11 Top Italian Cooking Schools

Sporks, wine stoppers serve no discernible purpose

(NEWSER) - Have you ever truly benefited from a spork? Do you face a pressing need to bake muffin tops, not actual muffins? The Daily Meal rounds up the most useless food-related inventions:

• Quesadilla maker: Don’t you already have a pan?
• Spork: Use a fork or use a spoon. End of story.

From 'grilled to perfection' to 'garden fresh'

(NEWSER) - Tired of menus that use the same old phrases over and over? So are the food critics at the Chicago Tribune. They nominated nine menu clichés for the compost pile:

• "Grilled to perfection": Subjective to the point of meaninglessness. And why always grilled, and not “boiled” or “baked”? Can only grilling reach perfection?
• "World famous": Almost always an empty boast.
• "Kobe burger": “Kobe” is becoming a general synonym for “high quality”; it doesn't apply unless the beef actually came from Japan.

(NEWSER) - If you want white truffle shavings sprinkled over your Thanksgiving leftovers, the biggest specimen found in Italy this year is up for auction tomorrow. You'll need some big bucks—and perhaps the moxie to outbid David and Victoria Beckham. The delectable fungus weighs about 2½ pounds and is expected to spark a bidding war, ANSA reports. More»

Go beyond the Joy of Cooking with Slate's recommendations

(NEWSER) - What to get the foodie or chef who already has all the classic cookbooks? Slate compiles offbeat favorites recommended by Mollie Katzen, James Oseland and other standout chefs, food editors, and more.

1. Ethan Becker: Cookwise—Less a cookbook than a bible of general cooking knowledge.
2. Dan Barber: The River Cottage Meat Book—"A carnivore's manifesto."
3. Melissa Clark: The Mensch Chef —Traditional Jewish recipe perfection.

In the era of no-frills flying, expert advice on how to pack a sandwich that will satisfy

(NEWSER) - With no-frills flying leaving the provisions up to you, packing your own sandwich beats stale airport fare by a mile. Sisha Ortuzar, executive chef at New York's 'Wichcraft, gives Budget Travel tips for a tasty sandwich that'll survive hard travel:

1. Use crusty breads like ciabattas or baguettes for tuna salad or other moist fillings.
2. Spread condiments on opposite sides of the sandwich to max out flavors.