Food news antipasto

Restaurant aficionados often turn up their noses at chain restaurants, and there are many reasons why a food lover might not like them: they can be noisy, the food is often bland, and the overall dining experience will never knock your socks off. But as Grace Dent explains, sometimes a chain restaurant is just the place to go, especially if you are looking for comfort.

The milkshake is a uniquely American invention, allegedly created by a soda jerk at a Walgreens pharmacy in 1922. Because they are so delicious, milkshakes quickly became a sensation, spreading across the country like wildfire. Even though the milkshake might seem innocuous, the creamy beverage is often used as metaphor in cinema, says Eater’s Jaya Saxena. She writes about how a milkshake on screen is never just a milkshake.

Moving from one dairy product to another: the next item that caught my eye this week is about cheese. Good Food (Aus) has an article that I definitely want to believe is true, with claims that cheese can actually be good for your health. Studies have shown that older people who ate cheese performed better in cognitive tests, and that cheese consumption was linked to lower BMI and blood pressure. Sounds good to me.

If you have ever baked a cake, you’ve probably read the word “room temperature” at some point. But what, precisely, does room temperature mean and why is it so important? Matthew Zuras explains at Epicurious, giving us the ins and outs to ensure your ingredients are hitting that temperature sweet spot. A chef once showed me how she determined if butter was at the appropriate temperature: take the stick of butter and bend it in the middle. At the correct temperature it will easily bend but will still hold its shape once bent.

Speaking of cake, when it comes to birthday celebrations, cake usually makes an appearance as the star of the show. But why cake and not some other delicious, decadent dessert? That’s exactly what BBC Good Food wonders, answering with 20 different birthday cake alternatives. I was a little disappointed that one of the options was cupcakes, which is cake after all, but there are other ideas with merit, such as a skillet cookie.

NYC’s Eleven Madison Park, known as one of the top restaurants in the world, turns 25 this year. For the restaurant’s anniversary menu, chef Daniel Humm is sticking with the decision he made nearly two years ago to turn EMP into a fully vegan establishment. He reiterates that EMP will never again serve meat or even butter, and explains that the restaurant has been moving toward this plant-based experience for years.