MasterChef judge and chef Jock Zonfrillo dies at age 46

On the eve of the latest season of Masterchef Australia, the family of judge Jock Zonfrillo posted that he had passed away on Sunday at the age of 46. No cause of death was given, and a police spokesperson said that were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death. The program was set to premiere on Monday but was pulled after… read more

Food news antipasto

If you recently purchased ground cumin and you live in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, or Wisconsin, you may want to check your pantry. Michigan-based Lipari Foods is recalling six ounce tubs of ground cumin because of potential Salmonella contamination.   In a recent tweet, Jose Andres dangled a carrot in… read more

Is pasta primavera poised for a comeback?

A jumble of vegetables including broccoli, peas, and halved grape tomatoes rests atop of lightly sauced spaghetti noodles on a plain round white plate.
In the 1980s and 1990s, pasta primavera was on nearly every menu in the US. Although interpretations varied, the dish - which used the Italian word for springtime - usually featured an array of vegetables and long pasta in a creamy sauce. As with most things, once it became ubiquitous there was nowhere to go but down, so pasta primavera… read more

Jay Rayner’s tips on choosing a restaurant

If you are traveling to a new destination or live in a large city with oodles of restaurants, it can be difficult to determine which ones are worth your time (and money). While there are review sites like Yelp, they can be hit or miss, so it's wise to use additional criteria to judge whether a place is worthy of… read more

James Beard Foundation 2023 Media Award Nominees

The James Beard Foundation has announced the nominees for its 2023 Media Awards, which includes cookbooks. JBF again made changes to the categories including a separate category for Bread.  “As the culinary world continues to evolve, it is essential that we celebrate and uplift diverse voices and perspectives,” said Erica Skolnik, Chair of the James Beard Foundation’s Book Awards program. “With… read more

Member Notes can save the day

Trying new recipes is one of my favorite pastimes, although there is a drawback to constantly making dishes new to you in that things don't always go to plan. That is why I (along with many of our Members, I'm sure) appreciate the Notes feature in the EYB Library. Going to the listing of notes you can see how popular… read more

Food news antipasto

Earlier this week King Charles III announced the signature dish of his upcoming coronation: quiche. The official Coronation quiche features an...interesting combination of spinach, broad beans, and tarragon. As one royal commentator said, the dish is "the gastronomic equivalent of King Charles himself." If that particular combination doesn't appeal to you, The Independent's Hannah Twigg offers five alternative fillings. The… read more

Celebrating Anzac Day

Anzac Day, celebrated on April 25, is taken seriously by Australians and New Zealanders, so much so that there is an official recipe on the books that decides what does and doesn't count as one. For those who don't know, Anzac Day commemorates the first major military campaign of Australian and New Zealand troops during WWI in 1915. ANZAC stands for Australian… read more

Boston chef Barbara Lynch accused of workplace abuse

Chef Barbara Lynch has long been the darling of the Boston restaurant scene. Her rags-to-riches story was chronicled in a 2017 memoir that recounts her rise from a hard-knocks South Boston childhood to culinary stardom. Now the James Beard Award-winning chef is facing criticism for alleged abuse and harassment at her restaurants (gift link; no account required). The New York… read more

Turn cake fails into tasty treats

As any baker knows, sometimes things do not go to plan. There are myriad ways that cake baking can go sideways: parts of them stick in the pan, they bake unevenly, the center collapses, and so on. But just because things go awry that is no reason to toss the results in the bin. As Americas Test Kitchen explains, you… read more

New Le Creuset color alert

This is not a drill! Le Creuset has just unveiled its latest color, Shallot. On the Le Creuset website the company explains that the color is "named after the allium fundamental to French cuisine," describing the shade as hovering "between the palest purple and pink with an extremely light whisper of lavender and gray." Unlike 2017's Millennial Pink, Shallot is… read more

Food news antipasto

Somehow the news got past us that the Guinness World Record cookbook collection changed in 2019. Lisa Ekus of Hatfield, Massachusetts (of cookbook literary agency fame) now holds the certified world record at 4,239 book. Ekus actually has thousands more (near 7,000), but some of these may be pamphlets or others that are not included in the official count. The… read more

Predicting the future through asparagus

There are many ways to have your fortune read, the most popular methods being crystal balls, Tarot cards, and tea leaves. According to one woman in the UK, we can add another method to the list: asparagus spears. Jemima Packington, aka The Mystic Veg, who resides in the city of Bath, says she can predict the future by reading asparagus.… read more

Is this the end of Tupperware?

