Top fifty-six cookbooks published in 2024 added to EYB Member Bookshelves

A few years ago I created a list of top cookbooks that Members added to their Bookshelves in that particular year. This year's list includes 56 titles as I included a few additional books that were on 100 Bookshelves. Please note this list does not include those books that are labeled as ckbk as those numbers are higher due to… read more

Food news antipasto

Closeup of a pan of folded. golden brown Parker House rolls sprinkled with flaky salt
When Christmas rolls around, even people who normally don't cook much pull out all the stops and make a large feast for family and friends. For most, the idea of going out to dinner for this holiday is unthinkable. Yet there is something to be said for letting others do the cooking, says restaurant critic Jay Rayner. "I have cooked a… read more

Layoffs hit Eater and Thrillist

The union that represents writers for Eater, Thrillist, and other entities under the Vox Media brand announced Thursday that it was "blindsided" by layoffs and restructuring that affected many of its members. The company confirmed the layoffs to The Wrap, with CEO Jim Bankoff saying that the company was “implementing role eliminations and organizational changes across our lifestyle brands (Thrillist,… read more

Sensory subterfuge

a wooden bowl filled with lemons sits next to two whole and two halves of lemons on a wooden surface
It is no secret that marketers find all manner of ways to encourage (some might say trick) us into purchasing their products. This of course extends to the world of food, where packaging is studiously designed to make you want to grab that particular item off the shelf. There's one marketing trick that I had never even considered until I… read more

Do you have love for gloves?

gloved hands arranging food on a blue plate with lettuce, tomatoes, and hardboiled eggs
Food content creators often wear disposable gloves in their videos, with black nitrile gloves being the most popular choice. Wearing gloves is seen as a best practice to ensure food safety, but not everyone agrees that this is the best way to avoid contamination, including this baker on Instagram. She believes that gloves offer a false sense of security with… read more

Food news antipasto

Our first bit of news belongs in the "just because you can, doesn't mean you should" category. Pizza Hut recently announced that it is offering a wine made from tomatoes and basil that is supposed to taste like a pizza. "The holidays are a time for many gatherings, but often, the gift of a bottle of wine can feel expected.… read more

Using the leftovers

three sugar-dusted cake donuts sitting in a bed of sugar
Yesterday, I wrote Relax, you’ve got this and am following up with ideas for using up leftovers. The guests have left, the dishes are done, the kitchen floor is swept, and the food is put away. Unless you enjoy eating the same thing for several days on repeat, tomorrow you will be thinking of ways to use the leftover turkey,… read more

Food news antipasto

Closeup of a dark golden brown pecan pie with pecan halves on the top and a loosely crimped crust.
A stack of fluffy buttermilk pancakes just doesn't seem right without a drizzle of maple syrup, and the sweet substance has a long and rich culinary history that dates back centuries. In recent years, maple sap production, which relies on a specific variance between daytime and nighttime temperatures, has plummeted due to changes in the weather. With reserves at an… read more

The top 25 US recipes of the past 100 years

Closeup of several golden brown chocolate chip cookies.
Choosing a handful of recipes from an entire century as the representatives of a country's culinary landscape seems like a Herculean task, but Dan Kois and J. Bryan Lowder of Slate did just that. They assembled a list of 25 recipes that represents the best the US has to offer over the last 100 years. Kois and Lowder didn't do… read more

Build your own charcuterie chalet

Rows of cheese squares and circles of cured meats are arranged in an elongated triangle to resemble a Christmas tree. Sprigs of rosemary are tucked between each row, and a star-shaped piece of cheese tops the "tree"
Back in the Dark Age of late 2020, I posted about a new trend that was poised to sweep the world: charcuterie chalets, a savory twist on gingerbread houses. Made from meat, cheese, crackers, pretzels, and other savory items held together with cream cheese glue, these offered a break from the traditional gingerbread house plus it required no baking or… read more

How did marshmallows end up in sweet potato casserole?

Closeup of the corner of a yellow casserole dish filled with sweet potatoes and topped with toasted marshmallows
When I moved to the South as a fresh-faced college graduate, I spent Thanksgiving far away from my upper-Midwest family. Luckily, a friend welcomed me into their family, inviting me to share in their Thanksgiving feast. That was where I first encountered sweet potato casserole topped with mini-marshmallows. Since I have an eternal sweet tooth, I happily ate it but… read more

Food news antipasto

Although the internet has negatively impacted many print publications, putting some out of business altogether, it hasn't dampened the world of cookbooks. Despite having millions of recipes available at the click of a button, cookbook sales are still strong. Just when you think there couldn't possibly be another must-have book, dozens come along that offer something fresh and exciting, whether… read more

Bay leaves – essential or superfluous?

