The Real Heart of Thanksgiving

Every November, celery performs countless tasks: It perfumes the holiday turkey, lending moisture from the inside out; it’s the backbone of the stock in gravy; it adds bite and vegetal flavor to stuffing. But rarely does this tireless Thanksgiving staple get any thanks. “It’s hard to make it the center of the spectacle, but on…

Linens for the Holiday Table

All cooking (but especially holiday entertaining) calls for well-made kitchen towels and napkins. These generous linen oblongs, 25 by 18 inches, in bright colors like turmeric and crimson, can be on duty at the sink or the stove. Use them to wrap warm rolls in a basket or as generous napkins for guests, especially at…

Meet the Bookmobile’s Cousin

The Brooklyn Public Library runs a wealth of programs, among them the Cookmobile, which offers free cooking classes for high schoolers, particularly in neighborhoods where fresh ingredients are in short supply. A compact 5-by-3-by-2-foot unit funded by the Bklyn Incubator, the Cookmobile is fitted with a sink, induction cooktop, convection oven and enough cooking utensils…

Korean Sweets Ready to Eat

This week, the city of Seoul, South Korea, is sponsoring a sampling of Korean confections prepared by five of that city’s pastry chefs. Called Sweet Seoul, it was held in Paris at the Galeries Lafayette department store last weekend and moves to New York this week for an exhibit and tasting, open to the public…

A Chocolatier Bakes a Cookie

For the first time, L.A. Burdick Chocolates is using chunks of its dark chocolate to make excellent chocolate-chip walnut cookies created by its chef, Michael Klug. With a slight crunch and plenty of gooey bits, the cookies are baked fresh daily at each of the company’s stores and can also be ordered for shipping. The…

Only One Choice at This Restaurant

Back in 2001 in Portland, Ore., when Tali Ovadia quit the world of software start-ups for food, she could afford only a pushcart for her business, the Whole Bowl. “There was room to do only one thing, but it was successful so I’ve kept at it,” she said. She now has 11 storefronts and food…

An Art Show for Food Lovers

Artists have illustrated food and drink throughout the ages. An exhibition, “What’s for Dinner? A Brief History of Food in Art,” surveys 20th-century interpretations by more than 30 artists. It includes works by Édouard Vuillard, Georges Braque, Kazimir Malevich, Arman, Robert Indiana, Louise Nevelson and Anh Duong. “What’s for Dinner? A Brief History of Food…

Chinese Roast Duck, but Make It Turkey

The three days leading up to Thanksgiving are manic at Kau Kau BBQ Market & Restaurant, a mainstay in Seattle’s Chinatown that specializes in Chinese barbecue. At least two extra cooks are brought on to help clean, brine, dry, baste and roast holiday turkeys 24 hours a day in the kitchen’s already packed ovens: crisp-skinned,…