NYT interviews Tieghan Gerard of Half Baked Harvest

Half Baked Harvest is the one of the most popular blogs indexed in the EYB Library, and the corresponding books written by Tieghan Gerard, who is the heart and soul of HBH, have also generated loads of positive feedback from our Members. That is one reason I thought that Julia Moskin's NYT profile of Ms. Gerard (gift link) would be… read more

Why don’t cookbooks talk about the cleanup?

When you read a recipe in a cookbook (or online, for that matter), the final instruction usually revolves around how the dish should be served. Left unmentioned is the mess that remains. If a recipe discusses washing up, it's to claim that it is a simplified or "one-bowl" affair that will leave fewer dishes to be washed. Occasionally the preface… read more

2023 Taste Canada Award winners

The Taste Canada Awards were announced last evening at a soiree held at the historic Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto. The Awards are presented to outstanding Canadian cookbooks in both English and French languages. This is the biggest night of the year for Canadian cookbook authors. Unlike other cookbook awards, Taste Canada presents both gold and silver awards in… read more

Food news antipasto

Another of David Chang's Momofuku restaurants is closing, this time Momofuku Ko, a two-Michelin star eatery located in New York City. The closure comes as the company moves in a new direction under the leadership of Marguerite Zabar Mariscal, who took over the reins in 2019. Momofuku plans to open another restaurant in the same space, but in the meantime… read more

The Washington Post’s new recipe site

The Washington Post, which has a large and active food section, unveiled its new recipe site this week. In the announcement, the Post said they were creating the new site to make "it easier than ever for you to find those recipes, save them, print them, use them and interact with us and other readers about them." The Post freshened… read more

Brinner is always a winner

Somehow I missed the fact that breakfast for dinner has been going by the name "brinner" since about 2014, when an article by Kathleen Purvis about the trend was picked up by a slew of regional newspapers across the US. The thought was that brinner would overtake brunch in popularity, both at homes and in restaurants. I do not believe… read more

Was this the ultimate Le Creuset deal?

After writing about the Le Creuset factory to table sale, Jane forwarded me a tweet about a deal being offered by Costco that would allow someone to jumpstart their collection and become a super collector overnight. The wholesale club was offering a whopping 157-piece set of Le Creuset that comes with an eye-popping price tag: $4,499.99 USD. While I wondered… read more

Food news antipasto

A new Australian product aims to put the real taste of chicken into plant-based meats. Called Tastilux, it's a creation of Nourish Ingredients, and is an animal-free fat that "mimics the mouthfeel of animal fat" but is made from a type of Australian fungus. Adding it to plant-based "meats" can make them taste, well, meatier. The product isn't available to… read more

Apple season is upon us

We are just at peak apple season, and every roadside stand and farmers market is brimming with bushel baskets of local apples. If you are lucky, there could be upward of a dozen varieties for you to choose from, with a range of characteristics. Some are perfect for eating out of hand, others are great for making cider or applesauce,… read more

Ditch the cling wrap with these lids

How many recipes ask you to cover an item with clingwrap/plastic wrap while it is proofing, marinating, cooling, or in some other waiting stage? Too many to count, right? If you hate wrestling with finicky wrap that seems to stick to everything except the edges of the container it's supposed to seal, Serious Eat's Andrew Janjigian has the answer, and… read more

Celebrating National Pasta Day

I was struck with the urge to make homemade pasta today, a desire that came out of the blue. After pulling the pasta machine out of the cabinet, I proceeded to make simple ricotta-filled ravioli (judging by the results, I need more practice). Imagine my surprise to later learn that today is National Pasta Day, with restaurants around the country… read more

Food news antipasto

As we become immersed in the new season of the Great British Bake Off, it's tempting to do armchair quarterbacking on strategies or ideas the contestants have chosen. It is easy to opine from the comfort of our living room, but a former contestant on the US version of the show reminds us that baking in that iconic tent is… read more

