Scordo.com - a practical living, how to, food, and personal finance blog.

Black Friday Holiday Shopping: Just Say No to Coupons, Free Shipping, and Deals

2009-11-14T15:26:28Z

With the notorious holiday shopping season fast approaching I'm having nauseous visions of deals, coupons, free mass produced turkeys and hams, free shipping, wal-mart, and 40 percent off blow out sales. The visions are not only vivid and haunting they are actually true!

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't pass up a deal on a particular consumer item that I needed, but much of the typical consumer's behavior and the retail and/or manufacture's promotional tactics to sell a product are logic defying acts. Especially when you think hard about what the entities in question are trying to get you to do and what channels they are utilizing. Let's look at a few examples:

1. Free Shipping. The typical ground shipping cost for a consumer electronic items like a GPS device or digital camera is between $7-$9 (I used Best Buy as an example). The typical cost for a middle of the road GPS device or digital camera is about $150-$250. Using common sense does it make sense to purchase an item you don't need in order to obtain or "save" on free shipping? The answer, of course, is no. This tactic aims to bring a nominal cost, such as shipping, to the forefront of the shopping experience in order to downplay the actual cost of the item. Think actual need ahead of nominal savings.

2. Percentage off / Deals. The main tactic here, again, is highlighting a percentage off a certain item. You see the deals language lots a week or so before "Black Friday" (or the day right after Thanksgiving) so that retailers can attract foot traffic and curious shoppers. Often, if you look closely at the products being discounted they are not only items you can probably do without (mediocre electronic devices, men's gloves made of fake leather, a set of 5 Teflon-like pans, etc.) but the quantity or model number is often limited. This is the same tactic car dealers use to lure you into the dealership in Sunday morning newspapers (i.e., you'll see a ridiculously low price for a certain unreliable and gas-guzzling model which is often tied to a single VIN number). Again, think about whether you need the item ahead of savings measly 10-20 percent.

3. Coupons. The number of coupons sites on the web must double each and every day (I haven't validated this, but it's just a hunch). These days you can save twenty five cents on yogurt at ShopRite, get two large pizzas at Domino's for $5.99, and find an oil change joint that will replace your engine oil and filter for $15. I have to admit that coupons don't excite me, rather what excites me is value. For example, if I see generic yogurt on sale that contains tons of sugar and limited real fruit/flavor I'll often pass on the sale item and spend an extra couple of cents per container because I'd rather purchase the brand that uses real sugar, organic milk, and fresh, real, fruit. With food specifically, I don't want my choices of what I prepare for my family and myself to be influenced by a circular in the paper or a mass email campaign from Stop & Shop. The bottom line is that the choice in the food that I consume is something I value highly and don't want influenced by saving, for example, five dollars at check out at my local market (this shouldn't be interpreted as some sort of elitist, East Coast, view, but rather a viewpoint that is centered on quality of life and the best choice).

Overall, when it comes to shopping and buying stuff (including clothes, food, shoes, consumer electronics, auto renewing services and subscriptions, etc.) I'm a big believer in putting 1. real need and 2. value ahead of spontaneous and pure "saving" shopping behavior. What I'm driving at is that you shouldn't buy what you don't need regardless of a blockbuster deal or free shipping and you shouldn't let important consumer decisions, like food choice, be driven by coupons; instead, look for value when shopping (which I define as the best product for the best price).

Cleaning and Polishing Granite and Stainless Steel

2009-11-11T03:01:09Z

Back in February I wrote a short article on how to clean your kitchen and touched on hot topics such as floor washing, stainless steel polishing, and granite cleaning (I'm sure you're thinking: riveting subjects!). On the topic of cleaning granite, I suggested folks use a white vinegar/water solution to clean their granite, but I'd like to now officially retract my suggestion. After a few months of consistent use, I have started to see some very light etching take place. The etching is minor and I may have overdone the percentage of white vinegar to water ratio, thus causing a bit of etching. Moreover, I have started to use a small microfiber towel and regular dish soap to wash and sanitize my granite on a every other night basis (this is a three step process: washing, remove soap, and dry). The dish soap does a great job of cleaning the granite, so long as the granite is free of debris (i.e., no crumbs, ground coffee, etc.) before washing. The dish soap cleaning method also does not cause any etching.

What my new method does not do well, however, is polish granite. Our granite has been fairly shiny and new looking, but now that we're entering year three with our countertop I'm craving that new granite look again and rethinking the idea that you do not need specialty products to clean a kitchen well. Enter Goddard's, a 170+ year old brand that earned it's reputation on silver cleaning products. Nowadays, Goddard's produces a whole range of cleaning products, including a granite polish, stainless steal cleaner, and appliance and countertop polish.

Stainless Steel Polish and Cleaner

I recently sampled the three Goddard products mentioned above in my own kitchen (partly out of pure necessity given that our metal and stone surface were a big old mess and also because of a sample pack). My black/white granite was dull and fading fast and my stainless steel appliances were full of smudges, micro-scratches, and very dull looking overall. The first Goddard product I tried was the stainless steel cleaner. The cleaner had a watery consistency and came in a spray bottle. I sprayed my fridge and dishwasher twice and proceeded to remove the excess liquid with a microfiber clothe (I did this in two distinct stages). I was also careful to wipe with the grain of the steel. Overall, the stainless steel cleaner did not do a good job removing smudges or provide any sort of polish or shine to the metal. The product did remove some of the contaminants on the surfaces of my fridge, stove, and dishwasher, but overall I was disappointed with the product and, to be perfectly honest, the cleaner gave me the same end results as using hot water and dish soap.

I've had much better success with Signature Polish, which is recommended by Wolf / Sub Zero and acts as both a cleaner and polish. I received a sample bottle with my Wolf stove purchase and it has outperformed all of the stainless steel cleaners that I've applied to my appliances in three plus years. The Signature Polish provides a deep shine, removes small scratches, and cleans exceptionally well. Moreover, the polish/cleaner goes a long way and only a small amount of liquid is needed to clean a large area. Overall, when it comes to cleaning stainless and getting that great, smudge less shine, I think it's always best to go with a thicker, polish type, solution versus a water based product.

