How to avoid sticky baking situations

April 6, 2022 by
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Unmolding Bundt cakes used to terrify me. I would break out in a nervous sweat as I tipped the baking pan upside down over a cooling rack, hoping that when I lifted the tin, a beautifully detailed whole cake would emerge. Before I locked in on my preferred method of coating the pan, I had all sorts of stuck-cake disasters.… read more

The new ‘food fights’

April 4, 2022 by
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I love the Eat Your Books Cookbook Club plus several other food groups on Facebook. The ones I frequent have a spirit of collegiality, a warm and welcoming vibe, and plenty of insightful commentary. Apparently not all Facebook food groups follow this pattern, however, as Eater's Amy McCarthy explains as she documents recipe groups where drama rules the day. McCarthy… read more

Food news antipasto

April 3, 2022 by
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It was only a matter of time before cryptocurrency and the food and beverage industry collided. Global restaurant group Chotto Matte is selling a specialty cocktail this April (timed to coincide with the Miami Bitcoin 2022 conference) that can only be purchased with bitcoin. The cocktail will sell for the bitcoin equivalent of $50. Classic guacamole [Roberto Santibañez] from Food52 Genius… read more

April Fool’s food pranks

April 1, 2022 by
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I have to admit, Serious Eats almost got me this year with their clever April Fool's joke. They posted a link to a recipe for dry brined beans, complete with photo and convincing 'Serious Eats-sounding' text. It is very well done and I had to read a little ways before I was sure it was a joke. Good job, guys.… read more

Eating with all your senses

March 30, 2022 by
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For some Covid sufferers, the loss of their sense of smell was one of the most persistent and discouraging results. My neighbor could not smell anything for months after her coronavirus infection, and when the sense started to return many things smelled strange. Potent items like garlic had a horrible smell that I won't describe lest you get put off… read more

Convection ovens: yay or nay?

March 28, 2022 by
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A hand in a yellow cleaning glove wipes across the face of an oven
Every high-end oven has a convection feature, and it is becoming increasingly popular on the mid-range models as well. But is convection something you really need? The Washington Post's Aaron Hutchinson gives us a primer on this useful oven feature, explaining the hows, whens, and whys of convection. At its most basic, the convection feature incorporates a fan that moves… read more

Food news antipasto

March 27, 2022 by
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Yesterday I wrote about how foods fall on a continuum, making it difficult to have hard and fast definitions for food. Today I spied an article that makes a counterpoint to that argument. A recent poll of amateur chefs in Spain found that there was broad consensus about the unwritten rules for paella. For starters, seafood is a no-no. Cookbook… read more

The brownie continuum

March 26, 2022 by
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Today I ventured into our makeshift basement kitchen to bake for only the third or fourth time since we started on our remodel. I needed a dessert to take to a friend's house (a wonderful friend who has been cooking for us at least once a week since we embarked on this project), so I decided to make one from… read more

The science behind sour

March 24, 2022 by
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Do you enjoy sour flavors? I can't get enough of them, whether it's pucker-y pickles, astringent sumac, sharp sauerkraut, tangy citrus, or another piquant essence. Sour is one of the essential tastes (alongside sweet, salty, bitter, and umami), although of the five it is the least understood. The Atlantic's Katherine J. Wu takes a closer look at the reasons so… read more

Chowhound shuttering after 25 years

March 23, 2022 by
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Earlier this month, founder Jim Leff of the pioneering culinary website Chowhound announced that the site would go dark - meaning all content would vanish and links would go nowhere - as of March 21, although the deadline was later extended to March 28. The post marked the end of an era and came as Chowhound reached its 25th anniversary.… read more

Doing it for the ‘gram

March 21, 2022 by
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Like many people, I segregate the types of things I peruse by social media platform. I connect with friends on Facebook, use Twitter to follow policy wonks, and utilize Instagram as a timeline cleanse, following mostly food personalities and sites. As such, my Insta feed is usually filled with loads of stunning food images. Sometimes these photos spur me into… read more

Food news antipasto

March 20, 2022 by
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One of the first things many people learn to bake is cookies, standing at their mother's or grandmother's side, maybe on a chair or stepstool depending on how little they are. While kids and cookies are a natural match, one young woman has taken her cookie baking to the next level. Tamia Hawkins-Coleman of Florissant, Missouri, now age 15, started… read more

