Gear Patrol

Think of the best home cook you know. Now think of their kitchen. It’s probably full of pots, pans, mixers and gadgets galore. Know what it’s not full of? Cookbooks. That’s because they don’t need them. Anyone can follow directions from a recipe — well, almost anyone — but not everyone knows that a salty…

Ground beef has fallen on hard times in the public eye. It started with the October 3, 2009 New York Times cover story, “The Burger That Shattered Her Life” about a woman infected by E. coli from a frozen Cargill burger patty. Since then: more stories, many recalls, and debates about the safety of “pink…

You can purchase nearly anything online in the year 2012. Jeans and vintage watches, virtual assistants, unicorn head costumes for Halloween (a guy we know) — even brides, though it’s a rather complicated transaction (again, a guy we know). Beef is no exception. From traditional mail-order companies like Omaha Steaks to farm-direct sellers like Crystal…

Update 2: Well fellow Beefeaters, it’s been a long and arduously delectable Month of Beef. You’ve learned how to braise, order beef online and match your cut with your preparation. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed yourself, tried new things and maybe even gained a few pounds of beef weight. What you’ve also done, for the benefit of…

What happened to drinking in America? It used to be that you wouldn’t come back from lunch without at least a martini or two in you, but nowadays, people won’t even order a beer at dinner for fear of judgement. Personally, we constantly whisper our thanks to whomever invented brunch and gave us an excuse…

Pop quiz: Name a three things that get better with age. Wine? Of course. Beef? Within reason. The GP crew? You’re damn right, partner. And number four, for good measure, is a cast iron skillet. Before there were non-stick pans coated in Teflon or enamel, there was cast iron, the original non-stick surface thanks to…

It’s heaviest rainstorm of the year in New York City. Driving north from midtown Manhattan we can see menacing clouds lurking over Randall’s Island Park, just across the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge from East Harlem. Randall’s Island is home to a major track and field stadium, the Manhattan Psychiatric Center, and the Wards Island Wastewater…

Dried beef. Water. Vinegar. Sugar. Sugar. Spices. That’s it. Beef jerky, once a lightweight survival necessity for Native Americans and settlers heading west, has become so much more: a beloved snack, a traveler’s meal, backpacking fare, a gourmet treat, a protein boost after a workout. Obviously, it’s a perfect addition to our Month of Beef…

Purists, turn off your computer and go sit quietly near the grill. It’s time for us to talk sauce: often a steak requires nothing more than salt and char; a burger, cheese and bun. Other times, we want to surround ourselves in friends wearing grass skirts and eat flank steak that tastes of bygone Oahu…

It’s day two in the Month of Beef and here we are eating pork. Don’t look at us like that: Nobody said pork was prohibited during the month of beef. Try making a bacon-double-cheeseburger without it. We’re at Heritage Meat Shop inside Essex Street Market, a former pushcart market in New York City’s Lower East…

It’s October, and what this month lacks in historical feasts and gift-giving holidays it makes up for many times over as autumn’s marrow. It’s apple picking season. It’s football season. It’s sweater and waxed canvas jacket season. It’s foliage season. And guess what else? It’s beef season.

Empire Mayonnaise ($6+) is either simplifying or mucking up the most polarizing condiment in your fridge. Started in 2011 by Sam Mason and Elizabeth Valleau, the Brooklyn-based company is classing up the blue collar sandwich lubricator for foodies by experimenting with ingredients such as emu and ostrich eggs as bases and creating flavors that include…

With fall nearly upon us, sweatered men across the country are getting pumped for that Sunday afternoon excitement that accompanies the changing of the leaves — visiting nearby orchards with their better half. The Williams-Sonoma Cider & Wine Press ($300) redeems missing the big game takes full advantage of the bounty that Mother Nature and…

If you’re cool with eating the same dried meats as Sasquatch, by all means, continue munching away and enjoy the doublewide. But if you thirst (or crave) for a finer meat-snack, look no further than Side Project Jerky ($8). Dehydrated with love and meticulous attention you expect from a Swiss watch or a German car,…

Now that you’re no longer a pimple-faced adolescent, we think it’s just fine to betray your loyalties to the Butterworth and Jemima matriarchs. While you’re at it, lose the frozen waffles, too, and ramp up to Tonewood Maple products. Their maple-infused lineup ranges from specialty syrups to melt-in-your-mouth maple wafers and, of course, a decadent…

