The dirt about “superfoods”

August 14, 2013 by
 |  One Comment  |  Leave Comment
We're on a bit of a nomenclature binge, discussing the definition of the word "pizza" yesterday, noting the now legal definition of "gluten-free" last week,  and today taking a look at the word "superfood."  This is a word that's been used quite a lot recently and ostensibly means a food that is packed with nutrients, vitamins, or other beneficial attributes,… read more

Is it a pizza or isn’t it?

August 13, 2013 by
 |  4 Comments  |  Leave Comment
We know it's August and in much of the world there's not a lot of heavy mental lifting going on. so we wanted to nudge the brain cells a little with this crucial question, posed by the kitchn, "When Is a Pizza Not a Pizza?" Does it have to have a traditional crust? A traditional crust with sauce? A traditional… read more

The link between food and rituals

August 12, 2013 by
 |  Leave Comment
The New York Times has a fascinating article called Rituals Make Our Food More Flavorful  that provides incentive to mull over how we eat, as opposed to what we eat. Studies published in Psychological Science found that "rituals appeared capable of enhancing the enjoyment not just of treats like chocolate or lemonade but even baby carrots." Examples of rituals include… read more

Is food writing sexist?

August 9, 2013 by
 |  4 Comments  |  Leave Comment
Here's something to mull over on the weekend: Is food writing sexist? Frankly, we had never thought about this question, but  L.V. Anderson over at Slate has a decisivie article called Hey Food Writers, Stop Comparing Food to Women in which she maintains that it is indeed sexist and has to stop. Anderson started on this track by noticing an Alan… read more

Great prosciutto doesn’t have to come from Italy

August 8, 2013 by
 |  Leave Comment
Having posted yesterday about lab-grown hamburgers, we wanted to bring the discussion around full circle, and this New York Times article about a small Iowa farm producing prosciutto that rivals that from Parma does the trick. In Some Prosciutto Fans Turn to Iowa, they ask the question: "Would people buy prosciutto from a guy named Herb from Iowa?" The answer… read more

Unveiling laboratory-grown hamburgers

August 7, 2013 by
 |  5 Comments  |  Leave Comment
The biggest news this week is the unveiling and testing of the first laboratory-grown hamburger - you can read all the details in NPR's Long Awaited Lab-Grown Burger Is Unveiled in London. In a nutshell Google cofounder Sergei Brin donated $300,000 to fund the growth of a hamburger from a few stem cells extracted from a cow's shoulder muscle. After… read more

Recipe keepers, journals, and diaries

August 6, 2013 by
 |  2 Comments  |  Leave Comment
It's the peaceful, slow part of the year. Let's step away from cookbooks for just a moment and look at an often-overlooked corner of the recipe market.  Did you know that there's a whole niche of publishing devoted to recipe journals and diaries? They come in all different shapes and sizes, and designed for all different levels of engagement. A… read more

Finally, “Gluten Free” is now legally defined

August 6, 2013 by
 |  Leave Comment
Whether you need to shop for a gluten-intolerant diet or not, it's impossible to avoid seeing that label in grocery stores - it's become omnipresent. However,  many people may not have realized that, until now, there have been no official requirements to back up a "gluten-free" label. Congress asked the FDA nine years ago to define the concept and gave… read more

Faking great balsamic vinegar

August 5, 2013 by
 |  2 Comments  |  Leave Comment
It's hard to keep a good tip down on the internet. Here's a quick tip from Food52 - A Trick for Faking Fancy Balsamic, which, in turn, was adapted from  Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts by Alice Medrich. "Simmer two parts inexpensive balsamic vinegar with one part honey until the mixture is thickened and reduced by about half. Let cool." You can… read more

How to use up past-its-prime fruit

August 4, 2013 by
 |  Leave Comment
  To solve an obviously rotten problem, here's the Kitchn's take on 10 Top Ways to Use Up Overripe Fruit: Quick Bread Jam Crumble, Cobbler, or Pie Smoothie Sauce for Pancakes or Sandaes Meat Sauce Salad Dressing Juice Fruit Leather Popsicles They offer several recipes suggestions for many of these ideas, but we wanted to see if the EYB library… read more

What makes a good cookbook app

August 2, 2013 by
 |  Leave Comment
Yesterday, we wrote about the success of the cookbook Jerusalem - success partically driven by social media. Since we were discussing the effects of technology on cookbooks, we decided to delve into a related area, and share this article from App Storm on what makes a good cookbook app. In The Future of Cookbook Apps on iPad, Jessica O'Toole first… read more

Why ‘Jerusalem’ is becoming the Harry Potter of the cookbook world

August 1, 2013 by
 |  4 Comments  |  Leave Comment
There are thousands, of cookbooks published every year. Many are never noticed, some become popular with a select group, and some actually make the best-seller list for awhile. But every now and then, one incites feverish excitement. According to The New York Times article, 'Jerusalem' Has All the Right Ingredients,  Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi's recent cookbook Jerusalem is reaching those… read more

Are these the 9 best global food magazines?

