James Aitchison

Author: James Aitchison

Lifestyle

December 14, 2018

How to pick the right coffee grinder

While pre-ground coffee is convenient, nothing beats the flavor of freshly-ground beans. To get the best out of coffee you should aim to grind the beans just before brewing. Roasted beans gradually lose flavor over time but grinding accelerates th…

December 12, 2018

Three unusual ways to use Thanksgiving leftovers

Thanksgiving and leftovers: two things that go together like turkey and stuffing. While some leftovers like turkey and pie are pretty easy to reuse, some items like potatoes and yams require a little more imagination. So if you’ve found yourself s…

Lifestyle

December 8, 2018

Three tips for cleaning your windows

Spring is in full swing and summer is just around the corner. While this could be cause for celebration there is one traditional spring activity that most people would prefer to avoid: Cleaning! Yes, as much as some of us like to put it off, sprin…

Pork

December 7, 2018

Three surprising uses for bergamot in the kitchen

In a burst of inspiration, my wife and I bought a bunch of herbs to plant in our garden. We’ve never had our own garden before and we couldn’t think of a better way to take advantage of our newly acquired green space. We bought the usual staples s…

Lifestyle

February 5, 2018

Light Your Home With Eco-Friendly Bulbs

Picking lightbulbs isn’t as simple as it used to be. In the past, pretty much the only choice you faced was whether to get a bayonet or screw mount. However, the rising popularity of energy efficient bulbs has added a fair degree of complexity to …

Chicken

February 2, 2018

How to remove hot pepper oils from your hands

My worst cooking mishap involved chili peppers. I was heading to a pool party and had just finished preparing Peruvian style chicken with a spicy green dipping sauce. The recipe required several diced jalapeño peppers, which I diligently hand slic…

Lamb
Pork

January 31, 2018

Three cheap cuts of lamb you need to try

Lamb is my favourite meat by a pretty wide margin. Whether it’s grilled, roasted, braised, or fried, lamb pretty much always tastes delicious to me. Unfortunately, despite my love of lamb, its high price tag means that I eat it far less than I wou…

Lifestyle

January 31, 2018

How to pick the right wine for sangria

Sangria: is there anything better? Easy to make, extremely delicious, and infinitely quaffable, sangria is a great companion to a summer BBQ. While sangria is simple to make, picking the right wine is a bit more complicated. There are numerous var…

Beef

January 31, 2018

A Brief History of Sous Vide

Unless you have only a mild interest in all things culinary, chances are you’ve heard of sous vide. This once obscure cooking method is becoming increasingly popular amongst foodies and certain ahead-of-the-curve home cooks. While some have never …

Duck
Turkey

January 29, 2018

A beginners guide to Carignan wine

Today we’re going to looking at a wine that beautiful pairs with all the wonderful flavors of fall: Carignan. This wine is mostly produced in Southern France and is often used as a blending grape. It’s also grown to a lesser degree in Spain and It…

Lifestyle

January 29, 2018

How to make a perfect omelet

Omelettes are sneaky things: on the surface they seem pretty simple and easy to make, but in practice, they are really difficult to get right. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve ruined plenty of omelets in my time. Over the years, however, I’ve …

Chicken

January 28, 2018

A beginners guide to Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc is a dry and crisp wine that has its origins in the Loire Valley and Bordeaux regions of France. Sauvignon Blanc grapes thrive in warm but not overwhelming hot regions; as a result, a large quantity of the grape is grown in tempera…

Beef
Pork

January 28, 2018

A beginners guide to Nerello Mascalase Wine

It’s always strange how some wine types capture the popular imagination while others languish in relative obscurity, enjoyed only by those who have been fortunate enough to try them. One of the best examples of an amazing wine that deserves more r…

January 24, 2018

Three surprising uses for chocolate in the kitchen

The problem with chocolate is that one cannot eat it all the time. Or can you? Sure, chocolate is a great ingredient in deserts, and brunches but it’s not really a great addition to savory food, or so I thought. Yes, it seems that chocolate is a a…

January 21, 2018

A beginners guide to Barbera wine

Nothing beats a great bottle of red vino, but with the heat of summer in no danger of abating any time soon, it’s difficult to find truly refreshing red wines to try. Fortunately, there are a number of fairly obscure reds that not only taste great…