“It doesn’t actually taste like much of anything,” Eric Young says of octopus heads, which he bites to kill the animals. “It kind of tastes like salt and rubber. It feels like a little macadamia nut. You bite down, they go white, and that’s that.”

Don’t be fooled by his name — IndyCar driver Dario Franchitti is Scottish, not Italian. He’s also a big fan of Indiana steaks.

For your next party, forget that pot of chili and try cooking paella, the world’s most sophisticated comfort food.

The Right Way to Shuck an Oyster

April Bloomfield’s Oysters Rockefeller are topped with garlic, lemon, butter, and finely chopped spinach, then sprinkled with bread crumbs that toast up in a fleeting moment under the broiler. Photograph by Joao Canziani

On small plots of land across the country, the next generation of growers are innovating how we farm – without chemicals, subsidies, or big machines. Photograph by McNair Evans

Chef Marcus Samuelsson recently joined forces with Skyy Vodka to create a menu of drinks rooted in classic cocktail recipes (think gimlet, martini, and punch) but spiked with modern flourishes, like ginger syrup and hibiscus-infused tea. Our pick of the litter — this simple vodka sangria. Try it for yourself tonight.

Ingredients
•  2 cups Skyy Vodka
•  2/3 bottle white wine
•  2 ounces lime juice
•  8 ounces orange juice
•  8 ounces apple juice
•  1 mango, cut into cubes
•  2 pears, cut into cubes
•  Pear and strawberry for garnish

Soak fruit in juices and vodka for two hours to overnight (feel free to add more vodka for a stronger drink). Stir together in a pitcher and serve in wine glass. Garnish with pear and strawberry. Yields six cocktails.

The classic approach to cooking lobster is to drop one into boiling, salted water. But this technique deeply infuses the crustacean with the taste of, well, water. To solve that problem, substitute water for court bouillon, a quick vegetable stock that delivers extra flavor. (Taken with Instagram)

Concern about the safety of Teflon means it’s time to trade in that old skillet. Luckily, a new class of cookware enlists a variety of mineral – and ceramic-based – nonstick coatings.

The next time you’ve got a crowd to feed, take a break from the grill and serve a Frogmore stew — red potatoes, fresh corn on the cob, unpeeled shrimp, and sausage, all thrown together in a big pot.