October 2010

Key Ingredient: Alum Powder

How-to get your fried foods even crispier

 ALUM POWDER In the quest for a crisp finish to her Chinese doughnuts, Lorna Yee relies on an old culinary standby WHAT IT IS: Alum powder (crystallized potassium aluminum sulfate) is an astringent white substance commonly used in pickling recipes to retain crispness. You can find it in the spice aisle of grocery stores. It’s also…

October 2010: Must List

Our top to-do's for the month

 Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso Unless you’ve been working at the International Space Station for the past six months, you’re probably aware there’s a Picasso exhibit in Seattle this fall. It’s a genuine big deal, featuring more than 150 works—representing all 80 years of Pablo Picasso’s career—pulled from his personal collection, by which he…

Food We Love: Double Chocolate Figs at Fran’s

Our latest chocolate obsession

FIG HEAVEN On a whim, I stopped into the Fran’s Chocolates Bellevue store (10036 Main St.; 425.453.1698; franschocolates.com), figuring I’d treat myself to a truffle and be on with my day. But there under a glass dome—beside neat rows of the single-malt-whiskey dark chocolate truffles, the milk chocolate caramel truffles and President Obama’s beloved smoked…

October 2010: Parental Guidance

Local news, tips and products for families

Ahead of the class In the latest revolution to hit Seattle, the insurgents are kids armed with knives—and a desire to learn to cook. Called Jamie Oliver Food Revolution Seattle (JOFRS), it’s the brainchild of Suzuki+Chou PR maven Hsiao-Ching Chou, former Seattle Post-Intelligencer food editor and a regular contributor to the Balancing Act blog at…