Lauren Braun Costello

Occupation: Chef
Specialty: Catering, Food Stylist, Cooking Instructor
Education: Colgate University, French Culinary Institute
Lives: New York City

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Chestnut Choices
If Jack Frost has already started nipping at your nose, I sure hope you are roasting chestnuts, open fire or not. This seasonal delicacy is simple, festive, delicious and even nutritious. Like so many...


To Brine or Not To Brine
The Thanksgiving turkey is perhaps the greatest source of insecurity and anxiety for America's home cooks. The competition, it seems, is not for the moistest turkey, but unfortunately for being able to...


Winter Squash Are In Season This Fall
Acorn. Not just for squirrels. Spaghetti. Not always made of dough. Turban. If you think this belongs on someone's head, think again. These are all members of the seasonal, hearty group known as winter...


Jack O' Lantern Waste Not
Last October I attended one of the most elegant lunches I have ever had.  My dear friend Paula invited me and my family to her parents' house in upstate New York.  Overlooking an oasis of rolling hills...


Haute Halloween
One week from today is the official "eat-all-the-candy-you-want" day in America.  If ever there were a holiday just for kids, Halloween would be it.  Costumes and candy, goblins and goodies, all seem like...


Sukkot: A Jewish Harvest
Like virtually all Jewish holidays, the festival of Sukkot is marked by special dishes that are eaten in its celebration. The holiday itself is symbolized by plants and food, such as the etrog (citrus...


Yom Kippur: Before and After the Fast
Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement, is considered to be the single holiest day of the Jewish year, aside from the weekly Sabbath observance. As an act of repentance, Jews fast from sundown on the eve of...


Rosh Hashana: A New Year of Food
The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, begins on the first day of the month of Tishri and lasts for 10 days, culminating in the conclusion of Yom Kippur. These are known as the Days of Awe, the holiest of...


Tools of the Trade
There are so many kitchen gadgets available on the market today. Recently I saw an advertisement for a wand of sorts that slices the avocado right out of the shell. I have been asked what I think of...


Eggspert Advice, Part IV
You asked for it, so you got it: more Eggspert Advice. In this fourth and final installment, we will take a look at the art of frying eggs and the chemistry of cooking with eggs. Sunny Side Up, Over...


Eggspert Advice, Part III
By request, I am offering the third installment of "Eggspert Advice."  Thanks to your feedback, this week we will tackle boiling, coddling and poaching. The fourth and final installment of "Eggspert Advice"...


Labor of Love
Cooking should be a labor of love.  For many years it has been just that for me.  Any of you reading this article or browsing this website probably feel the same way.  Most likely, cooking feeds your soul,...


Eggspert Advice, Part II
Last week I gave an overview of eggs in Eggspert Advice: Part I.  This week I would like to share some specific techniques for scrambling eggs and making omelets.  Even though scrambled eggs and omelets...


Eggspert Advice, Part I
Eggs are so essential to the art of cooking and baking that without them we might as well all throw in our whisks and give up. So often eggs are used to thicken, bind, and coat, but they are equally multi-purposeful...


Corn on the Cob on the Grill
Long Island and New Jersey have more to offer this time of year than just beautiful beaches and sun-kissed waters. Every August fresh corn is at its peak in this part of the country. The flesh is so...


Five Food Myths
Chilean sea bass, baby carrots, peanuts, white chocolate, and wild mushrooms. What do they all have in common? They are not what they say they are. That's right. Read on... Myth 1: Chilean Sea...