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

The croissant revolution

You could say it started with the Cronut, Dominique Ansel's hybrid croissant and doughnut. That pastry sparked loads of imitators and innovators, with new croissant shapes and mashups springing up around the world. Many of these new takes are stunning to view, as The New York Times' Julia Moskin explains when she dives into the new takes on this flaky,… read more

Food news antipasto

Along the lines of "how many licks does it take to get the center of a Tootsie Pop", researchers at MIT asked another of food's most prominent questions: what's the best way to twist apart an Oreo? "I was personally motivated by a desire to solve a challenge that had puzzled me as a child: how to open an Oreo and get… read more

A brief history of brunch

When I was growing up, Sunday morning brunch was something I eagerly anticipated. It was always a family affair, when my mom would whip out the electric griddle and fry up bacon or sausage and pancakes, while hashbrowns crisped on the stovetop. Eggs of some sort always made an appearance, along with stacks of toast. Brunch happened at a reasonable… read more

Meeting food fears head on

Foods that some people adore can turn the stomachs of others, whether due to a prior encounter that did not end well or for other reasons. One of my friends cannot stand bananas, and won't even be in the same room if someone is eating one because the aroma makes her nauseated. Facing down an aversion like this is difficult,… read more

Union effort in food television gains traction

Although scripted television programs have long been highly unionized, the same is not true for reality and other nonfiction shows including most of the food programs on Food Network and other channels. That is beginning to change, as Eater reports. The workers behind two Food Network shows - Trisha’s Southern Kitchen and The Kitchen - have voted to form a union, the… read more

Don’t call it a comeback

In the late 2010s, Alison Roman was the "it" person in the land of viral food videos and was queen of cookbooks. Her debut, 2017's Dining In: Highly Cookable Recipes and the follow up, 2019's Nothing Fancy: Unfussy Food for Having People Over, were NYT bestsellers and wowed EYB Members, with both landing in the top 70 books in the… read more

Food news antipasto

A recent TikTok trend has people boiling their wooden kitchen utensils in an effort to sanitize them. A video of someone giving her wooden spoons a bath in a vat of boiling water has over 49 million hits. One person who is not jumping on this bandwagon is Rachel Cooke. The daughter of microbiologists, she was taught that wood is… read more

GBBO announces new co-host Alison Hammond

In an Instagram post, the Great British Bake Off just confirmed who would be replacing Matt Lucas as co-host of the program along with Noel Fielding. Alison Hammond, the presenter of This Morning, will enter the tent for the upcoming season of the show. Hammond will be the first person of color to host or judge on the show since… read more

What’s the deal with all these ice cream flavors?

a single scoop of chocolate ice cream sits inside a waffle cone. The background is a blank white canvas so the cone stands out.
A few days ago an advertisement for Van Leeuwen's Hidden Valley Ranch-flavored ice cream passed through my news feed. I showed it to my husband who replied, succinctly, "No." This savory take on a beloved treat - matched with a major brand, in this case Kraft Foods - seems to be a growing trend. Not everyone is a fan, especially… read more
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