The Art and Science of S’mores

From: http://www.visualnews.com/

Does anyone know where the idea for the s’more came from? How about how it got its name? Did you know that there is an official 3-step process to making them? And where DID all those parts come from, anyway? I bet you want to know. I did. Yes, It’s all here, the classic ingredients, the history, the tips on mallow roasting and fire managing, and even–yes–an explanation of the Russian Matryoshka Mallow doll technique. You too, can be a master of the mallow and czar of sweet, sticky, melty campfire crackers. REI shares its tips and tricks of this delectable, historic treat.

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Chef creates Star Wars replica treats for diners at his sushi restaurant

From: http://www.metro.co.uk/

Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker are among the famous faces to be sculpted from everything from carrots to sweet potato – complete with a side serving of the phantom lettuce - by a top sushi chef.

Green machine: A tasty Stormtrooper looks less menacing sat on a carrot Speeder Bike

The likes of Yoda, R2D2 and Han Solo are held together with bamboo skewers and toothpicks and feature light sabers and other weapons.

They are the brainchild of Japanese sushi chef Okitsugu Kado who spends more than ten hours carving the vegetables before painstakingly piecing them together.

Star Wars favourite Yoda

‘In most cases I place vegetable sculptures on a dish for customers with their food, although with some of the bigger ones occasionally I will only put on display,’ said Mr Kado, from Osaka.

‘I’m a huge Star Wars fan and a member of a Japanese fan group called Jedi Order.

Ahsoka Tano, from The Clone Wars

Hero Han Solo

‘For my carvings I use everything from carrots, white radish, sweet potato, Kyo-potato, radish, even pumpkin and more.

‘I’ve been carving vegetables for almost 15 years and have made more than 40 sculptures. Before that I trained in ice carving.’

Star fry veg: R2D2 and an Ewok (Pictures: Caters)

Despite his carvings taking a number of hours, he admits to getting lost in a galaxy far, far away with time passing without him even realising.

‘Sometimes I need over ten hours to finish just one sculpture but it doesn’t matter to me because during carving I forget the time,’ said the 39-year-old, who works at sushi bistro Minayoshi.

‘I just want to see people smile – that is why I carve.’

Five Tips for Effective Food Photography

By Kholood Eid
From http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/

Kholood Eid

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As beautiful as food can be, it's not always that easy to photograph--especially if there's no food stylist on call or elaborate studio space to occupy. Here at Chow Bella, we've compiled a list of tips to keep in mind when out shooting, regardless of how attractive the dish or how sophisticated the equipment on hand may be.

Kholood Eid

​5. Focus on the Details

A lot of chefs treat each dish like a presentation, so handle it with care. Really take a look at the food before hitting the shutter button on the camera. Consider the composition. Does the entire plate need to be in the shot? Do you need to get in tighter, cropping out some of the food in order to get the nitty gritty details? Does the garnish need to be included? It's a call that you can only make after seeing what's in front of you. But we'd suggest taking a variety of shots, just in case. And from different angles. When focusing, we suggest shooting with a wider aperture if your camera has the option to adjust those settings (maybe an f-stop of 2.8). That allows for a shallow depth of field, which will better control where the viewers' eyes go in the photograph.

Kholood Eid

​4. Know When to Use Props--And When Not To

Some folks may be tempted to pair silverware with every dish photographed, but try to fight that urge. Props can be lovely when incorporated in the right manner. And forks, spoons and knives aren't the only items available to use. What's the scene of the restaurant like? Implementing that into the photo can be a nice change of pace from the usual super tight shot, but don't get too hung up on trying to always squeeze the environment in. For food photography, less is usually more. The tighter the better, but every now and then, if the opportunity presents itself, zoom out (if you do decide to incorporate a background, make sure the image isn't overly chaotic and confusing.).

3. Sometimes, You Just Have to MacGyver It

We understand that not everyone is toting around thousands of dollars worth of equipment--and even those who are may still be lacking in some pretty basic tools to make the job easier. That's why it pays to be resourceful and inventive. Don't have a diffuser to filter light? Buy a white sheet or use white napkins. No lightstand to balance a reflector? Use a chair at the restaurant. No tripod? Position the camera on a table, maybe with a stack of camera manuels or menus under it to vary the height. Just remember to always have rubber bands, duct tape and a cool head on your shoulders.

Kholood Eid

​2. Behold the Wonders of Natural Light!

