Cookbook editor extraordinaire Maria Guarnaschelli has died

February 9, 2021 by
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Legendary editor Maria Guarnaschelli, whose canon includes influential cookbooks, nonfiction titles, and works of literature, died on Saturday, February 6, from complications of heart disease, according to her daughter, chef and Food Network television personality Alex Guarnaschelli. She was 79 years old. You may find one of your favorite cookbooks among the many Guarnaschelli edited during her 40+ year career:… read more

GBBO subscription box now available

February 8, 2021 by
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We first learned late last year that the Great British Bake Off was putting together a subscription box, and now the boxes are ready to ship. According to the Bake Off Box website, the subscriptions include: All recipes tested by The Great British Bake Off team.The very best ingredients carefully selected from British Suppliers.Variety of different recipes to test your… read more

Food news antipasto

February 7, 2021 by
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Arranging books by color is a common, although controversial, method of organizing one's library. It's one thing to choose that aesthetic for books you already own, but some people are taking the concept a step too far, says Arati Menon over at Food52. You can buy entire sets of books that are grouped only by color, not by subject or… read more

Celebrating Mardi Gras at home

February 6, 2021 by
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Every February, hundreds of thousands of people make the trek to New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras, the festival that begins at Epiphany and culminates on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. The festival includes parades, copious amounts of eating and drinking, and general revelry 24 hours a day. But not in 2021 - the… read more

Understanding food grammar

February 4, 2021 by
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Learning a new language can be a challenge, especially when the language's grammar differs significantly from your native tongue. When translated literally, idioms can sound absurd, but if you think about the overarching meaning the phrase will eventually make sense. Just like language, food has grammar, and learning the rules of another culture's eating etiquette can be nearly as confusing… read more

Food prices on the rise

February 3, 2021 by
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In anticipation of the upcoming tax season, I recently sat down to look over our household spending for 2020. It was not a surprise to discover that we spent more on groceries and a lot less on eating out last year. Overall our restaurant expenses were down 75 percent, although our grocery bill only increased by about 20 percent, much… read more

The benefits of setting a cooking goal

February 1, 2021 by
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For many of us, the one-year 'anniversary' of work from home is fast approaching. The suddenness with which this occurred (at least from my perspective) meant that there was not much time to plan for how staying home - and making almost every meal at home - should look. Along the way, we hit a lot of 'walls' with respect… read more

Food news antipasto

January 31, 2021 by
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Michelin suspended its star ratings in 2020 due to the pandemic, but it is back in the business of grading restaurants again this year. This week Michelin announced the latest restaurants in the UK and Ireland that earned the coveted three-star rating, and both restaurants are helmed by female chefs. Hélène Darroze at the Connaught and Core by Clare Smyth join existing… read more

How precise do you need to be when cooking?

January 30, 2021 by
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I recently received a baking book in which the US cup measurements also included metric weights. I prefer using weight measures - and metric weights are so much easier to work with than ounces - so this was a welcome addition to the book. I did have to chuckle, however, when I saw the numbers: 1 cup of sugar was… read more

Flatirons Food Film Festival giveaway

January 28, 2021 by
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The 8th Flatirons Food Film Festival starts today and goes through February 5, and like so many other programs, the festival has gone completely virtual. The festival features films about chefs, Black American/ indigenous peoples foodways, food waste, and more. Events include a food trivia game night with prizes, free children's puppet-making class, and if you live in the Denver/Boulder… read more

Curd is the word

January 27, 2021 by
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Early on in the pandemic I started stocking up on food in case panic buying hit another frenzy. The trouble is, I didn't do a great job of inventory management or organization which led to some redundant purchases, including an abundance of lemons. While citrus fruits do keep well, there are limits on how long they will last. (If you… read more

Why a recipe is more than a collection of ingredients

January 25, 2021 by
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Several food magazines, websites, and authors have landed in hot water in recent years due to charges of cultural appropriation. Sometimes the recipe developers or writers will push back on the criticism, but others use the gaffe as a learning experience. That seems to be what Food & Wine Magazine is doing following a styling miscue in their January issue.… read more

Food news antipasto

January 24, 2021 by
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With restaurants remaining shuttered in London as the city deals with the another coronavirus surge, it's back to the kitchen - and into cookbooks - for restaurant critic Jay Rayner. He is planning a new weekly column in which he will explore a classic cookbook from his own collection. Says Rayner: "I’ll celebrate its recipes. I’ll explore its influence on… read more

It’s not too late to celebrate National Pie Day!

