Don’t have a probe thermometer handy to judge your meat’s level of doneness?  Experienced chefs often test steak doneness by feel. 
As meat cooks it firms up (cooking protein causes it to tighten and expel moisture), so if you’ve felt enough steaks, you can tell how cooked they are by how they spring back when pressed.  Though …

Cleaning a cooked Dungeness crab is a little messy, but easy once you know what to do.  If you’re cleaning the crab for people to crack at the table (as we are demonstrating here) you really only need your hands and a little water.  We recommend doing it in the sink.
1. Flip the crab over on its …

This traditional fish fumet recipe takes considerably more time than our quick fish fumet recipe.  However, it uses different ingredients for a more prounounced flavor without the citrus elements found in the quick recipe, is more versatile, and is a better choice for fortifying.  Fish fumet can be used as a poaching broth, soup base, sauce …

We recently tasted a good sampling of the truffle oils on the market.  An expert guided us through the process.  Here’s how to taste oils (or any fat) like the pros!
Four Tests for Truffle Oil Quality:
(compare oils of the same type (i.e. don’t compare white truffle oil to black truffle oil))
Straight Odor Test

1.  Open up …

Cutting up (”fabricating”) a whole rabbit is  similar to cutting up poultry in terms of the basic technique, even though the anatomy is rather different. 
By following the below steps you’ll be able to easily separate a whole rabbit fryer into two front legs, two loins, and (if desired) two front legs.
1. Wash the fryer.

2. Take hold of a …

Fresh wild truffles are best enjoyed as soon as you get your hands on them, but they can be stored for later use.  Given how precious fresh truffles are (particularly Perigord truffles and Italian white Alba truffles), you want to be very sure you store them correctly.  There are several methods used by chefs, and some …

Fresh truffles are one of the world’s finest gastronomic delights, but are rare enough that many people aren’t sure exactly how to prepare them. 
How to cook with fresh truffles:
Fresh truffles are heat sensitive.  While warmth unlocks the truffle’s aroma and flavor, high heat can minimize it, so truffles should be used as a finishing ingredient for …

It’s easy to make high quality bread crumbs at home from leftover baguettes.
Ingredients:
Good quality baguette(s)
Necessary Equipment:
Knife
Food Processor
Oven
Directions:
1. Toast the baguette in a 350 degree oven until very crispy and crumby.
2. Remove the baguette form the stove and let it cool until it is safe to handle.  Roughly slice it into thick rounds.
3. Put the baguette …

Herb oils are a beautiful, tasty, and incredibly easy condiment or garnish.  Here’s an explanation of the basic technique.
How to Make Herb Oils:
Ingredients:
1 cup olive oil
Fresh herbs (for example, a ½ bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley)
1 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice
Portuguese Sea Salt to taste
Directions:
1.  Thoroughly wash the herbs.  Shake off residual water, but you don’t need …

Silver skin looks like strips of silvery membrane on the surface of meat cuts.  It doesn’t break down when cooked, and can be unpleasantly chewy, so you should always try to remove it prior to cooking meat.
Removing Silver Skin
1.  Poke the blade of your thinnest, sharpest knife (a rigid boning knife is an excellent choice) under …