A twig with fresh bay leaves sits next to an Erlenmeyer flask with a dark liquid, presumably bay leaf oil
Bay leaves, like cilantro and pineapple on pizza, can be a divisive topic among cooks. If you ask 10 people whether they are necessary to a dish or are a waste of time and money, you'll probably end up with a fairly even split between aficionados and haters. The Boston Globe's Beth Teitell decided to put bay leaves to the… read more

Food news antipasto

The editors at Epicurious pulled together a list of nine cookbooks that they have been enjoying recently. The list includes new releases along with holdovers from previous months. There are baking books, vegetarian and vegan tomes, and an ode to the dinner party. Amish dinner rolls from King Arthur Baking Company With the holidays coming up, dinner rolls might be… read more

The time to start preparing for the holidays is now

A hand in a yellow cleaning glove wipes across the face of an oven
The holiday decorations are fully ramped up now that Halloween is past (didn't we used to wait until Thanksgiving?!), so that means we need to start getting ready for those big celebration dinners we will soon be making. Creating a game plan for organizing and cleaning well in advance is vital to having a low-stress event. If you need a… read more

Have you tried an onion boil, the latest TikTok food trend?

Every few months there's a new viral vegetable trend, and the latest is one that will make your eyes water - perhaps literally. It's called an onion boil, although there isn't any actual boiling going on. Many of the videos involve using the air fryer, which is itself an oxymoron because there isn't any real frying. Back to the "boil":… read more

Pepperoni rolls get their due

The epicenter of the pepperoni roll, an Appalachian / Rust Belt specialty that has roots in the region's mines, is Fairmont, West Virginia. That is where the roll was created, at least according to lore that surrounds this humble yet delicious creation. Writing for Eater, Danny Palumbo explains the appeal of this workingman's food, and takes us on a tour… read more

A huge cheese heist has experts wondering where it will go

Assorted cheeses on a rustic wooden board
Thefts of food products are not uncommon, so it is not a huge surprise that someone would plan a heist of a commodity like cheese, which happened recently to Neal's Yard Dairy, where over £300,000 worth of cheddar was stolen by swindle. What makes this theft unusual is the quality of the product, which will make it difficult to resell.… read more

Don’t throw out that jack o’lantern

Millions of pumpkins are purchased each year for autumn decorations, with the majority carved and displayed at Halloween. After the holiday is over, most of those pumpkins go straight to the landfill. That's a shame, says chef Mike Davies. He encourages us to use those pumpkins to make delicious meals, not only at Halloween but year-round. Baked pumpkin with sun-dried… read more

Food news antipasto

The groundbreaking cocktail book Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail by Dave Arnold turns 10 this year. This book was revered by modern bartenders looking to dive deep into the science of drinks so they could experiment with a solid footing on what each component would add to the mix. There is a revised edition in… read more

Food news antipasto

The tenth annual Smithsonian food history gala was held in Washington, DC on Thursday, with Chez Panisse founder Alice Waters receiving the Julia Child Award for her contributions to the culinary world. Star chefs like José Andrés and Jacques Pépin attended the event along with food writers and other industry professionals including all nine previous Julia Child Award winners. Waters… read more

Why you might want to ditch that plastic spatula

Your plastic kitchen utensils may be trying to kill you. Okay, that's hyperbole, but a recent study found that kitchen utensils, takeaway containers, and even jewelry made from black plastic contained high levels of potentially toxic chemicals, which may be reason for concern if not panic. The study, published in the journal Chemosphere, found two kinds of flame retardants -… read more

Cooking and baking as protest

Just as a cake can have many layers, the act of baking itself can contain multiple meanings. These meanings can be personal, like when you bake your friend her favorite cake for her birthday, or they can have a broader message. Just ask bakers like Paola Velez (author of Bodega Bakes) and Natasha Pickowicz (author of the award-winning More Than… read more

Food news antipasto

You may have seen TikTok videos about the 'fridge-scaping' trend, where people decant everything they buy at the grocery store and put it into clear containers that so that all of your produce, cheese, and other items are on display and tidily organized in matching jars. Whether you believe that this is gorgeous and amazing or shake your head at… read more

The book lover’s workout plan

Every book collector faces the same dilemma, usually on multiple occasions: adding a new bookcase to house the ever-growing number of books that they have accumulated. Often this includes moving the bookcases, necessitating the removal and reinstallation of all the books. This should be marketed as a book lover’s workout plan, because I loathe exercise but have no issue with… read more
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