Celebrating Australia Day with some of our favorite bloggers

January 25, 2013 by
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It's Australia Day and this gives us a chance to say "hi" to some of our most avid (and friendly) EYB community members. We also thought we'd give a shout out to the work of food bloggers down under. Here are some of our favorites - all indexed here at EYB - that will give you an idea of the… read more

Celebrating Burns Night with haggis, neeps & tatties, and raspberry & drambuie trifle

January 24, 2013 by
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If we noted all the holidays and celebratory food days and months we wouldn't have time to write about anything else, but some occasions do truly merit attention. And Burns Night - honoring the Jan. 25 birthday of celebrated Scottish poet Robert Burns - has to be one of them. After all, everyone in the English-speaking world shares a common… read more

The anti-loneliness bowl

January 23, 2013 by
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Many new kitchen items have us scratching our heads and wondering what were they thinking? (see tipsy wine glasses among others). But we kind of see the attraction in the latest item that Gizmodo is reviewing: a smartphone dock bowl. Besides holding the smartphone in close enough proximity for you to read it  - hands free -  while eating soup or ramen… read more

The ultimate shelf life guide

January 22, 2013 by
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A few weeks ago we wrote a blog about expiry dates, Don't throw out that food, and discussed whether an expired date really meant you needed to throw out an item. Since then we've discovered a useful site called Still Tasty: Your Ultimate Shelf Life Guide. Simply type in a food or beverage name, and the site will tell you how long… read more

Why you should massage your kale

January 21, 2013 by
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There is no question that this is the year (decade?) of kale. Lauded by one and all, kale is considered a super-healthy food. Per WebMD, "Kale is an amazing vegetable being recognized for its exceptional nutrient richness, health benefits, and delicious flavor.  Eating a variety of natural, unprocessed vegetables can do wonders for your health, but choosing super-nutritious kale on… read more

Comparing 11 countertop materials

January 20, 2013 by
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The Kitchn recently ran a review comparing the top 11 materials used for kitchen countertops:  granite concrete butcher block soapstone quartz marble lava synthetic paper composite stainless steel ceramic If you're looking to replace a countertop, this is a good place to start. The article discusses each material's origin, environmental impact, pros, cons, price, and installation difficulty and publish reviews… read more

Can you cook a steak by dropping it from a great height?

January 18, 2013 by
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Most of us have probably seen space capsules returning to earth, amazed at the blazing heat that engulfs the capsule. So the question: Can you cook a steak by dropping it from a great height? is not that outlandish. But why would you ask such a question? Well, if you love physics or science, this is actually an interesting "real… read more

You’re not feeling great, so what do you eat?

January 17, 2013 by
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It's a particularly vehement flu season here in the United States and Canada; we understand that Europe is having a particularly cold time of it; Australia is having a particularly hot time of it; and New Zealand must be run over by new-found hobbit fans, so we thought that some advice on what to eat when you're out of sorts… read more

Legally selling home-baked goods gains momentum

January 16, 2013 by
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The same California that made foie gras illegal has now enacted a cook-friendly law. As of January 1, it's legal to sell some food you make in your own kitchen. Per the San Francisco Chronicle's article, Selling home-baked goods now legalized, the California Homemade Food Act "allows producers of certain nonperishable foods, which don't require refrigeration, to forgo commercial kitchens and… read more

The disquieting truth about chefs’ cookbooks

January 15, 2013 by
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As this recent holiday season showed, cookbooks by chefs continue to pour out. In fact, Jamie Oliver's 15 Minute Meals topped the Christmas books lists in Great Britain, beating out The Hobbit. And Big Hospitality recently looked at what makes chefs so eager to take on an extra, usually not highly remunerative, project in Cooking the books: The dynamics and… read more

Can you eat cheese rind? Yes, but…

January 14, 2013 by
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The Food Republic recently asked a very basic question: Which Cheese Rinds Are Edible? And the answer is surprisingly simple: - as long as it isn't man-made (like wax), the rind is edible. But that does lead to a second question: Does it taste good? And that is definitely up to the taster - some will find the rind elevates the… read more

A truly odd couple: Anthony Bourdain and famed astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson

January 13, 2013 by
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We regard Anthony Bourdain in many ways as the Kim Kardashian of the food world - way over publicized. Admittedly, unlike Kim, he actually has talent - both for cooking and for writing (we do admire his books) - but lately he seems to be all over the airways and opining on just about everything. However, we've decided to violate… read more

Do the Brits have an unrequited love affair with American food?

