Retailers limit egg purchases to combat hoarding

carton of eggs
Well, it seems that we learned nothing during the Covid-19 pandemic, as hoarding has again reared its ugly, selfish head. Trader Joe's and Costco recently imposed limits on how many cartons of eggs that shoppers can buy at one time. This action came after viral videos showed people piling huge quantities of eggs into their carts. It wasn't clear if… read more

Finding a culinary ride-or-die

My spouse and I have been together for nearly three decades. When we first got together, neither of us could cook well. I was just starting to become interested in making meals from scratch after growing up on a diet of mainly boxed and canned foods, and my spouse mainly went along for the ride. Since then I have been… read more

Is this the perfect way to make cacio e pepe?

Cacio e pepe can be a tricky dish to master. Do it right, and you are rewarded with a silky sauce for your pasta. Do it wrong, and you end up with clumps of rubbery cheese swimming in oil instead. There are many recipes that claim to be foolproof, but even those are prone to failure. However, scientists recently set… read more

Food news antipasto

strawberries in a colander
The Bocuse d'Or culinary competition was held last week, and this year France claimed the title, followed by Denmark and Sweden. The French team was led by 28-year-old Paul Marcon, whose father Regis won the prestigious competition in 1995. The UK team finished in fifth place while the US team ranked seventh in the competition, which is held every other… read more

Tips on making your freezer work for you

The freezer may be the most undersung appliance. They have become so ubiquitous that it is difficult to imagine not having one, but they only became available just a few generations ago for most people. While most of us use the freezer as a place to chuck ready made items like frozen pizza or to make and store ice cubes,… read more

How did iconic pasta shapes get created?

Until fairly recently, I took pasta shapes for granted. I never thought about when, why, or how different shapes came about, to me they just always were. That is silly, of course, because everything has an origin story, regardless of whether it has been lost to history. The good news is that for many iconic shapes, their origin stories are… read more

Traditional foods to celebrate the Lunar New Year

Today marks the beginning of a very special time for the Chinese and several other cultures, as it is the beginning of the lunar new year. This holiday, celebrated by 20% of the world’s population, is honored differently in various countries, but food features prominently in all celebrations. For the Chinese new year, 2025 ushers in the Year of the… read more

A deep dive into everything mango

Several days ago I posted the photo below on social media, saying that while medieval European peasants may have had more free time than modern people, they didn't have access to fresh mangoes in the dead of winter so I'll call it equal. Growing up in the middle of North America (very near the geological center, in fact), I suffered… read more

Food news antipasto

The Super Bowl is coming up in a couple of weeks, and fans are preparing their A-game for snacks. There is a new product coming out that might be making an appearance at select Super Bowl parties, as General Mills announced a unique mashup between Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal and Totinos Pizza Rolls. This puzzling snack (is it made for… read more

And the winner is: 7-Eleven?

The internet-based market research firm YouGov recently held a popularity contest for the most popular grocery store in the US. The company holding the top spot is 7-Eleven, which came as a surprise to me because I don't think of 7-Eleven as a grocery store per se. However, after I thought about it a little more, I believe this makes… read more

It’s not too late to celebrate National Pie Day

Today is National Pie Day and although the day is touted as a ‘national’ event in the US, people from around the world have joined in the celebration of all things pie. Apparently, there are two National Pie Days - December 1 and January 23 - plus the unofficial day of March 14 (pi). I'm someone who believes that pie >… read more

James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Semifinalists

Today the James Beard Foundation announced the semifinalists for its 2025 Restaurant and Chef Awards. This list includes categories in national awards such as Best New Restaurant, Outstanding Baker, Outstanding Chef, Outstanding Pastry Chef, Outstanding Restaurateur, and Rising Star Chef of the Year, plus regional categories for chefs. 2025 marks a milestone for the Foundation: the 35th anniversary of the James Beard… read more

Charles Phan has died at age 62

Today we learned the unfortunate news that Charles Phan, renowned chef and author of Vietnamese Home Cooking and The Slanted Door: Modern Vietnamese Food, has passed away at the age of 62. Reports emerged over the weekend indicating that the talented chef had been admitted to the hospital. His family has since confirmed that he suffered cardiac arrest. Phan was… read more

Food news antipasto

Famed NYC chef André Soltner whose restaurant Lutèce set the standard for Manhattan fine dining, died this week at the age of 92. Lutèce was awarded four Michelin stars and was ranked as the best restaurant in the US by Zagat for six years in the 1980s. After he sold the restaurant Soltner remained activity in the culinary world, teaching… read more

What do you take when you have to evacuate?

