Food news antipasto

Fans of the UK's Borough Market will like this tidbit - it's been a while since the Market Life magazine was last published. The magazine stalled at issue #49, so very close to a milestone publication. This week, the Market finally announced the release of issue #50. To mark this accomplishment, they have assembled a special bumper edition, which includes… read more

The many faces of Dorie (and cookbook covers)

Recently, Dorie Greenspan posted photos of her adorable grandbaby, Gemma on Instagram. This week, in the New York Times she shared a recipe for Strawberry baby cakes. (We will have this recipe indexed soon.) She made these lovely little bites for Gemma's first birthday. Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food stylist: Sue Li. Prop stylist: Nicole Louie I… read more

Online spice buying options abound

Before the internet made the world a much smaller place, learning about, finding and purchasing spices that were not commonly found in traditional European cooking was a challenge for cooks in English-speaking countries like the US, UK, and Australia (the exception being India and other former colonial holdings). If you did not live in or near a large city with… read more

Peggy Porschen: A Year in Cake Giveaway

Enter our US/UK/AU/NZ giveaway to win one of three copies of Peggy Porschen: A Year in Cake: Seasonal Recipes and Dreamy Style Secrets from London's Prettiest Bakery. Peggy Porschen is a master baker who runs an iconic bakery in London (photograph below) renowned for it's delicious bakes. I want to go back to London just to step into the fairytale… read more

Martha Stewart’s Very Good Things; GoodCook and Infuse by Casabella Cleaning Products – Giveaway

Today's giveaway features Martha Stewart's Very Good Things: Simple Tips and Genius Ideas for an Easier and More Beautiful Life by Martha Stewart and a product package from GoodCook as well as a cleaning package from Infuse at Casabella. Learn more below. In January of this year Martha Stewart's Very Good Things: Simple Tips and Genius Ideas for an Easier… read more

The last two weeks: Baking news, GBBO and other baking shows to begin soon, a look inside a few autumn baking titles, cookbook giveaways, EYBD Previews and more

This week Brian Hart Hoffman of Bake from Scratch announced a new series of Williams-Sonoma virtual baking classes. The first class is set for August 9th and features croissants. Additional classes are lined up throughout August and Edd Kimber and Amanda Frederickson will be joining Brian as set out in our calendar. Speaking of croissants, Brian is the latest culinary… read more

Nach Waxman of NYC’s Kitchen Arts & Letters has died

One of the best known bookstores dedicated to cookbooks and other food-related tomes has just lost its founding father. We learned that Nach Waxman, who started Kitchen Arts & Letters in New York's Upper East Side in 1983, died suddenly yesterday. Before he became the “patron saint of food writers,” Waxman worked as an editor at Macmillan, Harper & Row,… read more

Paris Hilton’s new Netflix series is all about cooking – sort of

Celebrities branching out from singing or acting into cooking (whether through cookbooks or cooking shows) has become commonplace. Some are more successful at it than others - think Chrissy Teigen or Trisha Yearwood - but dozens have given it a go over the years. The latest to score a Netflix special might surprise you, however. Paris Hilton's cooking show 'Cooking… read more

La Vita e Dolce: Italian Inspired Desserts Cookbook Giveaway

Enter our US/UK/AU/NZ giveaway to win one of three copies of La Vita e Dolce: Italian Inspired Desserts by Letitia Clark. La Vita e Dolce is an exciting take on Italian baking by food writer and trained pastry chef, Letitia Clark. Featuring over 80 Italian desserts, this beautiful book showcases Letitia's favourite puddings inspired by her time living in Sardinia.… read more

All about miso

I did not discover miso until just last year, when the pandemic cooking doldrums spurred me to look beyond my usual repertoire. Several of my cookbooks had recipes that featured the fermented paste, so I ordered some online and started to use it. Miso is one of those ingredients where you wonder how you cooked without it before. If you… read more

Ciudad de Mexico: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of Mexico City

Enter our US/UK/AU/NZ giveaway to win one of three copies of Ciudad de Mexico: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of Mexico City by Edson Diaz-Fuentes. Divided into chapters by time of day, in Ciudad de México, chef Edson Diaz-Fuentes takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of one of the most diverse cuisines in the world, explored through the… read more

Food news antipasto

Even though I have pared down my kitchen tool collection, I still have several different whisks. Each handles a particular task better than others. If you're wondering which whisk performs best for different uses, head over to The Kitchn. They have put together a primer on types of whisks and the differences between them. When I make a Caesar salad… read more

Would ‘Lockdown 2.0’ be easier?

