Personal-chef-24
By Kristyne McDaniel
personal chef I have watched Oprah for a long time. I don't always get to watch her, but she's usually on in the background. We've all seen her go up and down with her weight, and I know that it can't be easy to have the public watch what you eat and how much you weight day in and day out. She gives out her secrets and I think that's great, but there is one thing that bothers me. She talks about the foods you should eat, but many that are recommended are just not that common, and she has a personal chef to cook for her. I know that I can't afford one, and most others can't as well. That's what makes some diets just too hard for the average person to follow. They are great in theory, but the stuff you have to cook is just not possible. We are all busy, and as much as we would like to have the time to whip up these healthy concoctions, it's just not possible. I know that I can't afford a personal chef to do it for me, and even if I could, the image of someone in my kitchen cooking for me makes me giggle. It's not going to happen. I suppose

Study: Organic food not more nutritional
If you've ever found yourself in your local supermarket agonizing about whether the organic apples will be a more nutritional and greener choice than the cheaper non-organic ones, you're probably not alone.
New Year's Eve champagne FAQ
As midnight approaches on December 31st, more than a few of us will crack open a bottle or two of champagne to help toast in the New Year.
Party Like a Star (On a Real-Life Budget)
Celebrity event planner Mindy Weiss shares great ideas for three memorable celebrations under $300
Five great American tearooms
If you've got cabin fever and are looking for a cozy outing, afternoon tea is bound to hit the spot.
Celebrity diet tricks that work (and two that you should avoid)
When you see photos of Cameron Diaz's slim silhouette or Jessica Alba's flat post-pregnancy tummy, you probably wonder just how Hollywood stars stay so lean or snap back into shape so quickly. While many swear their svelte bods come from eating right and exercising round the clock, the truth is that some celebs may go to strange and interesting lengths to get or stay pin thin. Here, the skinny on exactly what the big names do to get red-carpet ready -- from the healthy strategies you'll want to steal to the just plain wacky ideas you'll want to avoid.
Why we eat what we eat on Thanksgiving
When Americans sit down with their families for Thanksgiving dinner, most of us will probably gorge ourselves on the same traditional Thanksgiving menu, with turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and pumpkin pie taking up the most real estate on our plates.
Amazing stories of liquor legends
It's hard to walk down the aisle of a liquor store without running across a bottle bearing someone's name.
EU bends rules on misshapen vegetables
An EU ban restricting the sale of imperfect-looking fruit and vegetables is expected to be overturned on Wednesday, allowing curvy cucumbers and knobbly carrots to return to the shops.
Veganism
The story behind people who don't eat meat (or egg or dairy or anything that that came from an animal)
Japan Goes Bananas For a New Diet
A country prone to dieting fads has convinced itself that bananas for breakfast is a magic formula for weight loss
Winemaking for fun and profit
As the former president of Walt Disney Studios and Paramount Television, Rich Frank has a long list of blockbusters to his credit, from Cheers and Entertainment Tonight to Pretty Woman and The Lion King. He's a born marketer with a knack for convincing the public that we want what he's got. And now he's ready to reveal his latest masterpiece, several years in the making. At his office in Calistoga, Calif., he reaches behind his desk for a dark, unmarked bottle that must weigh five pounds or more. It's called Promise. He hands it over. "This," he says, "is going to be one of those cult wines."
Canning: In Pursuit of the Perfect Pickle
The old-fashioned practices of at-home canning, pickling and preserving are all the rage these days, with famous foodies and young urban hipsters
Tokyo: Where to eat
Last year, the Michelin guide's first foray into Tokyo left the city with some 190 Michelin stars, compared with 95 in Paris and 50 in London and New York. Of course, that's partly down to the sheer number of eateries in Tokyo -- estimated at more than 180,000 establishments -- but it's also testimony to the reverence Tokyoites have for fresh ingredients prepared with the utmost care.
Woman goes raw, loses more than half herself
Angela Stokes had never been overweight as a child.
10 great wine getaways
From Mexico's Guadalupe Valley to Blue Hill, Maine, these 10 waterfront getaways offer a toast to the good life.
Fake your party food with takeout
Whether you're hosting a formal party or just throwing together snacks for drinks with friends, we've got ideas for transforming carryout into crowd-pleasing cuisine. Everyone will assume your sink is stacked with dirty pots and pans. (And if you keep them out of the kitchen, they'll never know the truth.)
Bobby Chinn's recipes
To whet your appetite, here are a couple of Bobby Chin's favorite recipes from his book "Wild Wild East".
