(photo: Latella family olive orchard outside of Pellegrina, Italy) (3/22: Update – Contest is closed and the winner is Joe. D., congratulations!  And thanks to everyone for leaving a comment)  Click here for my other olive oil reviews! Images have always played a large role in my life.  I still have vivid images in my mind of childhood events like playing […]

(Photo: Espresso machine meets Battlestar Galactica) I was a big fan of the Sci-Fi series Battlestar Galactica.  Battlestar, as it was known to series insiders, was serious science fiction that was elegantly produced with big ideas, a great script, and blissful (almost film noir) type visuals.  The central plot of Battlestar centered on man made machines called Cylons that evolved […]

(The unit comes in many colors and is perfectly sized.  The two simple buttons are large and easy to use.  The LCD screen is huge and there’s no guessing the amount when scrambling in your kitchen preparing a dinner party)  Update: Congrats to Ami for winning the contest.  The giveaway is now closed. For years, I’ve used a Salter metal […]

Wolf Duel Fuel Range Review February, 2015 Update: Our Wolf Duel Fuel Range (DF366) has now encountered an issue with the oven, in both convection and standard mode, where the unit cannot hold temperature and, in certain instances, cannot reach set temperature.  A customer service call to Wolf / Sub Zero resulted in no solution (the call center is not […]

The Aerobie AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker produces the best American/drip style coffee I’ve ever tasted.  There, I’ve said it and I mean it!  I’ve come out and made the aforementioned claim because the AeroPress looks more like a high school chemistry prop than a world class coffee maker and looks can indeed be deceiving when it comes to making excellent […]

(photo: notice the natural mold on the exterior of the Creminelli product; this mold imparts lots of taste on meat and also prevents it from drying out, along with the casing) There are certain items or products that are immediately associated with a given country, for example: ice hockey and Canada, beer and Germany, haute cuisine and France, hot dogs […]

Embrace the Bitter- Introduction to Italian Digestives and Amari Drinks Do you do bitter?  No, no I’m not asking you if you like to complain or wake up each morning looking for a fight with the world (or worse your spouse)!  What I’m asking is if you’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing what the Italians refer to as Amari?  Amari […]

At first glance it just doesn’t make any sense.  That is to say, how could a shot of liquid gold (aka, fresh espresso) come out of a handheld device?  Afterall, if you walk into your neighborhood café or Starbucks you’ll mostly likely see a $10,000 plus hunk of steel with a brass broiler, multiple portafilters, a warming tray to accommodate […]

With the notorious holiday shopping season fast approaching I’m having nauseous visions of deals, coupons, free mass produced turkeys and hams, free shipping, wal-mart, and 40 percent off blow out sales.  The visions are not only vivid and haunting they are actually true!   Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t pass up a deal on a particular consumer item that […]

Back in February I wrote a short article on how to clean your kitchen and touched on hot topics such as floor washing, stainless steel polishing, and granite cleaning (I’m sure you’re thinking: riveting subjects!).  On the topic of cleaning granite, I suggested folks use a white vinegar/water solution to clean their granite, but I’d like to now officially retract […]