You cannot underestimate the beauty of natural light. Don't get us wrong, being able to control the exact amount of power released from strobes in a studio run under your orders is a fantastic thing. But not all of us have that luxury, or some of us are being sent to the restaurants to photograph the dishes. Kindly request that the dish be brought to you at a table close to a window while you set up. And by "set up," I mean you're pulling out a reflector and a tripod--if you've got it.

Say you've got a plate of pita chips and hummus to photograph and you place it with the window to its left. Light travels in straight lines that don't curve at your will--unless you make them. Chances are you'll need a fill light for the right side of the dish so the shadows aren't too heavy and the other side of the food still has enough light. This is where a reflector is perfect, or even a white napkin. Either will help bounce light back into the scene. Reflectors range in price and can cost anywhere from $12 to pushing $100. There's no need to spend more than $12-$20, because it's a simple enough device that can be created on your own (remember that whole resourceful thing?).

Do not use a flash. Please, just don't do it. It will look overbearing and can either wash out the dish or create heavy, distracting shadows. If you do still find yourself really wanting to use a flash, put a gel over it so that it matches the color temperature of the room and put a diffuser over that so the light isn't too powerful. And it would probably be best to have the flash off-camera (still tempted to use flash over natural light??).

We'd ditch the flash for a reflector and a tripod. The tripod is great to have because, even with the natural light and restaurant lights, the room may still be too dim for a handheld shot. If you're using an iPhone camera, steady hands will go a long way here. Or check out tripods made for iPhones, if you really want to pimp out your camera phone gear.

Kholood Eid

​1. Technical Proficiency Is a Must

As basic as this sounds, well, you need to know the basics. Otherwise, it gets difficult to produce quality work. Proper exposure, focus, composition, white balance--these are essential points to understand. If your shot is underexposed, there's only so much you can do in post-production work (i.e. software like Photoshop) to adjust that. But there's not a whole lot that can be done to fix a badly composed or blurry shot after it's been taken. So, as our photo instructors in college would ask, Why not just get it right the first time around? Make sure the food is well lit and that the camera settings are adjusted to read the light properly, and go from there. Is it in focus? Try to use that shallow depth of field as mentioned in previous tips.

And don't forget color balance.

A filet mignon will not look all that appetizing if the photo is murky and green. Proper color balance of a photo is essential in food photography. Avoid having that color cast over the image by setting your camera to automatic white balance before shooting, or manually adjust it depending on the color temperature of the light (tungsten, which often casts orange tones, will have a different color temperature than shooting under florescent, which can give photos a green-like-The-Matrix look if you're not careful). If you find yourself with a photo that you've taken that does have a strange off-color look to it, it's an easy fix in Photoshop and/or other software. It can be fixed by adjusting the balance of colors (for example, adding magenta will help to take away green from an overly-green image). Check with the program you're using for more details on how to do go about the different methods of color correction.

And although we've already touched on composition in preview tips, we have something to add: For the love of God, don't tilt the camera for that stupid diagonal horizon effect. It rarely (if ever) adds anything to the photograph.

Twinkie Cars, Sausage Men, and Hoagie Blimps: Kitchen (Football Snack) Stadium

By Drew Tewksbury
From: http://blogs.laweekly.com/

The Big Game appoacheth. With Super Bowl XLIV right around the corner, millions of Americans will break out potato chips, Chex mex, Hot Dogs, and hamburgers and, of course, build a giant junk food football stadium. Okay, this may not be standard operating procedure for most gridiron fanatics gathered around the warm glow of the television, but for a second year, the folks of Break.com have set out to construct the best (and only?) snack stadium in the universe. Yesterday at Busby's East, the creative team of Break built a pool table sized arena that dwarfed last year's Twinkie, Slim Jim and guacamole stadium. Deftly wielding frosting, Cracker Jacks, doughnuts (and holes), deli meat, sweaty cheese, and some broccoli--to make mom happy--the stadium was an ode to beer bellies and lap bands across America.

This is Why You're Fat, eat your heart out. Break and their friends Holy Taco will release two behind-the-scenes videos of the snacktastrophe construction on Feb. 3rd and 5th. But before then, Squid Ink has exclusive photos of the ultimate snack stadium and a calorie breakdown after the jump. A picture is worth a thousand calories. Make that 110,428 calories.

Nicholas Gray

Kitchen stadium

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Nicholas Gray

Behold the power of a fully operational Snack Stadium

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Nicholas Gray

Rome wasn't built in a day

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Nicholas Gray

Who doesn't love sweaty cheese and warm deli meat?

