Pioneering chef Alain Senderens dies at age 77

June 27, 2017 by
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French chef Alain Senderens, who helped create nouvelle cuisine, has died at age 77. In the 1960s and 1970s, Senderens, along with a coterie of French chefs including Paul Bocuse and Michel Guerard, pioneered a lighter, sleeker style of cooking that moved away from sauce-heavy traditional French cuisine.   Senderens helmed two different three-Michelin-star restaurants (L'Archestrate and Lucas Carton) for 28 years combined.… read more

Guild of Food Writers announces 2017’s winners

June 26, 2017 by
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  The Guild of Food Writers is the professional association of food writers and broadcasters in the United Kingdom. Established in 1984, it now has approximately 425 members including authors, broadcasters, columnists and journalists.  The Guild recently announced its 2017 award winners at a ceremony held in London.  Sri Owen, the author of several Indonesian and southeast Asian cookbooks and one of the… read more

Spice support: cardamom

June 25, 2017 by
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  Do you remember the first time you tasted cardamom? Perhaps it occurred when you nibbled on Swedish meatballs or drank masala chai. Cardamom's enchanting flavor has made a home for itself in cuisines across the globe.  One of the world's most expensive spices, cardamom ranks just behind saffron and vanilla in cost, sharing their persnickety growing conditions and laborious hand-harvesting requirements. The… read more

When it comes to recipes, does more always mean better?

June 24, 2017 by
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It can be difficult to imagine cooking before the internet, but it was not that terribly long ago when you had to rely on cookbooks or family members to find a recipe. The proliferation of easily available recipes for almost any food imaginable was only possible due to the the lightning-fast sharing we can do via social media and email.… read more

Food & Wine makes a move

June 23, 2017 by
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 It's no secret that print publications are struggling in the digital economy. Sometimes this means a magazine or newspaper will fold or make major changes. In the case of Food & Wine Magazine, we can be thankful it's the latter. The magazine just announced that it was relocating from New York to Alabama.  Such a geographic shift may be puzzling,… read more

How to keep your tomatoes from getting wrinkly

June 22, 2017 by
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  Perfectly ripe tomatoes are a favorite part of summer. Their brief season (brief, at least, to those of us in the far northern latitudes) is something people look forward to during the long winter months. Once the season hits, it is easy to get into trouble buying too much at the farmer's market so proper storage is essential. Over… read more

Another milestone in the books

June 21, 2017 by
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  Thanks to the hard work of both our professional and Member indexers, we have achieved another milestone at Eat Your Books - over 1.5 million indexed recipes! When we break down that impressive figure, we find over 1.2 million recipes from cookbooks; over 151,000 magazine recipes; and nearly 250,000 online recipes, including about 4,600 video recipes. Over 400,000 recipes… read more

A lasting legacy

June 20, 2017 by
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A few days ago we had to share the sad news that baking legend Flo Braker had passed away. The news shocked and saddened bakers worldwide. Today the newspaper that carried her longtime baking column, The San Francisco Chronicle, and its staff looked back at Flo's long and storied career with a baker's dozen of her best recipes.  The recipe… read more

How to avoid measuring mistakes

June 19, 2017 by
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  Baking can be intimidating to the most seasoned of cooks because of its requirements for accurate measuring. Using a digital scale solves a lot of measuring problems, but there are some instances when it might not be the best tool, says Stella Parks of Serious Eats. She provides advice on when to use a scale and other guidance on… read more

Father’s Day food memories

June 18, 2017 by
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Today is Father's Day in the U.S. and for many families that means outdoor cooking, meat on the grill, and picnic fare. No doubt millions of burgers and steaks will find their way onto plates this afternoon and evening. The traditional Father's Day meal is often the main food memory people have with their dads (although that is changing with… read more

Demand for vanilla drives up prices

June 17, 2017 by
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  It's difficult to imagine baking without vanilla. The flavor is ubiquitous in everything from pies to cakes to cookies. Other desserts like puddings and pastry cream also rely on it distinctive floral and fruity flavor notes. Growing consumer demand for all-natural products, coupled with other factors, has spiked demand in real vanilla, causing prices to shoot skyward. Even though… read more

Famed baker Flo Braker dies at 78

June 16, 2017 by
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  We just learned the sad news that baking legend Flo Braker has died at the age of 78. The San Francisco Gate reported that Braker died of complications following a fall.  Braker wrote several popular cookbooks, including her 1984 debut, The Simple Art of Perfect Baking, as well as the award-winning Sweet Miniatures  and The Baker's Dozen Cookbook. She also… read more

