New Zealand is known for it’s; lush green pastures, rugged snow capped mountains, pure rivers & lakes and all round beautifully diverse landscape.  All these great assets combine in the clean environment to produce some of the finest natural products in the world. From Manuka honey packed with anti-bacterial properties to the purest milk powder money can buy.  New Zealand has [...]

I’m sure there is many a person out there reading this now who has watched their fair share of cooking shows like; Mastechef or Top Chef .  Watching intently as the various recipes are being made by the contestants, admiring the knives they use under pressure to cut their protein or delicately score the skin of a sumptuous cut of pork belly. Now you are [...]

So often people say that most unusual meat (and other undefinable fleshy food) tastes like chicken, well maybe not survival expert Bear Grylls but that’s because he has eaten the most inedible things on the planet.  However aside from these taste affiliations, chicken is one of the most widely used protein’s (as they love saying on either Top Chef or Masterchef) across the world and provides [...]

I’m sure of all of you remember your first taste of beer fondly.  Mine happened when a cold beer was secretly handed down to me by my dad whilst he is watching sport with his mates. Whispering nervously he said “just a sip mate, but don’t tell your mom”.  Man, that beer tasted like shit! I doubled back in disgust [...]

Staying healthy is a combination of a few key things like;  maintaining a good diet, keeping stress free, using the right skin care products and keeping fit.  So with all these things you need to keep an eye on to maintain a healthy lifestyle, it’s very useful when an appliance comes along that can create a wholesome supplement very quickly. What are we talking [...]

Italy is famous for many things like; pizza, pasta, passionate people, mafia, the Roman Empire, and ancient architecture to name a few.  But it also produces some of the finest wine this world has to offer, with it being served in some of the finest restaurants and bars. Italy has some of the oldest wine grown regions in the world with the [...]

Coffee has become one of the biggest beverage industries in the world spreading far and wide, giving it’s energizing hit with gay abandon.  Crazy to think that coffee’s origins started back in the 13th century in the country of Ethiopia, eventually spreading through Europe and the world. With the spread of the black elixir came the love for; what it could [...]

Cooking shows have come a long way from the simple two dimensional programme’s showing you how to break eggs and make meals that will give you a heart attack. The cooking phenomenon now makes superstars out of its culinary wizards allowing them to demonstrate not only their great skills in the kitchen but also their passion for cooking. Sure some [...]

Comfort food is the type of thing to serve on a cold winter’s day after a game of footy, when you are ill or just plain hung over and feel like shit. Wholesome comfort food evokes childhood memories, so everyone’s idea of comfort food differs slightly, especially if from another country. A good pie often hits the mark for the [...]

Are you an avid fan of the hit series Top Chef (now fast approaching double figures in terms of series)?  Have you always agreed with what Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons, and Padma Lakshmi had had to say about the contestants and their recipes? Well don’t worry about what they have to say, as we have sifted through the episodes and got what we think [...]

There are many culinary treats in this world that make eating food an absolute pleasure.  But striping it right back to basics, there are some combinations of food that truly compliment each other.  Existing in an relationship of symbiosis, defying normal logic but pleasing none the less to our palette. Oh yes, it’s these very combinations that have built the basis [...]

On your numerous relapse’s with lady liquor you may think that most Vodka’s taste exactly the same but oh how wrong you would be.  This simple, clean and clear devils juice is more complex than you think based on the ingredients used during the distilling process.   For example, wheat vodkas are smooth and soft while rye produced vodkas are more hardy [...]

Did you enjoy the 2010 series of MasterChef (we rated this the best cooking show format back in August 2009)with Gordon Ramsey ramming abuse down the television set like sausage meat into the submucosa (commonly known as the sausage casing)?  Well it was not all swearing and under cooked fish, oh no, there were actually some pretty good dishes cooked during the [...]

Gearing up for an Antipodean Christmas in the sun?  Then impress your guests with stylish liquid refreshments that seduce their taste buds and keep them as cool as a naked Norwegian chick in the snow.  You can forget those cocktail recipe books with photos from the eighties, you know the ones, they are always on special at your local bookstore.  [...]

Cocktails are often associated with white sandy beaches, parasols, neon signs, sunshine and handsome bartenders called ‘Jack’.  Thanks to the Quickten team you don’t have to wait until summer in fact you don’t even need Jack. Try some of these tasty tipples to melt away the chill of winter: The Godfather – 1 measure Amaretto, 2 measure whisky. Serve in [...]