Salame (or “salami” to us Yanks) deserves to be called the swiss army knife of comestibles. Whether it’s a picnic, a fancy dinner, or a last minute get-together, you can always count on the cured delicacy to liven up and accompany any food offering. But not every salame is made equal, and Olli Salumeria proves…

Typically, fake meat has no sex appeal. It also has very little eating appeal, especially to us non-vegans and non-vegetarians. Beyond Meat Veggie Chicken Strips are plant-based strips made from a laundry list of moderately-healthy sounding ingredients, like soy protein isolate, pea protein Isolate, Soy Fiber, Carrot Fiber, Expeller-Pressed Canola Oil, White Vinegar and a…

Cursed as this particular author is with lactose intolerance, it’s still not reason enough to hold back from subscribing to Tupelo Honey’s Pimento Cheese Club ($228). If you’re lucky enough to have enzymes that don’t screw you out of the most delicious food there is, don’t take it for granted; eat cheese. Tupelo Honey’s club…

The closure of El Bulli + the rise of 3D digital printing = Opportunity! Bereft foodies now have common cause with CAD manufacturers — to rejoice in the dementedly creative mind of one NYU grad student who has prototyped the Burritob0t, a 3D printer for making, yep, burritos. Inspired by a frustration over the paucity…

Pickles polarize. You’re on one side of the fermented fence or the other. We consider the salty, crispy cukes “the white man’s kimchi”, frankly. Gordy’s Pickle Jar just so happens to take their delicatessen delicacies seriously enough for fanatics like us. With four diverse gourmet pickle-based products — Sweet Chips, Hot Chili Spears, Sweet Pepper…

Have a date this weekend you want to impress and can’t get a reservation at Alinea? If you have some cooking chops, or a partner that’s attracted to unproven culinary hubris, we suggest making a romantic dinner for two with the help of Modernist Cuisine at Home ($140). The take home version of the James…

Add the food of the gods, cacao, to the water of life, booze, and you’ve got Twice the Vice spirited chocolates. A box holds nine chocolate-enrobed, liquor-filled morsels that are available in a variety of spirit themes including a fine tequila and a kentucky bourbon series. While we’re sure all of their delightful boxes are…

In 1996, founder of Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard, changed the clothing industry with the move to organic cotton. The big dogs, such as Wal-Mart, are finally following suit. Now, 16 years later, Chouinard plans on once again changing an industry –- but this time, it’s the fishing industry. Salmon has been a hot topic of controversy,…

New York is known for a lot of things, but barbecue ain’t one of them. Luckily for those in the city that never eats good barbecue, there’s hope on the horizon. Brisketlab is a self-described “underground smoked meat guild” that sells shares in authentic, Texas-style brisket to hungry New Yorkers. At a price of $25…

Be honest about it. The last time you had a tender, moist, flavourful, and well-spiced piece of jerky was never. Instead, you almost dislocated your jaw with an endless amount of chewing on what felt, tasted and acted like a piece of salted tire. But fear not, for Krave Jerky has heard your silent plea…

Umami is a term borrowed from the Japanese, roughly meaning “pleasant savory taste”. In 1985 umami was officially recognized as the fifth basic taste profile, joining salty, sweet, sour and bitter on your tongue. Red Boat Fish Sauce ($10~$20) is an artisanal, first press “extra virgin” fish sauce from Vietnam; and its quite simply umami…

Having a hard time getting a seat in Yountville? Instead of constantly hitting the redial button for reservations, the chefs-for-hire team at Kitchit offers a different solution that will have you feeling right at home. The San Francisco-based web company brings some of the top chefs in the country — including those of The French…

For over 90 years, this humble structure stood as a commissary to the locals of Germantown, TN. Selling everything from bluejeans to bologna, a commissary was a place were you could go to get just about anything. In 1981, Walker Taylor purchased this building with hopes and dreams of making some of the best Memphis…

Sriracha and Pete’s are great. In fact, they’re staples. But like a newly discovered spirit, unearthing a hot sauce we haven’t tasted gets our fire, and food, roaring. Unlike the Cold War nuclear pursuit of so many hot sauces, Gindo’s Spice of Life is anything but a tongue melter — make no mistake though, this…

Do right by your taste buds and support those less fortunate than you by purchasing a Plant Studio Mobile Spice Kit ($20). Each organic kit is assembled in Poughkeepsie NY, by a team of workers at the Hudson Workshop for the disabled. Four versions are available including a more general set for the mobile foodie,…