Apple season is the sweetest

In much of the Northern Hemisphere, fall is in the air with crisp morning air and blazing color on the trees. As the days shorten and we march inexorably toward the dark days of winter, there are a few respites along the way, chief among them the flavors of autumn, especially apples. If you live anywhere near an apple growing… read more

Comfort food history: the story of mac and cheese

If any one dish typified the term 'comfort food' it would have to be macaroni and cheese. Many of us grew up on the stuff, whether from a box or, if you were lucky, made from scratch with lots of cheesy goodness. Ours was a "blue box" family, and it is one of the first foods I was able to… read more

Food news antipasto

When Instagram debuted, the social media platform brimmed with carefully curated, dramatic, gorgeous photos. Food was no exception to this aestheticism, and scores of bloggers attracted huge audiences based on their stunning food photography. Recently, however, the 'grams look a bit different. There's a new sheriff in town when it comes to Instagram food, explains Eater's Bettina Makalintal, who observes… read more

Celebrate National Coffee Day

The US and Canada are celebrating National Coffee Day today, and the international 'official' holiday is just around the corner on October 1. Coffee shops will have specials all day long, and baristas will be whipping up everyone's favorite caffeinated beverages, whether it's a latte, espresso, flat white, or just a good cuppa. While coffee beverages of all sorts are… read more

The foods of Yom Kippur

Ten days after the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah, which began on September 25) is Yom Kippur, the most holy day on the Jewish calendar. It is the last of the ten days of penitence, and this year begins at sundown on October 4. Although this isn't necessarily as food-centric as other holidays, there are two meals associated with this… read more

How to eat like a king

As we were sitting around the table following an exceptionally fine meal a few weeks ago, my husband remarked that "we eat like kings" in our house. Judging by my waistline, this rings true: the breadth and quality of foods that lands on our dinner plates would probably impress the royals of ancient times. But this is 2022, and England… read more

Food news antipasto

You may have seen the warnings about reasons not to cook chicken in NyQuil cold medicine, and if you did, you probably wondered why people were doing it in the first place. As it turns out, they weren't. Eater explains why the 'sleepy chicken', which went viral, was never really a food trend. Instead, it was a 'gross out' prank,… read more

Have you tried butter boards?

Watch out charcuteries boards, the hottest TikTok/Instagram food trend is coming for you. I'm talking about butter boards, which are all the rage right now. If you haven't seen one, it really is what the name suggests - boards "smeared with softened butter and topped with all manner of savory and sweet accoutrements," and they are multiplying like rabbits on… read more

Finger food

Many foods seemingly taste better when eaten with your hands instead of with cutlery (fried chicken, pizza) and some only make sense to eat with your hands or fingers (potato chips/crisps, tacos). In Western countries, finger foods are often seen as a novelty but in many other cultures around the world, almost all foods are eaten with one's hands and… read more

A spoonful of sugar

I grew up far north (and west) of the Mason-Dixon line, the historical demarcation between North and South in the United States. I married a Southerner and lived in the South for many years, so I absorbed a lot of Southern cooking culture (although I never developed a charming accent, much to my chagrin). One thing my husband noted as… read more

Food news antipasto

The Manchester Food and Drink Festival is happening in Cathedral Gardens from September 22nd - October 2nd. Of particular note is the all day Octopus Cookbook Confidential event on September 24th featuring many cookbook authors. Please note we have updated other events on our Calendar including Rick Rodgers' classes at Kings in New Jersey and Edd Kimber's US events as… read more

Fonio’s popularity grows

The food cooperative where I frequently shop always has something new and interesting for me to try. Unlike the big chains, the small store can easily bring in a new product for patrons to sample without making a big commitment. This is where I first found fresh passionfruit in Minnesota, and the produce aisle is filled with other exotic seasonal… read more

Gourmet Traveller announces 2023 Restaurant Award finalists

After combing the country to determine the best places to eat, Australian Gourmet Traveller magazine recently announced the finalists for its 2023 Restaurant Awards in five different categories: Best New Restaurant, Best Wine Bar, Best New Talent, Restaurant Personality of the Year and Best Destination Dining. The winners will be revealed soon at a glamorous gala evening at Shell House in Sydney… read more

Could you live without sliced bread?