FDA: Irradiating Spinach, Lettuce OK
Consumers worried about salad safety may soon be able to buy fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce zapped with just enough radiation to kill E. coli and a few other germs
The dish on Charlotte
Nibble your way through Charlotte, North Carolina, and you'll taste the New South. Shining on the Piedmont with a modern skyline and brimming with emerging restaurants, this is a city that savors the fresh and the new.
E-Tongue Passes Wine Taste Test
Spanish scientists unveil an electronic "tongue" that can tell the difference between a chardonnay and a macabeu
Beers With More Alcohol Catch On
High-alcohol brews, known in the trade as big or extreme beers, are among many craft beers that are grabbing a growing market share in the United States
Investigators look for fingerprints in salmonella outbreak
Four months into a nationwide Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak, investigators Thursday still couldn't say where it originated.
Appetite for Atlanta
Food is a huge part of any destination for me, and my home base -- Atlanta, Georgia -- is no exception.
Does Green Tea Help the Heart?
A new study shows the beverage can protect the heart arteries by keeping them flexible and relaxed
Trouble brewing? iReporters talk Starbucks
In an effort to alleviate problems facing the company, Starbucks announced that it will close 600 company-run U.S. stores over the next year. Most of the stores are near another Starbucks and aren't profitable.
Get more flavor, nutrition from produce with the right prep
Fresh fruits and vegetables are among the most nutritious foods you can choose. They're low in calories yet rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. That's why produce, along with whole grains, forms the basis of a healthful diet. What's more, the way you store, prepare, and cook these foods can magnify (or preserve) their already healthful properties.
Coax flavor, nutrition from produce with proper care, handling
Fresh fruits and vegetables are among the most nutritious foods you can choose. They're low in calories yet rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. That's why produce, along with whole grains, forms the basis of a healthful diet. What's more, the way you store, prepare, and cook these foods can magnify (or preserve) their already healthful properties.
Food pairings: Working for or against you?
Certain foods play well with others, while others lose strength in pairs.
The Salmonella Culprit: Cold Water?
Too big of a temperature difference can make a tomato literally suck water inside the fruit through the scar where its stem used to be. If salmonella happens to be lurking on the skin, that's one way it can penetrate
Hawaiians hit by skyrocketing shipping costs
Ever wonder why everything at the grocery store seems to cost more these days? Blame it on, what else? - the price of fuel. The cost of shipping food is skyrocketing. And it's a domino effect from the farmer, to the shippers, to your local restaurants and supermarkets.
Juice up your diet
Eating fruits and vegetables helps keep you healthy and protects against disease, but it's not always easy to consume as much produce as experts advise. Fortunately, juices can be a convenient way to squeeze in extra servings. Six ounces -- just 3/4 cup of juice -- counts as one serving of a fruit or vegetable.
John Rolfe: Athletes' wines and whines
Some men never grew up Fortunate like you Some men never found out What it takes to be a dude That's sports and wine -- Ben Folds Five
Dr: Z: Vermeil doing just vine nowadays
Dick Vermeil was concerned. He had gotten off to a good start with his 2003 vintage Charbono, a dark, stylish wine that is made only in California. It was a correct wine, mixing the dark brooding touches of this exotic grape with a clean taste of berryish fruit, but then the next vintage, the 2004, had shown an overripe, spirity quality that puzzled a few of the tasters in the room.
Build a better salad with tasty, interesting add-ins
While the quintessential pairing of ripe tomatoes and lettuce is certainly enjoyable, a good salad can be so much more. Adding fruits, nuts, and other well-chosen ingredients offers a welcome change. More importantly, incorporating a few more nutritious ingredients is an easy way to serve a more healthful dish.
Nicki Jhabvala: The glove just fits
Some things just don't make any sense: Elton John and 50 Cent? The Godfather (I and II) and When Harry Met Sally?
Health magazine names top chain restaurant fare
If you're like us, you eat out more than ever -- and, as nice as it is to not have to cook, those meals out can actually feel like work. How do you navigate the minefields of huge portions, hidden fats, and sky-high sodium levels?
Smart tips to pack extra nutrition into every bite
In 2005, the government's revised Dietary Guidelines for Americans introduced the term "nutrient density," which sounds complicated but simply refers to how much nutrition a food provides. For example, a slice of 100 percent whole-grain bread is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, while a slice of regular white bread is lower in all three.
Caffeine and Pregnancy: How Risky?
Consultations: Dr. De-Kun Li of Kaiser Permanente on what pregnant women should know about caffeine
$100 a shot for cat dung coffee
A London department store has started selling coffee for $100 a shot.
