Recently we renovated our kitchen and bought a GE Monogram Professional Duel Fuel Range with an electric riddle After less than six months of use, (and by use I mean cooking 12-24 slices of bacon or sausages three to four times a week) the oven caught on fire underneath the griddle because of fat which had somehow leeched down there. We called GE and they sent a repairman who remarked on how clean we had kept the oven and how he had never seen anything like the grease which had accumulated underneath a permanent, not-easily removed griddle pan. He cleaned it and repaired it. A few months later GE decided to replace the entire oven due to another problem which it had developed. This time it was less than three months before, once again, the new oven caught fire inside (meaning between the range top and the oven, not inside the oven itself). Same problem. This time GE says we need to take the griddle off and clean under it even though their instruction manual clearly states that the griddle should NOT be removed for cleaning. Lots of back and forth and finally they are saying "the oven works as it was designed to" and that they have not received any reports of this happening to any other of their ovens. So, leaving aside the question of whether or not the oven was "designed to catch on fire", has anyone else experienced any fires like this in their ovens?

Have you ever noticed how some recipes want you to add vanilla at the end and some with the other wet ingredients? Does it really make a difference?

So the recipe calls for a cup of balsamic vinegar reduced to a few meager tablespoons. I am assuming you don't pull out the authentic Italian worth-its-weight-in gold variety, but what do you use? When do the knock-offs become nothing more than brown colored sweet stuff and how much are you willing to spend?

OK Gang: Royal Wedding Breakfast, what's the menu?

First let me state that I am careful about food, its preparation and storage. As far as I know I have never poisoned anyone. That being said, it drives me nuts when people get over anxious about food: throwing out unopened yogurt because it's one day past the sell by date, refrigerating absolutely everything, etc. So I don't refrigerate ketchup, jam, fake maple syrup, fruit and sometimes cheese. What don't you refrigerate?

Next weekend I have a mixed set of guests--all of whom seem to have a different food need. There will be 12 people in total and I need to come up with 2 two course breakfasts which can accommodate the following diets: vegan, gluten-free, vegetarian, yeast allergy and no restrictions. I am happy to prepare two options on each course but not wanting to have to come up with five different ones. Ideas please!!!!!!!

A number of our guests slept in this morning (daylight savings!) and I find myself with about two -three cups of sliced strawberries which have been macerated in a simple syrup of sugar and OJ. Any suggestions for what to do with them? In the past, the container sits in the fridge for two or three days and then I toss them! It seems such a waste.

This question is kind of out there and may be too specific for Serious Eats but if anyone will know the answer, it will be someone on this site! As previously mentioned, my husband and I own a small bed and breakfast in the south. I do all of the cooking and also manage the website, blog, facebook and seo. We are trying to position ourselves as a "foodie" B&B (for want of better word) with breakfasts that are a cut above the usual strata and pancakes. My blog posts are often (although not always) about food, fresh produce, restaurants in the area etc.
I would love to have our website linked to some food blogs or sites that people interested in good food and a comfortable bed in a great city would be likely to visit. How do I find out if there are blogs with links? Any other suggestions for good sites to link with. I am not looking for paid advertising. Help and suggestions would be appreciated!

Is anyone else having trouble downloading "Talk"? The first time I click on a talk topic it says" comments loading" but they don't (load that is). Refreshing the page gets them for me.

It's harvest time here and we are busy trading produce. A friend just "gifted" me with a bag of 15 Habanero peppers which he had frozen. Any suggestions as to what I can do with them?

I've had it with the usual quiche. Tell me what's the most interesting quiche you've had this year, or ever?

I have a guest coming to stay at my B&B for five days and she is allergic to eggs. Help! I need some ideas for egg-free breakfasts! Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. Nothing too fancy because I also have fifteen other people to cook for including one who is allergic to milk...

This may be a stupid question but for most of my life I've been winging it with the pepper mill. Everyone agrees that pepper should be freshly ground, so what do you do when a recipe calls for 1/2 tsp of pepper or some other definite amount? Do you grind it over a piece of wax paper and then measure it, or have you figured out how many turns of the mill it takes to get a specific amount? (Or do you cheat and use the pre-ground stuff--shudder!)

Has anyone ever made these? I followed the recipe as written (I thought) but when it came to the second baking--never rose again! I have checked online and my recipe was not significantly different from anyone else's. How cooked are they supposed to be at the end of the first baking? Maybe mine needed more time in the oven? They were hard to remove, stuck on the bottom and were relatively soft...

Every Easter and New Year's I find myself in the same predicament, searching high and low for a ham that is NOT spiral cut.. I mean. really folks, is it that hard to slice your own ham? It makes it much harder to cook a moist ham if it's precut and don't even mention the abysmal "glazes" they include! What do you do for ham?

Does it really have a flavour or is it just a gimmick? The other day I had a wonderful goat cheese ravioli with roasted butternut squash and fennel pollen. I couldn't identify the pollen by either sight, scent or taste except something in that dish was wonderful! Has anyone out there had a run in with fennel pollen?

Our kitchen is being re-modeled (yeah!) but for six weeks I am limited to a small hot plate and a microwave with no refrigeration to speak of unless it stays cold outside. Available cooking space is about two square feet (unless the hotplate is set up) and the sink is a bar sink. (You guessed it, I am cooking in the pantry). I am not totally adverse to frozen meals although I would rather not! Suggestions?

This is pretty technical (at least I think it is): we are remodeling the kitchen in our Bed & Breakfast and will be upgrading to a GE Monogram 36" range and oven. It's a pretty powerful unit. We have chosen a Sirius hood because of a good experience in our home kitchen but are questioning whether 600 cfm's is strong enough or do we need to go up a grade? Does anyone have any experience with professional ranges and power of hoods? (Oh the the things I learn about in my life!)

We tried online and we even called Entenmann's but no one could tell us why their donuts are called Soft'ees with an apostrophe.
Does anyone out there know?

Is there anything different about cooking a larger turkey over a smaller one? We have a 21 pound turkey for tomorrow and I am wondering if I should cook it any differently. (slower oven for a longer time so the top doesn't burn or dry out too much?) It will be stuffed. Does anyone have any experience with bigger birds? Thanks

Last night we got to talking about different cuisines and the question came up: "If someone told you that one culture's cuisine was going to disappear from the face of the earth which one would you vote to have go?" I, personally, chose Greek. What about you?

Our family really likes the flavor of goose for Christmas but it often comes out tough and stringy. Do I need to cook it longer? And can I brine it?

So my Dad is old and blind and lives pretty far away from me and I can't be with him for Christmas. We've pretty much exhausted the talking books and clothing route for presents. One of his few remaining pleasures is food and people usually send him lots of cheeses, wine, and chocolates. Among the things he used to really enjoy which he doesn't get any more are home-made cookies, little mince pies and fruitcake (not the store-bought bricks but the real thing). So I thought I would send him a care package of Christmas cooking from my home. Does anyone have any experience with shipping cookies, etc? The mince pies are rather fragile. Tips and advice would be appreciated!

Help! I need a restaurant in Chicago for a mixed crowd. In a pinch the carnivores could do vegetarian (but I'm going to hear about it!).
The vegan crowd is much nicer--so I need a place with good salads and...
Any suggestions?

They are having a buy-one-get-one-free offer on blueberries down at the market and I was going to make some pie. I was thinking of trying something different and adding some balsamic vinegar. I see lots of recipes for "blueberry balsamic vinegar" so they must go together. Has anyone ever tried this? Any other interesting additions to blueberry pie?