Celebrate National Pie Day

January 23, 2019 by
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Today, for reasons I will never understand, is National Pie Day (I believe the logical choice for the day is March 14). I've noticed in my Twitter feed that people from all countries seem to be celebrating this "holiday", so perhaps it should be renamed as International Pie Day. Regardless of where it originated, I am happy to join in… read more

‘The Naked Chef’ turns 20

January 22, 2019 by
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Can you believe that Jamie Oliver's first cookbook is 20 years old? That's right, The Naked Chef premiered two decades ago when Oliver burst onto the scenic as fresh-faced, exuberant young chef with something to say. He hasn't stopped since, building a veritable empire of restaurants, cookbooks, and television programs. To celebrate this milestone, Penguin are re-releasing Jamie's first five… read more

The behind the scenes work that makes cookbooks great

January 21, 2019 by
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When you crack open a freshly purchased cookbook, it can be like opening a window into another world. Everything you need is laid out before you, and you can just follow along on a journey of discovery. If the book is well written, this journey will be pleasant and satisfying. Writing a book that achieves that goal is tricky, and… read more

Singapore’s famous street food markets face an uncertain future

January 20, 2019 by
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Since the 1950s, Singapore has had a vibrant street food scene that draws on the many cultures of its varied inhabitants. While early on the city had vendors dotted on the street corners, they eventually consolidated into over 100 hawker centers, where stalls offer enticing foods ranging from Cantonese barbecued pork to Javanese tempeh to kopi tarik (sweet and rich pulled coffee).… read more

Kitchen items that spark joy

January 19, 2019 by
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If you weren't going through your house getting rid of unwanted items last year, you probably are this year. Marie Kondo's life-changing advice on tidying up has become a hit series on Netflix and it's got everyone in full KonMari mode. (If you are into thrift shops, you'll probably find a lot of gems now.) Kondo's advice to keep only… read more

Big change is coming to the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards

January 18, 2019 by
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Each year we post the listing for the San Pellegrino listing of the 50 best restaurants in the world, highlighting cookbooks from the chefs that helm these fine dining establishments. The list of winners was starting to sound like a broken record - Noma landed at the top five different times, and the top five contained many of the same… read more

Is this the ultimate “Cake-Off”?

January 17, 2019 by
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If you are a fan of either (or both) Cake Boss Buddy Valastro or Ace of Cakes star Duff Goldman, you are in for a treat. We just discovered that the two are set to face off against one another in a new six-episode Food Network series. The show premieres Sunday, March 10 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network.  Simply titled… read more

How chefs deal with ingredients they won’t eat

January 16, 2019 by
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We all have a few foods that we just do not care to eat, and chefs are no exception. Unlike the rest of us, however, they often have no choice but to use ingredients they find distasteful. Some chefs find alternatives to the despised items, while others search for ways to make the off-putting flavors more palatable. Elisa Ludwig of… read more

These new liquors are going against the grain

January 15, 2019 by
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Whiskey in the US must be made from grain, which is defined as corn, wheat, rye, or barley. That might be about to change, however, as distillers have asked the regulatory agency in charge of such definitions - the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) - to allow other plants to be used. Specifically, the manufacturers want to broaden… read more

Is aspic poised to make a comeback?

January 14, 2019 by
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What do you think of when you hear the word aspic? For many of us, the term conjures up garish concoctions from the 1960s: think hot dogs and macaroni in aspic. However, those applications are only one late-stage interpretion of a culinary classic. The tradition of setting meats and vegetables in aspic - a savory meat gelatin made with stock and… read more

Padma Lakshmi talks food and more

January 13, 2019 by
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You probably know Padma Lakshmi from Bravo TV's Top Chef, but there is a lot more to her than just judging Quickfire challenges. She's also written or co-written several cookbooks, including 2016's The Enyclopedia of Spices and Herbs, which we reference frequently in our Spice Support columns. E. Alex Jung of Vulture recently caught up with Lakshmi for an interview… read more

When the gadget bug hits

January 12, 2019 by
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It happens to all of us - you read about a technique and want to try it at home, so you purchase the necessary appliance or gadget to perform the task. But after you get said gadget home, it often gets used only a couple of times before it gets shoved to the back of the cupboard and gathers dust.… read more

