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There’s nothing like a great grilled steak, but if you’re stuck in an apartment, don’t have a grill, or don’t want to freeze outside, cooking weblog The Kitchn offers detailed, easy instructions on how to make a fantastic oven-cooked steak.

Nothing fancy is involved here, just some vegetable oil, salt, pepper, and a cast iron skillet (and, of course, a high-quality steak!). The instructions are quite detailed, right down to where to buy a good steak, what to look for, and how to prep it for cooking. The process itself is extremely easy for even the most amateur of cooks, and shouldn’t take longer than 15 minutes (not including the 20 minutes or so it takes to let the broiler heat up). There are even some instructions on how to create a nice sauce to go with it using what’s left over in the pan. And, while the instructions themselves are very geared towards a ribeye steak, the method should work for other cuts as well (though cooking times may vary). Hit the link for the full how-to.

Ever had the urge to crank out some nasty riffs in the kitchen, record them, and then watch as millions of Xbox 360 owners rush to download your jam(s)? Don’t lie. In a move that marks the next logical step of the Rock Band journey, Harmonix has confirmed that an open beta registration of the Rock Band Network will open up later today for Xbox 360 users, enabling amateur (or professional… or novice!) musicians to record, convert and upload tracks to a network where gamers can judge how awesome / not awesome any given song is. Reportedly, those seen as “good enough” will be made available for sale (you can price each tune from $1 to $3), though we’re hearing that the actual conversion process isn’t a lesson in simplicity. In fact, some outfits are offering their services to take recordings from .wav files to ones that the game can understand, but with rates of $500 per minute (of music), we’re guessing that only serious artists will apply. And if you’ve ever heard “that local band” willing to play shows for free, you’ll agree with us when we say that this barrier to entry is probably a good thing.

Rock Band Network beta opening to Xbox 360 users, garage bands see ‘their chance’ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you like documenting a good meal and enjoy checking out the delicious culinary delights other foodies are finding, Foodspotting offers a platform for cataloging and browsing delicious eats from around the world.

Foodspotting was founded on the idea that it’s more about a good dish than it is about the entire restaurant. Rather than review entire establishments, Foodspotting focuses on delicious dishes and where you can find them.

After signing up for a free account at Foodspotting you can browse entries by other amateur food photographers and critics, search for entries by name or geographic location, and flag food “Nom It” if you’ve eaten it and approve of the food and “Want It” if you’re craving it. In addition to name and location-based search you can browse the most popular food by the number of people who have given it their approval or put it on their wanted list.

Foodspotting is currently only accessible via their website, although according to their FAQ file an iPhone app is slated for this quarter. Foodspotting is a free service that requires a basic registration. Have a favorite tool or service for finding great meals? Let’s hear about it in the comments.

Filed under: Audio, Podcasting

There’s no shortage of podcasting equipment out there for amateurs or professionals. These audio devices can range from a few bucks to a few thousand bucks, which sometimes makes it difficult to figure out exactly what equipment is best for you. Well, lucky for you Dan Benjamin at Hivelogic has written a very thorough article on the best equipment in every price range. It covers all bases, from the person who has never recorded before to the person making the leap into the “pro” category and ready to drop a grand to improve audio quality.

As an amateur podcaster myself I was a little surprised that my beloved Ubercaster and Blue Snowball were left out in the cold, but the article is still very helpful to people looking for the best hardware and software at different price points. If you’ve been considering buying or upgrading your gear, this is the article to read.

TUAWPodcasting advice for the amateur or expert originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lightboxes aren’t just for the professionals any longer. Using them to illuminate your Craigslist and eBay listings can help make a sale, and amateur photogs can get professional-looking shots with one. Create your own using K’nex and a little know how.

At first the idea of using our favorite childhood toy to make a light box may feel slightly silly, but the slim design of the pieces would be beneficial in keeping unwanted shadows or darkness out of your final photograph. Plus, it’s a fabulous excuse to bust out the toy box again. Here’s what you’ll need:

Hit the full post on DIY weblog Spin Hand Spun for all the assembly details, including how to grommet your fabric to encase your structure.

Do you use a light box to give your photographs a professional touch (maybe a simple cardboard one perhaps)? Share your expertise in the comments.

A startup called Thoora wants to become the site where readers find every article and comment around the news stories that interest them, in real time.

The obvious competitor to the company, which just launched a limited beta test at the TechCrunch50 conference in San Francisco, is Google, with its News and Blog Search sites. Thoora wants to differentiate itself by bringing together professional news articles, blogs posts, comments, and posts on Twitter.

Comments and posts aren’t indexed by either Google News or Google Blog Search, and Google separates news articles and amateur blog posts into two different search sites. Thoora also says it has ranking and clustering technology to help users see which story is attracting the most interest, no matter where it was published.

“We index, in real-time, every tweet, every blog post,” says chief executive Mike Lee.

A lot of the expert panelists seemed skeptical about whether Thoora will be able to differentiate itself, a concern that I share. Even with the best technology, it’s hard to see how Thoora will communicate that superiority to users who already have so many news aggregators to choose from.