Food news antipasto

empty wineglasses on a tray
Michael Ruhlman's book Ratio opened my eyes to understanding how so many recipes work, ranging from custard to pastry crust. That is why I enjoyed this useful chart of six essential baking ratios from Taste of Home. Print it out and keep it handy when comparing recipes. Can you get too much GBBO? Nah, we don't think so. This week… read more

The difference between crispy and crunchy

There are some words that food writers avoid, whether because people tend to have strong opinions about them (like moist), because they are overused , or because their meanings aren't clear. For food writer Maggie Hennessy, two adjectives give her pause for the last reason. Hennessy says she is confounded by the differences between crispy and crunchy. Both terms imply… read more

What’s your favorite GBBO recipe?

Now that those in the UK have been able to get their GBBO fix and others are but a few days away, it is time to revisit some of our favorite recipes from the GBBO, as The Telegraph has done. Since that article is behind a paywall (and I have already used my free trial), I will share my favorites… read more

You don’t want to miss these showdowns

Most of us love a good competition - which is why we'll be glued to our screens as soon as the Great British Bake Off returns tomorrow (we have to wait longer here in the US so no spoilers, please). There is another friendly competition that ticks the boxes for us cookbook lovers can be found at Book Riot, which… read more

Food news antipasto

After 18 long years, it has finally happened - chef René Redzepi and his restaurant Noma have received a third Michelin star. In an Instagram post, the restaurant said "We want to thank our wonderful guests for their support over the last 18 years and a huge shout of course to all our collaborators—farmers, winemakers, foragers—everyone that’s been a part of… read more

Changes to the James Beard Awards

A little over a year ago, the James Beard Foundation announced that it would be foregoing its 2021 James Beard Awards and instead would conduct an audit of its policies and processes. The goals of this audit "were to remove systemic bias, increase the diversity of the pool of candidates, maintain relevance, and align the Awards more outwardly with the… read more

Alton Brown will be back on tour

Alton Brown's legion of dedicated fans received good news this week: Alton is launching another live North American tour titled Alton Brown Live: Beyond the Eats which runs from October 13th through April 10th of 2022. What's more, he is looking for help on his tour, and you can take a quiz to be entered into the running to "help"… read more

Jamie Oliver’s new show is all about our favorite subject

This is exciting news - we just learned about a new TV competition brought to us by Jamie Oliver Productions and Plum Pictures that aims to "find the next big name in cookery". The new program, which is open to anyone from home cooks to chefs, offers a book deal with Penguin Random House as the main prize. Of course… read more

Food news antipasto

There are two types of people in the world: those who meticulously follow a recipe's direction to use one clove of garlic, and those who see that and add three (or more) cloves. If you count yourself as part of the latter group, head over to America's Test Kitchen, where they explain how the strength of garlic's flavor depends on… read more

Fortnum & Mason Food Awards winners 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 its winners for the 2021 awards, given in an assortment of categories and… read more

How to clean out the pantry, tastefully

The change of seasons, whether from summer to fall or winter to spring, is the perfect time to reassess the half-empty boxes and bags, close to 'best by' date tinned items, and the random items you purchased on a whim with no recipe in mind. It can seem like an episode of Chopped when you start to inventory the contents… read more

The science of cocoa powder

Not all cocoa powders are made the same. You might be familiar with the terms Dutch-process and natural, but beyond those two main characteristics lies another world of nuance. There are different "dutching" processes, as well as differences between the cacao bean varieties used to create the cocoa. Throw in divergent fat percentages and your head can spin trying to… read more

Tomato, tomahto

Here in the northern U.S., we have reached peak tomato. My garden is churning out ripe tomatoes at a frantic pace as the light gets shorter and shorter each day. I have already eaten more than my fair share of BLTs, tomato sandwiches, tomato tarts, tomato salads, gazpacho, and various other tomato-related meals. I have canned several quarts of crushed… read more

