In awe of the restaurant supply store

June 11, 2019 by
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If there is any shopping experience that I enjoy as much as browsing through a cookbook store it is wandering the aisles of a restaurant supply store. Not all of these establishments are willing to sell to the public, but I've found that at the very least they won't kick you out for wandering through the space - and what… read more

Fun facts about KitchenAid mixers

June 10, 2019 by
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It is difficult to imagine a kitchen appliance that is as universally recognizable as the KitchenAid stand mixer. It proudly adorns countertops in countless households in the U.S. and beyond (I spied KitchenAid mixers in a few seasons of GBBO). The story of KitchenAid mixers goes back 100 years, as explained in the recent Taste of Home article listing six… read more

When children write recipes

June 9, 2019 by
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As they find their way in the world, children learn many skills by imitating their parents and other adults with whom they interact. How many of us have said that we learned to cook or bake from watching our parents or grandparents? Although we may have indeed learned from them, our earliest experiences probably were not anything close to skilled,… read more

A day in the life of a recipe tester

June 8, 2019 by
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Cookbook authors rely on recipe testers to make sure that what they are developing for the books will work in the kitchens of the target audience. Sometimes they will ask friends and relatives to do the testing, but much of the time a professional recipe tester is enlisted to ensure accuracy and thoroughness. If you think that sounds like a… read more

National Doughnut Day is worth celebrating

June 7, 2019 by
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When I arrived at work today, several people had brought in doughnuts. I wondered why so many people were celebrating on a random Friday in June until I was reminded that today is National Doughnut Day. Unlike some of the other "food holidays" that are created by the food industry, this special day has roots that go back almost 100… read more

Baking legend Maida Heatter has died at 102

June 6, 2019 by
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We have just learned the sad news that legendary chef and author Maida Heatter has passed away at age 102. Food writers including Helen Rosner, Charlotte Druckman, and George Geary shared stories on Twitter about how Maida significantly influenced their baking and culinary careers.  Maida's influence on baking cannot be overstated. Her award-winning cookbooks inspire legions of devotees, she is a… read more

Prue Leith tells chefs: no more foams or drizzles

June 5, 2019 by
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Drizzles, foams, jellies, and "lollipops of crackling" - these are not a few of Prue Leith's favorite things. In an interview with The Guardian, Leith spouts off on these trends and others that have become popular in recent years. The television host of Great British Bake Off and previously of Great British Menu offers some advice for chefs.  Instead of… read more

Catching up with the ‘Queen of Cake’

June 4, 2019 by
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Would-be bakers that think they are too old to start a second culinary career should pay heed to the recent interview of Sylvia Weinstock (aka the Queen of Cake) in The New York Times. The 89-year-old Weinstock has baked cakes for the likes of Billy Joel and Jennifer Lopez, but she didn't start baking professionally until the age of 50.… read more

New Orleans chef Leah Chase dies at 96

June 2, 2019 by
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Famed New Orleans chef Leah Chase, co-owner of Dooky Chase's restaurant, has died at age 96. Chase was known both for her Creole cuisine and her civil rights activism.  Chase married into the restaurant in the mid-1940s, and transformed a sleepy sandwich shop into a fine dining destination that celebrated Creole cuisine. During the civil rights movement in the 1960s,… read more

Jack Monroe raises money to distribute copies of her new cookbook

June 1, 2019 by
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It's safe to say that food writer Jack Monroe has never followed convention. Her award-winning blog, A Girl Called Jack (now named Cooking on a Bootstrap), made a tremendous impact, showing the world that you can eat well on a tight budget. To promote her latest cookbook, Monroe has once again eschewed convention, creating a fundraising appeal so she can donate… read more

Cookbooks can be a launching pad for young chefs

May 31, 2019 by
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Only a small portion of chefs write cookbooks, and those who do are usually well-established, having been in the business for a number of years. Sometimes, however, young chefs have the chance to pen a book, and for those who do it well it can be a springboard for new opportunities, as Eater reports.  The article profiles a few "young… read more

Mark your calendars for ‘Bourdain Day’ on June 25

May 30, 2019 by
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June 8 is the anniversary of Anthony Bourdain's tragic death, an event that shook the culinary world to its core. Chefs José Andrés and Eric Ripert, both close friends of Bourdain, do not want that date to become the one most associated with the late chef. Instead, they are planning a day of remembrance on June 25, which would have been… read more

