Sunday, November 30, 2014

Three Great Benefits of Induction Cooking That You Need to Know

The Case for Induction Cooking - American Home Induction Stove


A couple of months ago, I used to cook my meals using a gas stove just like everyone else. There's something about cooking with fire that made you feel like a real chef. This summer, however, I had to move to a new (and empty) condominium unit. I was faced with the dilemma - what new toys should I get for my new kitchen? The first thing I need is a stove, but should I stick with the familiar gas stove or should I foray into the unknown with an Induction Stove

Saturday, November 29, 2014

Want to Get 60% off at Vikings Jazz Mall Makati? Here's How!


Vikings, one of my top 3 favorite buffet restaurants in Metro Manila, is about to open their 6th branch in SM Jazz Mall this coming December 2014. As a treat to the very first customers in their new store, they are offering a 60% discount for the 1st 100 walk-in guests who would like to enjoy a scrumptious lunch and dinner feast on the grand opening day!


Remember to like the Vikings Jazz Mall Makati Facebook page and stay tuned for the announced opening date! Here are the promo details:



Thursday, November 27, 2014

Jamie Oliver: The Importance of Food Education for a Healthier World



Shocking fact. Diet related disease is the biggest killer in the US today. Since we have talking about the importance of nutrition and including eating vegetables for a well-balanced diet to avoid some very common nutritional deficiencies, let me take this opportunity to share a very inspiring TED talk regarding the food we eat and the importance of food education. A lot of people meed to see it.


Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Three Reasons Why Escoffier Cook's Companion is the Perfect Kitchen Partner


There are a couple of really great apps out there that make life in the kitchen a whole lot easier and one of which is the Escoffier Cook's Companion - named as one of the best cooking apps for new and seasoned chefs. This simple app is packed with a number of very useful features ranging from a kitchen converter to a full glossary of kitchen lingo. The best thing about it is that it's FREE. Yes, I love free apps a lot!

Scroll down to find out the top 3 reasons why you should download this app, or you can just watch the video on top to see what it can do.

Find Recipes for the Ingredients in Your Kitchen With Supercook.com



Supercook.com is a really amazing website and I think every home cook should get an idea of how much of a lifesaver it can be. Supercook offers home cooks something valuable - the ability to find recipes that you can cook with just whatever ingredients you have lying around at home. You don't have to go out and buy ingredients because the website already gives you recipe ideas based on what you already have. It's certainly useful if you want to try out a new recipe, but are too lazy to go out. It happens.

The video above shows you the new supercook website, but while testing it out I found it to be a bit buggy. I entered in the ingredients I have in my pantry (using my old supercook account) and it didn't show me any recipes. So, in the meantime, you can just use the old website to get started. It's less pretty, but it's just as useful.

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

MyFitnessPal: The Perfect App for a Healthier Lifestyle

MyFitnessPal Review - A great tool to help you to a healthier lifestyle

I have been using myfitnesspal for quite some time now and so far I must say that I love it! It's a really great way to keep track of your daily nutritional requirements, it has the ability to calculate the nutritional information of your recipes, and it integrates well with other health and fitness apps (such as RunKeeper, Pacer, and Apple's Healthkit). The great part about it is that it is FREE. The app has been made available on iOS, Android, and even online through www.myfitnesspal.com so you don't need to own a smartphone to make the most out of it. 

Let's get down to the top 3 reasons on why every home cook should have this great app as part of their arsenal. 

Monday, November 24, 2014

Essential Videos That Will Show You How To Cook The Perfect Eggs


Watching Masterchef for a couple of seasons now makes you realize the importance of being able to cook the perfect eggs. Perfectly cooked eggs can be enjoyed on its own or it can be used to elevate more sophisticated dishes.


Of course, Cooking the perfect eggs should be one of the first skills that every home cook should learn, but unfortunately it's also easily taken for granted. I mean, anyone can cook
eggs right so why bother?


