Social media analysis firm Klout uses a ranking system for sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, and LinkedIn. They've arranged a list of the top ten chefs who use these social media outlets to their advantage (mostly Twitter). The accounts' followers are current as of October 2011.

So, did any of your favorites make the Top 10? Here's what Klout had to say:

10) Tom Colicchio -- The host of Bravo's Emmy-winning reality show Top Chef likes to keep his followers in the loop with the goings-on at his many restaurants along with causes he's passionate about. He frequently responds to questions directly. @tomcolicchio has over 216,000 followers.

9) Mario Batali -- An authentic Italian chef and restaurateur, Batali is one of the hosts of ABC's newest talk show The Chew along with Food Network's Molto Mario. He uses online media to answer specific recipe questions, offer a few cooking tips or pairing suggestions, and share what's going on in his life. @Mariobatali has over 171,000 followers.

8 ) Jay Terauchi --  Terauchi is an expert sushi chef and restaurant consultant who keeps his fans updated on new recipe ideas along with what he's making to honor all sorts of culinary holidays, such as National Chocolate Covered Insects Day and National Mushroom Day. @Chef_Jay has over 9,500 followers.

7) Mark Bittman -- Celebrated New York Times columnist and author of Food Matters, Bittman likes to educate his fans on what's going on in the food world, covering everything from politics to trends.  He's not shy about his favorite recipes, either. @bittman has over 189,000 followers.

6) Paula Deen -- She's known as one of the most authoritative celebrity chefs in Southern cuisine, and she's got throngs of fans to prove it.  Deen mostly uses social media to promote events for both her and her family. @Paula_Deen has over 545,000 followers.

5) Giada De Laurentiis -- The host of Giada at Home and Everyday Italian lets fans experience an additional glimpse of both personal and professional life through her eyes.  She also likes to use Twitter to interact with fans often. @GDeLaurentiis has over 419,000 followers.

4) Anthony Bourdain -- Bourdain is just as entertaining online as he is when hosting No Reservations; introspection and dark humor set the tone for extra photographs and videos that Bourdain shares from his life on the road.  @NoReservations has just shy of 580,000 followers.

3) Jamie Oliver -- This best-selling British celebrity chef constantly communicates his progress with Food Revolution, shares news on food happenings around the world, and likes to share pictures with his fans via Instagram on his iPhone.  @jamieoliver has amassed the highest following yet with over 1.5 million.

2) Gordon Ramsay -- Ramsay is one of the best known celebrity chefs in the business, and he'll use social media to fill in the gaps on shows like Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, and restaurant projects in the works.  Fans never lack for quick recipes on the fly, either. @GordonRamsay01 has over 465,000 followers.

1) Andrew Zimmern -- Zimmern is highly active on both his Twitter and Facebook accounts, directly replying to many of his fans' questions and comments as they arise.  As the host of Bizarre Foods, it's not unusual to see foods like ox tails and pig's feet show up alongside red velvet cake and corn pudding on his ongoing culinary adventures list. @AndrewZimmern has over 260,000 followers.

Source: Nation's Restaurant News

Thing is, these knives are more suited for an occasional home cook on a budget, someone who doesn't need to use kitchen knives daily and may not want a better set that requires maintenance. The knives are made from Japanese high carbon stainless steel and feature double-edged serrated blades that supposedly never need to be sharpened. They arrive sharp out of the box and are paired with ergonomic handles as well as a limited lifetime warranty. (Factor in an average replacement cost of $3 per knife to cover shipping if you ever need to return one.)

The set includes a very well-rounded choice of knife options, better than some I've seen, actually. A chef's knife, Japanese santoku, bread knife, boning knife, utility knife, and paring knife are your main cutting options. Ginsu also includes six steak knives and a pair of kitchen shears to round out the set. Each piece fits into a black hardwood knife block. The knives are dishwasher safe, but to make sure rust is avoided over time, wash by hand and make sure each knife is completely dry before returning to the knife block.

However, if quality is more important to you than price, I'd forgo this set and focus on a smaller collection of well-made knives that could last you a lifetime if maintained properly. Knives that never need sharpening aren't a good match for consumers who take cooking seriously. Knives that can be sharpened and maintained to one's own preferences are a much better choice. Even though they require maintenance, the edges are much sharper in the end, and the quality is noticeably more durable. It's like comparing a Kia to a BMW.

One such option is the Victorinox Forged Knife Set, a starter set that bundles the only knives a chef needs to get by on: a chef's knife, utility knife, and paring knife. They're forged from Solingen steel and are solidly made with full-tang handles.

