Mad Genius Tips

October 17, 2016
Chapple, a senior editor at Food & Wine, brings his Web video series into print with a collection of 90 creative uses for everyday kitchen items, and 100 recipes in which to employ this hackery. The 20 chapters are arranged alphabetically by gadget, resulting in each section having an eclectic mix of foodstuffs. The cheesecloth chapter, for instance, includes instructions for making tea bags, roasting chipotle-butter turkey, and decorating Linzer cookies. Some of his suggestions are handy indeed: he gets a lot of mileage out of a baking rack, for example, using it as a chopper for both boiled eggs and avocados. A Bundt pan turns out to be perfect for roasting a chicken upright, with the juices flowing into a surrounding ring of vegetables. Other, more common, ideas include using a wine bottle as a meat pounder, a Ziploc bag as a piping tool, plastic lids to shape hamburger patties, and a pair of scissors to snip herbs. Some tips seem more trouble than they’re worth; why use expensive dental floss to truss a chicken?

October 15, 2016

In this spin-off of a Food & Wine video series, senior test kitchen editor Chapple's debut cookbook demonstrates how common household items--from plastic baggies to dental floss--can solve myriad cooking dilemmas. He uses a baking rack, for instance, to take the work out of skinning hazelnuts for a chocolate tart. In a bundt pan chapter, he demonstrates techniques for neatly slicing corn, roasting a chicken upright, baking an unconventionally shaped meatloaf, and freezing an ice ring for punch. Chapple's tips and shortcuts, grouped in 20 object-based chapters, will save time, money, and unnecessary trips to the store. His blend of everyday and entertaining-worthy dishes (e.g., PB&J overnight oats, miso chicken noodle cups) will satisfy a wide audience. VERDICT Even if you're familiar with some of these "hacks," Chapple's clever and cheerful offering will spark culinary inspiration.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2016
Both professional chefs and home cooks are constantly on the lookout for shortcuts that can make preparing a meal both easier and faster. Chapple has found all sorts of inventive ways to make the cook's life easier. Many home bakers have a Bundt pan, which turns out beautifully sculpted cakes. But Chapple makes it work wonders as a base for vertically roasted chicken, its juices dripping into a bed of vegetables lining the pan's bottom. He comes to the rescue of dental-floss manufacturers currently reeling from studies questioning its efficacy with teeth by praising floss for its superiority for trussing chicken, slicing soft cheeses, and uniformly cutting cake layers. A waffle iron turns out crisp-edged omelets stuffed with fillings. Those throwaway plastic lids make great burger presses and cookie cutters. An inverted muffin tin helps bake crisp, oil-free taco shells. This is sure to inspire cooks to devise their own shortcuts, and will be popular with novices and expert cooks alike.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)