Sunday, November 23, 2014

The Kitchen Cheat Sheet: A Comprehensive Guide Cooks Everywhere Would Love to Have

The Kitchen Cheat Sheet - metric conversion, meat cuts, cooking times, and storage



I have a treat for you today. It's a handy cheat sheet for cooks that I found a while back while surfing the web, made by Everest.co.uk, to help cooks with metric conversions, meat cuts, cooking times, and food storage tips. Quite frankly, being able to know all of this accelerated my personal growth in the kitchen, and I hope it does wonders for you as well. I'm hoping this this will save you a lot of time by not having to google these all the time.

A Healthy Tuna & Broccoli Spaghetti Recipe And Other Yummy Healthy Dishes

A Healthy Tuna & Broccoli Spaghetti Recipe And Other Yummy Healthy Dishes

It's no secret that I love to eat pasta, along with everyone else I know. Pasta has been the staple food of Italy for a very long time, but at this day and age it's now a dish enjoyed all over the world - from a simple aglio e olio to more complex pasta dishes. I'm sure a lot of home cooks out there would love to get their hands on a great pasta recipe so that they can impress their family and friends with a delicious meal. 

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Great Grocery Finds at Cash & Carry Supermarket

Cash & Carry Mall at Makati City
As the 'chefs' of our home kitchens, we would like to cook with only the best quality ingredients. Most of the time, quality also means pricey. The common belief is that we can only cook with premium ingredients if we are willing to pay a hefty price to get them. I'm here to say that it's not always the case, and you can find good quality ingredients at an affordable price if you know where to look.


Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Impress With This Delicious Chicken Macaroni Salad Recipe

Impress With This Delicious Chicken Macaroni Salad Recipe

Christmas parties are not complete without a serving of some delicious Classic Chicken Macaroni Salad as an appetizer or as a side to complement the main course. It's really a staple for work or family gatherings around this time of the year, with December parties just around the corner. Here's a recipe that works great as an appetizer and it also makes for a tasty afternoon snack.

The good thing about it is that chicken macaroni salad is actually quite easy to make. You don't need to know much cooking to master this dish. It's really just combining the ingredients in a bowl and calling it a salad! I personally like the macaroni salad side dish from KFC, and that is my inspiration for this recipe. I think this is a pretty darn close, but you tell me!

Wonderful Treats Await the First 100 Customers of Krispy Kreme Iloilo


Krispy Kreme will finally open their first Iloilo City at SM City Iloilo on November 30, 2014, and the first 100 customers in line on opening day will be receiving wonderful treats from Krispy Kreme! Yes, of course it's free doughnuts! 

Sunday, November 16, 2014

There's a Hole in the Wall at Century City Mall


I recently dropped by Century City Mall and it seems that restaurants in their 'food court' - Hole in the Wall - are currently on their soft opening. When I dropped by, restaurants such as Spruce, Scout's Honor, Green Cheese, and Tiny Duchess were already serving food and beverages. I expect other food stalls to follow suit soon and from the looks of it expect them to serve pretty damn good food!


Hole in the Wall is an interesting, high-end food court which was made to blend very well with the overall concept of Century City Mall - Luxury Living. It has a well-lighted ambiance with beautiful tables and couches, coupled with a wonderful view overlooking Makati City. In fact, it feels like you're in cafe rather than a food court.

Three Simple Steps to Cook Delicious Spaghetti Aglio E Olio

Three Simple Steps to Cook Delicious Spaghetti Aglio E Olio

Aglio E Olio is an Italian classic that anyone can make at home. In fact, it's probably the easiest pasta recipe there is. All you need is spaghetti, garlic, parsley, and some extra virgin olive oil and you are good to go! I find it outrageous that some restaurants sell Aglio E Olio at exorbitant prices even though it doesn't cost much to make at home. So, I'm going to try to fix that with by showing you how to prepare it yourself.

What we will be cooking here is most basic Aglio E Olio recipe - just oil, garlic, parsley, and pasta. Traditional Aglio E Olio isn't served with any cheese or meat, but of course there are countless variations out there. Every Italian household in the world would have their own recipe, just like how every town in the Philippines makes adobo or pancit a little bit differently. I suggest you just experiment with different flavors by adding some shrimp, cheese, and chili flakes along the way to make it even more delicious. 