July 31, 2013 by
 |  4 Comments  |  Leave Comment
Everybody loves lists - if, for nothing else, than to disagree with them. So we wanted to present The Daily Meal's Ten Best Magazines From Around the World as a topic of discussion (the list is, actually, only of 9 magazines). Of course, many might argue that internet recipes are eliminating the need for food magazines (Gourmet blamed the internet… read more

Safe ways to defrost food

July 30, 2013 by
 |  2 Comments  |  Leave Comment
When it's hot out, the chances of food spoilage increase. So we thought a short primer on safe ways to defrost food would not go amiss. Most people understand that defrosting food in the refrigerator, which usually takes at least overnight but keeps the food at a safe temperature, is the best way to proceed. And we hope that most… read more

What’s your number?

July 29, 2013 by
 |  7 Comments  |  Leave Comment
Is it 5? 6? 8? 10? This summer's cookbooks are having a silent contest for the hearts of cooks who subscribe to the "quick and easy" school of cooking.  How many ingredients do we want to see in a recipe?  Salt and pepper don't count, by the way. America's Test Kitchen puts its bid right front and center with The… read more

Finally – a realistic way to determine what’s good for you to eat

July 29, 2013 by
 |  2 Comments  |  Leave Comment
Because the amount of nutritional information out there is humongous, often contradictory, and may or may not have any scientific validity, we've tended not to post much on the issue. However, it is a body of knowledge that anyone who likes to eat should try to stay on top of - or at least try to be rational about. To… read more

Steak Misconceptions

July 28, 2013 by
 |  Leave Comment
One of the biggest misconceptions about steaks (and other proteins) is that you need to sear them to seal the juices in. It's now pretty widely accepted that that is not true - searing makes little difference to the juiciness of a steak; it does, however, improve the flavor through the Maillard Reaction. But other misconceptions about grilling or searing… read more

Ice myths that aren’t true

July 26, 2013 by
 |  2 Comments  |  Leave Comment
It was very hot recently in our part of the world, so we spent more than the usual time breaking out the ice trays. With ice at the forefront of our kitchen, an article at SeriousEats by their food science columnist, Kevin Liu, hit the proverbial spot. In 5 Myths About Ice, Debunked, he explains why the following 5 preconceptions… read more

Learning from Raghavan Iyer

July 24, 2013 by
 |  4 Comments  |  Leave Comment
  Raghavan Iyer won widespread acclaim with his third book, 660 Curries, Plus Biryanis, Breads, Pilafs, Raitas, and More, rated as a "a must-have for lovers of Indian cuisine." He's back with a new book that is designed to help anyone, regardless of skill level or location, master the flavors of Indian cuisine. In Indian Cooking Unfolded: A Master Class… read more

Cookbook giveaway – Indian Cooking Unfolded

July 24, 2013 by
 |  111 Comments  |  Leave Comment
Here at EYB we're all for encouraging our members to indulge their passion for cookbooks. To that end, we've created a program to give our members a chance to win a copy of new, exciting cookbooks that have just been published. To see all the contests, just look in the right-hand category column on any blog page and click on… read more

July 2013 cookbook roundup

July 24, 2013 by
 |  One Comment  |  Leave Comment
Every month Susie Chang reviews new cookbook releases and notes trends in the United States. And she may also occasionally throw in a review of a "not-quite cookbook."   And for our non-U.S. members, Jane and Fiona provide similar reviews for new U.K., Australia, and New Zealand releases. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- United States  Cookbook pickings are always slim in mid-summer, but there's still… read more

Me and my cookbooks

July 24, 2013 by
 |  15 Comments  |  Leave Comment
At a time when the press relentlessly insists that no one is interested in cooking at home anymore, there is great joy in realizing that there are many others ( EYB members) who enjoy the creativity and pleasure of sharing good food. So we wanted to celebrate our members by regularly publishing vignettes about members and their cookbooks. We're starting… read more

Cookbook giveaway – The French Market Cookbook

July 23, 2013 by
 |  124 Comments  |  Leave Comment
Here at EYB we're all for encouraging our members to indulge their passion for cookbooks. To that end, we've created a program to give our members a chance to win a copy of new, exciting cookbooks that have just been published. To see all the contests, just look in the right-hand category column on any blog page and click on… read more

Meeting Clotilde Dusoulier

July 23, 2013 by
 |  Leave Comment
  Although a renowned cookbook author, Clotilde Dusoulier is probably more well-known for her very popular blog: Chocolate and Zucchini. Based in Paris, her blog has a French twist. And why the curious name? "It is a good metaphor for my cooking style: the zucchini illustrates my focus on healthy and natural eating: fresh produce, artisan goods, and a preference… read more

Food-forward picture books

July 22, 2013 by
 |  Leave Comment
A while ago, I did a feature on literary cookbooks for kids.  It wasn't that long ago, but in the months seen I've been seeing a special kind of book that doesn't even pretend to be a cookbook, really - the picture book that's all about food. Now, it's not as though kids' stories about food are anything new -… read more
« Older posts
Newer posts »
Seen anything interesting? Let us know & we'll share it!

Categories

Archives