"kitchen " news and stories

Us food folks love the kitchen. A place where delicious meals are prepared and then consumed? It's naturally our favorite room in the home. So when it comes time to replace those tired countertops, rusty plumbing or appliances on the fritz, our bellies drive us to open our wallets for the most lavish, extravagant remodel.

Keeping us in check, though, are our friends over at ShelterPop, who took the advice of some handy, thrifty designers on how remodeling money should, or more importantly, should not be spent. Rather than falling for trends, these experts encourage homeowners to "recycle consciously, refine gradually and regret minimally."


Head over to ShelterPop to find out which five kitchen trends you should avoid, so you can dine comfortably in your redone kitchen five years from now, guilt-free (and with enough money for dinner).

Julia Child. Photo: John Dominis, Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image

Somewhere Julia's chuckling.

The Boston Globe reports Tuesday that the doyenne of French cuisine's Cambridge home is now occupied by a vegetarian animal-rights activist, who -- since the release of "Julie and Julia" -- has been besieged by tourists snapping photos of her home and leaving butter, yes butter, on the fence post.

"It's a bit ironic," Lisa Landsverk said of her place at Julia's kitchen.

Clean up as you cook and save yourself from a spousal battle over dish duty or the sight of your cat dousing her head in your delicious leftover soup.

Do you have a tendency to set off your smoke alarm when you cook?

Ever wish you could take home more than a doggy-bag from your favorite restaurant? Ask for a menu, and turn it into art.