Granite Polish and Cleaner

I also tried Goddard's granite polish and without jumping the gun the spray solution was outstanding. I applied the polish with a paper towel and removed excess with a microfiber cloth. The solution gave my granite an exceptional shine and provided an ultra smooth feel to my countertop. In fact, my wife thought our granite felt just like the day we installed it some 3 years ago. The only two compliant I have are that the solution is a bit oily, in turn leaving some swirl marks and a bit of elbow grease is required to get the stone dry and free of any polish. The bottle also doesn't state whether the polish is food safe (i.e., whether you can place fruit, vegetables, etc. directly on the stone).

Finally, I tried the much thicker appliance and countertop polish on our granite only and compared to the granite polish it did not provide the same sort of shine and feel. The solution was also much thicker and more difficult to wipe up. There may be a better application for the appliance and counter top polish (such as a glass stove top), but it was only average on our granite countetops (the solution provided decent cleaning power, but it did not produce a superb shine). The product would be better labeled as a cleaner versus a true polish. On the positive side, Goddard's Appliance and Countertop Polish is labeled food safe and is also a certified Kosher product.

So, yes I do recommend a good stainless steel polish and granite/stone cleaner for your home kitchen, as well as a basic cleaning kit including white vinegar (floors), Murphy's Oil (wood cabinets), Pine Oil, dish soap (granite, stove burners and top), and Soft Scrub with bleach cleanser (porcelain sink). What are you waiting for, get out there and go clean those hunks of steel and stone in your kitchen!

Kitchen Cabinet Hardware and How Great Companies Are Made

2009-11-06T21:45:47Z

As I stated in my guide to renovating your kitchen, splurging on good quality kitchen cabinets is usually a good idea when it comes to redesigning your home kitchen (especially if you're looking to stay in your home for long term). High quality kitchen cabinets are usually composed of solid wood cabinet faces (e.g., maple), full plywood box construction, dovetail drawers, etc. Moreover, hiring a quality craftsmen to install your cabinets is always a good idea. For example, during our kitchen renovation our cabinet installer Brian was meticulous when it came to hanging lower and upper cabinets, preparing for the install of our farmers sink, installing crown molding, and attaching our cabinet latches and pulls.

One of the small details of our kitchen renovation that I had not given much thought to was cabinet hardware. In fact, the only thought I had when it came to selecting cabinet hardware was to head down to the local hardware store and select a moderately priced set of pulls. Well, as soon as I got a hold of some the "genuine brass" pulls and latches offered at the neighborhood Ace hardware store I knew they wouldn't work in our new kitchen. The hardware store components were cheap looking, didn't function well, and were of a low quality design and construction. That's when I stumbled upon Horton Brasses via a recommendation from the GardenWeb Kitchen Forum.

Horton Brasses, a Cromwell, Connecticut based hardware company, produces more than 1,000+ pieces of cabinet and furniture pieces, from kitchen cabinet pulls to clock finials! For our kitchen cabinets, we choose to go with a traditional pantry latch and drawer pull.

We ordered latches in both polished chrome and antique brass as well as pulls in polished chrome (The pulls and latches are available in seven finished). The first thing I noticed when I received the hardware was the overall build quality of the pieces. Each item had a high quality brass finish and the latches, specifically, had a high quality mechanism. In fact, I had some concern about using pantry latches for our upper cabinets because I heard horror stories about the mechanism failing after prolonged use, but the customer service department at Horton assured me their latches were built to last. And last they have for well over 3 years now! Horton's hardware also comes with historically accurate fasteners (screws) that complete the look of the kitchen hardware.

Where Horton also shines is in the customer service department. I spoke to Amy at Horton several times via the phone/email about both replacement parts and technical issues and she was a pleasure to work with. Moreover, when one of the screw heads broke during a latch install because of tough hardwood and applying too much torque, a technician at Horton got on the phone with me and explained what drill bit to use when pre drilling, how to remove a broken screw head, and, generally, how to install the latch mechanism. The people at Horton went well beyond the typical customer service support call. What also gets me excited about Horton is how well priced their items are and, moreover, that the items are manufactured by the company in the United States. Horton isn't a big company, but it's the type of customer experience I had that makes small companies grow and earn an outstanding reputation for both product and customer service. Building a company is easy when you stick to the basics: great product, fair pricing, and outstanding customer service.

If you're looking for high quality kitchen hardware for your next kitchen renovation project check out Horton's bin pulls, pantry latches, and other fine hardware.

Cheap and Easy DIY Tips to Clean Your Home

2009-11-04T12:41:15Z

(The following is a guest post from Adrienne Carlson; who regularly writes on the topic of criminal justice. See Adrienne's related article on DIY ways to protect your home.)

Your home is probably the greatest asset you own, and when you let it run to ruin you are wasting your money in the worst way possible. A home that is clean and well maintained is worth more than one that is dirty and run down, even if the latter is bigger than the former. And when it is the place where you live on a regular basis with your family, your motto should be the clichéd proverb, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness."

There are cheap and easy ways to clean your home, even if you've neglected cleanliness for some time now:

Be organized: Have a plan to clean your home. Don't try to do it all in one day, because it is going to take forever. Start with one room at a time, and when you're done, move on to the next one. Keep the bathrooms and kitchen for last, as they have the most stains and dirt.

Remove clutter: A place for everything and everything in its place is a wonderful and easy way to keep your home clean. If you avoid throwing things around the house, you don't have to spend time picking them up later.

Don't neglect the outside: Ensure that you keep your lawn and driveway neat and tidy at all times. The outside is what most people see, so make sure your paint is fresh and that your windows are washed and sparkling.

Rope the entire family in: If you make cleaning a family affair, it's easier on all of you. It's not an easy job to keep cleaning up after messy children and spouses, so enforce cleanliness as a rule in your family from the time your kids are very young. Hold them responsible for keeping their rooms clean and reward them for neat and tidy rooms.

Quick Tips:

- Use toothpaste to get your taps and other chrome fixtures shining.

- Use newspaper when cleaning mirrors, windows and other glass surfaces. It does not leave behind ugly streaks like cloth does.