Foods to celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year

March 19, 2022 by
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March 20 marks the beginning of Nowruz, the traditional Persian New Year festival celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan, and the Kurdish regions of Iraq, Turkey and Syria, throughout Central Asia, and by members of the diaspora worldwide. Coinciding with the spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, Nowruz is a two-week celebration that centers on visiting relatives, picnicking, travelling, and eating traditional… read more

Le Creuset unveils a new bread oven

March 17, 2022 by
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Normally I might include an article about new kitchenware in the weekly 'antipasto' post, but I am making an exception today. The first reason is that it's about Le Creuset, and the second is to make sure people have a chance to order one before the new items are sold out. I learned about this new product via The Kitchn,… read more

JBF Awards: Chef and Restaurant nominees; Lifetime Achievement; Humanitarian of the Year and Leadership

March 16, 2022 by
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Today the James Beard Foundation announced its nominees for the 2022 Restaurant and Chef awards. These awards honor culinary talent across the United States, with nominations in each of twelve regions. The winners of the awards in all categories will be announced during a ceremony (and live-tweeted) on June 13, 2022, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The chefs nominated… read more

Celebrate Pi day with pie!

March 14, 2022 by
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I usually forget about the "National Pie Day" that occurs in January, but that is okay since the logical choice for the day is Pi day, which is today. What better way to celebrate the mathematical constant that is such an integral part of pies? Everyone can find something that pleases them in the pie family due to its infinite… read more

Food news antipasto

March 13, 2022 by
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We start off this week with some sad news. Sally Schmitt, one of the founders of the pioneering Napa Valley restaurant the French Laundry, has died at the age of 90. Schmitt was the original chef and owner of the restaurant, which "drew a fervent following for simple, French-inspired food made with local, seasonal ingredients." She had an outsized influence on… read more

Kitchen trends with a nod to the past

March 12, 2022 by
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How we plan and use our kitchens varies across cultures and across the years. Recently I spied an article on hidden kitchen appliances that described a trend of designers 'hiding' appliances such as microwaves and under-counter refrigerators behind a panel that looks like the rest of the kitchen cabinets. The article asked the question "why didn't we think of this… read more

Beyond mere terroir

March 10, 2022 by
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Dirt plays an important role in the food world because much of what we eat grows in the soil, and foodstuffs ranging from coffee to carrots have aficionados who tout the 'terroir' of the soil coming through in the food's flavor. Little kids even use dirt to make "mud pies" as a form of play, although the children (usually) don't… read more

A new food museum to add to your bucket list

March 9, 2022 by
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If you needed another reason to place a vacation to Rome on your bucket list, we just learned about a new museum dedicated to cooking that just opened in this storied city. Like a good antipasto platter, it contains a smattering of all the best items, ranging from Renaissance-era ice cream molds to ancient cookbooks to exclusive papal recipes and… read more

The price of coffee

March 7, 2022 by
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If I ask you the question "how much does a cup of coffee cost?", you can probably rattle off an answer in seconds. Of course the cost varies on whether you are making it at home, buying it at a gas station, or purchasing from an upscale coffee shop. There are a lot of factors that go into the price,… read more

Food news antipasto

March 6, 2022 by
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Jerry Seinfeld is busy creating a new movie that revolves around food. The film from the famed comedian is tackling a subject that you might not think merits full cinematic treatment: titled Unfrosted, the comedy explores the origin story of Pop Tarts, the sugary breakfast toaster pastry. Delia Smith has had a long and storied food writing and television hosting career.… read more

Food delivery is looking up

March 3, 2022 by
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Evolution in food delivery systems escalated during the pandemic, with people moving in droves to online shopping, curbside pickup, and contactless home delivery. Now an Australian supermarket is aiming even higher when it comes to bringing food to its customers: Coles is set to become the first grocery chain to offer food delivery via drone. The supermarket will roll out… read more

Spice support: sumac

March 2, 2022 by
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Although sumac is most closely associated with Middle Eastern foods, the plants that produces the tart berries, the Rhus genus of the Anacardiaceae family, grow all over the world. You can learn this fact and more as Eater's Sylvio Martins takes a deep dive into sumac, which he says can be a "secret weapon" in your spice arsenal. The fuzzy red… read more

Mardi Gras returns to New Orleans

February 28, 2022 by
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Tomorrow is Fat Tuesday (aka Mardi Gras) and festivities are in full force in New Orleans after a pause in 2021 due to Covid. Celebrated as the last extravagance before the austere days of Lent, Mardi Gras features indulgent food and drink. Even if you don’t celebrate the religious holiday, the festival is a good excuse to eat classic New… read more
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