The Minimalist Kitchen
Mark Bittman weighs in on what he considers essential kitchen equipment. I'm not sure what to make of this. Of course, I'm speaking as someone with an All-Clad skillet and Wusthof kitchen knife, but the idea of paying only $15 for a skillet seems a little fishy to me. I guess his point here is what's essential--that with decent cooking skills, just these tools will suffice. I also wonder about the difference between what he finds in a restaurant supply store and the "big box" pans he warns against.
There's also an interesting piece in the Times about the five second rule, by the father of food chemistry writing, Harold McGee. The quick answer: it doesn't work. If the surface is contaminated, any amount of time is too long.