January 23, 2021 by
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Once again, National Pie Day has snuck up on me. This 'official' national food holiday allows me to celebrate Pie Day twice each year, because I will always believe the logical choice for the day is 3.14. Although the day is touted as a 'national' event in the US, I have noticed that people from around the world have joined in… read more

The ‘moist’ controversy

January 21, 2021 by
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If you have an aversion to the word 'moist' as a food descriptor (or just in general), you are far from alone. It comes with negative connotations that once learned are difficult to remove from one's mind. But have you considered the alternatives? Emily Heil has, and she says that we should all learn to love moist because the words… read more

What’s your favorite spice?

January 20, 2021 by
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Normal people do not have two drawers chock full of herbs and spices - at least that is what my friends tell me. In this respect, if not several others, I am happily abnormal. Baking and cooking are my main hobbies and passions, things I do when I have time and think about doing when I don't have time. This… read more

The difference between raisins, sultanas, and currants

January 18, 2021 by
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When it comes to dried fruit, raisins are king. Although humble in appearance, they are found in a variety of savory and sweet recipes in almost every food culture in the world. Have you ever wondered about the difference between raisins and sultanas (aka golden raisins)? And did you know there is another dried grape product that goes by another… read more

Food news antipasto

January 17, 2021 by
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Over a year ago, we received news that a new scripted series about the life of Julia Child would be coming to HBO Max. At the time of the last announcement, Joan Cusack was slated to be in the starring role. We've finally received an update on this project. Filming has begun, but two-time BAFTA (British Academy of Film &… read more

When AI makes recipes

January 16, 2021 by
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Artificial intelligence has been used to solve intractable mathematical problems, create eerie deep-fake videos, and make dancing robots. Now we can add recipe developer to the long list of AI achievements, thanks to Google. Researchers at Google Cloud, inspired by the surge in baking searches during the pandemic, "decided to dive a little deeper into the trend and try to… read more

Google’s top recipe searches of 2020

January 14, 2021 by
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After cooking morning, noon, and night, who among us wasn't desperate to find new recipes last year? Most readers here likely opted to use the EYB Library to search for what to cook for the next meal, but of course worldwide, Google is the top English-language search engine. Naturally they have kept track of what people searched for in 2020,… read more

Why is 350 degrees such a common oven temperature?

January 13, 2021 by
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Arguably the most common oven temperature for baked goods like cookies, cakes, and enriched breads is 350°F (~180°C). For most of us, it's the default setting on our oven's control panel. How did bakers land on this as the 'magic number' for so many items? Speaking with Vox, award-wining Pastry Chef Michael Laiskonis provides the answers. The key criteria for… read more

Sticking to a ‘dry January’ has never been easier

January 11, 2021 by
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Following the indulgence and excess that can happen during the end-of-year holiday season, people frequently cut back on both food and drink when the new year rolls around. Some take a 'dry January' pledge, opting not to drink any alcoholic beverages during the entire month. In the past this meant a rather boring drink selection, but not these days. Increasing… read more

Food new antipasto

January 10, 2021 by
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Tales of kitchen disasters never fail to entertain me, perhaps because I have had so many of them in my own kitchen. From charcoal caramel to accidentally pouring out long-simmering stock, messes and mix-ups are part of everyone's culinary journey. For your amusement, here's a small gallery of kitchen disasters to make you feel better about your own mishaps. Le… read more

The case for following the recipe exactly

January 9, 2021 by
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Normally when the calendar turns over to January I write a post about New Year's food resolutions. I think all of us have enough pressure on us this year without adding to it, so I skipped the resolution post. However, some of you might have made one anyway, like the The New York Times' Genevieve Ko did. Her resolution is… read more

Nathalie Dupree’s downsizing auction boasts many treasures

January 7, 2021 by
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Beloved Southern cookbook author Nathalie Dupree and her husband Jack Bass have retired and moved from Charleston, South Carolina to be closer to family. As part of the downsizing for their new home, they are having an estate sale, and the treasures to be found there are amazing. Nathalie not only wrote cookbooks, but was a featured culinary writer for the… read more
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