You’ve watched all my knife sharpening videos and knife skills videos and you’ve got everything prepared for cooking, right? Now it’s all a matter of finding the best vessel to cook everything in. So what type of cookware should you use? Well, it’s not as simple as grabbing the first pan you find in the cabinet...unless of course you only have one pan in your cabinet. There are so many types available these days: stainless steel, aluminum, copper, cast iron, non-stick (which the surface is comprised of...the primary make-up is one of the other metals), and many more. All of this can be confusing to the uninitiated, so what’s the best way to choose what you should have on hand?

What you’ll need in the way of cookware depends largely on what you use your cookware for and what it is that you plan on cooking most often. Eggs and pancakes, meat and vegetables, stews and stocks? Also consider the cook top you’re using. Gas? Induction? Electric? It makes a difference. Flat-bottomed pans are necessary for a smooth top range, and if you have induction burners, it won’t work with all types of metal. Still a little confused? It’s hard to blame you, so let’s break it down a bit more.

Every workout should start and end the same way...with 3-5 minutes of glorious stretching. When you’re young, it’s not uncommon to feel a little invincible. You know, like stretching is a waste of time. Even if you do “stretch,” it’s a half-hearted attempt at touching your toes or holding your arm across your chest (I’m certainly not knocking this, as it is a great stretch and wonderful for post-workout).

As you get older, you begin to figure out that stretching offers some great benefits. It helps to maximize your athletic performance, aids in range of motion and flexibility, and decreases the likelihood of injury. Concluding your workout with another 3-5 minutes of stretches will help your muscles to cool down properly, reduce muscle tension which may have built up during your workout, and assist in recovery.

Do you ever have a craving for Chinese takeout? Is it because of the fresh and high quality ingredients they’re using (doubtful), the mere 20-30 minutes it takes for them to have everything ready for pick-up/delivery (okay, maybe), or the fact that it seems like a relatively healthy option (okay, now you’re just deceiving yourself)...? Or perhaps it has something to do with the salt or MSG it contains that keeps you coming back for more. What if I could offer you big flavor, quick and easy preparation (prep and cooking time is under 20 minutes combined), and fresh/healthy ingredients without the excessive amounts of salt or MSG?  

Not possible, you say? If you own a wok or large-ish saucepan, a couple cutting boards, and you watch my videos below for cutting up bell peppers, onions, and pineapple...well, you could end up with something like this in a very short period of time.

Ah yes, Tom Yum...anything with the word “yum” in the name has to be good, right? This unique soup that originated in Thailand has become popular in Singapore, Malaysia, and many other countries as well. With good reason, as its distinct spicy and sour qualities and heavy usage of aromatics such as lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and galangal (in the ginger root family) offer an intoxicating fragrance and a punch of flavor that all starts with a simple broth or stock.

It is well established that the beginning of summer is grilling season. Fortunately for all of us, it is also cherry season. Today I’m going to bring these two seasonal dynamos together for your enjoyment. The delightful yet elusive Rainier cherries are not always the easiest to find (my local Costco has them right now, but that usually only lasts a couple weeks), but bing cherries are everywhere right now. So what’s the best way to eat cherries? How do you remove that pit without chipping a tooth or owning a cherry pitter? Do you always have to eat your cherries with something involving sugar, chocolate, or something sweet? Let’s discuss (after you take a look at these glorious Rainier cherries!)...

You were wondering when the “Fit” aspect of Fiscally Fit Foodie would come into play, weren’t you? Well, here is your first installment, AND you get a video (keep reading, it’s down there somewhere)...with music...and don’t act like you’re not impressed. While the fitness posts may not be as prolific as the recipe and food posts, they should be just as informative for those of you who are interested in a well-rounded, healthy lifestyle.

Picture the following scenario: you’re sitting at home, watching TV on the couch, and all of a sudden you get the feeling that you’re not maximizing your potential...you’re feeling slightly lazy, unproductive, and maybe even have a passing thought that a workout might be a good idea. Hey, it could happen. The problem is that your gym is closed or it is 10-15 minutes away from your house and it’d be inconvenient to go or maybe you don’t have a gym membership at all. One of the great things about push-ups is that you don’t need a gym to do them and they don’t cost you a thing except a little hard work. You aren’t opposed to that, are you? Great – let’s get started then!

It's grilling season! Just so happens my buddy was on his way home from a fishing trip and called me up to let me know he had some fish collars for me. Not going to lie, I was pretty excited! You may be wondering what a fish collar is, why I was excited, and what it even looks like. Behold the redfish collar in all its glory...

As I was slicing up a fennel bulb for the en papillote blog post, it occurred to me that there was going to be some left over for me to experiment with. Easy, healthy vegetable sides are always held at a premium around my house, so it was only natural to seek out the CSA box contents for the week and combine them with my fennel in order to create something hearty, delicious, and relatively simple. This took me all of eight minutes, and it was awesome...

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine the glorious smells that fill your home when you cook with aromatics. Don’t you wish you could capture that aroma in a concentrated form? En papillote (in parchment paper) cooking is a technique not often used by home cooks, but it is one of the easiest ways to create deep, complex flavor and achieve this blast of smell-good. This method of cooking simultaneously steams and roasts the contents within a convenient parchment paper pouch, trapping most of the magnificent aroma that normally escapes and disperses into the air as it wafts through your home. By the time it’s done cooking, that aroma is locked, loaded, and waiting for you to slice the pouch open and breathe it all in with a big smile on your face. Hungry yet? No? Check out this picture of the finished product...

Yep, that’s what I thought. Let’s get started then!

Hey, Everyone!

Thought for the day: a dull knife is a dangerous knife. If it’s not sharp enough to pierce whatever it is you’re cutting, it may slip off the side and cut you instead. There will be several blog posts in the next week or two that cover basic knife skills (with videos, recipes, and pictures included), but I could not in good conscience provide this information without first touching upon the great importance of using a properly sharpened knife.

You’re probably asking yourself questions such as: “There are so many sharpening options out there, so how do I choose one? What is the best way to sharpen a knife, prolong its life, and maintain that wicked sharp edge? How often should a knife blade be sharpened? How do I know if the blade is sharp? How much is this going to cost me? Would Crocodile Dundee think my knife is worthy of being called a knife?” Don’t worry, I’ve got the answers (and a couple helpful videos and links) to all those questions and more below.