Ottolenghi answers the eternal question: why so many ingredients?

It is safe to say that our Members love Yotam Ottolenghi. His books hold the top three slots in the EYB Library in popularity: Plenty currently resides on 13,927 Bookshelves, followed closely by Jerusalem and Ottolenghi Simple. Two more of his books are in the top 10. To provide more perspective, the most popular non-Ottolenghi book sits on 7,984 shelves… read more

Getting to know masa

A staple of Mexican cuisine, masa - the dough made from nixtamalized corn that has been ground to a coarse flour - is getting renewed interest from chefs, according to Food and Wine contributing editor Khushbu Shah. Masa's importance to Mexican food cannot be overestimated. Corn is critical to the national identity, dating back at least to the Mayans, who… read more

The latest travel trend is grocery store tourism

For once I can say I was ahead of the game. Wherever I travel, one of the must-do events is go to a grocery store, whether it's a different supermarket brand or an obscure specialty shop. I love to see the unique products, check out how the prices compare, and hopefully snag a few items to take back home. Currently… read more

Food news antipasto

While much of the Northern Hemisphere swelters in the wake of heat advisories, in the Southern Hemisphere the winter is a little more chilly than normal. With heating costs soaring, it makes sense to look for ways to stay warm that don't involve turning up the thermostat. One thing you can do is to eat these five warming foods that… read more

Can you eat your way to fewer mosquito bites?

Spending a day puttering in the garden or enjoying an alfresco meal in the backyard are delightful summertime activities - at least until the mosquitos come out. They can ruin a lovely sunny day quicker than a popup rain shower. Bug sprays can help you avoid getting bitten, but they often contain chemicals that may be harmful and they usually… read more

The Caesar salad turns 100

There are many reasons to celebrate today: Independence Day in the US, EYB reaching 500,000 online recipes, and it's the birthday of the Caesar salad. It's not often that the exact origins of a dish are known, but this one is known down to the exact day. You would be forgiven if you thought the salad originated in Italy, but… read more

Total recall

A food recall is issued almost every day in the US on either the USDA's recall website (for meat, poultry, and eggs) or the FDA's recall website (for all other foods, medicines, and medical devices). The reasons for the recalls vary - undeclared allergens, potential pathogen contamination, metal debris, undisclosed toxic ingredients, packaging defects - and no product categories are… read more

What’s the best produce (or other food) you ever had?

Over the last month in the Member Forum, EYB Members have been posting about the best produce they ever had. Member whitewoods kicked off the topic by recounting the best corn on the cob and best home-grown tomato they had ever eaten. Other Members chimed in, naming morel mushrooms, sugar snap peas, Alphonso mangoes, and the joys of growing your… read more

Food news antipasto

You've heard of Detroit pizza, Chicago pizza, New York pizza and maybe even St. Louis pizza. However, there's a new kid on the block vying for the title of best pizza: Sydney pizza. Bianca Hrovat writes that Sydney has developed its own style featuring multicultural influences, "flavoursome fermented bases, leopard-spotted crusts, and wildly creative toppings." (Subscription or free registration may… read more

The evolution of queer cookbooks

In 2024, seeing a cookbook that celebrates queer culture wouldn't cause anyone to so much as bat an eyelash, but that has not always been the case. Decades ago, a queer cookbook would have been coded or you would have to know that the author was part of the LGBTQ+ community to understand it as such. A lot of people… read more

The “little luxuries” trend

Supermarket checkout aisles are always filled with impulse buy items - chocolate bars and candy, cold drinks, and other things to tempt us as we wait to be checked out. Some retailers have expanded on this idea in times of high inflation when people are hesitating to put larger items into their carts, including the CEO of Whole Foods who… read more

The best way to clean oil stains

Since I wrote about dishwashing liquid yesterday, I thought it would be appropriate to follow up with another post about cleaning. I'm a messy cook and often forget to don an apron so I end up with spills and splatters on my clothing. Few things are worse than a grease or oil stain, which is why I was keenly interested… read more