Food news antipasto

This week brings us plenty of news about several celebrity chefs/cookbook authors and their restaurant openings and closings. First up is that Gordon Ramsay is at long last opening another restaurant in Scotland, 17 years after his Glasgow eatery Amaryllis closed. The new outpost of Bread Street Kitchen & Bar will take over the former Refinery site at 4-8 St… read more

Father’s Day recipes

Sunday is Father's Day in Australia and New Zealand, but even if you don't live in those countries, it's a good excuse to celebrate the special men or father figures in your life. If you plan on making something special but are out of ideas, head over to Australian Gourmet Traveller, as they have assembled dozens of Father's Day recipes… read more

Michel Roux Jr’s new travel program showcases French country cooking

The past couple of years have been rough on Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux Jr. He lost both his father Albert Roux (early this year) and his uncle Michel (in 2020), in addition to the pandemic wreaking havoc on the restaurant industry. Instead of dwelling on those events, the chef is instead focusing on the positives, such as a new grandson… read more

A new Oxford Companion is on the way

The Oxford Companion series offers authoritative, highly researched deep dives into subjects like cheese, wine, and beer. Next month we welcome a new volume to these reference works: The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails, edited by David Wondrich and Noah Rothbaum, hosts of the podcast Life Behind Bars. The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails is the first major… read more

The New Yorker special culinary archival issue

Run, don't walk, to your local newsstand and buy a copy of this week's The New Yorker (or sign up for a free trial). The current issue is a tantalizing smorgasbord of food and drink writing, culled from the magazine's long and storied history. There are throwback articles from Anthony Bourdain, Nora Ephron, M.F.K. Fisher, Calvin Trillin, Madhur Jaffrey, and… read more

Food news antipasto

From baking to operating a cookery school to writing several bestselling cookbooks, John Whaite is living his best life. He will soon add another accomplishment to his impressive career: the 2012 Great British Bake Off champion is slated to compete in Strictly Come Dancing’s first all-male partnership. Whaite said: “I’m so grateful, excited, and nervous to be joining the Strictly… read more

Emily Dickinson, food writer

Emily Dickinson was never famous in her lifetime, with only a handful of her poems published while she lived, and all of those anonymously. The prolific poet's works were only discovered and published after her death at age 55. Despite authoring over 1,800 poems, Dickinson did not occupy all of her time with writing: she was known for both her… read more

A simple cookie

A chocolate chip cookie, no matter how large, is not going to solve the world's problems. I know that it cannot fix the fact that I missed a meeting with my supervisor earlier today, much less undo the tremendous damage caused by a madman thousands of miles away. It is just a simple confection, composed of flour, butter, sugar, and… read more

Don’t say cheese, say formaggio

Assorted cheeses on a rustic wooden board
I'll never forget the first time I walked in to the Dean & Deluca in Georgetown (Washington, DC). I was at the beginning of my culinary awakening, when I first became aware of the vast world of food beyond what I had experienced in my small Midwestern community. In particular, the array of specialty cheeses floored me: I did not… read more

A tart and a tale

As I doom-scrolled through Twitter today, a tweet about Mayukh Sen's recent column for The New Yorker caught my eye, and I'm glad I clicked through. In the article, Sen shares a recipe for a late-summer tart by the indomitable Madeleine Kamman, but the piece is much more than just a short blurb and a recipe. Sen has a gift… read more

Food news antipasto

Maggie Beer is an Australian national treasure. Her cookbooks have garnered numerous awards, and she has taken up the cause of trying to change the food in aged care through her eponymous foundation. The Sydney Morning Herald's Benjamin Law recently interviewed Beer, asking questions on a number of topics, including her life before her food career. (As a reminder, EYB… read more

The underground cocktail books that changed the industry

The turn of the century ushered in an era of craft cocktails that completely changed the bartending scene. A handful of cocktail books helped shaped this renaissance, including The Craft of the Cocktail by Dale DeGroff, The Joy of Mixology by Gary Regan, The PDT Cocktail Book by Jim Meehan and Chris Gall, and Death & Co by David Kaplan and Nick Fauchald and Alex… read more
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