What is the right internal temperature? Pink is perfectly okay. I'm old enough to remember when trichinosis was a concern and prudent cooks practically cremated pork just to be safe. Those days are LONG gone, but the stigma lingers. Click HERE for an official-looking chart.

Raw or Cooked, a Royal Treat. https://www.dannystable.com/post/re-consider-the-oyster

(Something you shouldn't buy) FUTONS are both inexpensive and portable. They were very popular back in the 1980's when Japanese minimalism was trendy. But for a proper night's sleep, we recommend shopping for a REAL mattress set like this-- This was cropped from an ad; many sets DO come with a metal frame. To begin your mattress shopping journey, HERE is a link from FORBES MAGAZINE that rates various types of mattresses and provides shopping links.

A winning harvest of used sweaters from eBay-- better AND cheaper than new. (Chapter 12-- Clothes Shopping)

You've set up your apartment nicely, and you've gotten comfortable cooking for yourself. Now you feel like showing off for one or more friends. Cooking for guests is quite different from cooking batches of food for yourself... especially if your goal is to impress. (Nothing wrong with that.) Here are some recipes that will make you look good. BRAISED LAMB SHANKS (from allrecipes.com) Okay, not everyone likes lamb. But if your guests do, there is perhaps no better dish to make

Animated graphs that explain consumer behavior. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UxA6JzoT-4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayx3uEwXJ7M

HOW TO USE A CHEF’S KNIFE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfX7vOqgJ9k There’s a right way to cut up your ingredients.

Old iron pans are better than new iron pans, but they need a little work before you use them. You can do this. Here's an article-- https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-season-cast-iron-pans-skillets-cookware And a video-- https://www.nytimes.com/video/smarter-living/wirecutter/100000010781818/how-to-season-cast-iron-pans.html

And other Techniques for Making FABULOUS Chicken. HERB-ROASTED SPATCHCOCKED CHICKEN by Jenny Goyochea on somuchfood.com "Spatchcocking" means removing the backbone and spreading the chicken flat and skin-side-up. It cooks much better this way. HOW TO SPATCHCOCK A CHICKEN https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pod4x5NJoYI DRUMSTICKS Dollar-for-dollar, drumsticks are the most cost-effective way to enjoy chicken. Here are some recipes: HONEY-GARLIC DRUMSTICKS https://www.youtube.com/wa

(And How To Open Wine) Yes, you CAN use ONE type of wine glass for every wine. But what about all those different glass shapes? Can you use, say, "Bordeaux Glasses" for a Pinot Noir, or "White Wine Glasses" for a sparkling wine? I've come to believe that such specificity is mostly marketing B.S. Fortunately we are presently amidst a current fad of "all-purpose" wine glasses that are considered suitable for ALL wines-- red, white, rose', and sparkling. So off I went in search

Subscribe to These for Honest Reviews & Accurate Information. COOK'S ILLUSTRATED No-Nonsense Scientific Cookery. Click HERE to Subscribe. CONSUMER REPORTS Unbiased reviews on just about everything you'll ever need to buy. Click HERE to Subscribe. More useful links for foodies: SERIOUS EATS https://www.seriouseats.com/ SPRUCE EATS https://www.thespruceeats.com/ EPICURIOUS https://www.epicurious.com/

Hand Tools Every Cook Needs. The "UTENSIL CROCK" is a fashionable kitchen accessory unto itself, often sold as a complete set and priced like you're lousy at math. We recommend that you assemble your own a piece at a time from your favorites. Anything heavy enough to not tip over works for a container. Here are some items for YOUR personal countertop crock (and drawers, and cabinets.) Box Grater (L.) and the original MICROPLANE Zester (R.) https://microplane.com/ ZYLISS Salad

As promised in chapter 13, here is the epic video clip of the MONA LISA VITO courtroom scene from "My Cousin Vinnie"-- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nGQLQF1b6I

This $60 tool set from LOWE'S includes many of the tools we recommend below as well as a few things you probably won't use. Click HERE to purchase. Yeah, you’re going to need a tool box… not just for assembling your IKEA purchases, but for other assembly jobs, minor repairs, and things like picture-hanging. Not all of the foregoing will fit in an actual tool box, but you’ll need them anyway. The Big Box Hardware Stores all carry a wide variety of tools. Garage Sales are great

The ROLLING STONES, 1974 From the 1974 "IT'S ONLY ROCK AND ROLL" album, this song features some of Mick Taylor's finest guitar work and is regarded by many as one of the most underrated Stones masterpieces. Since I quoted from this song at the beginning of the Personal Wellness chapter, I felt obliged to include a video clip. The Lineup, 1969-1974 C. Watts, M. Taylor, M. Jagger, K. Richards, B. Wyman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC0Qt1lvLq8 Yes, star crossed in pleasure th

Because the Best Knife is a SHARP Knife. German or Japanese? Whichever one is sharper. Manual (non-electric) knife sharpeners exist, but they are notoriously dangerous. Here is our favorite electric model. You can spend WAY more on fancier models, but this one will do the job just fine. CHEF'S CHOICE Model 15XV 3-Stage Professional Electric Knife Sharpener https://www.amazon.com/ChefsChoice-EdgeSelect-Professional-Sharpener-Sharpening/dp/B0018RSEMU?th=1 For $140 this will ke

A Stainless Steel Set from ALL-CLAD All-Clad https://www.all-clad.com/ Heritage Steel https://www.heritagesteel.us/ 360cookware https://www.360cookware.com/ Made In https://madeincookware.com/ Vollrath https://www.vollrathfoodservice.com/ Viking https://www.vikingculinaryproducts.com/ Hestan https://hestanculinary.com/

(At least for our purposes here.) LG 6 cubic ft. Upright Freezer; Product # LROFC0605V Selling for $399 at most of the major Big Box stores. Click HERE to purchase. As suggested in chapter 2, you'll need adequate freezer space for all the great food you'll be cooking ahead of time. If your apartment lacks sufficient freezer space, you need to buy one... a freezer large enough to hold a few dozen portions of food, but small enough to fit in your apartment kitchen. I did some

(Or is it LASAGNE?) The NEW YORK TIMES version of LASAGNA Either way you spell it, LASAGNA is among the most popular Italian dishes. And unlike Pasta Carbonara, Spaghetti, and Pizza, LASAGNA is perfect for making ahead of time, cutting into individual portions, and freezing for later use. Here are two classic LASAGNA recipes: Marcella Hazan’s Classic Lasagna https://www.ahomechef.com/new-blog/2020/4/30/homemade-lasagna-a-la-marcella-hazan The NEW YORK TIMES Modern Lasagna...

Managing the variables-- --Line Caught (good) vs. Net Caught (bad). NOTE: ALL tuna is wild-caught. --The "BIG FIVE" Tuna Species: Albacore, Bigeye, Skipjack, Yellowfin, Bluefin --Water-Packed vs. Oil-Packed. Some oils are better than others. RANKINGS: https://www.thetakeout.com/1634425/canned-tuna-brands-ranked/ https://www.seriouseats.com/canned-tuna-taste-test-8715392 https://www.chowhound.com/1582203/canned-tuna-brands-ranked-worst-best/