Find this Ginsu Knife Block Set:

• Click here to find this product at Amazon.com

Find this knife block set on eBay:

I'd say: both.

It's not often you come across an appliance that has a good balance between multiple functions and user-friendliness, but the Prep Plus has it. The feed tube, for example, has been updated from previous Cuisinart food processor models to make it easier to assemble and use. It's a wide feed tube at 4.25 x 2.75 inches -- and if that's too big for some of your kitchen chores, a narrower feed tube is located insides the pusher. And if even that's not enough, a small pin-sized hole is located on the bottom of the pusher, just wide enough to accommodate an oil drip for when you're making homemade mayonnaise.

The bowl itself is made from a material called Lexan, shatter-proof and dishwasher safe, which is housed in a classic white base. It holds 11 cups and works with a 600-watt motor -- capable enough to handle medium-strength tasks but not something in an "industrial strength" category that you could use for hours on end. But the cool thing here is that the option for kneading dough is automatically sensitive to density. When kneading dough with the Prep Plus, the processor will adjust the speed all on its own -- not overworking the dough, saving mechanical strength. Win-win.

One other thing I really like about this set is the interchangeable blades. It comes with a slicing, shredding, and dough blade. Other interchangeable blades from previous Cuisinart food processors should work on this machine as well as 11-cup blades from completely different manufacturers, too. Stainless steel processor blades are awesome and rarely need replacing, but it's always nice to have back-ups.

This set also comes with a spatula, a recipe booklet, and an instructional how-to DVD for setting up the machine and making a lot of the recipes shown inside the booklet.

There isn't a lot of negative feedback from this set exclusively. A small pet peeve for me is that the center wall which covers the rotation mechanism can be a bit short depending on what I'm trying to make, but over time, I've learned to deal with it and make smaller batches.

However, take note of where and when you're purchasing this set online. There have recently been reports of faulty packaging units that are shipped with the small feed tube completely wedged inside and impossible to remove, thereby damaging the product when it finally does get out. If this happens, you can go a couple of routes: return it to the manufacturer and hope for a better replacement product, or call Cuisinart's customer service and demand a product packaged well. But there's another twist to this story: seems the faulty packaging units also shipped with unrecognizable serial numbers that Cuisinart was unable to trace. (Whaaa...??)

Ideally, by now the defective units have been alerted to proper authorities so that you don't have to mess with insanely difficult packaging. It'll be tight, no doubt, but that's a good thing... as long as it's removable. Thousands of Cuisinart food processor owners stand by their brand and don't even consider switching. You will likely join their throngs -- just as long as you're prepared that you probably won't be using it within five minutes of it arriving at your doorstep. Keep scissors and an X-Acto knife close by, and you'll be fine.

Wanna see this model in brushed chrome or electric red?

Find this Cuisinart Prep Plus Food Processor:

• Click here to find this product at Amazon.com

Find this food processor on eBay:

According to Lee Svitak Dean, who's the food editor at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the identity can only be pinned down to one person: Robert Sietsema, food critic at Village Voice.

The Twitter feed of Ruth Bourdain is a parody mash-up of former Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl's tweets as seen through the intelligently snarky lens of No Reservations host Anthony Bourdain. And in May, the account received a JBF Award in the food humor category.

Dean publicly announced the "outing" of Sietsema yesterday in an article that soon went viral across the food world. She explained the reasoning behind her decision and felt it necessary to inform the public, although admittedly hesitant. "I have to say, though, I feel a bit like the one blurting out the truth about Santa AND the tooth fairy AND the Easter bunny all at the same time," Dean said.

So where's the proof? What has Dean discovered that locks down such an elusive pseudonym?

According to Dean, Ruth Bourdain's pitfall occurred during an Association of Food Journalists conference. Dean noted that certain Tweets published on @RuthBourdain were sent moments after being delivered during a closed-door session.

"It had to be someone that was in the room," Dean deduced. "The comment made by Ruth Bourdain was made within moments of it being said."

From the options available in the room, Dean narrowed it down to Sietsema based on the information that his personal Twitter account has over 6,000 followers and that only a few AFJ attendees hailed from Ruth Bourdain's home of New York.

However, when approached with the allegations, Robert Sietsema denied any claims that he is the author behind Ruth Bourdain's voice. "There were 60 food journalists there and I think any of them had the writing chops," he reported to GrubStreet. He also suggested Ben Leventhal, co-founder of the Eater.com blog, as a possible new target.

But he added, "If I was Ruth Bourdain, I wouldn't tell you."

So for now, it's nothing definite, and rumors still abound. Seems @RuthBourdain and @robertsietsema had something to say about it today, though. Take a look:

@RuthBourdain: "Just woke up from a nap. Had the weirdest dream I was @robertsietsema."