The Delta variant has thrown us for a loop. It seems that this version of the coronavirus is easier to catch and it can even affect a small portion of people who have been vaccinated. Given the low vaccination rates in some areas, the odds of having another lockdown have increased modestly, if not significantly. If we do have 'Lockdown… read more

The path to better fried foods

A few years ago when I wrote a post about the secrets to better frying, I briefly thought about titling the post 'Fear of frying' but thought the title was too esoteric, as not that many people would get the reference I was making. A couple of days ago, I received an email from The Bittman Project where Mark Bittman… read more

Get a gold medal for snacks

This year's summer Olympics are unlike any other: first they were postponed for a year, then the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus meant that fans would not be able to attend in person. Athletes are contending not only with their competitors but also with heat, oddly quiet arenas and playing fields, and cardboard beds (which are much… read more

The Pepper Thai Cookbook – Cook Real Hawaii

Enter our US giveaway to win a copy of The Pepper Thai Cookbook: Family Recipes from Everyone's Favorite Thai Mom by Pepper Teigen and Cook Real Hawai'i by Sheldon Simeon. Two great books that bring some exciting flavors to your table. First, we have The Pepper Thai Cookbook: Family Recipes from Everyone's Favorite Thai Mom by Pepper Teigen (Chrissy’s mom) which is everything I… read more

Cookbook preview for the second half of 2021

We're approaching August at warp speed. August begins the soft opening of Cookbooktober, those magical months through November where cookbooks are released in a frenzy. In February, I shared my preview for January through July and now that seems like years ago! (Full listings of this year's titles can be found on the Cookbook Preview). Please note that I have… read more

How cast iron pans are made

Cast iron cookware has enjoyed renewed popularity of late, with people singing its praises in blogs and magazine articles, and crowd-sourced companies adding 21st century flair and technology to the time-honored craft. The technique of making cast iron is not a secret - it's right there in the name - but have you ever witnessed a foundry at work? It's… read more

July 2021 New Cookbook Review

Believe it or not, book publication dates are still changing from month to month. Shortage of staff, shipping delays and other issues have caused release dates to move back. Several books from July have moved to August or beyond and those months are already packed with releases. I am trying to keep the 2021 Cookbook Preview updated with the changes. If… read more

Food news antipasto

Millions of people watched famed chef Jacques Pépin's short cooking videos during the pandemic. Although I never much paid attention to the clothing he was wearing, Charlotte Reilly of Inside Hook took notice. She added him to her list of the 50 best dressed men over 50. Reilly says she was impressed by "how simply and timelessly Pépin is dressed"… read more

Everything you always wanted to know about vanilla

Vanilla as an adjective is a synonym for boring, but as a flavoring extract it is anything but blah. Why the term 'vanilla' took on such a connotation is an interesting story in itself, but we're here to talk about the actual product, not its colloquial use. Over at Eater, Jamie Feldmar takes a deep dive into vanilla, explaining what… read more

Why you should add tahini to your pantry

When I was growing up in a tiny town in the midst of the US Great Plains, I was not exposed to a wide variety of foods. It wasn't until I left home to attend college that I first experienced items most people would find ordinary, such as avocados, asparagus, and leeks, much less any foods from Asian, African, or… read more

This week: The best of baking intentions, recently indexed books, recipes, EYBD Previews and giveaways

My head is paved with the best of baking intentions. I make plans to tackle a baking project and then the next thing you know "Bazinga!" I am binge watching The Big Bang Theory to avoid said projects. Nine months ago, I traced the circles onto parchment to bake the Honey cake (photo below) from Baking at the 20th Century… read more

July 2021 EYB Cookbook Club Summary

Each month we offer at least four cooking options in our Eat Your Books Cookbook Club. This month we have been cooking from: Main option: Milk Street: Tuesday Nights Mediterranean by Christopher KimballBaking option: Zoë Bakes Cakes by Zoë FrançoisOnline option: Christopher Kimball Online Recipes or Diana Henry Online RecipesVeg option: Vegetable Simple by Eric Ripert For past EYB Cookbook Club summaries, #EYBCookbookClub will pull up an archive of our club’s activities.… read more

The “Cookbook Queen” of Mar Vista is selling her collection

When you have a large collection of cookbooks, determining what to do with them once you are no longer around can be a difficult decision. Some people opt to pare down to the bare minimum when downsizing a house, others make arrangements with libraries or schools to donate their books. Ellin Palmer of Mar Vista, California, is taking a different… read more
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