Argan oil is the new darling of chefs

March 3, 2018 by
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One of the biggest beauty trends of the last several years has been argan oil-infused products. Now the Middle Eastern oil is finding its way into the culinary world. Chefs like Michael Solomonov have embraced the nutty oil, produced mainly in Morocco.  The historic method of retrieving the nuts - by pulling them out of goat droppings - has been… read more

Paula Wolfert receives the 2018 JBF Lifetime Achievement Award

March 2, 2018 by
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Yesterday the James Beard Foundation announced the recipient of its 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award. This year the honor goes to Paula Wolfert, who has won numerous awards including three  Julia Child Awards, five James Beard Cookbook Awards, The M.F.K. Fisher Award, and The Tastemaker Award. She's also been a finalist for the British Andre Simon Award.  Wolfert's many bestselling cookbooks include The Cooking of the Eastern… read more

Around the world in a cake

March 1, 2018 by
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  What's the go-to baked item to celebrate life's big events like birthdays, graduations, and weddings? Cake, of course! For centuries, cakes have provided the backdrop to celebrations of every sort around the world. According to the Food Timeline, the root of the word 'cake' can be traced  to the 13th century, although it took until the mid-17th century for… read more

Mary Berry’s back with a new show

February 28, 2018 by
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  Mary Berry, the beloved former host of The Great British Bake Off, is returning to television this year with a new BBC One show called  Classic Mary Berry. The program will follow Berry as she travels throughout the British countryside. After she visits home and farms to learn about different foods from various guests, she will return to her… read more

IACP Cookbook of the Year award rescinded

February 27, 2018 by
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No sooner had the IACP Cookbook Awards been announced than controversy began swirling around Six Seasons, which won the General Category and was named Cookbook of the Year. As it turns out, Martha Holmberg - who shares writing credits for the book alongside chef Joshua McFadden - is the CEO of the IACP. Soon after the announcement was made, people… read more

Prince inspired cookbook being published

February 26, 2018 by
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The late musician Prince is still mourned by millions of fans worldwide. His untimely death in 2016 sent shock waves through the music community, followed by an outpouring of musical tributes from his collaborators and other artists who he inspired. Now a new tribute to his Purple Highness is in the works: a cookbook titled Little Red Velvette. The collection of… read more

IACP Cookbook Award winners

February 25, 2018 by
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  Jenny and Jane attended the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) annual meeting in New York City. That means they were able to see the winners of the 2018 IACP Cookbook Awards  in person! The rest of us had to follow along on Twitter - and now we know the winners. We've updated our IACP 2018 community page to note… read more

What’s it like to audition for Masterchef?

February 24, 2018 by
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  If you have ever watched any competitive reality television cooking show like Masterchef or The Next Food Network Star, at some point you probably think "how did they come up with these people?" or "I know I could do better than that!" Since the competitiors for these programs are chosen from people from all walks of life, in theory… read more

Food52’s ‘The Piglet’ cookbook competition returns for 2018

February 23, 2018 by
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  Indexed website Food52 has just announced the competitors for its cookbook competition called The Piglet. Now in its ninth year, the contest pits sixteen books against one another in a bracketed tournament competition. Over the course of several weeks, each of the judges (who are top food writers, chefs, and celebrities) make dishes from two books and announce which… read more

Chef Jose Andrés named JBF 2018 Humanitarian of the Year

February 22, 2018 by
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In conjunction with its Restaurant and Chef Awards, the James Beard Foundation also recognizes a food industry person for his or her good works. This year, that person is renowned chef José Andrés, winner of multiple James Beard Awards, owner of ThinkFoodGroup, and founder of the relief organization World Central Kitchen. The JBF announced yesterday that the Spanish-born Andrés was the… read more

Oh, sugar

February 21, 2018 by
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  When I was growing up, there were only two types of sugar in our house: white and brown. It was only after I started cooking for myself and became interested in cuisines different that what I was familiar with that I discovered there are many plants that can produce sugar beyond sugar cane and sugar beets. Knowing what to… read more

Where do you draw the line for DIY food projects?

