New Favorite Find: Kitchensurfing

One of my favorite finds of late is KITCHENSURFING Have you tried it? If you live in one of the cities they serve then you need to...stat!

The site provides an easy and affordable way to find and hire a private chef to come cook for your next party. It can be an intimate gathering for two, a small dinner party or a big bash. 

You can also have a chef come in and do a private cooking lesson for you and your pals. I have used the company and had a terrific experience. Talk about stress free entertaining! The chef does all of the shopping, food prep, serving and clean up.

Photos: Gourmet 

Cooking Tips from the Best Chefs

I recently picked up a copy of Food Network Magazine. While I was pretty underwhelmed overall, I did enjoy reading 100 Cooking Tips from America's Best Chefs. You can read the entire list HERE.

These were my favorite ten tips.

1. Cook pasta 1 minute less than the package instructions and cook it the rest of the way in the pan with sauce.

MARIO BATALI

2. When chopping herbs, toss a little salt onto the cutting board; it will keep the herbs from flying around.

JOANNE CHANG 
Flour Bakery & Cafe

3. Always season meat and fish evenly; sprinkle salt and pepper as though it's "snowing." This will avoid clumping or ending up with too much seasoning in some areas and none in others. 

MARY DUMONT
Harvest

4. When you're browning meat, you should blot the surface dry with a paper towel so the meat doesn't release moisture when it hits the hot oil. Too much moisture makes the meat steam instead of sear, and you will lose that rich brown crust.

CHARLIE PALMER

5. Do not use oil in the water when boiling pasta: It will keep the sauce from sticking to the cooked pasta.
MISSY ROBBINS 
A Voce

6. My grandfather taught me this tip: After you drain pasta, while it's still hot, grate some fresh Parmesan on top before tossing it with your sauce. This way, the sauce has something to stick to.
GIADA DE LAURENTIIS 

7. Fresh basil keeps much better and longer at room temperature with the stems in water. 

ELISABETH PRUEITT
Tartine Bakery

8. When making mashed potatoes, after you drain the potatoes, return them to the hot pan, cover tightly and let steam for 5 minutes. This allows the potatoes to dry out so they'll mash to a beautiful texture and soak up the butter and cream more easily.

WOLFGANG PUCK 

9. Always buy the freshest garlic you can find; the fresher it is, the sweeter it will be. The best garlic has firm tissue-like skin and should not be bruised, sprouted, soft or shriveled. If you find cloves that have green shoots, discard the shoots — they will only add bitterness.
TODD ENGLISH

10. My general advice to home cooks is that if you think you have added enough salt, double it.

GRANT ACHATZ
Alinea and Aviary