Dive into vintage Neighbor Lady cookbooks

June 2, 2022 by
 |  4 Comments  |  Leave Comment
If you love regional cookbooks from the post-war era, it's your lucky day. I recently stumbled across a trove of vintage pamphlet-style cookbooks that a dedicated fan has recently scanned for free viewing and downloading. The cookbooks are part of a series published by WNAX Radio, based in the small town of Yankton, South Dakota. The AM-radio station broadcast over… read more

When there are too many notes

June 2, 2022 by
 |  5 Comments  |  Leave Comment
There is a scene in the 1984 movie Amadeus when the Emperor tells Mozart that while his new composition was good, it did suffer from a flaw: there were simply too many notes. My husband feels the same way about recipes. Whenever I rattle off a long recipe title when pitching something I might want to make for dinner, he… read more

Another warning about self-cleaning ovens

May 30, 2022 by
 |  6 Comments  |  Leave Comment
A hand in a yellow cleaning glove wipes across the face of an oven
A couple of years ago I wrote about one person's screed against self-cleaning ovens, an article that attracted a lot of comments on the subject. The post I took issue with was filled with hyperbole (“The self-clean button opens a portal to hell”) but lacked substance. I said pish-posh and stated that I would continue to use my self-cleaning oven… read more

Food news antipasto

May 29, 2022 by
 |  Leave Comment
If you live in the UK or are planning a trip there, The Evening Standard has just published a list of the best food festivals happening this summer. Highlights include the Kew Gardens' Food Forever Event which "is an art exhibition, food festival and sustainability lesson rolled into one," and a picnic social at Lincoln Castle. Jean-Georges Vongerichten's influence on the world… read more

A lazy person’s guide to smoking

May 28, 2022 by
 |  One Comment  |  Leave Comment
My husband is one of those old-fashioned "lump-hardwood-charcoal-is-king" kind of barbecue smoking dudes. There is no denying that his old-school methods turn out wonderful smoked chickens, turkey breasts, ribs, briskets, and pork butts. However, the work involved is not insignificant, there is a lot of fussing and fiddling to be done, and that means we do not get to enjoy… read more

Debunking myths about cheese

May 26, 2022 by
 |  One Comment  |  Leave Comment
Assorted cheeses on a rustic wooden board
As with many foods, there are some "old wives' tales" about cheese that persist despite factual evidence to the contrary. I'm not talking about the myth that the moon is made of cheese, which I hope no one believes (although some people still think the earth is flat so....). Janet Fletcher of Planet Cheese, an expert on all things cheesy,… read more

Comfort food isn’t always enough

May 25, 2022 by
 |  2 Comments  |  Leave Comment
You have all probably heard the heart-wrenching news out of Texas, where another mass shooting took place at an elementary school. Twenty-one families mourn an unspeakable loss, and a nation again grieves. For those outside the US who are aghast at the frequency with which these events occur, I wish I could explain why we have done nothing to prevent… read more

Food news antipasto

May 22, 2022 by
 |  Leave Comment
Chef and philanthropist José Andrés is always in motion. Whether he is flying to the latest disaster scene or hosting a bipartisan gathering of Senators to discuss ways to solve world hunger, he is busy trying to find solutions to seemingly intractable problems. Veteran Hollywood producer Ron Howard followed the globetrotting chef for a year to make a documentary on… read more

Have you Phoodled yet?

May 21, 2022 by
 |  6 Comments  |  Leave Comment
If you have been living on a remote island isolated from all social media you may not have encountered Wordle, the word game recently purchased by The New York Times (and still free - so far). The simple game has amassed a huge following and has spawned many knockoffs including Heardle (featuring sounds), Quordle (play four Wordles at once with… read more

Keep your edge in the kitchen

May 19, 2022 by
 |  Leave Comment
Keeping your knives sharp is one of the best things a home cook can do to make their cooking tasks faster and more precise. For instance, a sharp blade will allow you cut thinner slices of onion and help keep you from crying (because fewer cells that release the pungent aroma are crushed). With all of the gadgets available and… read more

The history of to-go container art

May 17, 2022 by
 |  Leave Comment
Over the last two years, it seems as though I have eaten more takeout orders than I did in all pre-COVID years combined. So many of us were eating to-go orders that restaurants ran out of containers and had to scramble to find something in which to put their food. One Mexican restaurant near me went through four different types… read more

Guild of Food Writers announces 25th Anniversary Awards finalists

May 16, 2022 by
 |  One Comment  |  Leave Comment
The UK Guild of Food Writers has published the list of finalists for its 25th anniversary annual Awards. The winners will be announced at an in-person event at London's Royal Institution on Wednesday, 22 June 2022. Below is a selection of the finalist categories and nominees. There is a fair amount of overlap between this list and the Fortnum and… read more

