Pasta Making
Marcato Atlas Pasta Machine Review: 8 Months of Weekly Family Pasta Nights
A retired line cook's honest take on the Marcato Atlas after cranking out fettuccine, ravioli, and a few disasters every Sunday since November.
The week my grandson started staying with us after school, dinner fell apart fast. Here's what changed once I brought home a Crock-Pot 7-Quart Manual Slow Cooker.
A retired line cook's honest take on the Marcato Atlas after cranking out fettuccine, ravioli, and a few disasters every Sunday since November.
I ran a diner kitchen for three decades before I ever touched a home pasta machine. Here's what thirty years of watching equipment either earn its keep or collect dust taught me about these two.
Thirty years behind a line taught me the difference between pasta that's cooked and pasta that's made. Here's what changed once I started rolling my own with a Marcato Atlas.
Thirty years cooking for strangers in diner kitchens, and I still couldn't get my own grandkids to ask for seconds. Here's what changed when I put a Marcato Atlas on my counter.
Thirty years in diner kitchens taught me most home cooks overthink pasta. Here's the exact process I use with my Marcato Atlas, start to finish, no wasted steps.
A retired line cook breaks down what the glowing five-star reviews leave out about the Marcato Atlas, from the real cost of the attachments to the rust spot that taught him a hard lesson.
A retired line cook's honest take on the Cuisinart ICE-21P1 after four months and roughly eighteen batches of ice cream, sorbet, and frozen yogurt at our kitchen counter in Toledo.
Thirty years running a diner kitchen taught me to trust the simple machine over the flashy one. Here's what six months of churning against my son-in-law's Ninja CREAMi taught me about which one actually deserves counter space.
Thirty years on a diner line taught me the difference between dessert that's scooped and dessert that's made. Here's what changed once a Cuisinart ICE-21P1 landed on my counter.
Thirty years scooping desserts for other people's kids in a diner, and I never once made my own. Here's what changed the summer Tommy and Ellie ran our grocery bill into the ground.
Five steps I use every time with my Cuisinart ICE-21P1 to get smooth, scoopable ice cream instead of an icy, grainy batch.
Twelve batches in, here's what nobody tells you about the 24-hour freezer bowl, the motor's limits, and whether this little Cuisinart earns a permanent spot in your kitchen.
A retired line cook's honest take on the Crock-Pot 7-Quart Manual Slow Cooker after a winter of pot roasts, chilis, and weeknight dinners that were ready before anyone walked in the door.
I ran both machines through the same winter of weeknight dinners. Here's which one earned a permanent spot on my counter, and why.
Thirty years of line-cook habits, applied to a 7-quart stoneware pot and a busy household.
The week my grandson started staying with us after school, dinner fell apart fast. Here's what changed once I brought home a Crock-Pot 7-Quart Manual Slow Cooker.
Thirty years in diner kitchens taught me most people fight their slow cooker instead of using it right. Here are the five steps I use every time with my Crock-Pot 7-Quart Manual Slow Cooker to get meat that shreds with a fork instead of fighting you.
No gimmicks, no digital bells, just a plain dial and a stoneware pot. Here's what a year of actually using it taught me that the five-star reviews leave out.
A retired line cook's honest take on the ALTRA LIFE 2300W Electric Meat Grinder after grinding chuck, venison, and pork shoulder into burger and sausage every other Saturday since last October.
I spent thirty years behind a diner grill trusting other people's ground beef. Then I bought the ALTRA LIFE 2300W Electric Meat Grinder and started grinding my own at home. Here's what actually changed.
Thirty years behind a line taught me not to trust a label I can't see mixed. Here's what changed once I started grinding my own with an ALTRA LIFE 2300W Electric Meat Grinder.
Thirty years grinding beef for a diner special board, and it still took my grandson talking me into buying one for my own kitchen. Here's what changed once the ALTRA LIFE Electric Meat Grinder landed on my counter.
Thirty years of line cook habits, boiled down to the five steps I actually follow every time I grind meat at home on the ALTRA LIFE 2300W Electric Meat Grinder.
Thirty years on a diner line teaches you to spot a machine's weak points fast. Here's what the ALTRA LIFE 2300W grinder does well, and what nobody tells you before you buy one.
A retired line cook's honest take on the Rubbermaid Brilliance 44-Piece Food Storage Set after a full year of Sunday meal prep, school lunches, and a fridge that finally stopped smelling like a mystery.
I ran the Rubbermaid Brilliance 44-Piece Food Storage Set against a borrowed glass set for two months in the same kitchen. Here's which one actually earned its cabinet space, and why.
Thirty years of watching food get thrown out in a restaurant kitchen taught me one thing: storage is where the money actually leaks out. Here's what changed once the Rubbermaid Brilliance set took over our cabinets.
Thirty years running a diner kitchen, and my own fridge had turned into a walk-in that would've failed inspection. Here's what changed when I finally bought the Rubbermaid Brilliance set.
Thirty years running a diner line taught me a pantry is just a walk-in cooler with worse habits. Here's the five-step method I used with the Rubbermaid Brilliance 44-Piece Food Storage Set to turn our cabinet from a bag-and-box junk drawer into something I can find anything in with the lights off.
A retired line cook breaks down what the five-star reviews leave out about the Rubbermaid Brilliance set, from the piece count math to the latch that snapped in month nine.
A retired line cook's honest take on the Marcato Atlas after cranking out fettuccine, ravioli, and a few disasters every Sunday since November.
A retired line cook breaks down what the glowing five-star reviews leave out about the Marcato Atlas, from the real cost of the attachments to the rust spot that taught him a hard lesson.
A retired line cook's honest take on the Cuisinart ICE-21P1 after four months and roughly eighteen batches of ice cream, sorbet, and frozen yogurt at our kitchen counter in Toledo.
Twelve batches in, here's what nobody tells you about the 24-hour freezer bowl, the motor's limits, and whether this little Cuisinart earns a permanent spot in your kitchen.
A retired line cook's honest take on the Crock-Pot 7-Quart Manual Slow Cooker after a winter of pot roasts, chilis, and weeknight dinners that were ready before anyone walked in the door.
No gimmicks, no digital bells, just a plain dial and a stoneware pot. Here's what a year of actually using it taught me that the five-star reviews leave out.
A retired line cook's honest take on the ALTRA LIFE 2300W Electric Meat Grinder after grinding chuck, venison, and pork shoulder into burger and sausage every other Saturday since last October.
Thirty years on a diner line teaches you to spot a machine's weak points fast. Here's what the ALTRA LIFE 2300W grinder does well, and what nobody tells you before you buy one.
A retired line cook's honest take on the Rubbermaid Brilliance 44-Piece Food Storage Set after a full year of Sunday meal prep, school lunches, and a fridge that finally stopped smelling like a mystery.
A retired line cook breaks down what the five-star reviews leave out about the Rubbermaid Brilliance set, from the piece count math to the latch that snapped in month nine.