Alex Guarnaschelli: Cooking Fish at Home is Easier Than You Think

I feel like fish is a never ending source of consternation for home cooking. And to me, it makes total sense. It’s expensive, it’s often hard to get, it’s hard to know what to buy, and yet it’s so delicious. Every chef has their own ideas about fish. I know that mine come from doing nothing but cutting and cooking fish for almost three years of my life in a great restaurant in Paris.

Alex Guarnaschelli: Everything You Need to Know About Cooking a Turkey

Each year I always seem to forget everything I did the previous Thanksgiving and have to learn it all again from scratch. I remember a lot of stuff my mom did, and still does, like covering the white meat of the turkey with butter-soaked cheesecloth for the first part of the cooking process and removing it later on to allow the skin to brown. The white meat stays moist that way.

Alex Guarnaschelli: How I Almost Turned Down Chopped — And Why I'm Glad I Didn't

I’ll always remember the afternoon I got a call from a colleague asking me if I would please become part of a pilot for a Food Network show calledChopped. He described the format as competition-based with lots of teaching and learning about varied baskets of ingredients from cultures all around the world. “Sounds great to me,” I responded politely, “but I am busy that day.” Why did I decline? I wonder, as I look back.

Alex Guarnaschelli: How to Host a Stress-Free Thanksgiving

I know you probably think a professional chef such as myself would be extremely skilled at table setting and preparing for a holiday get together. Truth? Not so much. I grew up in a house that always put food and cooking first. The problem? What about setting the table and being ready when friends or family showed up for dinner? My parents would always do that after the cooking was well under way.

Alex Guarnaschelli: My 3 Favorite Summer Tomato Recipes

I feel like there is some unspoken rule that as soon as the first warm days appear, people think it’s time to break out the tomatoes and basil. I think the best tomatoes come much later in the summer. Actually, it’s prime tomato season right now! In years past, I have even served a tomato salad at Butter as late as Halloween. I love cherry tomatoes the most — the little “sungold” varieties are my favorites.