Playing the ingredient name game

May 29, 2019 by
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The internet has done wonders to connect food lovers across the globe. In addition to website and blogs that share information from every country with the world, there are oodles of cookbook clubs that operate on social media no matter their location (like the EYB Cookbook Club and EYB Sweet Ottolenghi clubs). I belong to a handful of additional cookbook… read more

If you can’t beat it, eat it

May 28, 2019 by
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Do you know the old saying "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em?" A new cookbook takes a similar tack to that adage, but instead of joining the problem, it suggests that you eat it. Gastro Obscura brings us the story of a Tasmanian cookbook dedicated to helping combat invasive species.  Titled 'Eat the Problem', the book features recipes for… read more

Francis Lam talks food and podcasting

May 26, 2019 by
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When Francis Lam took over the reins for The Splendid Table, it was anyone's guess on how the show would fare after losing its long-time (really, only) host Lynne Rossetto Kasper. It's fair to say that Lam has exceeded expectations, especially given how beloved and integral Kasper was to the program. Recently Grub Street sat down with Lam for a… read more

Spice support: cumin

May 25, 2019 by
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Few spices are as versatile or universally employed as cumin. Originating in the Middle East (or possibly the Nile Valley, depending on which source you believe), cumin is one of the world's oldest spices with a culinary history that dates back over 6000 years. Cumin is a member of the parsley family, and its seeds look a lot like caraway… read more

Take your knife skills to the next level

May 24, 2019 by
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I don't know about you, but I could always use a little help with my knife skills, especially on how to get them sharp and keep them that way. That is why I immediately clicked on Food52's recent post about a knife sharpening demonstration video from none other than Jacques Pépin.  The video is as much a demonstration of proper… read more

Summer grilling looks different these days

May 23, 2019 by
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For the majority of Americans, the upcoming Memorial Day weekend marks the official start of summer. Across the nation, it's a tradition to fire up the grill and pile it high with bratwurst, hamburgers, and ribs, accompanied by cold beer. That scenario is rapidly changing, however, says Food & Wine. They report on a recent study that says not only… read more

Thomas Keller talks about his inspirations

May 22, 2019 by
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When you look at the impressive career that chef Thomas Keller has enjoyed, it is easy to forget that at one point he, too, was a beginner. You might be curious as to who influenced him when he was a young chef. If so, you're in luck, because Keller recently participated in a Q&A about his career at a National Restaurant… read more

Jamie Oliver’s UK restaurant empire collapses

May 21, 2019 by
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Jamie Oliver became a nearly overnight sensation in the early 2000s, rocketing to fame following the debut of his show The Naked Chef and a slew of cookbooks. He went on to build a restaurant empire, but the glory days of that enterprise are over as twenty-six of his eateries in the UK are now under administration. The change came… read more

Hosting a cookbook swap party

May 20, 2019 by
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Have some cookbooks that just don't thrill you anymore? Want to have new cookbooks without spending any money? If your answer to either of those questions is yes, you might want to host a cookbook swap. Not sure how to go about it? Meghan Walbert Lifehacker offers some tips on how to host a successful swap.  There is no set… read more

Winners of the 2019 IACP Cookbook Awards

May 19, 2019 by
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This year's annual International Association of Culinary Professionals conference was held in Santa Fe, New Mexico. At a ceremony held last evening, the association announced the winners of its 2019 IACP Cookbook, Digital Media, Food Photography & Styling Awards.  It was a good year for both Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen and its former leader, Christopher Kimball. The latter snagged the award… read more

Spice support: star anise and anise seed

May 18, 2019 by
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Although both star anise and anise seed (aka aniseed) share a licorice-like flavor compounds called anethole, the two are unrelated botanically. It's easy to confuse the two because of their similarities, but the two are used differently and possess subtle differences in flavor.  Star anise is the seed pod of an evergreen native to southern China, although it is now… read more

Pucker power – how sour flavors have taken over

May 17, 2019 by
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Sour beer, sour candy, lacto-fermentation: there is no denying that sour flavors are ascending, in homes and restaurants alike. What's the reason behind this trend? Is it a reflection of our environment or something else? Ligaya Mishan explores the topic in a recent New York Times article. Statistics show that foods like kimchi are showing up on more and more… read more

The television series ‘Great Chefs’ celebrates 40 years

May 16, 2019 by
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The televised cooking program Great Chefs recently celebrated its 40th anniversay. It is one of the oldest cooking/travel series on cable. When it debuted in the early 1980s, Great Chefs took a bold step away from most TV cooking shows, taking viewers out of the TV studio and into working restaurant kitchens, profiling some of the world's most well-known chefs. They… read more
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