Weight a whole chicken under a brick or skillet so that the breast stays juicy and the skin gets crisp. To do it, wrap a clean brick (or heavy cast-iron skillet) in aluminum foil. Sit the chicken upright on your cutting board and, using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut out the backbone. Flatten out the chicken, breaking the breastbone if necessary.

If you're using any herb or spice rubs, add them now, then grill skin-side down over a medium-low fire, weighted under the brick. After 15 to 20 minutes, flip the chicken over and finish cooking another 15 minutes. This can also be done with chicken halves in a heavy skillet (use two bricks, then) over medium heat.

— Food Network Kitchens

Choosing the knives you'll need

Home cooks frequently reach for three types of knives: chef's, paring and serrated, said personal chef Wendy Carroll of Seasoned to Taste in Fresno

The chef's knife, great for everything from chopped to julienned items, should be 7 to 10 inches long. The paring knife, used for detail work or cutting small foods, is 2 to 4 inches long. A 10-inch serrated knife is most useful for slicing breads and cakes.

With the variety among knives, shop around and hold several of each type. "What's most important is how it feels," said Budd Solaegui of Perfect Edge Sharpening Systems in Coarsegold.

When buying knives, choose ceramic or forged, high-carbon stainless steel, he said. Ceramic knives are very sharp and maintain an edge well, but can break when dropped. Forged, high-carbon stainless steel knives are stronger; they also keep an edge for a long time.

Avoid regular stainless steel. It doesn't maintain an edge and is hard to sharpen.

— McClatchy-Tribune News Service

Coffee comes with multiple mates

There are places in the supermarket that I don't visit regularly, so I am sometimes surprised by how much they have grown. Such is the case with Coffee-mate, which I visited a few days ago after I learned of its new World Cafe Collection, which is, for now, Hazelnut Biscotti, Italian Sweet Creme and Tiramisu.

Guess how many flavors of liquid Coffee-mate that makes?

Amaretto, Chocolate Raspberry, Cinnamon Vanilla Creme, Coconut Creme, Creme Brulee, fat-free Cinnamon Vanilla Creme, fat-free French Vanilla, fat-free Hazelnut, fat-free Original, fat-free Vanilla Caramel, French Vanilla, Hazelnut Biscotti, Hazelnut, Irish Creme, Italian Sweet Creme, low-fat Original, Original, sugar-free French Vanilla, sugar-free Hazelnut, sugar-free Vanilla Caramel, Tiramisu, Toffee Nut, Vanilla Caramel, Vanilla Chai Spice and Vanilla Nut, plus four seasonal flavors — Eggnog, Gingerbread, Peppermint Mocha and Pumpkin Spice — and two special editions — Black Cherry Streusel and Cinnamon Bun. That's 31! And that's just the liquid versions. There are also 15 kinds of Coffee-mate powder.

— Al Sicherman, Minneapolis Star Tribune