Olive oil prices set to drop in 2025

December 20, 2024 by
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After years of sharing stories about crop failures and record-setting high prices for olive oil, there is finally some good news to deliver. Olive oil prices are going to come down next thanks to an excellent harvest in Spain. Since the olive oil harvest in Andalusia accounts for nearly 1/3 of the world's supply, this means that there should be… read more

The complexities of the Ina Garten/Martha Stewart relationship

December 18, 2024 by
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One could argue that the two biggest female culinary icons alive today are Martha Stewart and Ina Garten. Both have had big years, Stewart with a documentary about her life and Garten with a recently-published memoir. In an interview about her documentary, Stewart suggested that there was bad blood between the two, saying that she felt like Garten abandoned her… read more

This is the flavor of the year for 2025

December 18, 2024 by
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Pantone recently released its color of the year for 2025 - Mocha Mousse (which a few people relabeled as 'Poop', but that's the internet for you) - and the 2025 flavor of the year has something in common with it. Apparently next year will be the year of 'brown', because according to the Food and Beverage Trends Report published by T.… read more

Food news antipasto

December 15, 2024 by
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We start out this week with a tip from an EYB Member about a new reality show that is right up our alley called Clash of the Cookbooks. It's brought to us by Roku, the same channel that hosts The Great American Baking Show. Comedian Phoebe Robinson and cookbook author and culinary historian Max Miller host the program, where "they… read more

What are the best pieces from a 157-piece Le Creuset set?

December 14, 2024 by
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Do you remember last October when Costco offered a huge set of Le Creuset for about $4,500 USD? Jane and I had questions about who would purchase this massive set, where they would store all 157 pieces, and whether they would use them all. We now have some answers, as Food and Wine recently interviewed one woman who received the… read more

Food trends for 2025

December 13, 2024 by
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pork and cabbage dumplings on a patterned blue and white rectangular platter. A pair of red chopsticks rests at an angle in the upper left corner of the platter
At the end of the year it's common to look back at what happened in 2024 (best cookbooks lists coming up soon!) and also to predict what food trends will happen in 2025. To that end, Martha Stewart's website has five trends to look for in the coming year. Pork and Chinese cabbage dumplings from Chinese Soul Food by Hsiao-Ching… read more

With coffee prices on the rise, is it time to find an alternative?

December 11, 2024 by
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Coffee prices climbed sharply this year, with arabica beans up 80% as of Tuesday to an all-time high. Even the less popular robusta beans - the kind used most often in instant coffee - have doubled in price. While much of this is due to weather-related damage to crops, another factor is at play: more coffee farmers are finally being… read more

The Food Lab celebrates a huge milestone

December 10, 2024 by
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I missed this news when Kenji López-Alt announced it a couple of weeks ago but it is worth mentioning - his first solo cookbook, The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science, recently ticked past 1 million copies sold. In addition to selling a lot of copies, The Food Lab has earned a James Beard Award, was a NYT bestseller,… read more

Food news antipasto

December 9, 2024 by
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Closeup of a pan of folded. golden brown Parker House rolls sprinkled with flaky salt
When Christmas rolls around, even people who normally don't cook much pull out all the stops and make a large feast for family and friends. For most, the idea of going out to dinner for this holiday is unthinkable. Yet there is something to be said for letting others do the cooking, says restaurant critic Jay Rayner. "I have cooked a… read more

Layoffs hit Eater and Thrillist

December 7, 2024 by
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The union that represents writers for Eater, Thrillist, and other entities under the Vox Media brand announced Thursday that it was "blindsided" by layoffs and restructuring that affected many of its members. The company confirmed the layoffs to The Wrap, with CEO Jim Bankoff saying that the company was “implementing role eliminations and organizational changes across our lifestyle brands (Thrillist,… read more

Dorie Greenspan’s cookbook recommendations for 2024

December 5, 2024 by
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collage of six cookbooks: The Cake Bible 35th Anniversary Edition by Rose Levy Beranbaum, Africali by Kiano Moju, Kalaya's Southern Thai Kitchen by Nok Suntaranon, Pass the Plate by Carolina Gelen, Julia Child's Kitchen by Paula Johnson, and Sweet Tooth by Sarah Fennel
The inimitable Dorie Greenspan just published her favorite cookbooks of 2024 and I'm passing along the recommendations to our Members. I feel like no one will believe me when I state (for the nth year in a row) that the releases this year are even better than before, but Dorie agrees, saying "This year’s crop is more exciting than ever.… read more

Sensory subterfuge

December 4, 2024 by
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a wooden bowl filled with lemons sits next to two whole and two halves of lemons on a wooden surface
It is no secret that marketers find all manner of ways to encourage (some might say trick) us into purchasing their products. This of course extends to the world of food, where packaging is studiously designed to make you want to grab that particular item off the shelf. There's one marketing trick that I had never even considered until I… read more

Do you have love for gloves?