- Do your laundry once or twice a week, but allocate storage space and enough baskets for your family's dirty clothes. Train your kids and spouse to separate laundry before they put them in the baskets.

- Make your bed as soon as you get up. It's a routine that saves a lot of time.

- Empty your garbage regularly; and invest in a garbage can with a closed lid so that the odor does not permeate your entire house.

- Keep your windows open to let in fresh air and remove the smell of staleness that hangs around closed homes.

- Never keep your dirty dishes for later. A sink full of stinky dishes can cause slime to build up and also create an unpleasant odor in your kitchen.

- Keep an eye out for cobwebs and dust bunnies - they can crop up at any time, so get rid of them instantly.

Cleaning your home should be an everyday process, not one that you adopt once a year or when the mood strikes. When you do a little each day, the entire process is more manageable and seems like less of a chore. So get into the habit of cleaning everyday as part of your routine, and you can save yourself a huge amount of time, effort and money in the process.

For more in depth tips on cleaning your home see the following Scordo.com articles:

- General cleaning tips

- Kitchen

- Large areas not to ignore

(The following is a guest post from Adrienne Carlson; who regularly writes on the topic of criminal justice. See Adrienne's related article on DIY ways to protect your home.)

How To Find, Cook, and Identify Wild Mushrooms

2009-10-22T15:00:17Z

(Photo: wild picked Chanterelle mushrooms from New Jersey)

As I've suggested in a recent post, I'm a dyed in the wool country man, but I live a few minutes outside of the largest city in the US! You must be thinking: how paradoxical that this guy loves nature yet lives so close to a major urban area? Well the truth of the matter is I value the rural life in small doses at this stage of my life (given the associations I make with urban/suburban living: family, friends, work, activities, food, etc.). I am convinced, however, that at some point in my life I'd like to make a go at living the rural life. Sure, my thoughts of life in the country are more romantic than pragmatic, but there are certain country activities that I sometimes crave like raising animals, tending a large scale garden, building a barn, listening to silence, feeling isolated, walking in the woods, etc.

(Photo: mushroom prep: first cutting into larger chunks)

The walking in the woods part got me thinking about an activity that I watched my grandfathers and father (along with his friends) take part in each and every Fall; that is, foraging for wild mushrooms. My grandfather foraged in the forests of Calabria, while my father and his buddies strolled through the Palisades in northern New Jersey to find edible mushrooms for pickling and frying (the preferred methods of consumption amongst the people of Pellegrina).

Foraging for wild mushrooms can be a dangerous proposition and, like learning a trade, it takes years to get it right and the help of an experienced technician is mandatory. You can find wild mushrooms in large cities next to shade trees, suburban lawns, and the remote woods. The best season to look for wild mushrooms is in the Fall and preferably a day or two after a large rainfall. Identifying edible wild mushrooms can be tricky and that's why you should forage only with an experienced picker (they don't have to have Mediterranean blood, however!).

Many non poisonous mushroom varieties are easy to identify, such as Morel, Chanterelle, Oyster, Puffballs, and Coral Fungus (click here for some pics). You should assume that other varieties are poisonous as your safest bet is to stick with the type you've confirmed are edible and look for new types only with an expert. My father, for example, is an expert only in the wild mushrooms that he's consumed and identified here in the US and in Italy (that is to say, he sticks to looking for 2-3 basic varieties of wild mushrooms).

Picking mushrooms is fairly easy, but you'll want to bring along a good quality knife to remove and clean the 'shrooms. You'll also want to bring along a few plastic bags to store the items along with a backpack if you're taking a day hike.

(Photo: mushroom prep: cutting into finer pieces)

Cleaning wild mushrooms is straightforward but you'll want to keep the following tips in mind:

1. Use a clean rag or small brush to remove all the dirt.

2. Look for bugs and other creatures before bringing any mushrooms into your home.

3. Mushrooms can spoil quickly so after cleaning the items store them in your refrigerator until you're ready to prepare your newfound delicacies.

Cooking your mushrooms is where the fun begins! Like any store bought mushroom, wild mushrooms can be prepared in many different ways, including fried, baked, boiled/pickled, in pasta and risotto, etc. Personally, I'm a sucker for pan fried mushrooms with lots of garlic and parsley. My mother pickles a few different varieties of wild mushrooms (especially the varieties that contain lots of water). If the family happens to find wild porcini they are excellent with penne and a quick pan tomato sauce.

My advice on how to start finding wild mushrooms: ask around and see if you have any old world Europeans living in your neighborhood, my hunch is that they have a secret mushroom foraging fetish. So, be nice to your German or Italian neighbor (maybe buy him a bottle of wine) and he'll take you mushroom picking in the Fall (I swear you'll be hooked!).

Here are some other excellent resources:

Wildman Steve Brill

North American Mycological Association
NJ North American Mycological Association

Mushrooms Demystified, David Arora

Guide to Cured Italian Meats: Salumi

2009-10-20T18:01:18Z

(Photo: Nonno's pigs on his working farm in Calabria)

One of the highlights of my summer trips to Calabria as a small child included spending time on my grandfather's working farm. Nonno Vincenzo's farm was a 10 minute drive north of the small village of Pellegrina on Via Nazionale. Nonno would wake me up early in the morning and we'd jump into his white Fiat 500; while sitting in the passenger seat I anticipated a ride on his red tractor, visiting with the many roaming goats, and running through the olive tree orchards. However, I was secretly looking forward to one thing above all else: lunch!

Lunch included the typical pasta starter, green, roasted meat, and tons of figs, peaches, wild berries, and cactus pears, but it was the cured meats that we ate before lunch that I enjoyed most. You see, Nonno was an expert salumi maker and he kept his best products hidden the entire year for his American grandkids to enjoy (at least that's what he told me though my Italian cousins Vice, Maria, Vincenzo, and Giuseppe all had that "salumi glow" about them!).

