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I have two issues with slow cookers, and both are deal breakers. First, I resent the fact that if I want my meat browned — and therefore flavourful — I must sear it in another pan before adding it to the slow cooker.

Whenever Esi Impraim's mother made jollof — a rich, tomato-laced dish of meats, rice and sometimes seafood — the time it took to bubble away on the stove was always excruciating.

MONTREAL - Daniel Boulud gives a categoric yes when asked if there's an identifiable Canadian cuisine. He should know. After all, he's been described as one of the finest chefs in North America.

Pressure cookers never really did much for me. They seemed fussy — and scary! All those stories about explosions... Then I used one to make a risotto, a dish that by definition is tedious to make. I was blown away.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Most folks know Memphis for its barbecue and Philly for its cheesesteaks, but how about Nashville and its hot chicken? If you're not sure, you've never tried this fried chicken so fiery it will leave your mouth in shock.

The first time I ate raw asparagus was during the '80s at an Italian restaurant in New York.

LONDON, Ont. - There may be no signature ingredient more identified with Canadian cuisine than maple syrup, and with good reason. sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ produces about 85 per cent of the world's maple syrup.

FIVE POINTS, Calif. - Amid the vast almond orchards and grape fields that surround Five Points in California's Central Valley, a once-dominant crop that has nearly disappeared from the state's farms is making a comeback: sugar beets.

What I wanted? A simple recipe — any recipe, any trick, any technique — that would entice my 8-year-old son to embrace broccoli.

Who says the traditional Easter ham has to be traditional? We understand that there is good reason for many traditions, particularly when it comes to food. After all, many food traditions earned their place because they are simply delicious.