What are Chicken Oysters and How Do You Find them?


Chicken Oysters, which are also sometimes known as the 'Chef's Reward' when cooking with chicken, are arguably the best part of the chicken because the oyster is soft, tender, moist, and very flavorful. They are small, dark, and oyster-shaped pieces of meat - which explains why the part named after oysters. 

Monday, November 10, 2014

Oh No! Baskin-Robbins Philippines Ran Out Of Ice Cream!

Oh No! Baskin-Robbins Philippines Ran Out Of Ice Cream!

Baskin-Robbins recently opened their first store in the Philippines this July at the Upper Ground Floor, Central Square at Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. But it didn't take long before they encountered their first crisis - they ran out of ice cream! They haven't had their full selection of ice cream flavors for a couple of weeks now. 

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Where to Find Specialty Coffee Shops in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

Third Wave Coffee in Bonifacio Global City

Around early this year, a new trend began to emerge. Coffee-lovers from all over the Metro started to hang out in small, boutique coffee shops that had excellent ambiance and far more delicious coffee than our usual Starbucks Coffee or The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. These are coffee shops and baristas that were just crazy about taste, flavor, and perfection in every cup. Alas, Third Wave Coffee caught fire and is now one of the hottest trends in Metro Manila today. 

Friday, November 7, 2014

Kitchen Updates: ChefJaysKitchen.com

Hi everyone, 

I just wanted to give everyone a quick kitchen update. So, I am currently in the process of integrating the old website (www.chefjaykitchen.blogspot.com) to a new domain (www.chefjayskitchen.com). I am really optimistic about this move since I hope more people will get to discover the site because of this. I'm crossing my fingers that the transfer will be very smooth, but we can never be too sure. 

If you have any difficulties with any portion of the website, please let me know by either filling up the contact us page or comment on this blog post. 

Thank you and have a pleasant evening. 

Don't miss out! You can follow me on Facebook or subscribe to Chef Jay's Kitchen by email to get updates on new articles. To check out my restaurant reviews, follow me on Zomato.

Cheers, 
Chef Jay

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

The Future of Food, with Ben Roche & Homaro Cantu



In the 19th Century, Scottish philosopher and writer Thomas Carlyle called Economics 'the dismal science' because of the theory proposed by Thomas Malthus that says population growth would eventually strain natural resources. This means we would not be able to produce enough food for our required food supply. As in turns out, technological improvements over the past century helped us avoid this dreary prediction and supermarkets are now stacked with grocery items from all over the world.


Monday, November 3, 2014

Here are the 2014 Starbucks Holiday Flavors, Featuring the Christmas Cookie Latte

*Photo from Starbucks Philippines Facebook Page
I went to Starbucks earlier today for my daily dose of coffee and I saw that the red holiday Christmas cups are back, which usually marks the official release of their featured holiday beverages and, more importantly, the 2015 Starbucks Planner. Their lineup of holiday beverages this year features the new Christmas Cookie Latte along with old favorites such as the Toffee Nut Latte and Peppermint Mocha.

Starbucks Philippines normally releases the same core beverages each year, and these are the Toffee Nut Latte and Peppermint Mocha, but they also release a new flavor that, in my opinion, aren't that delicious (forgetful flavors such as the Praline Mocha and Dark Cherry Mocha). 

I have been drinking these Christmas drinks for quite some time now, since my planner collection started way back in 2010, but I have always ordered only one holiday favorite to complete the sticks for my planner. Will this year break that streak?

New Great Taste White Flavors Are Out, But Are They Any Good?

New Great Taste White Flavors Are Out, But Are They Any Good?

I was in SM Hypermarket yesterday and I can't help but notice two new Great Taste White Flavors that I have not seen before. I did a bit of research, and it seems that Great Taste has been hyping up for a 'great surprise' in their Facebook page for quite some time now. They have not released any official statement regarding the new flavors as of the moment, but my guess is that SM might have released the new flavors earlier than what was planned (they always do).