Don’t go changing those kitchen fragrances

There are some kitchen scents that I find nearly intoxicating, such as onions and garlic sweating in olive oil, baking bread, and ripe peaches as they are being sliced. I must admit that I also like the smell of dishwashing liquid as the sink fills with suds - at least until recently. A few months ago, the brand I used… read more

Food news antipasto

Many fans of The Bear probably have a crush on the lead character, played by Jeremy Allen White. He's incredibly buff, which some critics say is unrealistic for the role. Is Carmy too fit to be a chef? That's the question Amanda Gabriele put to several industry experts, including chefs, and the reviews are mixed. While chefs have a reputation… read more

The copyright conundrum

Should chefs be able to copyright recipes? It's a perennial question in the industry and the debate has raged on for decades. There are problems with other chefs making bank using a recipe developed by a colleague or mentor, but it is diabolically difficult to parse what would qualify as a dish unique enough to be afforded a copyright protection.… read more

Yellow onions vs. white onions – which to use when

A few weeks ago I saw a video by Rick Bayless where he said something to the effect of "friends don't let friend use yellow onions." He was adamant that white onions were better for most Mexican dishes. Bayless did allow that red onions could work in a few applications, but warned viewers to steer clear of yellow onions when… read more

The bro-ification of beverages

After purchasing a home espresso maker in an effort to curb my expensive latte habit, I quickly realized that getting a great latte was going to be more complicated than just throwing some grounds into the portafilter (a term I just recently learned) and pressing the start button. This meant I needed to do some reading on the subject. As… read more

Forget trends, bring back the croissant

We've written before about croissants made in various shapes plus croissant mashups like the Cronut, the Cruffin, and more recently, Crookies. While chefs like Lune's Kate Reid say that the evolution of yeasted, laminated dough is helping the bottom line of bakeries around the world, Eater's Jaya Saxena says enough is enough. She believes the trends are harming the pastry… read more

Food news antipasto

The price of food has been on consumer's minds in recent months, and it's no wonder why: food costs for a "thrifty" family of four in the U.S. have increased by 50% from pre-pandemic levels. Producers claim that inflation is driving the price increases, but that doesn't tell the whole story. In an article shared on The Bittman Project, writer… read more

Father’s Day recipe ideas

Today is Father’s Day in the US, UK, and Canada. For many families the day will include outdoor cooking, meat on the grill, and picnic fare. If you are a procrastinator like me and are searching for last minute ideas, one place to look is Food Network, which has selected 35 pleasing Father's Day dinner ideas. In addition to the standard… read more

How one editor sparked a cookbook revolution

Judith Jones never set out to be a cookbook editor. “The idea of working on cookbooks never even occurred to me,” Jones wrote in her 2008 memoir, The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food. But even though it wasn't a career she sought, she ended up introducing the world to many culinary greats like Julia Child, Madhur Jaffrey, Lidia Bastianich, and… read more

Guild of Food Writers 2024 winners announced

The Guild of Food Writers announced the winners of its 2024 awards at a ceremony in London at the Royal Institution. At the event, Dame Prue Leith was given the Lifetime Achievement Award, a truly deserved honor. Now on to the winning books, which are a treasure trove of excellence. The First Book Award went to Painting the Plate: 52 Recipes… read more

Learning to love a food

When I was growing up, I did not like apples. I didn't like them as a snack, nor in a pie, nor as applesauce. In my mind they were an inferior fruit. This dislike persisted for nearly five decades, until suddenly I started appreciating them and even craving them. I'm not sure what spurred this change, but I now eagerly… read more

Food news antipasto

The first time I stepped into the Dean & Deluca store in Washington, DC's Georgetown neighborhood I was smitten. The dizzying array of imported cheese, quality olive oil, spices I hadn't heard of before, and so much more deepened my nascent love of cooking. Now Dean & Deluca is just a memory and I can only reminisce fondly about it.… read more

James Beard Cookbook and Media Award winners

In a ceremony earlier this evening in Chicago, the James Beard Foundation has announced the winners of its media awards in Chicago. You may watch the awards which were live-streamed on YouTube here. Michelle Miller, co-host of CBS This Morning, served as emcee for the event. Highlights of the cookbook awards include Sohla El-Waylly taking home top honors in the… read more
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