We’ve all been there before. Crack open the only bottle we have and it smells of wet cardboard. In other words the wine is corked which means it is contaminated with 2,4,6 trichloranisole or TCA. This time it was the turn of my wine group finishing off an evening drinking tasting Dominique Laurent Burgundy (another [...]
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My personal choice is the Jack Russell test: If he gets inside the dishwasher it’s probably dirty. If he doesn’t it is definitely clean. He was the one who spotted the cat meat-covered fork and a couple of dirty dishes mixed in with the clean. Of course, the mixing of the dirty with clean is [...]
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Margo and Steve (more about this crazy jazz improv trifle guy soon) in Brisbane know how to make a small amount of money go a long way with style. In some ways they are the ultimate lifehackers. I reckon this is the coolest drinks cooler I’ve ever seen. This double-skinned copper or laundry boiler does [...]
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The picture says it all. Hardbaked, burnt and just darn difficult to clean pans? Never be bogged down by washing-up kitchen mistakes again and save water. Simply make the terrier work for a living. The advantage of these small breeds is that they are exactly what they say they are: tenacious. Combine that with needle [...]
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My breakfast lifehack: Trouble spreading hard butter from the fridge? A cheese slice produces thin sheets that can be easily spread. Banal but effective.
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Three years ago I went on a boozy winery tour with a busload of artist mates. Somehow along the way I managed not only to buy two small olive trees, but also two magnificent French oak wine barrels to plant…
There’s a rumour that Melbourne hospitals lay on extra staff in the Emergency Department at this time of year. Yes, it's tomato season and given our vast migrant population, there will invariably be a few home-bottling and canning disasters. Every Italian…
Making yoghurt at home is really simple and doesn't take much science. Here we make two different styles of yoghurt using both cows' and goats' milk.
It took four hours of a Saturday afternoon to construct this gigantic pie.
The recipes available are all pretty similar, three different types of pork with herbs and spices surrounded by jelly and encased in a hot water pastry. This one…
There's a lot of meat and fat in a pork pie including the hot crust pastry which is made with lard and butter.
I bought a whole tub of dripping, which is basically like lard (pig fat) but from beef, as…
Five days later and the bacon is cured. Salty and sweet, with a hint of juniper and sage, it was worth it.
Nothing is ever easy for me. Frustrated by the poor quality of filling and pastry in local pork…
Recent journalismWe don't see much innovation in cookbooks nowadays but The Family Meal: Home Cooking with Ferran Adria is as you'd expect from one of the world's most innovative chefs.
What most…
Consult a financial adviser before drinking from a Riedel.
Dishwasher tablets erode your glasses and crockery. Use liquid instead.
Decant heavier reds at least 8 hours before drinking.
If you want to drink…
Three years ago I went on a boozy winery tour with a busload of artist mates. Somehow along the way I managed not only to buy two small olive trees,…
There’s a rumour that Melbourne hospitals lay on extra staff in the Emergency Department at this time of year. Yes, it's tomato season and given our vast migrant population, there…
Making yoghurt at home is really simple and doesn't take much science. Here we make two different styles of yoghurt using both cows' and goats' milk.
One of the most exciting chefs to be in town for the Sydney International Food Festival was the witty and erudite David Thompson. If you aren't familiar with Thompson, the…
I recently had a non-brush with death while eating what turned out not to be my last meal.
It made me think of all the meals I'd wasted. A bad…
Neil Perry (left), Thomas Keller and Heston Blumenthal (bald). Courtesy of the Melbourne Wine and Food Festival.
On the SBS Food site you can see my story on meeting Thomas Keller…
Typical. Just as the world peaked Paul Levi, the man who had no small part in bringing us the slightly dubious word “Foodie”, launches the Gastrosexual, a man with more…
With thanks to the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.
It's 3.50 on a Friday afternoon. I've just finished a great meal cooked by Scott Pickett at The Point in Albert Park…
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