Nonno produced wonderful cacciatore, capocollo, salt pork, and Soppressata. The cured meats represented the ideal combination of salt, red pepper, herbs, wine, and intoxicating flavor and I often filled up on the meat and homemade bread and had no use for lunch. Salumi antipasto equaled lunch for me and a bit of frustration for my grandmother who didn't appreciate the fact that nonno tempted his grandson with some "vile" salted pork!

My love of cured meats continues to this day, but nonno has stopped running his farm and there are no pigs left to make capicollo, so we're left to buying our cured meats from a salumeria (an insult and something that is looked down upon if you're used to producing your own meats; Rhulman makes his own cured meats and has a wonderful book called Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing). It's even harder to find good cured meats in the US, but the situation is changing with many local, artisan, salami makers sprouting up in places like California (see my recommended online shops below). It's also technically illegal to import Italian cured meats into the US, so outside of Prosciutto di Parma (which is allowed) finding good Italian cured meats can be a challenge outside of large, ethnic, cities like New York, Boston, Chicago, etc.

What follows are my personal favorites in terms of salumi and a small description of how to consume and enjoy the cured meats:

Capicola or Capocollo

My all time favorite cured meat and apparently Tony Soprano enjoyed it as well (though his pronunciation of the delicacy wasn't exactly grammatically correct). Capo means head in Italian and the capicola is made from the neck or shoulder of a pig. Capicola has a tender texture and usually smoked and prepared with a variety of spices, herbs, and sometimes wine. I enjoy capicola in a sandwich made from fresh baguette. I usually don't include any condiment or cheese as I don't want to mess with the flavor of the meat.

Cacciatore

Literally means hunter and the folklore states that hunters used to carry this small salami in their pack and eat several pieces for sustenance during the hunt. Cacciatore is usually 6-7 inches in length and cured with the usual spices, wine, and herbs. Cacciatore tends to be a bit tougher than Capicola or Prosciutto. I love cacciatore with sharp Provolone and good bread. You could use the meat for a sandwich but the small pieces aren't ideal.

Soppressata

Like cacciatore, Soppressota is made from pressed pork belly, tongue, stomach and other parts of the pig. Again, spices and herbs vary by region and preference. Soppressota can be spicy and is an excellent meat for sandwiches. If you want to try and make your own see Michael Rhulman's recipe on his exceptional food blog. Soppressata is less chewy and compacted than cacciatore and has the consistency of sausage. Generally speaking it's important to note that most salumi are either categorized into products made from ground pig parts or from whole sections of the pig (for example, sopresseta versus prosciutto).

Salt Pork

Most salumi affeciondads have a love hate relationship with salt pork; I happen to love this fatty, bacon like, salumi but it tends to be very salty. Moreover, I don't particularly like cooking with salt pork, thought most folks use it as a fat for sautéing. I enjoy salt pork cut very thin with chunks of parmiggiano reggiano and a glass of homemade wine (I think the juxtaposition of the complex and creamy parmiggiano goes will with the simple, salty, and earthy flavors of homemade wine and salt pork). Salt pork is made from the pig's belly and is not smoked.

Pancetta

As you probably guessed, Pancetta is another salt cured and spiced salumi. Most folks know pancetta and fry it to use in varied dishes. Pancetta when done is small batches is usually produced in a flat manner with the fat located on one side (unlike the rolled kind you will find in most shops in US). I've had both varities and it's not one of my favorites. See Rhulman's recipe if you want to try and make pancetta at home:

Speck

Speck is a type of Prosciutto made with the hind leg of a pig, however the bone is usually removed with this kind of salumi. Speck is usually cut thin and served with bread. The flavor is robust and the texture a bit chewy. Speck is also a smoked product. I'm not a big consumer of this cured meat, but it is tasty.

Culatello

Culatello is a special type of Prosciutto made via larger pigs. Culatello is a prized cured meat and extremely flavorful. Here's a nice write up on Culatello as I don't have too much experience with the product (it's a bit expensive).

Finally here's a list of where to purchase artisanal meats online (also, if you're looking to buy me a Christmas present a couple of pounds of Columbus Soppressata would do nicely) :

Creminelli

Columbus Salame

Salumi Cured Meats

How to Prepare Your Garden for Winter: 5 Tips

2009-10-05T18:11:10Z

We've had a cold and wet summer in the Northeast this year, so I'm not sure what the Fall and Winter seasons will bring us in terms of temperature, snow, wind, and rain. However, I do know that a good looking garden (including grass, shrubs, and flowers) starts as soon as everything begins to die or go dormant. Here are some basic Fall gardening tips that will make your green space look great come the first couple of warm days in the Spring:

1. If your garden includes a lawn then the early Fall time period is the best time to re-seed, fertilize, and add lime. I tend to fertilize in the early Fall and early Spring time periods and I usually use my soil sample numbers to guide the type of fertilizer I buy. A soil sample analysis will tell you how to amend your lawn's soil and whether it needs more or less potassium, nitrogen, etc. I like to test my soil every 5-8 years. It's important that you follow the instruction on your spreader when adding fertilizer and lime and amend your soil according to whatever nutrients you need to put back into the ground. Re-seeding your lawn with new grass seed is fairly simple and can be done by hand if your lawn is not too large. I re-seed any bare spots in my lawn every October.

2. Don't forget that your plants, shrubs, and bushes can also benefit from an application of fertilizer. Use a slow release fertilizer and apply the correct amount according to the bag instruction. Over fertilizing can be an issue for any plant, so it's always best to under fertilize if you're unsure.

3. October is a good time to prune shrubs and bushes and ensure that the plants will come back healthier and fuller in the Spring. Every bush or shrub has a slightly different pruning method so it's best to do a little research on how much material to cut off and where in the branch formation you should cut. October is also the best time to plant new shrubs and bushes. Visit the GardenWeb forums for specific advice on trees, shrubs, and just about any plant.

4. If you have any hardscapes in your garden such as pavers, natural stone, etc. the Fall is a good time to apply a sealer to help protect your surfaces. For example, I seal my concrete paver walkway every other year so that the pavers do not shift or come loose. I also add new play sand in between the pavers to keep water from reaching underneath the walkway (you'll want to add your sand first, with a large broom, and thereafter add your sealer to bind the sand). While not necessarily tied to your garden, resealing your asphalt driveway is also a good idea if the current surface is cracked, crumbling, or is in general disrepair. I'll be applying a blacktop sealer for the first time this Fall and I'll let you know how involved the process after the project is complete.

