Aluminum is a great conductor, and conducts the cold of a frozen object away, making that object thaw more quickly--simple physics!  We did an experiment with an ice cube on both a ceramic plate and a quarter sheet aluminum pan.  After 4 minutes, you can see the difference above: the ice cube on the aluminum pan is half melted, while the ice cube on the plate is still completely frozen.  This is the same principle behind those "As Seen on TV" magic defrosters, so save your money and use what's already in your kitchen.

It's always important to have the oil in your pan hot enough before you add your other ingredients, otherwise they don't cook quite as well as you'd like.  Until I learned this trick, I always held my palm over the pan and then guessed; this method takes the guesswork out of it.

Probably the scariest thing about making a soufflé is folding in the egg whites.  You just finish beating the egg whites to get all this air into them, and then you have to take this fragile fluffy cloud and fold it into some really dense heavy stuff (your soufflé base), and you're cautioned that if you do it wrong, your soufflé won't rise and you'll have an ugly mess on you hands (or, more importantly, in your dish!)

Nearly as elusive as the search for true love, an honest man, or the perfect pair of jeans is the search for a hard-cooked egg that is consistently easy to peel.  Today that search is over.  Here is the answer:  Steam it! 

I'd always admired those beautiful shimmering citrus segments with no extraneous membranes or other nasty bits, but I thought it was beyond my skill level to actually get them that way.  I was wrong.  Suprêming a citrus is actually very easy, once you get the hang of it, and, in fact, rather satisfying when you see...and taste the results.  Here's how you do it:

Did you know that you have a great steak gauge at the end of your arm?  Pretty handy (yes, OK, pun intended).

Depending on which finger you use to touch your thumb, the fleshy part at the base of your thumb will simulate the feel of a steak that is rare, medium rare, medium, or well done.

I have a love/hate relationship with piping bags ...I love the results, but I get frustrated by the process... Here are some solutions.

Ask any woman, and she’ll tell you that guys who cook are catnip. They have a sexy self confidence and aren’t afraid to experiment. It also shows a nurturing side that is very appealing.

As the Holidays come to a close and you begin the inevitable cleanup from the flurry of the season, don’t forget your Gift Closet. It can be a closet, or a drawer, or simply the corner of a shelf somewhere. It has a critical role throughout the year, but this seems to be the time of year when it needs your particular attention.