Is it okay to use salted butter in baking?

I read a Twitter thread the other day in which the writer unleashed a tirade of complaints about recipe requirements, including a rant against unsalted butter, which he called "trash." It is obvious that he prefers baking with salted butter, but most bakers disagree. But does using salted butter in place of unsalted really make a difference? The answer is...maybe. … read more

Pop goes the…sorghum?

Even with my good-sized cookbook collection and the entire EYB online recipe database at my fingertips, occasionally I run out of inspiration for the somewhat embarrassing number of grains that reside in my pantry. This is especially true for some of the more obscure items - there are not many options for purple barley, for instance. That's why I immediately… read more

Stella Parks’ Reddit AMA

EYB Members went wild over Stella Parks' cookbook BraveTart: Iconic American Desserts, which ranks in the top 10 dessert books in the EYB Library by popularity. It's no wonder; her precise methodology and warm, funny writing style help take the intimidation out of baking while offering standout desserts. Today Parks hosted an AMA (ask me anything) on Reddit. Hundreds of… read more

Is lunchtime disappearing?

Bee Wilson is a food historian and the author of several books, including Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat. She has a new book coming out in a couple of months called The Way We Eat Now. Shauna Sever recently interviewed Wilson for The Splendid Table, and they talked about one of the topics in the book: the… read more

Restaurateurs Daniel Humm and Will Guidara call it quits

After over a decade of working together, restaurateurs Daniel Humm and Will Guidara have decided to part ways, according to Eater. The pair met in 2006 when Humm was the chef and Guidara the manager of Danny Meyer's Eleven Madison Park. They eventually partnered with investors to buy out Meyer and went on to open several other successful restaurants.  While… read more

Food news antipasto

It's Sunday, which means time for a review of all the little items that I found interesting over the week but that did not warrant an entire post. We'll begin with the kitchen hack of the week: Martha Stewart's method to remove those pesky price stickers that are applied to cookware and serving ware. It involves a common appliance that… read more

Spice support: marjoram

Some herbs spend their lives playing second fiddle to their more popular but similar cousins. Always a groomsman and never a groom, these herbs offer support, rarely getting a chance to shine. However, when given the opportunity to play a starring role, they rise to the occasion admirably. Marjoram is one such herb. Since its appearance is similar to oregano,… read more

Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi getting her own Hulu series

Make room on your queue for yet another food-themed program on Hulu. The streaming service has just announced that it has signed Top Chef host and cookbook author Padma Lakshmi to a ten-episode series that will debut in 2020.  The program will feature Lakshmi traveling around the U.S., highlighting foods "from the first Americans to the latest arrivals." The dishes will… read more

How to take the heat and stay in the kitchen

My kitchen is in the southwest corner of the house and has a large window that overlooks our lawn and flower garden. During the spring and fall I have a gorgeous vista to take in as I chop vegetables or mix a cake batter. In the winter, the view is not as lovely although the tons of natural light that… read more

Cookery writer Margaret Fulton dies at 94

We have sad news to announce. Margaret Fulton, Australia's best known and most loved cookery writer, has died at the age of 94. Through her magazine columns, cookbooks, and later, television appearances, Fulton exerted an extraordinary influence over Australia's culinary landscape. She introduced the nation to the "exotic" flavors of Italian, French, Greek, Spanish, and Chinese cuisine. Beginning with her 1968… read more

All three Masterchef Australia judges quit in pay dispute

Masterchef Australia will be getting an extreme makeover in 2020, as all three of its current judges have quit amidst a pay dispute. Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris, all walked away from the program after Australia's Network 10 refused to increase their pay by 40 percent.  This is not the first time Calombaris has made the news regarding a row… read more

The history behind biscuits and gravy

If you are not from the United States, and specifically the Southern U.S., you may not be familiar with the breakfast dish of biscuits and gravy. Its popularity is growing, however, and it can now be found on menus across the country and for good reason: it's both hearty and tasty. If you are a fan of biscuits and gravy,… read more