5. I happen to live in a town with an active Shade Tree Commission and a recognized Tree City USA program - this means our community takes maintaining and planting new trees pretty seriously. The commission prunes street trees, plants new trees in the Fall, and removes any dead or almost dead trees. The Fall is a great time to plant a new street tree! Planting a tree near your home increases property value, shades your home during the summer months, and just makes for a better quality of life. Most plant centers have crews available to plant street trees, but you can plant your own tree with a little bit muscle and a few friends on a crisp Fall weekend.

More Essential Kitchen Tools

2009-09-29T12:03:51Z

Back in October of last year I wrote about essential kitchen tools and kitchen simplicity. The article attracted a few comments from readers stating that my list was too extreme and left out some key tools and items. So, I've decided to take another look around my kitchen and update my essential kitchen tool list (sorry still no pizza stone):

1. CuisinArt Food Processor and Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer

OK, I'm going to start off by saying that both my grandmother and mother never used or owned the above tools and they both made/make fantastic food. In fact, I remember trying to convince my grandmother to let us buy her a large stand mixer so that her weekly bread making would be a little easier for her (she of course said no).

I use our CuisinArt Food Processor for making hummus, slicing onions for French Onion soup, and, when I'm lazy, pesto. Our Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer is used for pizza dough, bread, and countless cakes. Both products are very well built and should last a lifetime.

2. Krups Hot Water Kettle

Boiling water takes time, not a whole lot of time, but just enough minutes to annoy me at certain key moments (for example, waiting for boiling water in the early morning for your French Press Pot). We picked up a Krups electric kettle two years ago and it's been a terrific, time saving, device. We use our kettle for tea, coffee, pasta water, etc. Plus, it actually saves energy when you consider that the device boils water faster than our fancy Wolf, 18,000 BTU, gas stove.

3. Microplane Grater

For citrus zest and emergency cheese grater.

4. Kitchen Shears

For emergency tasks, quick herb mincing, etc.

5. Large Grater

For the best way to grate most soft cheeses.

6. Serrated Bread Knife

The best knife to cut fresh bread.

7. Locking Tongs

Tongs are essential and most are made in an inferior manner. Buy two , well made, products (one with metal pincers and one with rubber) - All-Clad makes a pricey, but well built, all metal version.

8. Vegetable Peeler

Pepin used a paring knife, for everyone else get a vegetable peeler.

9. Instant Read Thermometer

You'll throw this out after becoming a competent cook, but you should have one in your kitchen for the early years.

10. Peppermill

You'll use this every day and there' a big difference with freshly ground pepper (same difference with freshly ground coffee). I own a French made, Prefex, that's compact and very functional.

11. Salad spinner

If you eat tons of greens then you need to dry most of them before cooking or consuming, the salad spinner is a revolutionary product and you should have one.

12. Colanders

You should have about three of these for draining pasta, cleaning vegetables, etc.

13. Toaster Oven

This will cause some debate, but I could not live without our small toaster oven. I used out tiny DeLonghi toaster oven to broil thin white flesh fish and salmon, heat up pizza, toast bread, etc. The device cooks food in no time and unlike a microwave it perfectly toasts and browns food for tremendous flavor. The device also does not use as much energy as our larger Wolf or Cadco ovens.

20 Simple Reasons Why People Spend

2009-09-24T17:47:22Z

I have to admit there are days when I think that a new tennis racquet or a few new books from the local Barnes and Noble would make me feel great! However after I stop and think I realize that the two Prince racquets I own are great and I'm not going to play better tennis with a new Babolat or Wilson racquet. And, moreover, I can just get my name on the waiting list at the local library for that new novel by Jonathan Franzen. So, most of the time I convince myself to not spend, but it is a constant battle (even for folks with a bit of personal finance know-how).

Part of figuring out why spending money (in most cases) is a bad thing is about understanding yourself and what truly makes you happy. Now, this can take years to figure out and is one of life's greatest challenges, so in the interim I've put together a few reasons why I think people spend money. Here's my simple and straightforward list (do you agree?):

1. S/he thinks stuff will make them happy.

2. S/he thinks I must have an iPhone, Lexus, Nike sneakers, etc. because my neighbor or co-worker owns them.

3. S/he is convinced the advertising she just watched, read, listened to, etc. is the truth.

4. S/he lacks fulfillment from non-material things in her life.

5. S/he is bored, lonely, confused, depressed.

6. S/he has the wrong friends.

7. S/he lacks focus.

8. S/he cares too much about personal appearance.

9. S/he is brand loyal.

10. S/he equates success with possessions.

11. S/he is addicted.

12. S/he lacks true friendships and family connections.

13. S/he learned the behavior from mom and dad.

14. S/he is conditioned and has not spent any considerable amount of time outside of the US.

15. S/he does not appreciate nature, reading, and peaceful states (read: she cannot be alone).

16. S/he does not know how to have a good time (without spending money).

17. S/he is credit card dependent.

18. S/he believes she will never improve her financial situation.

19. S/he is not crafty.

20. S/he has never felt what it's like NOT to have money or the ability to spend it.

A Guide to Dry Pasta

2009-09-22T12:28:42Z

I love pasta; in fact, I'd venture to say it is a glorious food product! And it doesn't really matter how it's prepared (condiment or sauce-wise, that is); I'll eat penne rigate with good olive oil and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, Bucatini with a fresh, tomato, pan sauce, or linguine fine with a homemade pesto sauce. The condiment for any pasta is important, but what's key is that the pasta is not over or under cooked and that the water used to boil the pasta is both salted and abundant (don't crowd your pasta during the cooking process). You hear the word al dente thown around a lot but it's the food equivalent of drinking only Bordeaux; that is to say, you can cook pasta al dente most of the time (and be happy), but all pasta does not need to be cooked, "to the tooth" at all times (large rigatoni is a good example).