When you can’t look away

I'll begin this post with a disclaimer: I am not on TikTok and have no plans to join any time soon. When I report on TikTok trends it's because I learned about them via someone's cross-shared post on Instagram or through an online article, like Aaron Hutcherson's latest in The Washington Post. He discusses the reasons we are attracted to… read more

The thrill of the score

As I talked to shoppers at the Le Creuset Factory to Table sale, a common refrain popped up: LC did not fit into their budget unless they could purchase it a steep discount. While I saw some carts filled to the brim with boxes, others contained only one or two small items because those bargain hunters didn't find the prices… read more

Embracing the change

Tonight we turned off the water going to the outdoor faucet, a yearly ritual that is repeated in reverse come springtime. That means it is officially autumn. I'm generally a spring/summer person because I abhor being cold, but it is during autumn that my cooking senses really come alive. Baking in the summer, as we have witnessed on the Great… read more

Food news antipasto

This week we learned the sad news that chef Michael Chiarello has died at age 61 following a severe allergic reaction that led to anaphylactic shock. The chef hosted shows on PBS, Food Network, Fine Living, and Cooking Channel. He also appeared on Top Chef Masters and was a judge for Top Chef. The partners in his restaurant group said… read more

How Canadian Thanksgiving differs from the US holiday

Canadian Thanksgiving happens next Monday, and families will gather for a traditional meal that looks similar to those served during the US version of the holiday. Even though the meals might resemble one another, there are a few ways in which the Canadian edition of Thanksgiving differs from that of its southern neighbor. The first and most obvious difference is… read more

Do you really need a roasting pan?

Few home kitchens in the US are without a large deep roasting pan. Most of them are made from aluminum, although enameled steel and stainless steel pans are also common. Usually they are tucked away in the back of a cabinet for most of the year, pulled out to hold the Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas ham. Serious Eats has long… read more

Break out the good china: what you serve your food on matters

When I start thinking about what to make for lunch or dinner, only rarely do I consider the dinnerware on which we will be eating the food. Our everyday plates are Fiesta Tableware in six different colors that we mix and match with abandon. Pairing a color with a particular food isn't something I contemplate unless I'm really into getting… read more

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… read more

IACP Cookbook Award winners

The International Association of Culinary Professionals announced the winners of its 2023 Cookbook Awards (along with other food media and writing awards) this evening at its 2023 Summit held in rain-soaked Brooklyn, NY. In addition to this year's winners, the IACP inducted three cookbooks into its Culinary Classics, which is a like a Hall of Fame for cookbooks. IACP also… read more

Coming soon to a recipe near you: shrinkflation

A recent article in The Guardian explained how Galaxy chocolate bars are now 10% smaller but priced the same as before, a strategy pundits have dubbed "shrinkflation" because in the end the result is the same as raising prices: less purchasing power for the consumer. The article reminded me of an issue that came up with a recipe I was… read more

Thinking inside the box

As I cracked open a box of organic, low-sodium broth earlier today I recalled Michael Ruhlman saying that one should never use canned or boxed chicken broth, that homemade was the only way to go, and that even water would be better than commercial broth. Despite his admonition, I glugged the box straight into the sausage and potato soup with… read more

Food news antipasto

Gordon Ramsay plans to open 14 restaurants in Thailand after signing a deal with Tanachira Group, the lifestyle company behind jewelry brand Pandora. It is part of an international expansion push for the chef’s group, which runs 37 UK restaurants and 35 additional eateries worldwide. Granola for fellow "granolas" from Food52 If you describe someone as being very "granola", most people… read more

Inside the Le Creuset Factory to Table sale

As promised, I am reporting on the Le Creuset Factory to Table (FTT) sale held in Minneapolis this weekend. The event sold out so fast that I was unable to get the coveted VIP tickets for Thursday evening that included an opportunity to buy a 'mystery box' of items for $50. I was relegated to a regular admittance ticket that… read more
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