In the US, the term Tupperware is shorthand for any plastic reusable storage container, whether made by Tupperware or not. Most women (and probably many men) over the age of 40 have been to a Tupperware party, and few are the households of that demographic that don't have at least one Tupperware-branded item. However, the iconic company is teetering on… read more

Fortnum & Mason shortlist announced

Fortnum & Mason has long been a resource for English cookery, providing quality ingredients to generations of cooks since its founding in 1707. The company’s annual food and drink awards celebrate the best publications and broadcasts in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Yesterday, Fortnum & Mason announced the nominees for its 2023 Food and Drink Awards. The shortlist "acknowledges illuminating… read more

Changes coming to Saveur

For the past several years we have reported on the demise of beloved food magazines and websites that were falling like a line of dominoes. Gourmet was among the first to go, followed by Cooking Light*, Martha Stewart Living, Sweet Paul, Chowhound, Fine Cooking, and others. Websites such as Epicurious and NYT Cooking changed to a subscription-only format. Some, such… read more

Food news antipasto

With spring in the air in the Northern Hemisphere, blooms are starting to pop up on what was, in many places, frozen ground just a few weeks ago. Seeing these cheery flowers might tempt you to use them as a garnish for cake or even salad, but be careful about which blooms you perch atop your food, cautions Epicurious. Some… read more

Dispelling myths about salt

Salt is the most important and ubiquitous seasoning on the planet. It's played a vital role in human food since humans started cooking, appearing in the most ancient recipes known to man. While salt is a basic component of most recipes, many myths have developed around this pantry staple. The Washington Post's Becky Krystal decided to debunk seven of the… read more

Countdown to The Great American Baking Show begins

In December we mentioned that the Great American Baking Show would be coming to your screens in 2023, and now we have an exact date: Friday, May 5. People has an exclusive trailer that we can watch (below) in anticipation of the premier. GABS (not the worst acronym, I have to admit) is filmed in the same tent as GBBO… read more

The remarkable ‘mother of French cuisine’

Lyon is renowned for its culinary achievements, thanks in part to legendary chef Paul Bocuse. However, well before Bocuse reached the height of his success, another Lyonnaise chef was setting culinary records. Yet few people know about the chef, Eugénie Brazier (aka Mère Brazier). Her story is fascinating and deserves more recognition, says the BBC's Anna Richards. Brazier never completed… read more

A pepper primer

Black pepper is undoubtedly the most popular spice on the planet, a perennial companion to salt. While there is a contingent that believes black pepper is drastically overused, the general consensus is that pepper adds something worthwhile to the dishes in which it is used. Of course there is more to the world of pepper than black peppercorns, and Food… read more

Food news antipasto

We learned the sad news that Raghavan Iyer passed away Friday while on a visit to San Francisco. "Raghavan was a dear friend to many around the globe," said Anne Spaeth, owner of the Lynhall restaurants in Minneapolis [where Iyer lived with his partner Terry Erickson] and Edina. "The world lost a beautiful soul and consummate educator of his beloved… read more

April Fool’s Day food pranks

After waking up to six inches of fresh snow this morning, I knew no one could pull a better April Fool's day prank than Mother Nature herself. However, I did scroll through several social media accounts to see if I could find some good ones to share with our Members but did not see many. Either the algorithms failed and… read more

Dispelling food origin myths

A while back I wrote that I was surprised to learn that I was older than ciabatta. After reading a recent article in The Telegraph about food origins, it would seem that's not the only Italian food story that I did not know - and that there are other foods worldwide whose accepted origin stories are little more than myths.… read more

Too many (celebrity) cooks in the (TV) kitchen

The term "celebrity chef" used to mean a chef who became a celebrity. Now it is taking on a new meaning as more and more already famous people - actors, singers, reality show stars - create their own cooking shows. From Paris Hilton to Selena Gomez and now to Florence Pugh, these programs are proliferating on networks and streaming services.… read more
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