Starbucks' New Brew: A First Taste
Time.com's office coffee addict takes a first sip of the new Pike Place Roast. And still longs for good old Sumatra
Tasty tricks for cutting fat, calories from recipes
Mashed bananas or baby food prunes don't sound very appetizing on their own, but substitute one of those ingredients for the vegetable oil in a store-bought brownie mix and it will add moisture while cutting the fat and calories.
New Beer's Eve: Happy days were here again
At the stroke of midnight, American beer drinkers were no longer breaking the law when they broke open a beer.
Meet Google's Willy Wonka
Good thing Google has an on-site dentist. One of the sweetest perks - literally - enjoyed by employees at the company's Mountain View, Calif. headquarters is the unlimited supply of bite-sized chocolates found in its well-stocked cafeterias.
Honduran president defends melons by eating one
He's no Julia Child, but Honduran President Manuel Zelaya showed Tuesday he can attack a cantaloupe and U.S. government claims in a single motion.
Starbucks Announces New Upgrades
Loyal customers get free extras, freshly ground coffee brewing in-house, fancy new espresso machines and more on the Starbucks revitalizing docket
Have a special cup of tea
Steep yourself in know-how with these masterful tips on tools and techniques.
Eva's New 'Baby': Beso, the Restaurant
Eva Longoria Parker admits to nerves on eve of star studded opening
Winning in the wine world
Dear FSB: What is the success rate for a small local winery in an area of between 40,000 to 60,000 people?
Dr. Z: Cope followed his heart into broadcasting
There's nothing as depressing as internal congratulation, except maybe for an NFL Network think piece, but I've simply got to stop and take note of the truly superior brand of e-mails this week. So let's have a real Morris Plains round of applause for our man in the control booth, Paulie Forrests! OK, Doctor, let's hear from the first stiff ... uh, first e-mailer.
Coffee break for Starbucks' 135,000 baristas
Warning to Starbucks junkies who usually get a fix on their way home from work: You're out of luck on Tuesday.
Interview with Vijay Mallya
Anjali Rao: He's dubbed the "King of Good Times." The billionaire tycoon casts a long shadow in India with high-profile launches and lavish parties. Vijay Mallya inherited an empire of different businesses at the tender age of 27, streamlining the operation and founding the Kingfisher brand. Today, his holding company United Breweries is worth $5 billion.
The Pepsi challenge
Pepsi can have a strange effect on people. The company, that is, not the beverage. No sooner had PepsiCo president Indra Nooyi gotten word 18 months ago that she was to become the next CEO than she hopped on a plane to Cape Cod, where Mike White, her main challenger for the job, was vacationing. The two had worked together for years. Both had been CFOs and rising stars. Both loved music. When they'd been kicked out of a board meeting the previous month while their fates were being discussed, they went to the Jersey Boys musical on Broadway and sang along to all the Frankie Valli songs.
Kimchi ready for space launch
Space, the final frontier, is about to add an Asian flavor.
Create a recipe notebook
Nothing's so annoying as wanting to make your friend Sally's snickerdoodles and not being able to find the recipe -- or her cell-phone number for that matter.
Beijing goes kosher as Olympics approach
Beijing and the Olympics are going Kosher.
An inside view of Oaxaca's culinary bounty
Of all of Mexico's attractions - white sand beaches, majestic ruins, the afternoon margarita - my favorite must be the mercado.
Office nomads unite in 'coworking' spaces
As a sole proprietor who works primarily online, every day I face a painful decision: work from home or go to a coffeehouse?
Brewing Battle: Starbucks vs. McDonald's
McDonald's has begun serving up lattes and chai at its new McCafÉ, while Starbucks is now selling sausage, egg and cheese breakfasts. Is this a turf war?
Bad foods that are actually great for your waist
If you've been avoiding burgers, ice cream, and pizza thinking you're doing your waistline a favor, don't. They can actually help you lose weight -- and keep it off, too. Here are the hidden slim-down perks of five foods that get a bad rap and the best way to add each one back into your diet.
Best new restaurants of 2007
As more and more of you dream and scheme your vacations around unforgettable meals, T+L has searched far and wide -- through eight cities across four continents, to be precise -- to unearth the world's greatest new dining experiences.
Cooling cola wars soak soda sales
U.S. carbonated soft drinks sales are expected to fall 1 percent this year, and one industry expert says it's partly because Coke and Pepsi have put their legendary cola wars on ice.
