Thomas Keller talks about his inspirations

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Diana Kennedy’s cherished cookbook collection gets a new home

One could argue that no one has done more to promote traditional Mexican cooking than a British transplant, the venerable Diana Kennedy. For over half a century, she has diligently researched the cuisine from every region of the country, carefully documenting what she finds and sharing it with the world. She has written a bevy of successful and influential cookbooks,… read more

In praise of the quarter sheet pan

I have to admit to being a little late to the party on this, but I did not appreciate the versatility of quarter-size sheet pans until very recently. Why would I want yet another item to clutter my small kitchen when I had a nice stack of half-sheet pans at my disposal? Cathy Barrow's excellent Pie Squared convinced me to try… read more

Inside Julia’s Kitchen podcast with Matt Sartwell

The podcast Inside Julia's Kitchen contains interviews with many distinguished and diverse culinary guests, including chefs and authors. Recent episodes include a conversations with Jacques Pépin and Ruth Reichl, and recently the podcast celebrated a milestone: its 50th episode. That conversation features Matt Sartwell, managing partner of NYC's famed cookbook store Kitchen Arts and Letters. In the discussion, Sartwell explains… read more

These Ligurian bees are a long way from home

It makes sense that foods become associated with the place of their origin. If the place association becomes lost, the food can morph into something else or fade into obscurity. Or, it can retain the name and the legacy even though it's farm from its birthplace. That is the case with Ligurian honey, as Gastro Obscura reports.  Highly prized by… read more

Joy of Cooking is getting an upgrade

First published in 1931 and created as a way to overcome a tragic event, the classic and authoritative Joy of Cooking has been in print for nearly ninety years. This fall, the book that taught generations of people how to cook is getting a facelift for the first time in over a decade. The new edition honors Joy's extraordinary history,… read more

Mother’s Day recipes that take the cake

My mother lives several hundred miles away, which means I do not get to see her very often. When Mother's Day rolls around, this distance also means she gets plants or something that can be shipped, not a homemade treat. I enjoy baking for special occasions, whether for a birthday, holiday, or other event, so it makes me a bit… read more

James Beard Chef Awards announced

A couple of weeks ago we covered the James Beard Foundation's Cookbook Awards, and now it's time for the other half of the JBF: the Chef Awards. As Grub Street points out, there was a lot of diversity in this year's awards, a testament to the commitment made by the JBF to include more people of color and women in… read more

Magnus Nilsson is closing his award-winning restaurant

Last fall Magnus Nilsson published his third cookbook, The Nordic Baking Book, a comprehensive encyclopedia of recipes that includes history and culture in its 600 pages, then embarked on a whirlwind world tour promoting the same. I was fortunate to hear him talk when he visited The Swedish Institute in Minneapolis, and was mesmerized by his presentation. The discussion made… read more

Feeling stressed? Try watching these enchanting cooking videos

Lots of us read cookbooks as a form of relaxation, allowing the stories and recipes to transport us away from our stressful, workaday world. Of course there are other ways to get carried away from the ordinary, as we have learned via EYB Member sir_ken_g, who pointed us to a series of cooking videos that have people mesmerized.  The videos… read more

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo

While Cinco de Mayo is a relatively minor historical anniversary in Mexico, in the U.S. it has become a much larger celebration. The date commemorates the Mexican Army's victory over the French Empire at the first Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862. It is not, as many people assume, Mexican Independance Day (that falls on September 16). In the United… read more

Samin Nosrat’s favorite books

It is always interesting to learn about the books that have inspired our favorite authors. Samin Nosrat, quickly became an EYB Member favorite with the publication of her award-winning tome Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. Nosrat, who is currently working on a new cookbook, sat down with Vulture and and gave them the rundown on her top ten favorite books.  As you might… read more

GBBO contestants on what what home cooks should splurge on

Watching the GBBO has become a favorite pastime for millions of people around the globe, who tune in to cheer on their favorite contestants as they make their way through impressive baking challenges. We love seeing their triumphs and are saddened by their failures, and by the end of each season, we feel like we know them (please tell me… read more

Chrissy Teigen and David Chang to host new Hulu show

The streaming service Hulu recently announced that it had teamed up with superstar chef David Chang and cookbook author Chrissy Teigen to produce a new program called 'Family Style'. Hulu says that the program "will revolve around the ways in which people express their love for friends and family by cooking and eating together." This show is the first production from… read more

Author and cooking instructor Giuliano Bugialli has died at age 88

We have just learned that one of the most popular Italian cooking teachers in the United States has died. Giuliano Bugialli passed away in Viareggio, Italy, on April 26, 2019, at the age of 88. Florentine by birth, Giuliano spent most of his life in New York. In the 1970s, Giuliano brought authentic Italian cuisine to the United States, where… read more

Art in the kitchen

When it comes to artwork in the kitchen, opinions are divided. There are those who feel that form follows function and prefer to have pots, utensils, or shiny equipment as the decoration in their workspace. Others opt for clean lines with no extraneous items cluttering up the walls or counters. Some people like to have beautiful items in all areas… read more

Netflix’s new series ‘Street Food’ may be even better than ‘Chef’s Table’

If you are a fan of the Netflix series 'Chef's Table,' the streaming service has a new program that you should consider. Street Food chronicles several regional food stars as they demonstrate how they rose to prominence by cooking specialty dishes on the streets or in open-air markets. The first season of the show focuses on Asian street food, profiling… read more

Frozen virtue

A few days ago I waxed poetic about the joys of eating in season. There is something magical about a taste of spring's first rhubarb pie, the first sweet-tart raspberries bursting on your tongue as you pick them off the vine, and the first BLT made with a juicy, perfectly ripe tomato. As much as these fleeting moments make up… read more

James Beard Foundation Cookbook Award winners announced

The winners of the James Beard Cookbook and Media Awards were announced minutes ago at the annual JBF gala event. In addition to announcing the winners of the cookbook awards, the gala honored Jessica B. Harris, who was inducted into the Cookbook Hall of Fame. Harris is an American culinary historian, college professor, cookbook author and journalist. Her primary subjects are… read more
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