The Rub on Rubs

Dry barbeque rubs to be exact, and there may be no better authority on the seasoning of barbeque meat then Chef Moe Cason. Moe, wrote the new cookbook Big Moe's Big Book of Barbeque. He stopped by Tonia's Kitchen  to talk about some of the things that make his book unique, including his preference for rubs over sauce. Moe grew up in the midwest, which he counts as sauce country. Growing into his role as chef, he told Tonia he prefers the Texas style of barbeque, which is smokey, balanced and definitely rubbed! So what goes into a good rub? Moe says all kinds of seasoning, but the base is salt and pepper.

Tips on Grilling Steak from the Master

You can trust she knows her way around the grill. Chef Britt Rescigno, who is a runner up in The Food Network's Tournament of Champions, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about what she will grill (pretty much anything) and what she won't (almost nothing escapes her grill grates!). She told Tonia about the proper way to grill a steak, and that includes starting with the cut of meat at room temperature, and properly seasoned of course. Now, by properly seasoned, she says that most always begins with salt. But from there, it's up to you. Let your imagination run wild with different kinds of seasoning, be they Asian or even Mexican inspired. The most important point says Britt, make sure you have fun!

Rewarding Your Taste Buds...On Purpose

 

Chew on this for a second...what is flavor actually?  How does our brain process the very sensation of flavor, and how does it relate to the food we eat?  Today, Tonia's Kitchen tackles that very topic with author Michael Moss.  He's the write of a very thought provoking book called Salt Sugar Fat.  Tonia talked with Moss about one chapter in particular called That Gooey Sticky Mouthful. It was about a project undertaken by food giant Unilever, where, he says, that company's food scientists played with the combinations of salt, sugar and fat...in an effort to not just increase the taste, but transmit the proper signal to our brain that would make us feel happy and satisfied. This apparently in the hopes of getting us to associate their products with our pleasure.  If you think about it for a second, it might just change the way you eat!