The Larder
Recipes, favorite ingredients, tools, books and things worth sharing.
The Larder holds the small pieces of kitchen knowledge I have accumulated over a lifetime of cooking: tools that actually earn their drawer space, pantry ingredients that rescue dinner, condiments used as ingredients, and practical culinary advice that experienced cooks often stop realizing they know.
Things worth having. Things worth knowing. Things worth sharing.
The Pantry
A collection of Chef Tom's favorite ingredients.
Bookshelf
A collection of Chef Tom's favorite books.
Tool Box
A collection of Chef Tom's favorite kitchen tools.
Recipe Box
A collection of Chef Tom's favorite recipes.
Things Worth Sharing
The latest things.
Chef Tom's Pantry
Chef Tom's Bookshelf
Re-Reading
The Omnivore’s Dilemma
By Michael Pollan
It will change the way you look at your next meal. You don’t have to agree with everything in the book to come away thinking more deeply about where you food comes from and what can be different.
Currently Reading
The Cooking Gene
By Michael W. Twitty
It gives you a deeper appreciation for the roots of so much of the food we enjoy today – and a greater respect for the people and cultures who made it possible.
Chef Tom's Kitchen Tools
A Really Good Chef's Knife
Not necessarily the most expensive knife in the store. The knife that fits your hand, holds a decent edge and that you actually enjoy using. A sharp knife is easier and safer to use than a dull one. Learn how to maintain it, and don't throw it into a drawer with fifteen other pieces of metal banging against it.
I'd rather have one knife I love than a block containing twelve knives I never use.
A Big Cutting Board
Give yourself some room. One of the easiest ways to make cooking frustrating is trying to prep dinner on a cutting board the size of a paperback book. I like enough space to work without the onion falling onto the floor every time I move the knife. For raw meat and poultry, use a board that can be thoroughly washed and sanitized.
An Instant-Read Thermometer
I cooked professionally for years before these became as convenient as they are today. Now I wouldn't be without one. Stop guessing whether the chicken is done. A good thermometer helps with meat, poultry, fish, bread, reheating leftovers - and saves you from cutting into something every five minutes to see what's happening inside.
A Pair of Good Kitchen Tongs
Your second set of hands. Turn a steak. Move vegetables. Toss pasta. Pull something from the oven. Grab a hot pan you shouldn't have grabbed in the first place. Actually, don't do that last one. Get a couple of sizes. You'll use them constantly.
A Bench Scraper
Here's my slightly-less-obvious choice. Chop onions and use the scraper to move them into the pan. Portion dough. Clean flour from the counter. Scoop chopped herbs. Scrape up the mess after dinner. Simple, inexpensive, nearly indestructible.
ONE LAST THING...
Before you buy another kitchen gadget, ask yourself one question: Will I still be using this ten years from now?
Bouillabaisse
Catfish Fingers
Cioppino
Crabcakes with Chipotle Mayo
Deep-Fried Oysters with Jalapeño Tartar Sauce
MeMa’s Bread Pudding
MeMa’s Chow Chow
New Orleans Barbecued Shrimp
Northwest Shellfish Bouillabaisse
Oysters Rockefeller
Seafood Gumbo
Shrimp or Crab Bisque
Turtle Soup
A - B
Bouillabaisse
C - D
Crabcakes with Chipotle Mayo
Cioppino
Deep-Fried Oysters with Jalapeño Tartar Sauce
Catfish Fingers
M - N
Northwest Shellfish Bouillabaisse
MeMa’s Chow Chow
New Orleans Barbecued Shrimp
MeMa’s Bread Pudding
O
Oysters Rockefeller
S - T
Seafood Gumbo
Turtle Soup
Shrimp or Crab Bisque
Search for recipes by name, ingredient, or style.
Chef Tom's Things Worth Sharing
Salt as You Go
Don't wait until the food reaches the table to discover it needs seasoning. Season in stages and taste along the way. You're building flavor, not applying salt at the finish line.
Acid Is Often the Missing Ingredient
When something tastes dull, our instinct is often to add more salt. Stop first. Try a squeeze of lemon or a splash of vinegar. Acid doesn't necessarily make food taste sour. Used correctly, it makes everything else taste more like itself.
Heat the Pan Before the Food Goes In
Especially when you're trying to brown something. A cold piece of food dropped into a cold pan spends a lot of time releasing moisture before anything interesting happens. Color is flavor.
Stop Moving the Food
Put the mushroom down. Leave it alone. The same goes for a steak, scallop, piece of fish or vegetable you're trying to brown. We have an almost irresistible urge to poke food every seven seconds. Give heat time to do its job.
Save Some Pasta Water
Before draining pasta, steal a cup of the cooking water. That cloudy, starchy water can loosen a sauce and help it cling to the pasta rather than pooling sadly underneath it.
Taste Before Serving
Obvious? Apparently not. Taste the finished dish before you put it in front of somebody. Salt? Acid? Texture? Temperature? Thirty seconds can rescue an hour's work.