Food for Thought Recipe Secrets, Tips and Articles by Mark R. Vogel
Mark R. Vogel received his doctorate in clinical psychology from Yeshiva University and his culinary arts degree from the Institute of Culinary Education, both in New York City. Although he still practices psychology, his deepest passion remains cooking at an Italian/Mediterranean restaurant in NJ and writing about food and wine. His column "Food For Thought" is published in a number of NJ, NY, and PA newspapers and food related websites.
Numerous fruits and vegetables are peeled for a variety of reasons. Some must be peeled in order to be palatable, such as celery root or pineapple. Others have edible ... read more
Unfortunately the answers to these questions return us to the subjectivity and capriciousness of the individual person’s character. When the situation is not a no-brainer because it doesn’t lie at one extreme or the other, we must then decide what we are ... read more
In 1893 the United States had a 10% tax on imported vegetables but not fruits. John Nix paid his taxes on his tomatoes to a tax collector named Edward Hedden. One day Nix came across the... read more
The other day I hopped over to a well known pancake chain for a serious pig-out session. I ordered pancakes, an egg, sausage, hash browns, toast, coffee & OJ. Thirty-five minutes later when the food finally arrived, they forgot my toast, my OJ, and never brought me... read more
Poaching is a wet-heat cooking method whereby food is submerged in liquid and gently cooked. Shallow-poaching is a subtype of poaching in which the food is only partially ... read more
On the show Sex and the City, Kim Cattrall, who played the lascivious Samantha once quipped: “How we are in bed is how we are in life.” Her theory being, that a person’s love making style would be indicative of their general approach to ... read more
Where and when the lemon became popular in various parts of the globe is a controversial topic. While researching this article, I discovered that agreement amongst sources was, well, the ... read more
Last night I was sharing a bottle of Tuscan wine with my date as I pondered what to write for this week’s edition of my column. I was only a few days away from my deadline and deep in the throes of writer’s block. “Why not something on... read more
Our story opens at a restaurant called the Café de Paris in Monte Carlo in the year 1895. Prince Edward of Wales, son of Queen Victoria and future king of England, was a regular patron. One day he and a party of other gentlemen and the ... read more
The other day I was at the office of a well known shipping company furious at their failure to locate my package. Finally my patience had reached its end and I stormed out empty handed. Angry and hungry, I made my way to a nearby ... read more