@robertsietsema: "Now I'm really confused! RT @RuthBourdain: Just woke up from a nap. Had the weirdest dream I was @robertsietsema."

@robertsietsema: "Charleston sunset, a splash of pink Pepto across the sky."

@robertsietsema: "@RuthBourdain It's been fun, my friend, hiking the SC swamps in your size 12 Manolos, but now I've got bigger souffles to fry."

@RuthBourdain: "@robertsietsema Whatever you say, Ruthie."

Source: Wall Street Journal

Keeping all those flavors handy and accessible can be frustrating. If they're stored in the pantry, it's hard to see and remember all the options for drinks that you could make each morning. That's why one of the best-selling coffee companion products out there is this Keurig K-Cup Carousel Tower.

There are a few options for K-Cup holders on the market. Competitors to the Keurig Carousel Tower are usually made from cheap, wobbly wire and have a larger surface area. That's why this one takes the cake. It's built from sturdy materials and stands tall on a Lazy Susan rotating base that moves smoothly. The tower holds 30 K-Cups, just enough to show off a wide variety and leave spaces for flavors you're out of -- a helpful shopping list reminder. Sorry, the coffee's not included with the tower, though. But that's great, actually, because now you get to pick out your own custom flavors.

Space-saving and easy to use, the Keurig K-Cup Carousel Tower is ideal for most settings, whether for home, office, or industry. It's inexpensive enough to have in a home kitchen and professional-looking enough to set out by the hotel's breakfast buffet.

Also see the Keurig coffee makers that inspired the trend.

Find this Keurig K-Cup Carousel Tower:

• Click here to find this product at Amazon.com

Find this holder on eBay:

Thing is, those cheap plastic storage containers don't last all that long. The super-lightweight lids fly off the top dishwasher rack and end up partially melted on the bottom. And for some reason, leftovers just don't taste as good when they're stored in plastic cups. That's why I was super excited to upgrade my food storage collection to a covered glass Pyrex set. I jumped on these when they went on sale.

This Pyrex Storage Plus 20-piece set has seven bowls and three casserole dishes. Each comes with its own fitted BPA-free lid. The pieces are safe for use in the dishwasher, fridge, and freezer.

As enthusiastic as I was to receive this set, my hopes were momentarily dashed when I began to check for defects and discovered that I couldn't get the friggin' lids on any of the containers. Not one. The lids are made to be extremely tight fitting -- key word there being "fitting," I thought, as I sat there trying to shove each stiff lid in place to no avail. But I wasn't ready to give up just yet.

I ended up solving the lid problem by bending them as close to in half as I could, back and forth in both concave and convex directions. This loosened up the stiffness of the lip edge, and after a while, I got the first lid to fit a container. Success! After that, I only had to loosen the lids a few more times before they started fitting on their own.

This set has been in my possession for over 6 months now, and I have no complaints. The lids are easy to get on now, very tight fitting and still holding their shape, and the glassware hasn't become stained or chipped. I'd highly recommend this set to anyone prepared to break in the lids at first. They're like a new pair of jeans or leather shoes -- a bit uncomfortable at first, but very easy once they have a chance to soften up.

If you love the idea of this set and want some accompanying bakeware to go with it, I'd go with the Pyrex Bakeware Dish Storage Set instead.

Find this Pyrex Container Set:

• Click here to find this product at Amazon.com

Find this glass container set on eBay:

Patrons were handed passport-style maps marking each participating location throughout the district. The objective? Dash like mad to visit as many stops as possible within a 3-hour time limit. Restaurants and food trucks served one-bite appetizers while retail stores hosted the majority of wine tastings.

Drink highlights from the evening included a refreshing Napa Valley Girard Sauvignon Blanc at Charles Nolan, an elegant New Zealand import The Crossings Sauvignon Blanc at Calypso, the award-winning Castello di Monastero Chianti Classico at Lilla P, and Chile's deep ruby Llai Llai Pinot Noir at the hidden basement shop Buckler.

Food pairings were inventive and satisfying as well. Some of the standout savory courses were an olive pesto crostini at Corsino, goat cheese and chicken quesadillas at The Diner, gourmet grilled cheese from Gorilla Cheese NYC, and a sampler of the signature Sidney dog from ASIADOG made with chopped mango, cucumber, red onion, peanuts, and just a touch of fish sauce. Desserts included a delicious watermelon cooler and a hearty ricotta tartine at the Le Pain Quotidien bakery, as well as the comforting traditional-meets-gourmet apple and pecan pies served at Sweet Street Desserts.

