"beginner" news and stories

Asian cuisine has been pretty popular here in the U.S. for sometime. It seems to me that many Americans have become fairly agile with a pair of chopsticks. However, I know that not everyone is comfortable using two sticks to transport food from plate to mouth.

If you're one of the number who still struggle with the sticks, there's a new tool that can help you eat your Asian food without all the fuss. The Tukaani chopsticks were created by Finnish designer, Lincoln Kayiwa, and were modeled after the beak of a Toucan. The stainless steel utensil has the two 'sticks' connected by a ring twisted at one end.

The Tukaani chopsticks may be great for beginners, but I still think they're no substitute for learning how to use chopsticks properly. It may take some practice, but using chopsticks isn't so difficult to master that you'd need to use the Tukaani forever. What's your take on the Tukaani chopsticks?

[via Josh Spear]

Dad's Own Cookbook: Everything Your Mother Never Taught You isn't a new cookbook, but that doesn't make it less useful for its target audience. It isn't about being trendy and following hot food fads. The book is, in fact, written for people who find the "Joy of Cooking" to be too intimidating.

Bob Sloan, the author, was self taught when he was starting out in the food business and went on to become a successful caterer. He starts by assuming that the people reading the book know nothing about cooking - something that would probably make him quite successful on the Food Network - and building from the ground up. He gives tips on how to shop, why it's important to measure ingredients (especially when you're starting out) and even on how to read a recipe - many points which are skipped entirely by other cookbooks. It's true that some of this stuff is common sense, but what comes naturally to some doesn't come as easy to others, so it's nice to see someone take that into account once in a while.

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