January 11, 2013 by
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The Word of Mouth blog at The Guardian has an intriguing entry today - Why do Brits love American food? According to the author, Katy Salter, "Britain is having a passionate love affair with American grub and, embarrassingly for us, it's an unrequited romance." She traces this romance from the cupcake to the burger to barbecue, and believes much of… read more

Can a new tech gadget solve your diet issues?

January 10, 2013 by
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We have to confess that we spend far too much time reading about the electronics trade show that happens every year in Las Vegas. It's addictive to read about all the nifty new gadgets. The problem is that it's usually hard to understand exactly what they're supposed to do. But there's one gadget this year that is very to understand… read more

Is it worth it to grow your own vegetables?

January 9, 2013 by
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Some time ago we read an excellent book by William Alexander called The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost HIs Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden. The subtitle describes the book well, and the $64 refers to the cost of his perfect heirloom tomato after calculating the money he… read more

Green smoothies are the newest fad

January 8, 2013 by
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This post is written for two very diverse audiences. First, and most importantly, we wanted to extend our best wishes to our Australian members who are suffering under an extreme and dangerous heat wave. We're sending cold thoughts your way. And second, we thought this was a timely issue for everyone who is dealing with the excesses of the holiday.… read more

Don’t throw out that food

January 7, 2013 by
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We're going to be a little contrarian today. There's been a lot of good, sound advice on the web about starting the new year on a strong foot, and some consistent recommendations are to clean out your pantry, refresh your spices, and organize your refrigerator. But in the midst of these suggestions we found this interesting note from NPR on… read more

3 not-so-ordinary ways to create a comfy kitchen

January 6, 2013 by
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  Over at the Kitchn, Dana Velden has a very thoughtful post, 10 Simple Things to Make You Happier in Your Kitchen. Overall, these are relatively easy to do and, in our view, right on. Several are well-known (keep a stocked pantry, avoid clutter), but she also has some unique ideas. Here are a few that struck a definite chord… read more

Serve your hot chocolate in an orange cup for maximum flavor

January 4, 2013 by
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In December, we published a blog, Ten rules for the best-ever hot chocolate. Well it turns out there's an eleventh rule - serve it in an orange or cream-colored cup. According to an interesting scientific factoid going around the web this morning (we found it in numerous websites, from South Africa to England to the United States to Australia), and… read more

Debunking healthy food myths

January 3, 2013 by
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At the new year, some blog subjects appear frequently, with writers getting more and more outlandish. In particularly, postings wrap up the year just past, prognosticate for the future,  and/or encourage dieting and healthy eating. These can be fun topics, but in the latter area,  we prefer practical approaches (as Susie writes about in her latest posting, Resolution time again).… read more

Why drinking tea was once considered to be sinful

January 2, 2013 by
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Now that the egg nog, champagne cocktails, wassail cups, and other holiday potables are being put aside for awhile, we thought it only appropriate to note that this is national hot tea month. At least it is in the United States - we imagine that in other English-speaking countries they have the intelligence to realize that every month is hot… read more

Many thanks to all our members

December 31, 2012 by
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We just wanted to take some time out to thank all of our wonderful members from around the world. We're blessed by your  contributions, enthusiasm, and, perhaps most of all, your shared conviction that cookbooks and sharing food provide a center around which home, family, friends, and the entire global community can joyfully revolve. Happy New Year everyone and bring… read more

Computers may help (replace?) chefs create new recipes

December 30, 2012 by
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We thought this article from NPR provides ample food for thought as we head into the new year. In Computers May Someday Beat Chefs at Creating Flavors We Crave, NPR profiles an IBM food-computer project, "Culinary creativity isn't just about coming up with something novel. Varshney and his colleagues are hoping to make a computer that will be able to… read more

Good luck meals for the new year

December 28, 2012 by
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One of our favorite blogs, Sandy's Chatter, has a fun entry today. She takes a global survey of good luck meals that people cook to start the new year. We were aware of the classic Southern good luck dish with black-eyed peas (Hoppin' John), but we didn't know that one reason for this choice - and a common theme shared… read more

10 ways to identify a good restaurant

December 27, 2012 by
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As New Year's Eve approaches, it may strike many as a good time to try out a new restaurant - bring in the new with the new. Here's an informative list we found at the Amateur Gourmet that may help: 10 Signs You're in a Good Restaurant. We've added a few of our own comments, but also check out the article for… read more
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