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Nicholas Gray

Looking good, crowd! Loo-king gooooood!

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Nicholas Gray

marshmallow wheels

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Nicholas Gray

And the crowd goes wild!

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Nicholas Gray

It's the carrots vs. the Vienna sausages for the game of the century!

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Nicholas Gray

Birds eye view from the Hoagie Blimp (not pictured)

Get your lap bands ready, here's the calorie break down:

C per serving Quantity Total C per Item

STADIUM/STANDS:

Twizzlers 1/100c 1200c/bag 1200c

Good n Plenty 1/4c 1 bag 585<

Sno-Caps 1/4cup=180c 1 bag 360

Hershey Bars 1pc/40c 600/block 600

Red Hots 1/3c 720/box 720

Mike and Ike 1/6c 560/box 560

Hot Tamales 20p/150c 400/box 400

Hershey Kisses 12pcs/355c 12 pcs 355

Pink Sugar Wafers 1/22c 550/bag 550

Wht Sugar Wafers 1/45c 1080/bag 1080

Crème Filled Cookies 1/55c 990/bag 990

Vanilla Wafers 1/14c 1200/box 1200

Choc Chip cookies 1/38c 2100/box 2100

PNut Granola Bars 1/170 ½ box 680

Graham Crackers 1/19c 2 boxes 3600

Slim Jims 1/80c 4 pcs 320

Baby Carrots 210c/bag 210/bag 420

5 Layer Dip 735c/pack 735c/pack 735

String Cheese 1/60c 720/pack 720

Taquitos 1/74c 4 296

Cheez Its 1/4c ½ box 650

Triscuts 1/20c 1200/box 2400

Pringles 1/9c 900/tube 2700

Dry Peanuts 10z/160c 1120/can 2240

Honey Peanuts 38pcs/150c 1050/can 2100

Sun Chips 1/8c 1540/bag 3080

Popcorn 800c/bag 800c/bag 1600

Doritos 450c/bag 450/bag 900

Carmel Corn 3/4cup=120c 900/bag 1800

Tortilla Chips 1/17c 1120/bag 1120

Cheese Popcorn 750c/bag 750/bag 750

Wheat Crackers 1040c/box 1040c/box 2080

Peanuts w/Shell 1oz/180c 1260/bag 1260

Pretzels 1/3c 1320c/bag 1320

Sunflower Seeds 475c/bag ½ bag 238

Fritos 1oz/160 1440c/bag 1440

Chex Mix 1800c/bag 1800c/bag 5400

Waffle Pretzels 1/10c 1320c/bag 2640

Chicharones 640c/bag 640c/bag 1280

Mixed Nuts 1 oz/170c 5440c/jar 5440

Blue Chips 1/9c 2240c/bag 4480

Goldfish 840c/bag 840c/bag 1680

Wheat Sticks 1/6c 990c/bag 990

MissionTortillaChips 1/14c 3080c/box 3080

Salami 1 lb 1lb 1380

Ham 1 lb 1 lb 483

Cheddar Cheese 1 lb 1 lb 1828

Swiss Cheese 1 lb 1 lb 1714

=73,544

PARKING LOT:

Ho Hos 1/120c 2 boxes 2400

Twinkies 1/150 2 boxes 3000

Choc Doughnuts 1/290c 2320/box 2320

Glazed Doughnuts 1/250c 2000/box 2000

Small Doughnuts 1/53c 1890/bag 1890

Cream cheese 770c 770c/jar 770

Graham Crackers 1/19c 1800c/box 3600

Vanilla Frosting 1400/can 3 cans 4200

Hot Dogs 1/45c 3 packs 1350

Hot Dog Buns 1/130c 4 packs 4160

Sliders 1/155 20 1550

=28,020

FIELD:

Vanilla Frosting 1400/can 5 cans 7000

Vienna Sausages 1/23c 175/can 407

Black Olives 4/25c 275/can 300

Green Olives 4.75/1 12 57

Baby Carrots 210c/bag 210/bag 420

Pretzel Stubs 1/7.5 4 30

Dots 11p/130c 650/box 650

=8,864

TOTAL: 110,428

The Most Elaborate Gingerbread Houses in the U.S.

By Ariel Schwartz
From: http://blogs.sfweekly.com/foodie/

Gingerbread houses are good for two things: eating and ogling. And while it's fun to get a sugar rush from sloppy homemade concoctions, some gingerbread houses are just too beautiful ― or too weird ― to eat. Allow us to present some of the most ogle-worthy gingerbread houses out there. Try not to eat through your computer monitor.