February 20, 2018 by
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  I like to think I'm an adventurous cook and baker. When I see a homemade version of something that is usually purchased, I'm generally intrigued. DIY sauerkraut? Fermented in my attic. Pancetta? Cured, rolled, and dried hanging from the rafter so my cats couldn't reach it. Croissants? See above for my attempt - not half bad, although I don't… read more

Medieval cookbooks were surprisingly sophisticated

February 19, 2018 by
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  When you think of old cookbooks, you might imagine tomes from the late 1700s or early 1800s, but they existed hundreds of years before that. Most of them were written by nobles or kings seeking to burnish their reputations, but that doesn't mean they weren't good. And they weren't just European, either - some of the best cookbooks of… read more

New app will allow you to text a cookbook author

February 18, 2018 by
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Have you ever read a recipe in a cookbook and wished you could ask the author to explain what he or she meant in the instructions? Soon, you may be able to do just that with an app that is being released alongside Hsiao-Ching Chou's new cookbook, Chinese Soul Food.  Chou is serving as a beta tester for the new service… read more

Some classic cookbooks are getting a reprint

February 17, 2018 by
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A small selection of classic but out-of-print cookbooks are getting a second chance, thanks to the website Cookstr and Picador, a subsidiary of publishing giant Macmillan. In 2014 Macmillan purchased Cookstr, which was created by Will Schwalbe, who stayed on after the acquisition to lead this and other projects. Starting in May, the first three reissued cookbooks will be released. … read more

Bittman discovers the Instant Pot

February 16, 2018 by
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  Few kitchen gadgets have taken the world by storm as the Instant Pot and its derivatives. Many online forums have sprung up for recipes and advice. Most of the chatter online has been peer-to-peer, but that's about to change. Many of the food world's heavyweights, including Mark Bittman, have become enamored with the IP. Bittman recently posted four new… read more

James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Award semifinalists

February 15, 2018 by
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  The James Beard Foundation has just announced its 2018 Restaurant and Chef Award semifinalists. The list recognizes the best new restaurants, established restaurants, chefs, bakers, and bar programs across the United States. Many of the chefs on the list have written outstanding cookbooks, including Hugh Acheson, Joanne Chang, Ashley Christensen, Renee Erickson, Gabrielle Hamilton, David Kinch, Donald Link,  Vikram Sunderam, Jody Williams, Vivian Howard and Alex Stupak.  According to Eater,… read more

A special treat for an Olympic medalist

February 14, 2018 by
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  A few days ago we reported on what it's like to eat in the Olympic Village. We've learned a bit more since that post, especially some interesting details about one Olympic athlete's eating preferences, through an article from The Washington Post and an Instagram post from chef David Chang.  Chang posted a photo of the special creation he made… read more

Why chocolate is associated with Valentine’s Day

February 13, 2018 by
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  Valentine's Day has several items associated with it: red roses, an exchange of cards (often heart-shaped and trimmed with lace), romantic dinners, wine, and last but not least, chocolate. But why, and how, did chocolate become associated with the holiday? NPR's The Salt has the answer.  We need to travel back several centuries to find the root of the… read more

A cake fit for a king

February 12, 2018 by
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Fat Tuesday, the capstone of the Carnival season in New Orleans, is tomorrow. Because it is the last day before Lent begins, people often indulge before they begin their Lenten abstention. In New Orleans, that involves eating king cake. King cake is to Mardi Gras as  pumpkin pie is to Thanksgiving: the holiday just wouldn't be the same without it. Although… read more

What it’s like to eat in the Olympic Village

February 11, 2018 by
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  When you think of the Olympics, food isn't the first thing that comes to mind. Yet it plays a huge role in the games, as all of those top athletes need to be well-fed to compete at the highest level. So what is it like to eat in the Olympic Village? Former Olympican Michael Phelps talks to Food &… read more

Life after GBBO

February 10, 2018 by
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Ruby Tandoh rocketed to stardom at the tender age of 20 as a contestant on The Great British Bake Off. Her creative approach to baking and outsized personality quickly made her a fan favorite. Now 25, Tandoh has just published her third cookbook, Eat Up!: Food, Appetite and Eating What You Want. She recently sat down with The Wall Street Journal… read more

David Chang’s ‘Ugly Delicious’ debuts soon on Netflix

February 9, 2018 by
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Momofuku founder David Chang is not content to rest on his laurels. In addition to continually coming up with new restaurant concepts and opening new eateries, the multi-dimensional chef is venturing back into television. Starting February 23, his new show called 'Ugly Delicious' begins streaming on Netflix.  For the eight-part series, Chang is teaming up with Morgan Neville, an Academy… read more

Find romantic recipes for Valentine’s Day

February 8, 2018 by
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As I was exiting the grocery store this evening, the gentleman who was assisting me with carrying out my purchases asked if I had plans for Valentine's Day. I told him I would definitely be staying home, because I thought the worst day of the year to try to go out to dinner is Valentine's Day. Restaurants are crowded, the… read more

Meet the 2018 IACP Cookbook Award nominees

February 7, 2018 by
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  Yesterday the International Association of Culinary Professionals, which is celebring its fortieth anniversary, announced the nominees for its 2018 Cookbook Awards, plus finalists for its Digital Media and Food Writing Awards as well.  You're sure to recognize many of the titles on the cookbook list as they were on several of the "best of" lists we compiled late last… read more
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