Moreover, dry pasta is not inferior to fresh pasta and, in fact, the very best dry pastas are superior to average, fresh made, pasta. I always aim to keep, at the least, 5 varieties of dry pasta in my pantry, including:

1. Linguine Fine

The pasta cooks very fast and is great for loose sauces like tomato or cream based sauces, like the ubiquitous Alfredo. I also use linguine fine when I cook up a batch of super simple Aglio e Oli pasta.

2. Angel Hair or Capellini

The fastest cooking dry pasta on the market. You need an abundant condiment for this type of pasta or you'll get lumpy bundles of thin pasta. My mom used to make angel hair for me during the school year (with plenty of tomato sauce and freshly grated cheese); in fact, every time I have Angel Hair I'm brought back to lunch time during my elementary school years.

3. Penne Rigate

Another pasta staple that goes well with pesto or baked in the oven with fresh mozzarella, ricotta and a bit of tomato sauce.

4. Large Rigatoni

Ah, this was the go to pasta for Nonna Rosa. Nonna Rosa preferred the large type rigatoni and she would often serve the pasta with a ton of olive oil (mixed with a bit of corn oil because she liked to save money) and freshly grated Pecorino Romano. Large rigatoni is also the base for my white wine dark turkey meat Bolognese sauce (pictured above).

5. Bucatini

This is a thick spaghetti with a hole in the middle. Bucatini is a hardy pasta that, because of the hole at the center of the pasta, takes any sauce surprisingly well. I like bucatini with anchovy, hot peppers flake, garlic, freshly chopped parsley, and olive oil.

Pasta is a wonderful food ingredient. It gets a bum wrap in the US because most Americans tend to have pasta as a main dish when having dinner (this will lead to you getting fat!). Pasta, if proportioned correctly, can be used to start a meal 2-3 times a week (as they do in Italy on most nights). The correct portion is about two ounces. And if the condiment or sauce is made well (and used sparingly) you will feel very satisfied (the problem occurs when there's no taste in your sauce and you look for additional pasta to make up for the lack of taste). Good pasta also needs two key ingredients to thrive: olive oil and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Finally, you may want to know which dry pasta brand is best. In terms of large, well known, and readily available brands I like De Cecco. I also think Colavita makes a good dry pasta. I used to consume Barilla but I think their quality has suffered a bit in the last ten years or so (I'm not sure what it is but De Cecco pasta but it tends to have more flavor and a better consistency). There are also tons of small production type dry pastas from Italy, but you really just need to try them and stick with what you like (many are also outrageously priced and, in my view, not worth the extra money).

Immigrant Personal Finance Philosophy - WiseBread.com

2009-09-21T14:57:33Z

I've often stated here and to many friends directly that recent immigrants have an intuitive personal finance philosophy that not only embraces the pillars associated with the American dream but also runs counter to the deeply entrenched, and ugly side, of modern American life: consumerism and materialism.

Some friends get the above point quickly and agree, while others look at me like I'm an alien and think: "this guy is crazy, why wouldn't everyone want an iPhone, a shiny black German sedan, and several Coach handbags?!"

Well, to answer the question from my skeptical friends I wrote an article for Wisebread.com entitled, "10 Life and Money Lessons My Immigrant Parents Taught Me". Read the article and pass it along (via Digg or Tip'd).

8 Simple Food and Kitchen Tips

2009-09-17T12:11:52Z

Cooking at home isn't rocket science and like most things in life it just takes a little bit of practice to get right (and of course a few good tips). Here are eight essential food and kitchen tips so that you can become a good home cook (be careful what you call yourself or some foodies will get upset, just kidding Michael Ruhlman!) :

1. Buy high quality, fresh food. Good ingredients need very little in the way of jazzing up. For example, a piece of, just caught, fish requires a bit of salt and a few minutes in the broiler. Home made pasta requires a bit of olive oil and some freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. In general, buying high quality ingredients will take the stress out of making food taste good and also reduce the amount of prep time for most foods (don't listen to the personal finance types who advocate eating whatever is on sale at the local mega-market).

2. Condition yourself to cook at home. It takes a bit of time before a home cook can become efficient in his or her kitchen. For folks who haven't spent much time cooking at home, the first couple of months may include long prep times, starting over with some dishes, and what seems like forever cleaning up, but it does get easier over time.

3. Invest in good equipment. You don't need too many gadgets, but what you do buy should be high quality. Here's my list.

4. Write down dishes that you enjoy and are good at preparing. Cooking at home doesn't mean making elaborate dishes every night; in fact, if you have a real life you'll end up making the same core dishes over and over again. In turn, documenting the dishes that work for you will take the stress out of deciding what to cook each night. This is a fine philosophy especial for the Monday - Thursday time period; experiment with exotic recipes during the weekend.

5. Become a wine expert. Wine was designed to be consumed with food; this is a fact and the more you know about wine the more you'll enjoy eating and cooking at home. There are plenty of great wine resources on the web (I like Robert Parker, but there are resources including the media crazed Gary Vaynerchuk at WineLibrary, but be careful with the latter resource as Gary both rates and sells wine. UPDATE: just got some clarification on this from Gary V. and it looks like the operation is legitimately concerned about honest reviews and selling inventory is a secondary concern). I always advise folks to get to know a few local wine merchants (there's no substitute for someone understanding what you like and making personal recommendations; plus the same person will probably give you a discount over time). Yes, the merchant wants to sell wine, but a good merchant favors the relationship over the dollar.

6. Burn your take out menus. If there's no option to order in or go out for dinner then you'll certainly begin cooking at home (you gotta eat, right?). Also, 99 percent (especially outside of the big cities) of what you get at restaurants and take out joints is pure junk.

7. Keep a pantry full of staple food items. A well stocked pantry means you'll most likely be able to whip up a fantastic meals in no time. Here's a list of good Italian pantry items and a list from Mark Bittman.

8. Keep fresh bread in the kitchen at all times. I always advise folks to purchase a baguette every other day and re-heat it for dinner or lunch once it gets stale. Don't consume bread with butter each night, but rather have a few pieces with good tuna in olive oil, homemade soup, or a lush tomato salad with plenty of olive oil and basil. Sandwiches are also great dinner items (especially with good ingredients!).