David Chang has yet another show in the works

David Chang is one busy chef. In addition to overseeing his Momofuku restaurant empire, starring in the Netflix series 'Ugly Delicious,' and working with Chrissy Teigen on a Hulu talk show, he is working on a new television program as well. Called 'Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner,' the new series features Chang joining celebrity guests to celebrate the cuisine and culture… read more

Homemade ice cream: low effort, high reward

Some food items have a very low reward to effort ratio. Foods like homemade ketchup seem like a lot of work for a product that is, to most people, little to no better than the purchased version. Every person has his own effort to reward ratio that guides his cooking. But no matter what your cooking style may be, you… read more

Sticky fingers

When I was 15 years old, I traveled without my family for the first time, going over a thousand miles from home as part of a school club. To remember this momentous occasion, I tucked a glass from the hotel restaurant, emblazoned with its logo, into my suitcase. I used that glass for years, until a moment of clumsiness led… read more

The case for cookbooks without photos

Images of food are a huge component of many people's Instagram and Facebook feeds, and most cookbooks today feature amazing photos that are close to works of art in and of themselves. It is difficult to imagine a cookbook without lush images, but they used to be the norm. Cookbook author Andrea Nguyen thinks you can learn a lot from… read more

The future of Dean & Deluca is in doubt

In the early 1990s, when I was a fresh-faced recent college graduate working in my first "real" job, I also leased my first apartment and therefore had my first "real" kitchen. No more dorm room microwave cooking for me, I thought triumphantly. I began to experiment in the kitchen, scouring food magazines for new recipes, but never straying far from… read more

The Levain cookie empire expands

You might remember back in March when Jenny published the battle of the Levain Bakery chocolate chip walnut cookie, reviewing ten different copycat recipes for the absurdly thick and decadent cookies. (She settled on  Levain Bakery copycat chocolate chip walnut cookie part two by Parsley Sage Sweet as the winner of the copycat challenge.) The lines at the handful of Levain… read more

Best cookbooks of the 21st century (so far)

It is difficult - nearly impossible, for me - to consider that we are 20 percent of the way through the 21st century. Nevertheless, it is true. That means we have 20 years of cookbooks to think about when discussing the best books of the century. Helen Rosner at The New Yorker breaks down which books she believes are standouts. … read more

Food news antipasto

After struggling for years to find the best way to store rolls of aluminum foil and plastic wrap that doesn't take up valuable counter space or result in jammed drawers, I spied a method that might actually work. Head over to The Kitchn to see this easy and inexpensive hack.  One incensed French chef is asking to be removed from the… read more

The best French cookbooks, according to French chefs

It's always enlightening to learn which cookbooks chefs find useful and inspirational. When it comes to French cookbooks, who better than Jacques Pépin, Daniel Boulud, and Dominique Ansel to weigh in on which of these cookbooks they recommend. That's what Lauren Masur of The Kitchn thinks, too. She interviewed these esteemed chefs and compiled a list of the best French… read more

Spice support: basil

Few things scream summertime more than a caprese salad with fresh basil. A member of the mint family, basil is a workhorse in the Italian kitchen, but that is far from the only cuisine that makes good use of this aromatic herb.  Like mint, basil has several varieties, each with its own unique aroma and flavor. There are also several related… read more

Ingenious dishwasher hacks

Piggy-backing on Tuesday's post, today we will discuss more hacks for kitchen equipment. This time it's the dishwasher. While not everyone has a dishwasher, most people who do have one will never go back - and after reading the fifteen unique uses for your dishwasher offered by Taste of Home, those who don't yet have one may reconsider their decision.… read more

Bastille Day recipe ideas

The upcoming Bastille Day holiday provides the perfect excuse (like we need any) to make delicious French food and celebrate liberté, égalité, and fraternité. The holiday is the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, a turning point in the French Revolution, as well as the  Fête de la Fédération which celebrated the unity of the French people on July 14, 1790.… read more

Tips for getting the most out of your Dutch oven

A Dutch oven is a workhorse in the kitchen. The versatile pans are equally at home on the stovetop or in the oven, and are perfect for everything from deep frying to braising to holding hearty soups and stews. Those are not the only uses for Dutch ovens, however, as America's Test Kitchen explains. They provide five innovative uses for… read more
Seen anything interesting? Let us know & we'll share it!