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8. Earthship Lollipop

This ultra-green gingerbread house, designed by Khai Foo and Elise Young, has rammed-icing walls, a gum-paste roof membrane, sugar solar panels, and edible windmills. According to its designers, the Earthship Lollipop is the first LEAD (Leadership in Edible Architectural Design) gingerbread house. And this tongue-in-cheek example of green architecture can be yours ― if you're willing to pay more than the current highest bid of $50.99

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7. SantaBucks
Cheesy? Yes, but it's hard to begrudge Maryanne Garcia for her Christmas-themed take on Starbucks. The design won first place in the "Authentic Reproduction of a Significant Building" category at Peddlers Village's annual gingerbread house competition.



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6. Gingerbread White House
This 56- by 29-inch monster of a gingerbread house, constructed by White House pastry chef Bill Yosse, contains 140 pounds of gingerbread coated with 250 pounds of white chocolate. Enough said.


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5. Life-Size Gingerbread House
The Ritz Carlton in Greensboro, Ga., might win the prize for biggest gingerbread house, with a mammoth model that measures 9 feet tall and 14 feet wide. Some fun facts about the house: it contains 720 eggs, 346 pounds of sugar, 26 pounds of gingerbread spice, 800 pounds of gumdrops, and 400 pounds of icing.

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4. Christmas Island
Why build a gingerbread house when you can build a whole village --or in this case a whole island. This design, which was an entrant in the 2009 Grove Park Inn National Gingerbread Competition, is painstakingly detailed ― from the inside of each of the homes to the inhabitants of the island.


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3. The Biltmore
Another entrant in the National Gingerbread Competition, this gingerbread mansion is a reproduction of Asheville, North Carolina's Biltmore House. We still prefer to think of it as Hogwarts in miniature.

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2. Gingerbread Castle
Arizona may not have snow, but it does, apparently, have lots of gingerbread. This castle, created by the pastry team at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa, took 400 hours to make and used 500 pounds of gingerbread dough.

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1. The Disney Version
What is it with hotels and gingerbread houses? This life-size gingerbread house at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort is so big that it has an actual bake shop operating inside. The whole thing took 400 hours to bake and 160 hours to decorate ― presumably, by a very large team of Disney elves.

Japanese Chef Rolls Out an Obama Sushi Platter

Anything is possible, even with dull old sushi. At least that seems to be the mindset of Japanese sushi chef Ken Kawasumi, who has created an Obama dish consisting of Obama sushi rolls, the American flag tuna pieces and an eggy ‘V’ (for victory) slogan.

The flag, adorned with the words ‘Yes You Can’, forms the center of the sushi platter. Obama rolls flank a ‘V’ sign at the top and the word ‘USA’ lines the bottom of the flag.

The rest of the platter, consisting of various sushi assortments like ’smiley’ rolls and car rolls, form an attention-grabbing border around this main piece.

As for the individual pieces themselves, chef Kawasumi used various ingredients creatively in order to attain the best effect.

Thus, in the Obama rolls, the skin is made of shrimp and the hair bits are made of black sesame. As for the teeth, nothing beats good old fish paste!

The flag was the painstaking effort of lining tuna bits with squid and the car pieces consist, in part, of cucumber and mountain burdock.

The USA lettering was thanks to generous helping of cooked egg blended with rice.

This is not the first time that Kawasumi has been in the news for this sushi-making skills. In fact, he has been dazzling the crowds with decorative sushi platters for a while now.

For instance, his latest piece, created last year, was a sushi version of Vincent van Gogh’s popular Sunflowers portrait.

He is also famous for his cookbooks like Fun and Fancy Sushi which elaborate on the art of decorative sushi.

His extensive knowledge and skill is hardly surprising since Ken Kawasumi is also the principal of the well-known Tokyo Sushi Academy.

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The Best Wedding Cake.. EVER

Apple Globe

Cute hamburger cupcakes!

I love how these cute little hamburger cupcakes came out! Doesn't it make you want summer to come? They look like little sliders :)

Cupcakes are so wonderful and versatile, aren't they? These are vanilla cuppies with a chocolate cuppie in between, green coconut for the lettuce and frosting for the mustard and ketchup! I used a bit of fresh orange juice to brush the tops so the sesame seeds would stick!

These pictures are entirely made of food!!!

I found these fascinating and I had a lot of fun trying to figure out all the different kinds of food that the artist used.

Check out the cloud in the picture below. Can you see the face looking at you?