Home Maintenance: 5 Areas Not To Ignore

2009-09-15T11:32:31Z

Interest rates are low these days and there's a ton of housing stock available, so, in my view, it's a great time to buy a home. The financing part is a bit trickier these days with banks scrutinizing loan applications, but if you have a good down payment (at least 20 percent), a great credit score, ready to work at maintaining your home, and understand that a home is, first, a place to live and, secondly, possibly an investment go out and buy a home!

With the above said, there are areas in a home that are consistently neglected by homeowners. Neglecting a home repair can cost you big bucks in the long term and is just plain dumb/lazy (would you ever not feed your dog or provide fresh water for your cat?). In turn, I've put together a top five list of areas of your home NOT to ignore! Let's start with the often ignored, but highly functional, gutter:

1. Gutters
When we purchased our home I asked the owner when was the last time she had her gutters cleaned. The ex-homeowner replied by saying, "oh, I don't know, but it's not important." If you live in a leafy neighborhood you should get your gutters cleaned twice a year (I like cleaning mine in November and May). Allowing leaf build up and sediment to accumulate in your gutters can lean to interior and exterior water damage which can costs thousands of dollars to repair. Clean your gutters yourself or hire a crew if your gutters can't be reached safely.

2. Furnace

There are many types of furnaces used to heat homes in the US, including forced hot air, steam, and hot water. And most furnaces are either fueled by natural gas or oil. The typical furnace can last between 15-25 depending on the system and your tolerance for efficiency. I've seen steam boilers with tons of sediment build up, hot water furnaces with rotting pipes, and tons of leaking radiators. This isn't good for one of the major systems of your home. In fact, I think most homeowner see their heating and cooling systems as pieces of machinery that run themselves without the need maintenance. Hot water furnaces should be checked and cleaned by a capable homeowner or a licensed plumber at the beginning of each heating season. Steam furnaces require a bit more upkeep, but the maintenance routine is the same: clean pilot and burner area, keep the area around your furnace clean, check damper running into chimney, lubricate moving parts, (if steam) flush water in system to get rid of sediment in radiators and furnace. See my guide to winterizing your home!

3. Yard

Walk by any home and the first thing you notice is the front yard and this happens well before you notice architecture style, the pretty red door, and the Lexus sitting in the driveway. If you're a homeowner your front yard is your first shot to make impression, be it good or bad. An unkempt lawn, big dirt patches, and overgrown hedges and trees all make for poor maintenance and upkeep and, in relation to other home improvement / maintenance projects, maintaining a green lawn and pruning your boxwood is cheap and easy. Also, failure to maintain your exterior landscape can also lead to drainage problems and possible basement leaks as your yard can develop issues with slope and water seepage. See my tips on how to maintain a great looking lawn!

4. Sidewalk

If you're lucky enough to live in a neighborhood that has sidewalks then you've bought yourself a lifetime membership to a great health club. Walking around your neighborhood is great exercise and gets you interacting with the neighbors. Unfortunately, concrete sidewalks will need some upkeep, especially if you're block or neighborhood is lined with street trees. Large trees cause concrete sidewalks to lift and crack over time and, in many cases, the only way to repair an uplifted sidewalk is to pour a new section of sidewalk. Many towns also have ordinances requiring homeowners to maintain their sidewalk, so sidewalk upkeep is a given. Don't you just love homeownership!

5. Kitchen

They say the kitchen is the new heart of the modern home and prospective home buyers look to, among other things, the size and condition of the kitchen when considering the purchase of a home. When we looked at homes for purchase a couple of years back, we fell into the same category as above and we were mostly horrified at the condition of most conditions. Many of the kitchens we walked through had faulty appliances, cracked flooring, leaking faucets, poor lighting, and, generally, inadequate space and functional layout. I'm not advocating homeowners build lavish kitchen with a Viking stove, soapstone countertops, and exotic wood cabinets, but I'm a big fan of keeping a kitchen up to date and renovating a kitchen once it's past its functional prime. Plus, there's usually a decent ROI on a newly renovated kitchen. See my guide to renovating your kitchen!

Movie Night At Home: Movie Recommendations, Dip Recipes, and Top Chips

2009-09-11T20:00:10Z

The following is a re-post form February 2009 and I thought it was appropriate given the gloomy and cold weather here in the northen New Jersey area. The post includes two great dip recipes, my favorite potato and tortilla chip brands, and 23 movie recommendation by genere and actor.

The upcoming Oscars Award show always gets everyone in the movie-going spirit and why not it's fun to plan a night at your local theatre taking in a good movie followed by a late night meal and a glass of good Zindfandel! But wait, hold on, are you really going to spend $20+ dollars for tickets, $15+ dollars on snacks, and then $75-$100 dollars on dinner and a decent bottle of wine? The answer is an obvious no and not just in the current economy; I find many of our friends who consistently do dinner and a movie to be amongst the cash-strapped crowd. Don't get me wrong I love film, I just don't like spending my hard earned cash on overpriced tickets and snacks. What I do instead is plan movie night at home and head to my local library for DVDs. Yes, some local libraries lack a decent film collection, but our town library happens to have a nice assortment of films. I'm also an on and off subscriber to Netflix, but I never keep the service running for more than 4-6 months (I essentially exhaust the movies I really want to see and then cancel my, auto renew, subscription - Try This Tip!).

Either way you get your films, you'll need some snacks to go with your movies! Here's a list of some of my favorite chips and dips, as well as a list of some great movies by category!

Potato Chips

There's something about thinly friend potatoes with copious amounts of salt that gets me excited! Potato chips are one of my all time favorite foods and please don't let my mother find out. I can enjoy potato chips during a late night rummage through the pantry or, in this case, with a good movie. My all time favorite potato chips include:

1. Cape Cod Potato Chips (Classic and Salt & Vinegar are my favorite)

2. Kettle Chips (any flavor, they're all great!)

3. Lay's Classic Potato Chips

4. Terra Chips (Original)

Tortilla Chips

Corn chips exploded into the US marketplace in the early to mid nineties and they've become a staple (any one know why?) of informal get togethers and parties. There are many tasteless, and overly salted, products on market, such as Tostitos, Santitas White Corn chips made by FritoLay, and TraderJoe's house brand. You can of course make your own Tortilla Chips, however there are also some good brands on the market and I prefer the following products:

1. Green Mountain (great combo of salt and corn taste)

2. Garden of Eatin Blue Chips

3. Doritos (yes, I like Doritos!)

Guacamole

Next to the egg, the avocado would be one of those food items I would want with me if I were stranded on a remote island (it has good fat content, nice texture, and pretty versatile).

