Food news antipasto

Kitchens and cooking have evolved over the centuries: the methods and equipment used by our grandparents and ancestors have transformed into modern-day appliances and techniques. It’s fascinating to observe these changes, and thanks to the Smithsonian, you can easily do just that by viewing an 1868 catalog of cook stoves. I am thankful I do not have to make holiday dinners on a wood stove!

US Thanksgiving takes place this Thursday, and tables across the country will be filled with turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean and sweet potato casseroles, cranberry sauce, and other traditional foods. One item that does not frequently make an appearance on this holiday is salad. That’s a shame, says Eater’s Jaya Saxena, who makes the case for including salads at Thanksgiving.

A basket of fresh from the oven dinner rolls is a wonderful addition to any celebratory meal. You do not need a dedicated recipe to make fantastic rolls, according to King Arthur Flour. Instead, you can just convert your favorite bread recipe into a roll recipe using their easy to understand directions.

If you are the type of person who loves to make gifts from the kitchen, head over to The Guardian, where Yotam Ottolenghi offers three of his favorite recipes for gifting: cheese biscuits, fig jam, and ginger-pecan brittle. Yum!

One word no one wants to hear around the dinner table is botulism, but this toxin has completely shaped the way we eat. It took some time for scientists to identify Clostridium botulinum, one of the most dangerous substances on Earth. Anthony Warner, aka the Angry Chef, dives deep into this subject, explaining how this tiny bacteria has transformed the way we make and eat countless types of food.

KitchenAid mixers are iconic – their unique silhouette can be found in millions of kitchens worldwide. One of the best features of these stand mixers is the adapter that allows you to use myriad attachments to the machine. There are so many different ones that it can be difficult to decide which ones are worth the investment. Taste of Home Magazine has answers, providing us with an list of their top 10 favorite attachments for the KitchenAid.

Jenny has assembled a fantastic gift guide that features cookbooks, cookware, hampers, and more. If that isn’t enough for you, head over to The New Yorker, where writer Helen Rosner has assembled a food-themed holiday gift guide featuring items that range from pragmatic to extravagant. Epicurious also has a gift guide that includes 45 different items.

Photo of Citrus, beet, and arugula salad with halloumi croutons from Food & Wine Magazine by Adeena Sussman

Post a comment

2 Comments

  • Jenny  on  November 22, 2021

    The stove catalog is so interesting. One of my favorite Little House on the Prairie episodes (yes, I’m lame) is the one where Laura sells her pony to buy Ma a stove. How Ma made breads, cakes, dinner in the fireplace “oven” was beyond me and even with the “new” stove – it is amazing what we use to be able to do – now folks blame a recipe if their cake is dry even when they have a top of the line oven that does everything but wash the dishes – oh yes there is a machine for that too. ๐Ÿ™‚ I have to confess my dishwasher has been on the disabled list for several months and I am really missing it.

  • hillsboroks  on  November 24, 2021

    My grandmother cooked on a wood stove in her farmhouse kitchen for years and as a child I remember watching her put the wood in the firebox to keep the heat going. But the funny thing is when she finally got an electric stove she just put it beside the wood stove and used both for a long time. I inherited her 1916 White Cookbook that has all kinds of recipes for baking and cooking on a wood stove. I love the part where you determine your oven temperature by throwing a pinch of flour into the oven and watching how fast it browns. It would take me years to become proficient in baking using that kind of oven.

Seen anything interesting? Let us know & we'll share it!