Food news antipasto

May 15, 2022 by
 |  4 Comments  |  Leave Comment
Mario Batali's trial for sexual misconduct wrapped up this week in Boston, with a jury issuing a not guilty verdict. The charges stemmed after a woman accused Batali of forcibly kissing and groping her at a Boston bar in 2017. Batali still faces a civil trial in the matter, but he will not face any jail time. Will the former… read more

Fortnum & Mason Food Awards 2022

May 12, 2022 by
 |  Leave Comment
The Fortnum & Mason Food Awards celebrate their tenth anniversary highlighting the best in food and drink writing and broadcasting in the UK. In a blurb on the awards home page, F&M CEO Tom Athron's noted the milestone by saying "In 2022 we celebrate ten years of discovering and championing the achievements of the UK’s writers, editors, publishers, photographers and… read more

The Art of Eating Prize for 2022

May 11, 2022 by
 |  Leave Comment
The Art of Eating magazine first appeared in 1986 in the form of an eight-page black-and-white newsletter written by Edward Behr. After three decades in print, it transformed into a digital-only, advertising-free magazine with subscribers and contributors around the world. The magazine is about the best food and wine – what it is, how it is produced, and where to find it… read more

Explore the sweet-sour punch of tamarind

May 10, 2022 by
 |  3 Comments  |  Leave Comment
I first discovered tamarind while searching for pad Thai recipes years ago. Once I had purchased a brick of it, I explored other recipes that used this tropical fruit, finding that it was used in a host of cultures in both sweet and savory applications. When I saw that Food and Wine's Lara Lee recently posted a comprehensive guide to… read more

Food news antipasto

May 9, 2022 by
 |  Leave Comment
For those worried that we are living in a dystopian future straight out of a sci-fi novel, here is something to add to your concern: a team of scientists has created a robot that can taste. The device, which is "trained to taste a dish’s saltiness and the myriad of ingredients at different stages of chewing," aims to help chefs… read more

When you lose a favorite recipe

May 7, 2022 by
 |  12 Comments  |  Leave Comment
Have you ever had a terrific recipe that you absolutely adored but that you somehow managed to lose? That is the scenario I found myself in this evening. I was tasked with making a salad for a potluck and my thoughts immediately turned to a raspberry walnut salad dressing I discovered over twenty years ago and which I have made… read more

An evening with Yotam Ottolenghi

May 5, 2022 by
 |  2 Comments  |  Leave Comment
During his US tour Yotam Ottolenghi came to Minneapolis, and since it was so close to me and I am a huge fan of his cookbooks, I booked a ticket to listen to his talk. Although I had hoped to go in person, a sore throat (that is probably just allergies although I played it safe) made me switch to… read more

Fine Cooking’s last issue

May 4, 2022 by
 |  14 Comments  |  Leave Comment
Even though I knew the end was coming (I wrote about Meredith Corp.'s acquisition of Fine Cooking in October 2020), it was still a sad day when I received a postcard in the mail a couple of weeks ago announcing that Fine Cooking Magazine was no longer going to be published. As the magazine continued to hit my mailbox for… read more

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo

May 3, 2022 by
 |  Leave Comment
Before I begin extolling the virtues of celebrating Mexican food for Cinco de Mayo, I want to make sure that everyone knows that this holiday is NOT Mexican Independence Day. What Cinco de Mayo does commemorate is the Mexican Army’s victory over the French Empire at the first Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862. Regardless of its actual historical significance,… read more

Sweets for Eid al-Fitr

May 2, 2022 by
 |  Leave Comment
Muslims around the world are celebrating the end of Ramadan with Eid al-Fitr celebrations. Food is at the forefront to celebrate the end of Ramadan fasting. The foods eaten vary depending on the culture of the local celebrants, but sweets are an important aspect no matter where Eid feasts happen. BBC's Good Food provides us with a list of eleven… read more

Food news antipasto

May 1, 2022 by
 |  Leave Comment
Have you been watching the HBO special about Julia Child? Reviews have been mixed, with some people enjoying the behind-the-scenes drama and others who take issue with some of the bending of the truth for purposes of better storytelling. One of those expressing dismay is Sara Franklin, who is writing a book about legendary editor Judith Jones, who is a… read more

Jazz up your juleps

April 29, 2022 by
 |  Leave Comment
Few celebrations have a cocktail that is as strongly associated with the day as the Kentucky Derby is with the mint julep. In one week (May 7), the 148th edition of "The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports" will be run, and there is no telling how many mint juleps have been sipped since the inaugural event in 1875. Southerners love their… read more

The James Beard Cookbook Awards are back – here are the nominees

April 27, 2022 by
 |  One Comment  |  Leave Comment
After a one-year hiatus - due in part to the pandemic but also to controversy surrounding the lack of diversity in its awards programs - the James Beard Foundation has announced the nominees for its 2022 Media Awards, which includes cookbooks. This list covers 2021 and 2022, so only the best of the best books have made the cut. JBF… read more
« Older posts
Newer posts »
Seen anything interesting? Let us know & we'll share it!

Categories

Archives