The fires in LA county have been devastating, with thousands of homes burning down, including entire neighborhoods and a huge swath of a whole city. Tens of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate, leaving nearly everything behind and hoping for a miracle. One of those people is food writer and editor Kat Thompson, who shared why she didn't… read more

What’s your favorite underrated ingredient?

Just as cooks have a favorite spice that flies under the radar, they also have a favorite ingredient that gets overlooked by others. For me, it's parsley. While it is frequently relegated to being a sad, wilted sprig of garnish in midrate restaurants, parsley possess a get-along-with-everyone flavor that warrants at least co-starring status and can even shine as the… read more

Physical media in a digital age

We have reported before about how cookbooks continue to do well while much of the publishing market struggles with sluggish and even falling sales. The usual arguments for the success of this genre are that people prefer the tactile feel of books, it is easier to cook or bake from a printed page than from a screen, and that cookbooks… read more

Southern cooking legend Nathalie Dupree has died at age 85

We are saddened to share the news that Nathalie Dupree, celebrated Southern chef and cookbook author, passed away yesterday at age 85. South Carolina chefs shared outpourings of affection for Dupree, with Carrie Morey saying "Heaven just got a little more buttery and delicious...you have always inspired me — to take a chance, keep going, do for others, work harder,… read more

Food news antipasto

Coffee drinkers have another reason to enjoy their morning cup as a new study found a link between having a pre-lunch coffee and a reduced risk of developing heart disease. The link is only for those who indulge in caffeine in the morning - those who drank it throughout the day don't seem enjoy the same benefits. “Our findings indicate… read more

Wine pie: too good to be true

Have you seen the latest viral food video of wine pie? Content creator @itsmejuliette garnered over 8 million views with her recent video in which she mixes an entire bottle of wine with store cupboard ingredients in a prepared pie crust. She pulls it out of the oven and it appears to be set into a jelly-like state. The final clip shows… read more

Are seed oils scary?

If you spend any time at all on video-based social media, you have probably seen warnings from fitness influencers, purported health advocates, and even some physicians that villainize seed oils. These videos usually make claims that seed oils such as sunflower oil, canola oil, and corn oil are responsible for obesity, heart disease, cancer, and other illnesses. While there may… read more

A January reset doesn’t need to be a battle

a single elegant small couple cocktail glass holding a garnet colored liquid with a small amount of froth on top
The beginning of a new year feels like the perfect time to make a change, whether that involves organizing, exercising, or eating. This explains why Veganuary and Dry January are both increasingly popular activities. However, some people feel like this reset has become a battle between meat eaters and vegans or teetotalers with drinkers. These commitments need not be divisive,… read more

The best ways to store cookware and lids

stainless steel pan lids of varying sizes overlapping each other
A common New Year's resolution is to become more organized. I would not be surprised if more containers, organizers, and other storage solutions are sold in the first month of the year than the rest of the months combined. Unfortunately, many of the so-called 'best' organizing products end in disappointment. Some are flimsy while others seem better in theory than… read more

Food news antipasto

We will start the new year by looking back at 2024 with Food and Wine's report on its top food stories of 2024. I had forgotten about a couple of these, such as the foray into surge pricing by some restaurant chains and California becoming the first state to ban sell-by dates. Others stuck in my mind including the many… read more

The end of an Ottolenghi era

Yotam Ottolenghi is by far the most popular author in the EYB Library. The top three books by number of Bookshelves are his, and he has five of the top 10 books in the Library. If you look at individual recipes ranked by buzz, Ottolenghi again dominates. For the past seven years he has written a weekly column for The… read more
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