The cream pies were too warm and the chili was too cool to prevent bacteria growth. Those details, though, weren't readily available to the customers who ate at Captain's Pizza, which continued to do business until the state shut it down early this year. The Division of Public Health kept those handwritten reports in its Georgetown office and, unlike hundreds of other health agencies across the country, does not post any of their thousands of inspection reports on the Internet or in restaurants. Patricia McNiel, a food-safety expert at Michigan State University who checks inspection reports online before dining out, was quoted as saying, "There's no reason not to have them online in this day and age. Boy, wouldn't that be an incentive to do a little better on kitchen safety?" State officials were cited as saying that modernizing the inspection program and putting reports online is not a high priority. For the complete news item, please visit http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061126/NEWS/611260365/1006/NEWS Read more…
Eatery open after years of failed inspections: Inspectors must see imminent health risk to take quick action, agency director says - (The News Journal (DE))
In September 2000, a Delaware health inspector had, according to this story, grown so frustrated with the sloppy, unhealthy conditions he repeatedly found in the kitchen of the Golden Dove near New Castle that he wrote an e-mail to his supervisor, stating, "At this time, I believe education has gone as far as it can go. Frankly, this facility has had many very poor inspections and never really faced any consequences. ... I can't imagine how this facility is going to become compliant under the new [food-safety] code any time soon. I guess we will see." The story says that a week after that e-mail was sent, the Golden Dove failed another inspection, and it failed 24 more inspections over the next six years, while public health officers tried to educate the restaurant's owners and staff. The Division of Public Health never suspended or revoked the Golden Dove's license, despite twice coming close to taking that rare step. Sajo Usul, one of three owners of the 24-hour diner, who said he never felt threatened that the restaurant could be shut down, was quoted as saying, "They were nice. They were always talking to us, educating us, teaching us what to do. We corrected everything." Usul pointed out that the restaurant passed its most recent inspection Aug. 7 without serious violations. The Golden Dove's inspection file, 143 pages of reports since 2000, reveals a pattern of second and third chances and empty threats by the division, which is charged with ensuring the safety of food served at Delaware's 3,400 licensed kitchens. Division Director Jaime Rivera said his agency's practice of working with restaurants -- and punishing them when necessary -- is the best way to make sure they store, prepare and serve food safely. Denis Stearns, a Seattle lawyer who specializes in food-safety litigation, was cited as saying that many health departments are reluctant to square off against a restaurant, especially one owned by a national company, adding, "They want to avoid a showdown. But given their resources, that's a strategy that's hard to criticize." Read more…
Better advisory effort needed - (Vancouver Island News Group)
Evelyn Reed, Nanaimo, B.C., writes regarding, Message lost in translation, Nov. 21., to say she never did hear officially about the order to boil water. Retired households with no children in school and no one in the work force need some sort of notification. Newscasts on the mainland should be broadcasting emergency news regarding the Island. Clarification regarding water orders and advisories should be available to the public even if they don't have access to a computer. ============== M.P. Montague, Nanaimo, writes regarding, Can Nanaimo handle crisis? Nov. 23, to say it was dusk on Thursday when he or she dressed my granddaughter in a warm, bright jacket, mittens, hat, and I gave her a flashlight. We were going to the corner store. After the adventurous two blocks, we arrived at the store. I purchased a hot chocolate and topped it up with cold tap water. I handed the drink to my granddaughter. I did not know the risk before us. The store employees were not informed and other customers were not chatting about the water advisory. I unwittingly endangered my precious darling. In the year 2000, Walkerton, Ontario had contaminated water, which was a horrendous tragedy. Every province, territory and municipality in Canada should have effective plans in place to inform us of a risk. The shame and accountability lies with the people at the provincial and municipal governments. Their desks should be cleared and the door swinging against their backside. It's been six years since Walkerton, plenty of time to prepare and practice for a potential if not looming disaster. Read more…
Richmond girl home after E. coli infection: No complications despite brief kidney failure - (Lexington Herald (KY))
RICHMOND - A little more than a week ago, 5-year-old Haley Caldwell, who is now at home, was fighting for her life at the University of Kentucky Children's Hospital, a victim of hemolytic uremic syndrome, a potentially deadly set of medical problems most often caused by exposure to E. coli bacteria. At various times during Haley's month-long ordeal, she suffered from pancreatitis and colitis, developed problems with her blood, lost kidney function, went on dialysis, and was placed on a ventilator. Mother, Jaime Caldwell was quoted as saying, "The whole thing was a blur. It was surreal; it was unreal. It was like you were watching someone else's life on TV or something. It was a nightmare." UK's Dr. Philip Bernard, a pediatric intensive care specialist who worked on her case, was quoted as saying, "Now, Haley has normal kidneys again; she's a normal little girl again. But for this little girl and her family, it was a pretty traumatic event." Even now, medical officials don't know where or how Haley came in contact with E. coli. Her 19-month-old sister Emily also tested positive for the bacteria, but never developed symptoms as serious as Haley's. Their brothers, Christopher, 14, and Matthew, 10, never got sick. Read more…
Virus threat keeps camp closed - (The Fresno Bee)
A science and conservation camp east of Springville will remain closed at least another week after two separate groups of students became ill there with a highly contagious virus earlier this month. Officials with Clemmie Gill School of Science and Conservation, or SCICON, and the Tulare County Office of Education made the decision last week. They say they don't want to risk another outbreak of norovirus, which is what health officials believe students suffered. The camp was closed last week when about 190 students were scheduled to visit it. Another 200 students were scheduled to attend SCICON this week. "With this illness still being out in the community it didn't make any sense to keep disinfecting SCICON and then have more kids come up who are sick," said Rick Mitchell, the camp director. Read more…
Happy ending to family's E. coli nightmare - (North Country Times (CA))
MURRIETA ---- Mary and Tony Martin were cited as saying they feel like they have been to hell and back during the last two months, practically living in hospitals as they watched their only child, Chris, 7, fight to survive an E. coli infection. The story explains that Chris, a second-grader at Tovashal Elementary School, was one of the many victims of a national E. coli outbreak that occurred in September, when more than 200 people were sickened and three people died after separate outbreaks traced to tainted spinach and raw milk. The Murrieta couple said that were it not for the overwhelming support and prayers of family and friends, they are not sure things would have turned out the way they did, with their son finally coming home recently after recovering from being on the verge of death for more than a month. Mary was cited as saying Chris ate spinach and drank raw milk in the days leading up to his hospital stay, which began Sept. 7, and that she said she isn't sure which product contained the bacteria. Read more…