Teflon doesn’t have any enviro-allies these days, since news broke about the nonstick material’s potential health risks. Why not? Environmental Working Group warns consumers that Teflon offgases toxic particulates at 446°F according to DuPont studies — and it only gets worse from there:

I'm someone who cooks constantly, and in my kitchen there's a huge assortment of gadgets, including electric things like a rotisserie, breadmaker, convection oven, food processor, blender, immersion blender, rice maker, and multiple crockpots as well as manual things like a grill pan, dutch ovens, a wok, steamer, food mill, and cast-iron frying pans. But one kitchen gadget I don't own and have never used is a pressure cooker.

In what can only be kismet, I noticed an article about women and the web, "Woman to Woman" in today's New York Times business section as I was eating my breakfast sausage this morning. The article is about the wild popularity of sites with female audiences and the desperation of advertisers to get a piece of the action. I could not help but cackle when I saw how the Times described these sites:

Food bloggers often have a good collection of kitchen tools, but while she's visiting the U.S., Clothilde from Chocolate and Zucchini discovers a must-have kitchen gadget she's never seen before. Learn more about BlogHer's From the 'hood.

Kids and teachers everywhere mark the beginning of summer as the day school ends for the year. Tomorrow is the last day of school for me, so I'm thinking summer, and nothing says summer more than ice cream. Lots of people who love ice cream eventually discover the joy of making their own, but food bloggers seems to especially relish trying unusual and creative flavor combinations. Here are ten flavors you won't find at the local Baskin and Robbins.

Recently it was brought to my attention that rhubarb may possibly be the rockstar ingredient for 2008. When I first read that post declaring rhubarb to be this year's trendy food, I was skeptical. I doubted there could be that many rhubarb recipes popping up all at once, maybe because I've never been that much of a rhubarb fan. Then rhubarb started smacking me in the face everywhere I looked. Yes, I am fully awake now and have realized there is a bona-fide rhubarb trend going on.

Cross-posted at Simply Recipes My mother is one of those intuitive cooks in the kitchen. 73 years old, and having raised six kids, she doesn't follow recipes anymore. If you watch her while she cooks, the timing just appears to happen seamlessly. Whereas I'm good for only making one dish at a time, mom can coordinate a whole meal for 8 - a main course protein, one or two veggie sides, a starch, and a salad - without getting remotely flustered. She's always tasting whatever she is cooking, and adjusting the seasonings. She cooks from memory and a well developed sense of what works together well, and how flavors come in balance.

Food blog postings definitely come in cycles. I'm not talking about seasonal or holiday food trends, when everyone is cooking pumpkin or asparagus, or blogging events when all the Daring Bakers are making doughnuts. I'm talking about those unexplained trends, when suddenly you start to notice the same dish on lots of different blogs, and there doesn't seem to be any real reason for it. I was scratching my head recently, because it seemed like every time I checked on blogs in my feed reader, more and more people were writing about making pulled pork.

I once spent a memorable day in Morocco while on a cruise, and someday I absolutely want to explore the whole country (and maybe visit the fabulous Maryam as well.) For now though, Moroccan food is probably as close as I'm going to get. If you're not that familiar with the cuisine of Morocco, learning about preserved lemons is a good place to start.

Greek yogurt was one of those food products that rocked my world when I finally tried it, and from the first time I tasted it, I've rarely been without some in my fridge. True Greek yogurt (from Greece) is made from sheep's milk, but in most parts of the world the term Greek yogurt has come to mean any extra thick yogurt with the whey strained out, no matter what type of milk is used. It's the creamy thickness of Greek yogurt that makes it so appealing, and even fat free Greek yogurt tastes creamier than regular American yogurt, something that makes it perfect for every type of diet.

I've never been lucky enough to try fresh fava beans, although I did buy some once at the Ferry Building Market in San Francisco and leave them in the hotel when I checked out, but that's a completely different story. Even though I remain fresh fava deprived, I have no doubt they must be unforgettably delicious. How do I know? Legions of food bloggers have described the laborious process of double shucking the beans, and yet every spring these fava bean lovers start creating dishes featuring fava beans once again.

Australian nutritionist and blogger Kathryn Elliott has a life-changing piece of advice for anyone who wants to change the way they're eating. She suggests changing your diet one week at a time, concentrating on one thing until you've made it a habit. Since I first saw Kathryn's advice last November, I've been focused on trying new-to-me foods that I know are nutritious. I shared with BlogHer readers about how I'm getting serious about Flax Seeds and Tackling Tofu, and now, next on my list is quinoa.