The Virtual Woman: A Woman's
Weekly Guide To Cyberspace
Cooking On the Internet
Truth is, when it comes to basting, roasting, frying, baking, glazing, braising, or any derivation thereof, count me out. I'm a big time, no-arguments-here, almost-lost-a-few-friends-and-a-pet, World's Worst Cook. But while I am cooking impaired I do manage to excel at eating. One sniff outside an old Italian style pizzeria and I could put Pavlov's dogs to shame. For those inclined to wonder, I also can't resist a good Venetian donut, either. Anyway, my readers appear to have a bit more interest in cooking than I do (not that this takes much) so this week I've had a most fascinating time exploring a world previously unbeknownst to me. Some of this stuff sounds like enough fun that I might even venture beyond fried eggs in '99. We can only pray.
Dear Virtual Woman:
I cook a lot,
but every now and then I'll stumble over an ingredient
that leaves me clueless. For example, what in the world is forcemeat?
Is there a site out there I can go to for answers?
- Stuck on Weird Food, Annandale, VA
Dear Stuck on Weird:
Don't let those obscure ingredients bog you down. Believe it or not, there are quite a few sites that can make something like forcemeat sound as familiar as, well, agadashi (hey, why write these columns if you can't show off your new found knowledge?) Epicurious.com (http://www.epicurious.com) is one of the best destinations out there for general foodies as well as someone like you, looking for specific information. This site is comprehensive and home to the online versions of Gourmet and Bon Appetit magazines. Directly on the homepage you'll find a link to a food dictionary which allows you to plug in your term of choice.
I typed in forcemeat and got back: "A mixture of finely ground, raw or cooked meat, poultry, fish, vegetables or fruit mixed with bread crumbs and various seasonings". What makes this such a great source is Epicurious' partnership with Barron's Educational Services, Inc. The database of food terminology comes from one of its publications. Another great place to find out more about weird food terminology is the Science of Foods site. In addition to having its own glossary, The Science of Foods site also has links to some other very cool glossaries including a Wheat Glossary, a Beer and Brewing Glossary and the American Poultry Association's Glossary.
Dear Virtual Woman:
My office is starting
to spend happy hours at a local brewery, which is fun until I have to order
from the overwhelming menu of beers. Is there someplace on the web where
I can skim reviews of different beers?
- So Many Beers, So Little Time, Baltimore, MD
Dear Beers:
Not to worry. Lots of us have found ourselves mesmerized by the never-ending rows of colorful bottled beers and taps of beer along a bar's edge, without knowing what to order. Fortunately there are web sites that can help. First, I'd try the Brewguide (http://brewguide.com/brew_reviews/), which is a well-maintained site with a thorough guide to a variety of beers. There is also All About Beer (http://www.allaboutbeer.com), and The Beer Information Source at http://www.beerinfo.com.
Dear Virtual Woman:
My sister is a professional
chef who really seems to have everything she could want for her kitchen. Her
birthday is coming up in a month and I want to get her unique kitchenware,
but where do I begin looking? Can you direct me to a site that could give
me some ideas?
- Chef's Sister, Detroit, MI
Dear Chef's Sis:
You are a courageous soul. It's gotta be close to impossible to find a perfect kitchen gift for a professional chef, but when you visit http://www.augusthome.com/gifts.htm, you'll find a handful she could probably only imagine (I myself thought that the triple timer and the flame proof spatulas were quite intriguing). This site is home to Cuisine Magazine, and is a breeze to surf through because of the uncluttered white background and tasteful (ahem) design. Also, if you're in an extremely brave/crazy mood and decide to cook sis a birthday dinner you can find delicious recipes at this site ( http://www.augusthome.com/cui_recp.htm). A nice touch here is that the recipes are accompanied by crisp color photos of dishes.
Happy Surfing!
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