Northeastern University Dining Services Blog

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Cooking 101 Recap: Week VII

Wednesday, March 27, 2013 | 5:05 PM Posted by Northeastern Dining , , , , No comments


by Campus Executive Chef Tom Barton

Last night was week seven of our Cooking 101 class in the Xhibition Kitchen and after learning about knife skills, cold preparations, and entrées over the past few weeks we had finally reached most everyone's favorite area of the kitchen: dessert! We brought in a heavy hitter, Ritz-Carlton Boston Common pastry chef Bouchaib Errafiy, to work with us and show us the finer points of several desserts. Chef Errafiy spoke about the various differences between all of the flours and sugars that we see these days at our favorite market. The discussion was very lively but I could tell everyone was ready to start making (and tasting!) some great desserts.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Avoiding Diet Busters while Dining Out

Monday, March 25, 2013 | 8:50 AM Posted by Northeastern Dining , , , , , , No comments


With assistance from Northeastern graduate student Melissa Pryputniewicz

One of the biggest challenges that people who are trying to lose weight face is dining away from home. It is very easy to control what you are eating when you are buying and preparing what goes on your dish each night. It is much harder to make good decisions when you are faced with a restaurant menu. Not only are there a large variety of options (temptation enough), but also you are often in different circumstances than when you are eating at home. You may be out with co-workers who don’t know you are on a diet or you may be over hungry after waiting for your reservation. Several studies have found that away-from-home consumption of food, especially fast food consumption, is linked to a higher intake of calories. Keep the following tips in mind to avoid diet pitfalls while you are dining out.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Cooking 101 Recap: Week VI

Thursday, March 21, 2013 | 12:15 PM Posted by Northeastern Dining , , , , , No comments


by Chris Jennings, Northeastern Dining Quality Assurance Manager

Braising – Sauteing – Pan Frying – Steaming. These were just some of the cooking techniques demonstrated this week in the latest segment of Cooking 101. The main topic of focus were dry and moist heat cooking methods.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Healthy Snacking & National Nutrition Month

Friday, March 15, 2013 | 9:08 AM Posted by Northeastern Dining , , , , , , No comments


A college student's lifestyle can be extremely hectic, leaving little time to think about planning food options during the day. As a student it is important to have some healthy, low-cost food items on hand for snacking throughout the day especially when you have a busy schedule with very few real breaks. Choosing a snack that contains whole grains and some protein together can provide you with a feeling of fullness, which is helpful if you have long stretches between meals. Here are some examples of great snacks to have on hand:

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Cooking 101 Recap: Week V

Wednesday, March 13, 2013 | 8:53 AM Posted by Northeastern Dining , , , , No comments


by Campus Executive Chef Tom Barton

Hi everyone! Last night we had the fifth week of our Cooking 101 class and we had a great time talking with all of our student chefs about the oh so popular subject of side dishes. While it can be a bland topic, we instead focused on some of the more nontraditional, but increasingly popular, starches and vegetables available at your local market.

Friday, March 1, 2013

Cooking 101 Recap: Week IV

Friday, March 1, 2013 | 2:44 PM Posted by Northeastern Dining , , , , , No comments


by Northeastern Dining Quality Assurance Manager Chris Jennings

We dove right into stocks and sauces this week. Chef Tom had a beautiful chicken stock already simmering before class started. The aroma filtered thru the XK and set the tone for a stimulating experience on how to create your own stocks and sauces.