Mix in fresh lime juice and cilantro and mashed avocado becomes an exquisite tortilla chip accompaniment; here's my recipe:

- 2 large, very ripe, Hass avocados

- 1 large lime (keep out of the fridge for a few hours and roll on cutting board before juicing)

- 1 bunch of fresh cilantro (I know cilantro is a love/hate type of herb, but I happen to love the flavor)

- ¼ finely diced red onion

- ½ finely diced plum tomato

- Salt and pepper to taste

Mash the avocados with a fork and add your lime juice (click here if you've never sliced an avocado before). Stir the two ingredients and the cilantro, onion, and tomato. Next, add salt and pepper to taste and give the mixture a final stir.

Sour Cream Dip

Potato chips, in my view, really don't need a dip, but that's not to say that I don't enjoy dipping my perfectly salted chips into a nice white mixture of sour cream! Here's my favorite recipe for Sour Cream and Onion Dip:

- 1 pt of sour cream

- 3-4 finely diced green onions

- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

- 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 3-4 cloves of mashed caramelized or roasted garlic

Combine all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl and mix very well.

Movies

A movie critic will tell you that one can, objectively, rate and talk about a given movie. In my view, however, deciding on whether a movie is good or bad can often be a very subjective experience and depdendent on how many other films one has watched, personal history, ethnicity, education, mood, etc. So, I recommend the following "movie night" movies based solely on the fact that I liked them all! Most of all, however, each one of the movies below (categorized by actor, genre, or style) made me feel as though I was totally submerged in the plot and the story the director wanted to convey.

1. Woody Allen

Match Point

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

2. Bill Murray

Lost in Translation

The Royal Tenenbaums

3. Johnny Depp

Finding Neverland

What's Eating Gilbert Grape

4. Sean Penn

Mystic River

Carlito's Way

5. Foreign

The Son's Room

Y Tu Mama Tambien

La Strada

Respiro

6. Engrossing

The Shipping News

Pollock

Mulholland Drive

7. Classics

The 400 Blows

Odd Man Out

The Bicycle Thief

Sudden Fear

Notorious

8. Western

The Magnificent Seven

High Plains Drifter

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

Reader Mailbag: What Major Should I Choose and is Philosophy a Good Choice

2009-09-10T17:35:18Z

Photo: University of New Hampshire Philosophy Dept. @ Hamilton Smith Hall

Reader Question:

I'm a student that needs to decide on a Major. Besides my credits being in a complicated mumbo jumbo from transfers and other what-have-you's I'm a normal student. I was doing some searching about philosophy majors and found your article on "Why I Should Major In Philosophy". So you have good things to say about the Majors. I'm split between a decision to major in phil or to major in phil/pol-sci/econ (a major that puts an equal, but diminished, emphasis on all three). After getting my bachelors I'm considering joining the military for the funding to get a masters degree, in something....I checked what you had to say about yourself and your career and despite being from opposite coasts, your interests are not dissimilar to my own (especially a love for garlic). You have a philanthropic blog and perhaps you could just help shed some light on my situation. How has a phil major helped you, has it been a burden ever, yada yada yada.

Thanks,

Andrew

Andrew asks some good questions and I thought I would address some specifics below.

1. Major in one subject or do a combination of double majors or multiple minors?
The first thing to realize about an undergraduate education is that it's opportunity for students to study a subject that they are actually interested in and that the first couple of years of an undergraduate education are going to be fairly broad (from a course selection perspective). That is to say, most colleges and universities require that a student take a minimum amount of general education credits. If it were up to me, I'd make it a requirement for all undergraduate students to obtain a dual major and, specifically, one major would be in the humanities and the other would need to be in some applied field such as Engineering, Agriculture, Economics, etc. Universities should be producing thinkers and doers (not just one or the other).

2. I've talked about the benefits of completing a Philosophy major (Bachelor of Arts degree) in detail. However, the prospective Philosophy major should also be forewarned in terms of:

- You will need plenty of self discipline to distil the real gold nuggets from a philosophy major; viz, critical thinking skills and ability to clearly write and communicate.

- No one is going to hand you a job after you graduate with your degree and you will need to work extra hard to turn the skills you learned as a Philosophy major into practical, applicable, knowledge that translates well within the marketplace (sorry, this is just a reality).

- You may need a professional degree if you can't apply skills learned as an undergraduate into a job category that is in demand. That is to say, you may need to quickly aquire an MBA, JD, or other professional degree to get a job. I graduated from University in the late 1990's and the .com boom was underway and many jobs were available (this is currently not the case in the US) and I had a practical skill set thanks to work-study position I held for a number of years.

3. Has Your Philosophy degree ever been a burden?
I think the only time I've felt negative about studying Philosophy as an undergraduate was during my first two years at University. Studying Philosophy comes with lots of criticism from peers, parents, professors, etc. and it's especially tough to ignore the negative comments when you're still new to campus and college life, in general. A typical scenario is your Engineering major roommate constantly bombarding you with questions on why you're wasting your time studying something so obtuse and unimportant (be ready with thick skin and a couple of good arguments).

4. I recommend doing a full Philosophy major because only then will you get to take some intense seminar level classes on specific philosophers and topics. You may even become interested in some specific aspect of Philosophy (such as Philosophy of Mind) and may want to write a senior thesis (this is great practice for the real world in terms of thinking through an idea, justifying the idea, and thereafter defending the premise of your argument). In addition to my Philosophy major I have two minors in Linguistics and Psychology. Looking back, I may have opted for a dual major in Philosophy and Economics.