CHOW Tips

Anita Lo, chef/co-owner of Bar Q and Annisa, demonstrates how spreading seasoning from above gets you a more even distribution than seasoning close to your target.

Cheese Store of Beverly Hills owner Norbert Wabnig says dried-out cheese doesn't have to go to waste. He also has a suggestion for how to avoid throwing out moldy cheese.

You spent good money on that steak; make sure you get the most out of it.

Laurence Edelman, chef at the Upper West Side's Mermaid Inn, has spent his fair share of time at the fish market.

Samuel Merritt of Civilization of Beer cools down beer at three different speeds in this tip: fast, faster, and fastest.

Norbert Wabnig, owner of the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, makes the case for skipping the grocery store and shopping at a place dedicated to cheese.

The owner of the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills describes a variety of knives.

Author Amelia Saltsman wants market-goers to understand why information is posted by the vendors.

Chowhound fayehess, also known as Faye Delicious of Blip.tv, avoids a mess by placing the spoon over top of her pot.

Laura Werlin, author of Laura Werlin's Cheese Essentials and noted cheese expert, shares a basic tip of wine and cheese pairing: Don't pair a big red wine (like a Cabernet) with a delicate cheese (like a Brie). Save the bigger wines for sharper or more pungent cheeses.

Salon editor and writer Andrew Leonard has been barbecuing oysters for years at his annual backyard party. He shares his approach here.

Gillian Ballance, wine director of FARM at the Carneros Inn, thinks safe choices when ordering wine are New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs and Argentinean Malbecs.

Some wines come with a thick wax seal on the top. To open them, says Gillian Ballance, wine director of FARM at the Carneros Inn, push your corkscrew through as though the seal wasn't even there.

CHOW Associate Food Editor Kate Ramos has seen bad things happen to roasted root vegetables. The problem: The veggies are unevenly cut. It's not a matter of the type of root, it's just a matter of cutting the vegetables into equal chunks.

Sweetbreads are the thymus (commonly mistaken as thyroid, even by professional chefs) or pancreas gland of a lamb, calf, or piglet. Their function in a live animal: helping with the immune system and digestion. Their function on a plate: deliciousness. Christophe Gerard, chef de cuisine of FARM at the Carneros Inn, blanches them in milk, then drains them and pan-fries them in butter. You don't need flour to get them nice and crisp.