December 3, 2024 by
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gloved hands arranging food on a blue plate with lettuce, tomatoes, and hardboiled eggs
Food content creators often wear disposable gloves in their videos, with black nitrile gloves being the most popular choice. Wearing gloves is seen as a best practice to ensure food safety, but not everyone agrees that this is the best way to avoid contamination, including this baker on Instagram. She believes that gloves offer a false sense of security with… read more

Food news antipasto

December 2, 2024 by
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Our first bit of news belongs in the "just because you can, doesn't mean you should" category. Pizza Hut recently announced that it is offering a wine made from tomatoes and basil that is supposed to taste like a pizza. "The holidays are a time for many gatherings, but often, the gift of a bottle of wine can feel expected.… read more

Using the leftovers

November 28, 2024 by
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three sugar-dusted cake donuts sitting in a bed of sugar
Yesterday, I wrote Relax, you’ve got this and am following up with ideas for using up leftovers. The guests have left, the dishes are done, the kitchen floor is swept, and the food is put away. Unless you enjoy eating the same thing for several days on repeat, tomorrow you will be thinking of ways to use the leftover turkey,… read more

Relax, you’ve got this

November 28, 2024 by
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My social media feed has been nonstop Thanksgiving prep the past couple of days. Our gathering will be smaller than usual, so I'm throwing out the rulebook (with one exception: there will be mashed potatoes), going with prime rib instead of turkey, and ending with tarte Tatin and Bourbon butterscotch ice cream for dessert. It's late in the evening here,… read more

Move over turkey, there’s a new Thanksgiving entree in town

November 26, 2024 by
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a square of traditional lasagna bolognese on an off-white plate. A fork rests to the right of the lasagna.
For millions of Americans, Thanksgiving dinner wouldn't be complete without a turkey. It's by far the most popular main dish on holiday tables, but for a growing number of people turkey has been supplanted by another dish: lasagna. As Khushbu Shah writes in The New York Times, this may seem surprising on the surface, but there are logical reasons for… read more

Food news antipasto

November 24, 2024 by
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Closeup of a dark golden brown pecan pie with pecan halves on the top and a loosely crimped crust.
A stack of fluffy buttermilk pancakes just doesn't seem right without a drizzle of maple syrup, and the sweet substance has a long and rich culinary history that dates back centuries. In recent years, maple sap production, which relies on a specific variance between daytime and nighttime temperatures, has plummeted due to changes in the weather. With reserves at an… read more

The top 25 US recipes of the past 100 years

November 22, 2024 by
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Closeup of several golden brown chocolate chip cookies.
Choosing a handful of recipes from an entire century as the representatives of a country's culinary landscape seems like a Herculean task, but Dan Kois and J. Bryan Lowder of Slate did just that. They assembled a list of 25 recipes that represents the best the US has to offer over the last 100 years. Kois and Lowder didn't do… read more

Build your own charcuterie chalet

November 20, 2024 by
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Rows of cheese squares and circles of cured meats are arranged in an elongated triangle to resemble a Christmas tree. Sprigs of rosemary are tucked between each row, and a star-shaped piece of cheese tops the "tree"
Back in the Dark Age of late 2020, I posted about a new trend that was poised to sweep the world: charcuterie chalets, a savory twist on gingerbread houses. Made from meat, cheese, crackers, pretzels, and other savory items held together with cream cheese glue, these offered a break from the traditional gingerbread house plus it required no baking or… read more

How did marshmallows end up in sweet potato casserole?

November 19, 2024 by
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Closeup of the corner of a yellow casserole dish filled with sweet potatoes and topped with toasted marshmallows
When I moved to the South as a fresh-faced college graduate, I spent Thanksgiving far away from my upper-Midwest family. Luckily, a friend welcomed me into their family, inviting me to share in their Thanksgiving feast. That was where I first encountered sweet potato casserole topped with mini-marshmallows. Since I have an eternal sweet tooth, I happily ate it but… read more

Food news antipasto

November 17, 2024 by
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Although the internet has negatively impacted many print publications, putting some out of business altogether, it hasn't dampened the world of cookbooks. Despite having millions of recipes available at the click of a button, cookbook sales are still strong. Just when you think there couldn't possibly be another must-have book, dozens come along that offer something fresh and exciting, whether… read more

How to solve common pie crust problems

November 15, 2024 by
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An unbaked pie crust sits in a pie plate with about three-quarters of the edge crimped with a fork. A fork, a rolling pin, and scraps of pie dough surround the crust
Even people who don't usually bake may reach into the cupboard and dust off a pie pan during the holiday season. Making a pie can be stressful if you don't regularly bake, but Food and Wine's Ann Taylor Pittman offers advice to help you perfect your pie with solutions to five common pie crust problems. These tips are aimed at… read more

Bay leaves – essential or superfluous?

November 13, 2024 by
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A twig with fresh bay leaves sits next to an Erlenmeyer flask with a dark liquid, presumably bay leaf oil
Bay leaves, like cilantro and pineapple on pizza, can be a divisive topic among cooks. If you ask 10 people whether they are necessary to a dish or are a waste of time and money, you'll probably end up with a fairly even split between aficionados and haters. The Boston Globe's Beth Teitell decided to put bay leaves to the… read more

A new way to test cookbooks

November 12, 2024 by
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Cookbook clubs (along with our EYBD Previews) offer an opportunity to "test drive" cookbooks. Making recipes that you find online or in a library copy of the cookbook, along with hearing how others fared with specific recipes, allows you to get to know the book without committing to a purchase right away. There's another way to vet a cookbook, and… read more
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