The most popular cooking show by year

January 11, 2019 by
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Food Network's first broadcast aired in 1993, but the history of televised cooking programs stretches back decades prior to that. Before television was invented, there were cooking programs on the radio. People have watched and listened as a variety of hosts taught them how to make dishes both simple and complicated since the 1920s. The history of these programs is… read more

The joy of cooking

January 10, 2019 by
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Chances are good that a large percentage of EYB Members have made one of two viral dishes from cookbook author Alison Roman. Both her Spiced chickpea stew with coconut and turmeric (featured in The New York Times and shown below) and her Chocolate chunk salted shortbread from her smash cookbook Dining In went viral on Instagram. Tens of thousands of people posted their own… read more

Chefs step up to feed furloughed workers

January 9, 2019 by
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If you've been paying attention to US news reports, you will know that our federal government has partially shut down over a funding dispute between Congress and the President. There is an old African saying that seems appropriate to this situation: "when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers." In this case, the grass is the federal workforce, who… read more

Is copper cookware really worth the expense?

January 8, 2019 by
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No one can deny that a rack of gleaming copper pots looks fantastic, but are copper pans worth their rather extravagant price? Daniel Gritzer of Serious Eats tackled this question recently and discovered that, as with many things in life, there is no clearcut answer.  There is no doubt that copper's thermal properties are unique, and that it is much more… read more

Items that even chefs don’t make from scratch

January 7, 2019 by
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Sometimes I like to dive deep into a culinary creation, making everything I can from scratch. However, there are a few items that I haven't really given much thought to making - ketchup immediately comes to mind. It turns out that even though they spend their days creating complex dishes where they tweak every flavor, chefs also take shortcuts, especially… read more

Are you all in for Veganuary?

January 6, 2019 by
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With a new year comes new resolutions, and for a growing number of people that means eating less meat. One trend that's been around for a few years now and that seems to be gaining momentum in this area is going vegan for the first month of the year. Known as Veganuary, the practice helps people jumpstart their healthy and… read more

Don’t throw away that avocado pit

January 5, 2019 by
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When you cut open an avocado, what do you do with the pit? For the vast majority of us, the answer is chuck it in the trash bin. But apparently we should not be so quick to discard the seed of the avocado, as it has culinary (and some say medicinal) uses as well. In this recent Guardian recipe for… read more

Norman Van Aken’s advice to aspiring chefs: read cookbooks

January 4, 2019 by
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Chef Norman Van Aken is known as the founding father of New World Cuisine, a celebration of Latin, Caribbean, Asian, African, and American flavors. He is also credited with introducing the concept of "fusion" to the culinary world. His restaurant, Norman's, was nominated as a finalist for the James Beard Foundation's "Best Restaurant in America," and the chef has also… read more

The science behind the famous Chez Panisse fruit bowl

January 3, 2019 by
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Judging by the popularity of cookbooks like On Food and Cooking, The Food Lab, and Cookwise, it is safe to say that EYB Members enjoy learning about the science of cooking. If this describes you, a new column called 'Housemade' in The San Francisco Chronicle by culinary scientist Ali Bouzari might interest you. Since April 2018, Bouzari has been taking… read more

What is black vinegar?

January 2, 2019 by
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If you've ever visited an Asian grocery or well-stocked Asian foods section at a large supermarket, you may have stumbled across Chinese black vinegar. If you were curious as to what it is and how to use it, wonder no more. Black vinegar is a condiment that warrants space alongside other vinegars, and is useful in a variety of applications. … read more

The joys of solo cooking

January 1, 2019 by
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Cooking for one person has not enjoyed a positive reputation, but that seems to be changing. With more bloggers writing about the joys of solo cooking, and with the release of chef Anita Lo's recent cookbook dedicated to the subject, making meals for just yourself is being seen as a nourishing event, not just for your body for also for… read more

Welcoming the new year with simple pleasures

December 31, 2018 by
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As the year draws to a close, it's customary to look back at the previous twelve months and take note of what happened. One word comes to mind for 2018, and that word is tumultuous. We lost a few shining lights, saw the #metoo movement's effect on restaurant empires, and took note of controversy in cookbook awards.  With all of… read more

Can’t get enough airline food? There’s a cookbook for that

December 30, 2018 by
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Airline food - what little of it is offered on flights these days - is not something most of us aspire to recreate. That's why the idea of a cookbook inspired by airline food seems, well, odd. However, there is a segment of the industry where the food exceeds expectations. If you splurge for the high-end business class digs on… read more
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