Virginia's capital merry and bright
Days and nights in Richmond, Virginia, sparkle during December more than a socialite draped in jewels. Legions of stringed lights hang like tinsel on trees. Candy-colored bulbs decorate foliage at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. And James River plantations treat guests to a colonial-style Christmas. From candlelight tours to light shows, this town offers more weekend choices than a travel agent's checklist.
Ways to speed up dinner prep times
Use five-minute windows of time to make big headway on making meals.
Weedy wine
"You sure have a lot of weeds." That's how Doug Tunnell describes the reaction of visitors to Brick House Vineyards, his small estate in Newberg, Ore. He points to plants you don't expect to see among the rows of grapevines: a tangle of blackberries overtaking a bed of yellow yarrow. "Only we don't view them as weeds," he says. "They're plants that offer habitats to organisms that somehow affect our grapes' DNA."
How to make a first-class sandwich
It's a given that most airlines don't serve meals, and airport to-go options are pathetic, so your best bet is to pack your own eats. But if you're bringing a sandwich on board (the best option because it doesn't need a container or utensils), you have to build it to last. After all, you probably won't be eating the darn thing for at least three hours.
Strategies to curb your hunger while you lose
It's 9 p.m. and you know just where that bag of peanut M&Ms is -- it's stashed in the pantry behind the ultravirtuous oatmeal and seriously fortified cereal. Out of sight, but not out of mind.
Diet, sugary sodas alike linked to heart disease factors
People who drink one or more soft drinks a day have a more than 50 percent higher risk of developing the heart disease precursor metabolic syndrome than people who drink less than one soda a day, a new study has found. And it didn't matter if it was a regular soda or a diet soda.
Coca-Cola posts higher profit, sales
Coca-Cola Co. posted a jump in its third-quarter profit and sales Wednesday, helped by strength in its overseas markets, although the company continues to suffer sluggish cola sales in its key North America market.
True or False: GM food
True or False: Organic food is free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
An organic milk war turns sour
Mark Retzloff, a pioneer of the $16.7 billion organic food industry and president of Aurora Organic Dairy, lobbied for years for strict government regulation of organics. He got what he wanted - and then some.
Making the world's best wine
Ten years ago, Blair and Estelle Hunt entered the wine business with nothing more than a bare plot of land.
Protein a key concern for vegetarians
It's lunchtime at Café Sunflower in Atlanta, Georgia. The kitchen is humming as the chef prepares the most popular item on the menu: sesame chicken. That's not what you'd expect at a vegetarian restaurant. But the so-called chicken is actually a seasoned soy product made to taste like the real thing. "It's a treat for vegetarians who miss meat," says restaurant owner Edward Sun.
Nutritionists: Soda making Americans drink themselves fat
If you're searching for a villain in America's obesity epidemic, most nutritionists tell you to put one picture on the wanted poster: a cold, bubbly glass of soda pop.
Krug: class in a glass
Popping corks and effervescent bubbles have symbolised success and celebration for more than 300 years.
Luxury food and vintage wine
This month's Art of Life will whet even the most discerning of appetites. We are on a quest to discover some of the world's most luxurious culinary treats.
With fall nearing, beer lovers celebrate brewing
Sometimes, a hobby can take on a life of its own. That's what happened to Sam Calagione of Lewes, Delaware. He began brewing beer at home in 1993. Two years later, that avocation blossomed into a full-fledged business: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery.
Schools serving healthier drinks - report
School vending machines are stocked with fewer high-calorie soft drinks today because some states have banned the sale of sodas on campus and the beverage industry is phasing in healthier drinks, according to an industry report.
5 nutritious habits of the planet's healthiest countries
If you've vacationed in an international destination, you know that learning about its food is one of the best ways to become familiar with a new culture. But lately, Americans have also taken greater interest in global cuisine because of health benefits attributed to certain styles of eating.
Green grapes: Turning sunshine into Napa wine
California's Napa Valley, with its rolling hills, vineyards and prized terrain, produces some of America's finest wines. Here, tradition and craft are everything.
Tuna with angel hair pasta
Here raw tuna is cut into thin strips, seasoned with sesame, chili and garlic, and mixed with cold cooked angel hair pasta to make a really interesting combination.
Atlantic cod, halibut & salmon with saikyo miso
The Pacific black cod, or sablefish, with miso has become one of the most famous dishes at all of the Nobu restaurants. Here we use the same technique and cooking method with Atlantic cod, halibut and salmon. Some of our customers like to squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top to balance out the sweetness of the Saikyo miso, but this is a matter of personal taste.
