 Some people maintain that Memorial Day officially marks the start of grilling season and Labor Day, the end. Those people, for the most part, are wrong. Some folks maintain the flame in snowdrifts up to their thighs. Others won't haul out the hibachi until late September because it'll finally be cool enough to cook outside without wilting like a hothouse gardenia. So what we're saying is, so long as our spatula isn't actively frozen or melted to our hands, and monsoon spray does not prevent us from lighting a charcoal chimney, we're going to be outdoors, putting flame to food. Why don't you just come along and join us? Catch up on the rest of our great cookout and picnic tips below, and if you run into a sticky grilling situation - we're here to help. Share your burning questions in the comments or Tweet us @eatocracy and we'll have your festivities back on track in no time. Some people maintain that Memorial Day officially marks the start of grilling season and Labor Day, the end. Those people, for the most part, are wrong. Some folks maintain the flame in snowdrifts up to their thighs. Others won't haul out the hibachi until late September because it'll finally be cool enough to cook outside without wilting like a hothouse gardenia. So what we're saying is, so long as our spatula isn't actively frozen or melted to our hands, and monsoon spray does not prevent us from lighting a charcoal chimney, we're going to be outdoors, putting flame to food. Why don't you just come along and join us? Catch up on the rest of our great cookout and picnic tips below, and if you run into a sticky grilling situation - we're here to help. Share your burning questions in the comments or Tweet us @eatocracy and we'll have your festivities back on track in no time.  A revolution has been brewing in the workplace among coffee drinkers unwilling to settle for the break room sludge. For some of them, pod machines and single-serve cups provide the illusion of a superior product. Others swear by the French press method, which has traditionally reigned supreme as the alternative to automatic coffee makers. Now, more hand-brewed coffees from devices like pour-overs and the Aeropress are popping up in home kitchens and cubicles alike. Even in the CNN.com break room, the buzz of a coffee grinder has become a regular morning fixture. But why the fuss?  Something is going to go amiss this Thanksgiving. A side dish will burn, you'll be short a chair for an unannounced guest, your aunt will question all of your life choices in front of an assembly of your loved ones; it could be one of a million little (or large) mishaps. The world will not screech to a to a gravy-spattering halt. We promise. Over the next few week, we'll help you prepare and gird your loins as best we can, with our own time-tested hosting tips and recipes, as well as plenty from chefs, hospitality experts, celebrities, hosts and home cooks we love. Our goal – sending you into Thanksgiving with a confident smile on your face, and seeing you emerge on the other side with your sanity intact.  Some people maintain that Labor Day officially marks the end of grilling season. Those people, for the most part, are wrong. Some folks maintain the flame in snowdrifts up to their thighs. Others are hauling out the hibachi for the first time this season because it's finally cool enough to cook outside without wilting like a hothouse gardenia. So what we're saying is, so long as our spatula isn't actively frozen or melted to our hands, and monsoon spray does not prevent us from lighting a charcoal chimney, we're going to be outdoors, putting flame to food. Why don't you just come along and join us? Catch up on the rest of our great cookout and picnic tips below, and if you run into a sticky grilling situation - we're here to help. Share your burning questions in the comments or Tweet us @eatocracy and we'll have your festivities back on track in no time.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy! Mixing up a refreshing batch of classic lemonade is as cinchy as opening a carton, stirring in some powder or thawing out some concentrate, right? Well, those may be decent options in a pinch, but no pre-packaged product comes close to the magical meld of freshly-juiced lemons, simple sugar syrup and water. It may take a little extra time and effort, but the result is a wickedly delicious elixir that will spoil you for all other citrus-flavored sugar waters for many summers to come. Once you master the basic method below, stir things up a bit by adding in your favorite fruits, liquors, and even a hint of wood smoke. Read on. Scorched meat, over-marinated steak and just plain old over-fussiness can wreck a perfectly good 4th of July cookout. Top chefs and experts are here to help solve your grilling woes so you can have more time to hang out with your friends and family. Catch up on the rest of our great cookout and picnic tips below, and if you run into a sticky grilling situation - we're here to help. Share your burning questions in the comments or Tweet us @eatocracy and we'll have your festivities back on track in no time. - Help! My neighbors stink at grilling!  5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe. If you're ever out to eat with the Eatocracy editors (and seriously, we wish all of you were), you'll probably notice we're not afraid to ask questions. We fancy ourselves pretty knowledgeable when it comes to food, but we certainly don't know everything. If you meet somebody who claims such - give them a gold star for us. In terms of wine, two of our favorite questions are: "What grape needs some loving?" and "which one tastes most like a barnyard?" ... OK, so we like our wine a little funky, but the point is this: Sommeliers like Joe Campanale are not only there to help you, they want to help you. Campanale is the co-owner and beverage director of dell'anima, L'Artusi and Anfora restaurants in New York City - he is also Certified Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers. Five Questions You Should Not Be Afraid to Ask Your Sommelier: Joe Campanale  If photos and posts throughout the food blogosphere are to be taken at face value, every single household in the Western hemisphere is chowing down on porn-perfect Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes (made of course with leftover homemade lemon curd you had languishing in the fridge #duh #winning), Meyer Lemon Pizza with Goat Cheese and Bacon and Quadruple Chocolate Pistachio Cupcakes on the regular. That's lovely for you. Can I come over? I'll even bring bourbon, 'cause I know even I won't screw that up.  Welcome to Help Desk - a brand new feature where Eatocracy editors and our coterie of experts will help readers with their culinary conundrums from fixing recipe mess-ups and subbing in missing ingredients to scoring impossible restaurant reservations and hosting memorable soirees. Let us know what you need in the comments below and we'll do our best to address it in a future post. Q: In the past when making soups I have more often than not opened a container the day after cooking to find a block of swollen, saturated noodles with not a drop of broth left. What's that all about? How do I avoid it? - Pete M., Chapel Hill, NC |
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