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

Spice support: basil

July 12, 2019 by
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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

July 11, 2019 by
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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

July 10, 2019 by
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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

July 9, 2019 by
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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

YouTube cooking stars challenge traditional show

July 8, 2019 by
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Between excellent programs like Netflix's Chef's Table; Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat; and Ugly Delicious - not to mention terrific shows on network and cable television - people who love food programs have never had it better. This plethora of good choices is continuing, but not via traditional media streams. As Stevie Chick of The Guardian explains, new YouTube channels feature… read more

Food news antipasto

July 7, 2019 by
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Alton Brown's new show Good Eats: The Return debuts in August, and earlier this week Brown gave his fans topics that will be covered in the first season. Via social media, he said that we could expect to see the following this fall: "steak tartare, latkes, chicken parm, ancient grains, Oyster Poor Boy, Immersion Circulator cooking (sous vide), Shakshuka, Sauces… read more

Substitutes save the day

July 6, 2019 by
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Has the following scenario ever happened to you? In the middle of measuring ingredients to make a cake, pie, or batch of cookies, you realize that you are out of one of the key ingredients: cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, or something else that you could have sworn you had in stock. When this happens, you can be stuck -… read more

Anyone can be a cook

July 5, 2019 by
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If you are an avid cook or baker and make food for others to enjoy, you often hear someone say "I wish I could cook but I just don't have a knack for it" or words to that effect. When this happens I am often at a loss for what to say. The next time it comes up in conversation… read more

Uses for leftover hot dog buns

July 4, 2019 by
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I firmly believe there is a conspiracy afoot between hot dog makers and hot dog bun manufacturers. How else can you explain that hot dogs generally come in packages of 10 but the buns are sold in 8-packs? This means you have to buy an extra package of buns to make sure there is a bun for every dog, which… read more

When politics hit the dinner plate

July 2, 2019 by
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Tariffs are in the headlines the world over these days. Most of the news emanates from the US, where President Donald Trump has threatened tariffs on a number of goods in various countries and regions. While food lovers might want to 'stay out of politics', that position is becoming increasingly untenable. In the most recent volley in the trade dispute… read more

The world’s most expensive ingredients

July 1, 2019 by
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Most of us know that saffron, pound for pound the world's most expensive spice, costing up to $10,000 USD per pound. But it isn't even close to being the costliest food, as Fodor's explains in its list of the ten most expensive foods in the world.  None of the other foods is a spice, although a few are used mostly… read more

Get ready – Prime Day is just around the corner

June 30, 2019 by
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If you took advantage of Amazon's Prime Day sales in the past but wished the window for savings was larger, you are in for a treat this year. Amazon recently announced that it was having its longest Prime Day ever, billing it as "a two-day parade of non-stop deals." For the first time, Prime Day will run for 48 hours, offering… read more

UK Guild of Food Writers announces 2019 award winners

June 29, 2019 by
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The Guild of Food Writers is the UK's professional association of food writers and broadcasters, and is the longest-established and largest of its kind. Established in 1984, it now has around 480 authors, broadcasters, columnists and journalists among its members. The Guild's goals include bringing  together professional food journalists, broadcasters and authors; arranging discussions, forums, and workshops; encouraging new writers;… read more

Beat the heat with refreshing cold soups

June 28, 2019 by
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Much of Europe is currently baking in extreme heat conditions, and parts of the US are pretty steamy as well. When the temperature and humidity spike, cooking can become a dreaded chore. I know that my south-facing kitchen, with its large window, becomes unbearable once it hits the mid-80s. That's when I turn to refreshing cold soups that serve to… read more

The wisdom in old cookbooks

June 27, 2019 by
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Call it a win for the Facebook algorithm: I clicked on a suggested post in Facebook Marketplace for the two vintage cookbooks pictured below and ended up purchasing them. I had been researching the history of Gold Medal Flour, and for once Facebook correctly predicted that I would be interested in these items (unlike most other suggestions that leave me… read more

World’s 50 Best Restaurants announced

June 26, 2019 by
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Even though the World's 50 Best Restaurants list has some, well, let's just call them issues, there is no denying that the establishments that land on the list serve some of the finest food on the planet. Yesterday we learned which restaurants made the top 50 in 2019. Landing in the top spot was Mirazur, Mauro Colagreco's restaurant on the French… read more

How people are celebrating ‘Anthony Bourdain Day’

June 25, 2019 by
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Last year the food world was devastated when irreverent-yet-beloved chef, author, and television host Anthony Bourdain took his life at age 61.  The photo below was taken by Jenny's friend Rona in New York the week after Tony's death. One year later, people are still grieving. On the anniversary of his death, the outpouring of love and respect for this culinary… read more

Blue and white CorningWare is back

June 24, 2019 by
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The iconic white with blue flowers CorningWare evokes a wave of nostalgia for almost everyone who sees the cookware at a resale shop or thrift store. Rare pieces of vintage CorningWare can fetch astronomical prices, up to $7000 for certain items. If those kind of prices are out of reach, don't despair: CorningWare recently released a new edition of the… read more

Food news antipasto

June 23, 2019 by
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This week's sampling of interesting or offbeat food news begins with a tribute to the late Anthony Bourdain. Earlier this week, the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, Bourdain's alma mater, announced that it would be offering a scholarship in his name. It will be awarded to one or two students per year, and will help to pay for… read more

Spice support: hyssop

June 22, 2019 by
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A few days ago we reported on the trend of chefs to bring back forgotten herbs, often as part of a local and seasonal cooking focus. One of the old-fashioned herbs discussed in the article was hyssop, a perennial plant native to the Mediterranean. In today's edition of Spice Support we'll take a closer look at the uses of this… read more

Did the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list change its method to appease chefs’ egos?

June 21, 2019 by
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Next week the listing of the World's 50 Best Restaurants will be announced (restaurants ranked 51-120 were announced a few days ago). Early this year we reported on changes to the selection process of the World's 50 Best rankings of restaurants. The new method was ostensibly a response to criticism that the rankings heavily favored European or European-inspired establishments that… read more

Not too hot, not too cold

June 20, 2019 by
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Everyone who cooks food for a crowd - either at a dinner party or for a holiday meal - understands the struggle of timing things so that all of the hot foods are served hot and cold items don't get warm while waiting for the other items to cook. Having foods that can be served at room temperature helps solve… read more

Lesser known herbs are having their day in the sun

June 19, 2019 by
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Make room in your herb collection for some new names to go alongside perennial favorites like oregano, basil, and parsley. Chefs are embracing lesser known, but equally delicious, herbs like lovage and hyssop in their dishes, according to the website Flavor and The Menu.  As restaurants expand on the concepts of local, seasonal, and heritage offerings, old-fashioned herbs are working… read more

The latest garlic peeling hack makes the rounds

June 18, 2019 by
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Perhaps you have already seen the mesmerizing video - a pair of hands, a sharp knife, a few twists, and an entire head of garlic peeled as easy as 1-2-3. This is the latest garlic peeling trick circulating on social media, following other hacks such as the two metal bowls method, the microwave method, and the high pressure air hose… read more
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