Sliced bread has been a staple of the American diet for almost a century. However, there was a brief period of time when sliced bread was banned in the United States, as Gastro Obscura explains. It happened during World War II, when many household goods were in short supply. While rationing of food, gasoline, and rubber products seems reasonable to… read more

Food news antipasto

Most of us have never known a UK without Queen Elizabeth as its figurehead. As we process her death, some of us might want to remember her by making some of her favorite foods. Former royal chef Darren McGrady recently revealed one of Queen Elizabeth's favorite desserts, known as Chocolate Perfection Pie, if you would like to make something sweet in her… read more

Last chance to download Fine Cooking recipes

Back in 2020, we wrote about DotDash Meredith's acquisition of Fine Cooking, which was marred by the disappearance (and subsequent re-emergence) of the FC website. Earlier this year, we learned that Fine Cooking was ceasing publication, and surmised that the website would eventually be taken down. Now, that day has come, with the Fine Cooking website set to shutter for… read more

Cookbook author Sheila Brass of The Brass Sisters has died

Today is a day of mourning as the world copes with the loss of one of its most iconic individuals, Queen Elizabeth II, England's longest-ruling monarch. Food & Wine published a feature earlier this year about how the Queen affected dining habits the world over. The term 'end of an era' is often overused, but it certainly applies here. Whether… read more

New food words added to the dictionary

Every year, Merriam-Webster adds new words and definitions to its official dictionary, and 2022 is no exception. The dictionary publisher recently added over 370 words and phrases, and of course several food terms were included in the list. Most of these words will be familiar to EYB Members, who probably have larger-than-average food vocabularies, but I will admit that I… read more

Mooncakes with a twist

The Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, which this year falls on 10 September, is the second most important festival in China after Chinese New Year. The holiday is also celebrated by many other Asian countries, such as Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. While originally conceived as a harvest celebration, the focus these days is on family reunions, so the festival often draws comparisons to US… read more

Food news antipasto

Edd Kimber, the first winner of the long running Great British Bake Off (which as Jenny noted on Friday returns September 13), recently released another fantastic cookbook, Small Batch Bakes. The book was inspired by the time Kimber and his partner spent in lockdown, when there wasn't a crowd to bake for. Kimber shares this information and more in an… read more

Tomato products may be in short supply next year

Another day, another dismal food forecast, this time involving California tomatoes. Growers in the state, which produces the bulk of the tomato crop used for processing in the US, are facing year four of a prolonged drought. Yields are down again, with farmers unable to plant as much land and the plants themselves producing less due to the water shortage.… read more

Is the Scoville scale antiquated?

red, yellow, and green peppers with char marks from being roasted, sitting on a white plate which rests on a blue table
Peter Piper may have picked a peck of pickled peppers, but he never weighed in on how hot they are. Different varieties pack varying levels of heat, and it can fluctuate between one pepper and another of the same type (shishito peppers often come with a warning on the label explaining that about 1 in 10 might be much hotter… read more

Science proves you eat with your eyes first

 A well-known adage among chefs and food lovers is, “You eat with your eyes first.” This truism has scientific backing, the most recent of which is a brain study conducted at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). There, scientists discovered that food images appear to trigger a specific set of neurons. This is similar to earlier findings that certain areas of the brain are associated… read more

Is it PSL season already?

In much the same way as the holiday shopping season keeps getting enlarged - at some stores, Christmas decorations go up before the Halloween candy is sold out - food seasons seem to be expanding as well. What I call “pumpkin spice creep” contributes to the flavor appearing ever earlier in the year (as well as being added to an… read more

Food news antipasto

If you tried to mail order any Bob's Red Mill products in the last couple of weeks, you already know that the company has ceased its online ordering operation. According to a spokesperson, “Due to our excellent distribution network and the wide availability of Bob’s Red Mill products in stores and online, Bob’s Red Mill will no longer sell our… read more
Seen anything interesting? Let us know & we'll share it!