The first official matcha pouring yesterday at the Remodelista event was a blast. So gratifying to see so many instant converts! I finally got around to making a quick video on how I make matcha. Since it’s so portable, I thought it would be fun to shoot it outside, on the hiking trail. A huge [...]

And, finally, the last video shot in the breakaway kitchen by the great Henry Hopkins. I think most domestic cooks underplay the role of sweetness in making great food. There is nothing worse than tasting something excessively sweet when you’re not expecting it, but a lot of food can be improved by adding minute quantities [...]

. And we continue with our ghetto breakaway cooking video series with a quick run-through of my favorite fats: a few grades of olive oil, walnut oil, sesame oil, duck fat, butter, and ghee. I also demonstrate my simple method of making ghee. Enjoy! Are there any fats not included that you can’t live without?

We started out this video making three pickles: pickled ginger, pickled fennel, and pickled daikon. But some technical difficulties meant a reshoot, leaving only enough time for the pickled fennel! It would be insanely great to have a ready-to-shoot kitchen. Push record, do it, push stop, push publish! That is sort of the Gary Vaynerchuk [...]

I’ve spent a good part of the last few weeks in the garden — major weeding sessions, fertilizing, planting, cleaning up. The oregano and thyme FINALLY made it into the ground, after two years in pots on the deck, and the difference is dramatic: they’re already spreading like mad, ecstatic to have some room to [...]

About a year ago I wrote a piece about keeping your knives really sharp. But there’s nothing like actually watching someone demonstrate something, so Henry and I did this next segment on knife sharpening and on good ways to handle and use sharp knives. I’d love to hear from people about favorite ways of sharpening, [...]

Here’s the visual version of this post on the wonders of cast iron pans. Jesus, why did I wait to get a haircut until AFTER this video? Well, at least I put a sweater on! As always, feedback please! .

Back with the next video. I’m sure you knew this was coming eventually, but this one’s on creative use of salts. At least I used a different shirt!  But seriously: I really value all the feedback you’ve given me, both in the comments below and in private. PLEASE keep it coming. Thanks! And: I’m open [...]

A little while ago it struck me that it might be useful to outline some key ways to achieve breakaway tastes. I’ve done this in previous books and have talked about breakaway cooking in countless blog posts, so I thought I might try to express some ideas in video, since so much of good cooking [...]

Here’s a clip from the new Vook. I’ll have a lot more video to upload in the coming months, so I’m hoping everyone likes this direction. Feedback is hugely appreciated! Btw, there’s nothing inherently Japanese about this dish, other than the cut of meat — sukiyaki cut, which is quite hard to find in mainstream [...]