The Chopping Block Cooking Blog

Why You Should Stop Frying Fried Rice

I just moved to upstate New York a few weeks ago and have been spending more time scarfing bagels and sorting through boxes than whipping up meals in my new kitchen. The fact that I went from a ...

For Goodness Sake! A Very Basic Guide to Japanese Sake

What do I know about sake? We sell the stuff, and people seem to enjoy it, but for me it just tastes like an awkward college attempt at being cultured. I don't remember much about the first time I ...

What’s Your Favorite Black Food?

Black food is all the rage right now, from bread made with charcoal to inky cocktails. With Halloween right around the corner, I couldn’t resist stirring up something a little “darker” than my usual ...

What's Jollof? Your New Favorite Rice Dish

I recently got back from a trip to Ghana with my mom and sister. We spent 10 days exploring the country from the capital of Accra, north to Kumasi for the Festival of the Golden Stool and out to the ...

Red Beans and Rice with Fried Chicken

After returning from New Orleans on a Monday morning, I decided to make red beans and rice that night. Everyone knows Monday is red beans and rice day!

5 Things Everyone Should Know How to Cook

I'm not a chef. I've only worked one job in a kitchen... well, it was more of a garage, and all I did was chop fruit and vegetables for a salad bar. When I started at The Chopping Block I could ...

Is Rinsing Rice Really Required?

Even though it's a staple the world over, making a really good pot of rice is harder than it looks. There's a reason those boil-in-a-bag things took off, you know. Let's assume you don't have a ...

Arroz con Pollo: One-Pot Family Favorite

I have to admit that the inspiration for this dish came from an effort to clean out my freezer. We always have some frozen protein stashed somewhere in there, since I like to buy the family-size ...

My Vegetarian Challenge

I love meat. There it is. Not to make it sound like we don’t enjoy eating vegetables alongside our meat-centric dinners (along with the occasionally entirely vegetarian meal), but my family is a ...

Curry Craving

I can’t seem to get enough Thai food lately. I’m not sure if my body is craving the spice to kick this nasty summer cold I can’t seem to shake, or if I’m just obsessed with the flavors and colors. ...