Finally some good news about food prices

June 8, 2023 by
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As shoppers faced escalating prices for everything from butter to vegetables in the past couple of years, it felt like there was no end to the rising cost of groceries. It seems as though we may have turned a corner recently. Food prices have inched down in the last couple of months for many categories including dairy, fruits and vegetables,… read more

Changing old ways in the kitchen

June 7, 2023 by
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I've been cooking for a long time, and many of the kitchen practices I employed at the beginning of my culinary journey have gone by the wayside. I no longer cook pork chops to well done, I stopped putting oil in my pasta boiling water, I don't use glass cutting boards anymore, the list goes on. In all cases, I… read more

Gardens are full of miracles and disappointments

June 6, 2023 by
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Usually by now I would have posted my annual ode to rhubarb, one of the first items most gardeners can harvest each spring. This year the rhubarb was delayed due to a long, cool April, but in May it leapt out of the ground due to a burst of warm weather. The joke around here is that spring lasts roughly… read more

Food news antipasto

June 4, 2023 by
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After 17 years, Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi announced that she was leaving the Bravo TV series. In a tweet, Padma said that "After much soul searching, I have made the difficult decision to leave Top Chef. Having completed a glorious 20th season as host and executive producer, I am extremely proud to have been part of building such a… read more

James Beard Cookbook Award winners

June 3, 2023 by
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The winners of the James Beard Media Awards were announced this evening at a gala celebration in Chicago. Chef, television star, and cookbook author Pati Jinich served as emcee for the event, and announced the first couple of winners. Gregory Gourdet, who won several awards last year, also presented awards for several categories including the General cookbook category where a… read more

Are robots coming to a restaurant near you?

June 1, 2023 by
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Recently one of my friends posted a photo of a robotic "waiter" at a restaurant where they were dining. It took their orders via touchscreen and it brought out the food on a tray when it was ready. With worker shortages ongoing, investing in technology seems like a logical move, although whether diners will appreciate this change remains to be… read more

To become a better cook, start scribbling

May 31, 2023 by
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We've discussed the practice of writing notes in your cookbooks before, and most EYB Members agreed that it was a good practice. There were some naysayers, however, who argued that messing up a gorgeous book with notes (or splotches and splashes) was a bad idea. Today in The Washington Post, Becky Krystal set out to change the latter group's mind.… read more

Celebrate National Doughnut Day

May 30, 2023 by
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Food holidays tend to sneak up on me and I don't realize it is National [insert food here] Day until after it's over. However, I am always on point for National Doughnut Day, because deep fried cake/sweet dough is so darned delicious. The holiday is happening on June 2, and here in the US, Dunkin' Donuts and Krispy Kreme (among… read more

Food news antipasto

May 28, 2023 by
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Does chef Jose Andres ever sleep? As if he isn't busy enough running restaurants, contributing to his nonprofit enterprise (World Central Kitchen), and giving talks around the world, he just announced a new partnership with George Washington University. They are forming The Global Food Institute, and its lofty aim is to "serve as a hub to develop evidence, partnerships, and… read more

Recipes to welcome summer

May 27, 2023 by
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Our US members have a long weekend for the Memorial Day holiday. While the day itself is a time for somber appreciation for those who gave all in defense of our nation, the unofficial event that coincides with the holiday is the welcoming of summer. As I walked through my neighborhood today it seemed like every backyard contained a grill,… read more

Going bananas

May 25, 2023 by
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If you are a certain age, you probably remember the scene from Raiders of the Lost Art (1981) when Harrison Ford's character says "Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?" I was reminded of that scene when I watched a recent episode of Chopped, where one of the contestants discovers that a particular fruit was in the mystery ingredient… read more

The ebb and flow of ingredients

May 23, 2023 by
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If you looked into my refrigerator daily over the past 20 years, you would have been hard pressed to find a day where you did not see a container of yogurt prominently displayed. As a recent Food & Wine article noted, there are legions of dishes that start with or are finished by a dollop of the tangy dairy product.… read more

Food news antipasto

May 21, 2023 by
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Most of us know that Betty Crocker isn't a real person; she was concocted by the marketing folks at the Washburn-Crosby Company (the precursor to General Mills) in 1921. However, another names that is displayed on boxes of cake mixes across the US is (or was) a real person: Duncan Hines. Southern Living explores the history of Mr. Hines, who… read more

James Beard Award-winning chef to open indigenous food lab

May 19, 2023 by
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Chef Sean Sherman, whose Minneapolis restaurant Owamni was named the Best New Restaurant for 2022 by the James Beard Foundation and whose cookbook The Sioux Chef also won a JBF Award, has his sights set on a new venture in the Twin Cities that he is hoping to expand across the country. In conjunction with his nonprofit NATIFS, the chef… read more

What are your bad habits in the kitchen?