Two Buck Chuck takes a bite out of Napa
There's a war on bluster, and Fred Franzia is losing. Sure, the CEO of Bronco Wine, the nation's fourth-largest wine company, tells me repeatedly that only a sucker would pay more than $10 for a bottle of wine - including his own $35 Domaine Napa. And that Napa's and Bordeaux's claims about their special soils are bogus: "We can grow on asphalt. Terroir don't mean sh*t." After relieving himself by the side of his Jeep, Franzia recounts a trip to Burgundy where, after an elaborate tasting, he told the winemaker at Château Haut-Brion, "You can bottle gasoline if you can sell that."
U.S. wine-makers flock to Argentina
Viña Cobos co-owner Andrea Marchiori tightens her smile ever so slightly as she eyes my pant leg and shoe, now spattered with the oxygenated blood purple of malbec wine.
An organic milk ripoff
Some consumers pay $5 or $6 a gallon for organic milk, up to twice as much as the conventional kind. They're not always getting their money's worth.
Turn your backyard barbecue green
Labor Day, Memorial Day and the Fourth of July are the most popular days to cook outside on the grill says the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Asssociation. Americans grill with a passion, the group notes, with eight out of 10 U.S. households owning a grill or smoker and half use it more than four times a month.
Stars' favorite recipes
Try out the drinks and dishes the stars have been whipping up in their kitchens this summer.
Fighting to Keep Organic Foods Pure
Squishy federal guidelines on what makes a farm "organic" have advocates like Mark Kastel demanding stricter standards -- and forcing big producers to comply
Make last splash best of the season
As Labor Day approaches, there's still time for making the last big splash of the summer with a pool party.
As bees go missing, a $9.3B crisis lurks
It's a sweet time for honeybees in the rolling hills of eastern Pennsylvania, and the ones humming around Dennis vanEngelsdorp seem too preoccupied by the blooming knapweed nearby to sting him as he carefully lifts the top off their hive. VanEngelsdorp, Pennsylvania's state apiarist, spots signs of plenty within: honeycomb stocked with yellow pollen, neat rows of wax hexagons housing larval bees, and a fertile queen churning out eggs.
Escargot and the great American buffalo
My recent travels in Burgundy have caused me to think a lot about the French. The great issues of the day seem to deal with food and wine.
You want fried latte with your cobbler on a stick?
The entries in this year's Big Tex Choice Awards could entice State Fair visitors back to the deep fryer for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
What men should eat every day
Typically, men think about their health at one time -- during a crisis. But the problem with that wait-and-treat approach is that men are constantly responding to health emergencies rather than preventing them.
Napa Valley vintner is king of his wine castle
Daryl Sattui set out to build a modest, 8,500-square-foot winery. Millions of dollars and 120,000 square feet later, he's king of a wine country castle complete with drawbridge, dungeons and nifty little slots for the old boiling oil trick.
Putting a Cap on Wine Corks
Screwcapped wines are quickly gaining popularity, and it's got cork producers coming up with new ways to stay on top
Portland bewitches travelers, rain or shine
In the winter, the residents of this Pacific Northwest city hunker down for the gray rain that drills the city sidewalks for days on end. Locals drink loads of strong coffee, read books and take up knitting with zeal reserved in other parts of the nation for church going or clubbing.
PETA: Phils' ballpark most vegetarian-friendly
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Put away those hot dogs, carnivores.
Surprising uses for your microwave
Your microwave may be the most versatile kitchen appliance you're not using to its fullest potential.
If you go: Lake County, California
With new wineries, restaurants, and places to stay, Lake County (north of Napa) looks better than ever.
Why Polish is the New Language of British Retail
A migrant community whose disposable income runs to billions has become a prized market for high-street banks, supermarkets and bookstores
How a small winery found Internet fame
How do you get your product noticed in a sea of look-alike competitors? If you're South African winery Stormhoek, you go Web 2.0, with blogging, viral marketing, and crowdsourcing.

if I had a bigger home and a bigger kitchen a personal chef might be okay, but I still can't see me wanting to have one. Besides, if a chef saw what was in my kitchen they would quit in protest anyway. My husband often gets upset at the lack of utensils he finds when he tries to cook. I have the basics, but I can't understand buying things I might use once a year only to have them crowd my already tiny space. Yeah, I think it's safe to say a personal chef is out of the question. Some diet programs offer you the personal chef as a part of their program. They don't send someone to your house, but you can get some great meals prepared for you. All you have to do is heat them up and eat. This type of program will send you all the meals and snacks you need for a week, but it will cost you. On the other hand, some of your grocery budget can go to this, but it will only feed you. You will still have to buy food for the rest of your family. However, this might be the closest many of us get to having a personal chef to cook our diet menus for us.