All net proceeds from the 2011 "Meatpacking Uncorked" went to benefit the New York City Food Bank and Share Our Strength, non-profit organizations dedicated to ending childhood hunger. Last year, over $1.2 million was raised for these charities during the festival.

Source:  International Business Times

The solid construction is made out of hard anodized aluminum, a material that heats up quickly and requires less energy to maintain high temperatures. The wok is coated inside with ceramic-based non-stick coating, not petroleum-based -- just one more way to conserve resources. It's also PTFE and PFOA-free. All stainless steel parts are made from 70% recycled materials, and the product packaging is 100% recycled and printed with soy ink.

This wok measures 12 inches in diameter and comes with a tight-fitting glass lid. The handles are stay-cool, and it's still safe in oven temperatures up to 500 degrees as well as under the broiler. Cuisinart also covers this GreenGourmet product with a limited lifetime warranty.

At first, this GreenGourmet wok offers a lot more non-stick action than an ordinary stainless steel pan. After a while, though, it's possible that the surface could become more reminiscent of stainless steel. Some users mention that after 6 months or so, it's not as non-stick as it was out of the box. However, most cooks don't report any problems at all. In any case, it's best to follow the manufacturer's cooking and maintenance instructions to extend the life of the pan, such as not exposing it to extreme stovetop temperatures or not washing it in the dishwasher.

Compare this GreenGourmet wok with the Joyce Chen Wok Set, another eco-friendly alternative.

Find this Green Gourmet Wok:

• Click here to find this product at Amazon.com

Find this wok on eBay:

The large bowl-shaped pan can be used for countless recipes: soups, pasta, roasts, layered casseroles, desserts, etc. There's not much it can't do. My favorite feature? Cuisinart says this pan is safe to use in extreme temperatures, both hot and cold extremes. You can put it in a 550-degree oven (Fahrenheit) and later use it for storing leftovers in the freezer. Not all cookware is safe to use with temperatures that high. It also comes with a fitted lid and features strong double loop helper handles.

As with Cuisinart's other stainless steel cookware products, the Multi-Purpose Pot won't stain or react with foods. Its aluminum base distributes heat quickly and evenly across the surface. Care is easy, too, because the pan is dishwasher safe.

Over time, you may start to notice small discolorations on the bottom surface. These are typically small in size and would be matched with the most repetitive, hottest source of direct heat, especially if you frequently cook on the stovetop higher than medium heat. It doesn't affect the pan's functionality, though.

There are dozens of cookware options that match this pan in the Chef's Classic product line. For starters, take a look at the Cuisinart Double Boiler Insert.

Find this Cuisinart Multi-Purpose Pan:

• Click here to find this product at Amazon.com

Find this pot on eBay:

This pan stood out to me because it's thick, sturdy, and non-stick. About 75% of the baking pans I've ever used end up getting torqued, even when exposed to the manufacturer's "safe" oven temperatures. Not something I have to worry about with the Nordic Ware petit fours pan. It's made from heavy cast aluminum. Heavy is good -- this means it's durable, won't torque, and will keep its shape. And aluminum is a great metal for fast, even heat distribution.

Nordic Ware specifies that this pan has a 10-cup capacity. It can make 20 petit fours, mini cakes, quick breads, molded chocolates, or candies in 4 rows of different floral shapes. Those who get frequent cake cravings will be happy to know it can bake mini cakes in about 15 minutes. It's made right here in the U.S.A. and carries a limited lifetime warranty.

Even though the non-stick coating makes it quicker and easier to use, this coated pan can't be cleaned in the dishwasher. Hand-washing with warm, soapy water is recommended. Fortunately, the non-stick coating makes this a quick process, too.

One thing to keep in mind is that this pan works best with Nordic Ware's tested recipes, which can be found on their website. When using any other recipes, expect that it might not turn out as hoped. Detail lines might not be as defined, or the batter may still stick to the inside of the pan. On average, thicker bread batters tend to hold their shape and remove from the pan easier than thinner cake batters. Some recipes may need extra help via cooking spray or flouring the pan beforehand.

All in all, Nordic Ware has a great reputation for making quality specialty bakeware pans, and this petit fours pan is no exception. Their Mini Scone Pan is another one that comes to mind.

P.S. A helpful tip for maintaining the shape and fine detail of baked goods in this pan is to tap the pan lightly on the kitchen counter or insert a toothpick into the batter molds. This releases any air bubbles that get trapped at the bottom of the pan, which can distort shapes during baking.

Find this Nordic Ware Petit Fours Pan:

• Click here to find this product at Amazon.com

Find this pan on eBay: