If it were not for Auguste Escoffier we would be eating to get by or simply eating as a fact of life. Food takes on a different flavor when treated with skill and understanding. All too often quality food is purchased, hidden away in a bag or drawer in the fridge, pantry or cupboard and left to the demise of time.

For some they like to look over Good Housekeeping, GQ, Taste of Home and magazine of all style of food presentation offering up a variety of cooking techniques. Suffice to say Auguste went down that path before any of these modern day versions of the quick fix recipe came to print. In 1903 he published what I believe is the mother of all magazines, cookbooks, guides and articles on taking cooking seriously.

True, I like to have fun in the kitchen but when the oil hits the skillet I like to rely on basic foundation principles. So when the latest copy of Le Guide Culinaire hit the bookshelves I was more than interested in using it for classroom instruction, and was beyond excited when a good friend from John Wiley & Sons, Inc contacted me to see if I would like to use it for educational purposes.

In the next several months I will digest the recipes as Auguste had written them, then later revised a second, third and lastly in 1921 for a fourth time. I’m also looking forward to imparting some of Escoffier’s time tested culinary skills to those paths i cross during my travels.

Hog Wild BBQ

From the depths of Edinboro University as my assistant at our Delta Chi Fraternity parties Dean Wells has truly risen to hold high court with the best of the best BBQ Pit Masters. He now runs his own BBQ operation, Hog Wild BBQ, with a truly huge self contained and designed smoker. As Hawkeye once said on M*A*S*H* he should have a Pit Boss Gold Medal with “…little riblet clusters.”

Grill Charms

Once in a while certain items come along and you think, WOW, why didn’t I think of that. These Grill Charms are one of those thoughts. Take a simple concept, flesh it out make it out of high grade metal and you have a quality product. Now instead of cutting into every steak to see which is rare and which is medium you can insert these charms into the meat and keep track of temps and flavors from grill to table.

Not only are they great for steaks, but chicken, pork chops, turkey cutlets and even hamburgers. The charms do not slide out out thanks to the simple cut edges on the sides of the charm. No they are not tie tacks, nor are they small branding irons for the meat; simply insert into the meat, season as you do normally and then grill to your desired doneness. Then have no fear of stacking together on one plate because each piece of meat has a marker that will clearly state the cook’s intentions. I thought for sure the burgers done up with the charms would loose one or two when flipped but they stayed securely in place and made it to the table without any problems. Each guest was happy to see that the meat did not have to be cut or pulled apart to test doneness, nor were the charms hard to pull out before eating.

Another nice feature is the ability to change up seasonings without worry. I love my grilled proteins highly seasoned and my guests not so much, so I push these little charms into the low heat seasoned meats and now when I’m done grilling I can simply point out the charm that the guest selected without them worrying about burning off their tongue. This also helps many guests with allergic reactions to gluten or nuts. Now, by placing a charm into their cut of meat you can know let them know that you followed it from grill to table without any possible marinades or seasoning that wold cause an allergic outbreak. You simply keep those cuts away from the others and offer your guests a piece of mind with an excellently cooked piece of meat.

Grill Charms are an inexpensive and fun way to stay safe and have fun when grilling! They are easy to clean up in the dishwasher or by hand and ready to go at the next outing. I highly recommend these to anyone needing to mark their grilling territory!

When you need need to know, and don't want to cut!

City Chicken

I’m looking for all variations out there on City Chicken. Do you like it pork only or pork and veal? Do you grill, broil, pan fry, roast or saute your skewers. Do you prefer metal skewers or wood, or even sprigs of fresh herbs as skewers. Lastly do you make a gravy with the drippings or do you have them by themselves.