Discovering the past through a cookbook

August 7, 2019 by
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The story of immigration is as old as human history. Stories about dangerous ocean crossings, perilous overland treks, navigating in a strange land, or learning a new language resonate because so many of us have ancestors who emigrated to the place we call home. If we're lucky, an older relative can recount the journey with us. If not, it can… read more

Simple recipes are sometimes the best

August 6, 2019 by
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Tonight was National Night Out/Nite to Unite, an annual community-building campaign in the US. It is designed to bring neighbors together and also to promote relationships between community members and law enforcement. Our next door neighbors and good friends hosted a party for our block this year. I wanted to participate and since I love to bake, a logical choice was… read more

Food news antipasto

August 4, 2019 by
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The week flew by too quickly once again, but here it is time for a review of the little items that I found interesting over the week but that did not warrant an entire post. While I love to watch food shows like Chef's Table, I must admit that sometimes I find them a bit too precious. If you do… read more

Spice support: za’atar

August 3, 2019 by
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Middle Eastern food has risen in prominence in the past few years, thanks to the excellent and approachable recipes provided by Yotam Ottolenghi, Anissa Helou, Michael Solomonov, John Gregory-Smith, Sabrina Ghayour, and others. These recipes contain ingredients that until recently were unfamiliar to most Western palates, including harissa, baharat, ras el hanout, and za'atar. Today we are going to dive… read more

Is it okay to use salted butter in baking?

August 2, 2019 by
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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?

August 1, 2019 by
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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

July 31, 2019 by
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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?

July 30, 2019 by
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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

July 29, 2019 by
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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

July 28, 2019 by
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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

July 27, 2019 by
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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

July 26, 2019 by
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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

July 25, 2019 by
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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

July 24, 2019 by
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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

July 23, 2019 by
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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

July 22, 2019 by
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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

July 21, 2019 by
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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

July 20, 2019 by
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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

July 19, 2019 by
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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

July 18, 2019 by
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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

July 17, 2019 by
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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

July 16, 2019 by
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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)

July 15, 2019 by
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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

July 14, 2019 by
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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

July 13, 2019 by
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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
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