Shakeup in aisle five

June 16, 2017 by
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  In news that sent shivers down the backs of grocers across the US, and to a lesser extent Canada and the UK, Amazon announced today that it is buying Whole foods for $13.7 billion USD. When the news hit, stocks of major grocery chains like Kroger and Walmart dropped several percentage points. The reason these food retailers - and… read more

The difference between corned beef and pastrami

June 15, 2017 by
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When you go into any American deli, you're likely to find many of the same deli products, with a few regional specialties thrown into the mix. Among the staples you will usually find corned beef or pastrami. Most people use the two interchangeably, but they are different products. Indexed magazine Food and Wine explains the difference between the two, as… read more

Bittman’s back

June 14, 2017 by
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Prolific cookbook author, respected food columnist, and EYB Member favorite Mark Bittman made waves when he left The New York Times back in 2015. He bounced around a bit following his departure, with a brief stint at the vegan meal-kit company Purple Carrot and a major move to the West Coast. Even though he still thinks leaving the NYT was the… read more

Naan to worry – tips for better homemade naan

June 13, 2017 by
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  The flatbread naan is traditionally made in a tandoor - a cylindrical clay oven that can achieve heat levels not typically seen in a home oven. Naan is cooked on the sides of the oven, allowing the heat to penetrate quickly and the bread to be done in a matter of minutes. Because of this, home cooks can be… read more

The best home cooks of all time

June 12, 2017 by
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It can be easy to forget that culinary icons like Julia Child and James Beard were once just home cooks like the rest of us. Epicurious hasn't forgotten, and celebrates these giants along with 98 other great home cooks. Their listing of the 100 best home cooks of all time includes chefs, cookbook writers, and other food-obsessed individuals who shaped… read more

This supper club bridges cultures

June 11, 2017 by
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One of the best ways to learn a language is through everyday experiences like eating. That's part of the philosophy behind the Manchester, England supper club called Heart and Parcel. The club teaches English to migrant women through cookery classes.  The club's co-founders and teachers Karolina Koscien and Clare Courtney came up with the idea after funding cuts to English… read more

Bourdain predicts the next food trend

June 10, 2017 by
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It's safe to say that Anthony Bourdain has tasted most of the flavors the world has to offer. After eating his way around the globe, one cuisine stands out to the renowned traveler. Bourdain predicts that Filipino food will become the next big culinary trend in the US.   He believes that the food of the Philippines is underated and… read more

Cooking for the James Beard House

June 9, 2017 by
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Following James Beard's death in 1985, a group of his friends and colleagues, led by Julia Child, banded together to find a fitting use for the culinary icon's home, a New York City brownstone. Beard had welcomed students, authors, chefs, and other food  professionals into his home. The kitchen there was a integral part of America's mid-to-late-20th century food scene.  We… read more

One ingredient Yotam Ottolenghi can’t live without

June 8, 2017 by
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  Every cook has a short list of "can't live without" ingredients, including popular chef Yotam Ottolenghi. His list includes olive oil, lemons, coffee and - the one thing he says he can't live without - tahini. He prefers Middle Eastern-made versions to Greek or Cypriot varieties. The difference between the two, he says, is that the Middle Eastern version is… read more

What’s the difference between sorbet, sherbet, ice cream, and gelato?

June 7, 2017 by
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Cool, rich and creamy treats like ice cream, sherbet, sorbet, and gelato are some of life's best simple treasures. They are all delicious, but there are distinctions between the types of frozen dessert. As with most food items, exceptions blur the lines among the desserts, and there are peculiarities between countries that make strict definitions nearly impossible. If you are… read more

Spice support: mustard seed

June 6, 2017 by
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In previous editions of Spice Support, we have focused on ingredients unfamiliar to many Western palates, like mahleb and fenugreek. Today we are looking at a common spice that you may overlook because of its ubiquitous appearance in less than its best form: mustard. Most households have some form of mustard, although frequently you'll find it in a yellow squirt… read more

Pairing cookbooks with fiction

June 5, 2017 by
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Many literary classics have inspired cookbooks, such as The Boxcar Children Cookbook or The Jane Austen Cookbook. Over at the website Book Riot, Dana Staves takes a different tack - she is pairing classic cookbooks with modern fictional tales. The idea is to make something from the cookbook, then enjoy the fruits of your labors while you dig into the… read more

What does your egg preference say about you?

June 4, 2017 by
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  My husband and I were eating with friends the other day at a restaurant that has a popular weekly brunch menu. As we were placing our orders, one of my friends asked for a poached egg. The waitress looked at him quizzically, and said "That's the same as over easy, right?" After a quick check with the kitchen, we… read more
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