May 18, 2023 by
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In a perfect food world, there would never be any cross contamination, surfaces would remain pristine, and everyone would religiously follow food safety rules. In the real world, however, nothing's perfect - including Jay Rayner. He confesses to some "unsavoury" habits in the kitchen, but he feels secure that he is in good company. Rayner shares that while filming a… read more

2023 Art of Eating Prize winner announced

May 16, 2023 by
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The Art of Eating Prize is awarded annually to the author of the year’s best book about food (or food and drink together). Where other food book awards involve nominations in diverse categories, The Art of Eating Prize focuses on a single best book. The founders of the prize, by rewarding the highest quality work, hope to encourage the excellence… read more

Food news antipasto

May 14, 2023 by
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As we eagerly await the announcement of the winners of the 2023 James Beard Media Awards, yet another controversy is brewing around the James Beard Foundation. This time it comes from a couple of judges resigning and a former winner smashing his award with a brick. As Eater explains, "In the wake of disqualifying a Birmingham [Alabama] chef, two judges… read more

Alkalinity can work wonders with food

May 13, 2023 by
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The title to Samin Nosrat's excellent book indicates what she feels to be the most important elements in cooking - salt, fat, acid, heat. While acid plays an important role in cooking, it might be better to think about pH more broadly than just acid, as alkaline substances offer important benefits in the kitchen as well. Food writer Caroline Hatchett… read more

Fortnum & Mason winners

May 12, 2023 by
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On May 11, food and drink celebrities gathered at The Royal Exchange in London to fete winners of the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards. These prestigious annual awards celebrate the achievements of the UK’s current and emerging food writers, publishers, photographers, broadcasters, and personalities. The ceremony was presented by Andi Oliver, alongside celebrated chef and Awards judging panel… read more

On recipe writing

May 10, 2023 by
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"Jump to recipe." If seeing those words in a blog post to which you've navigated after seeing an image float across your social media feed makes you happy, this post may not be for you. The internet is rife with people joking about what they view as exaggerated prose that precedes the recipe in a food blog. "I just want… read more

Are home composting machines the answer to food waste?

May 9, 2023 by
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Unless you live in a suburban or rural area and have a decent-sized yard, your food waste probably goes into the trash and eventually into a landfill. Food waste produces tremendous amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. Municipalities have been slow to implement city-wide composting, so what's a consumer to do? Even the most conscientious… read more

Food news antipasto

May 8, 2023 by
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Jamie Oliver is set to return to the London restaurant scene with his first new location since the 2019 collapse of his UK restaurant group. The chef will launch a site at London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and the restaurant will feature a seasonal menu highlighting British produce. Oliver said: "I was devastated when I lost my UK restaurants. Without doubt,… read more

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo

May 5, 2023 by
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Much like St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo is a holiday celebrated by people far outside the borders of its original nation. It’s likely that many people who celebrate this day do not understand its significance and history. It is not, as many people believe, Mexico’s Independence Day, which falls on September 16. Rather, it’s a relatively minor holiday in… read more

Voraciously offers a new way to eat more vegetables

May 4, 2023 by
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Voraciously, the food section of The Washington Post, is debuting a newsletter by cookbook author Hetty Lui McKinnon aimed at taking your plant-based meals to the next level. Titled "Voraciously: Plant Powered II", the newsletter will run weekly for 10 weeks beginning Tuesday, May 16 and will feature 10 vegan recipes highlighting 20 ingredients. McKinnon, author of several EYB Member… read more

Another management shakeup at Bon Appétit

May 3, 2023 by
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Food editors and writers who were recently laid off might want to dust off their résumés because Bon Appétit will be in the market for a new editor, as Dawn Davis resigned last week to rejoin publishing giant Simon & Schuster (gift link). “I’ve made the difficult decision to return to book publishing,” Ms. Davis wrote in a note to… read more
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