Pick a perfect pear

September 14, 2014 by
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  Crisp mornings and shortening days herald the arrival of fall and with it, fall fruits such as pears. Jacques Pépin notes in Sweet Simplicity that pears are regarded in France as "the king of fruits," and indeed pears shine in both sweet and savory applications. Indexed blog The Kitchn's provides a refresher on how to choose, ripen, and store pears. Unlike… read more

Butter’s popularity has a downside

September 7, 2014 by
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U.S. butter supplies (known as "stock" in dairy economist parlance) are 40 percent lower this year than at the same time last year. This dip prompted some economists to speculate there might be a butter shortage for the holiday season. NPR Food reports that we can breathe a sigh of relief, as there appears to be no imminent shortage. However,… read more

The case of the disappearing cheese

September 3, 2014 by
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When you think of France, cheese is probably near the top of food items that come to mind. (We'll understand if your first thought is wine.) The home of beloved cheeses like Camembert, Comte, and Oussau-Iraty is now facing an existential crisis. Newsweek reports that since the 1960s, over 90% of French cheese makers have gone belly up or have been taken over by… read more

Hand harvested foods

September 2, 2014 by
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Yesterday we looked at cult culinary items and Susie just discussed cultured foods, so in keeping the "cult" terminology, today we'll look at cultivation--more specifically, how even in this technological age, some foods still require hand cultivation, harvesting and processing. While almost every crop has yielded to mechanization, some are too fragile or complex to easily automate. NPR takes a look… read more

Don’t get squashed by summer’s bounty

August 31, 2014 by
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  Courgettes (known as zucchini in the U.S.) are well into season now in the Northern Hemisphere. In fact, these prolific producers often far outpace our ideas on what to do with them. Mary-Ellen McTague, chef and owner of Aumbry, gives us several ideas for using the bounty of these summer squash. She offers recipes for a courgette, tomato and… read more

Use your melon

August 17, 2014 by
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In the heat of summer, few things are as refreshing as a ripe, succulent melon. Choosing the right melon at the market, however, can be a difficult task. Do you thump it or sniff it? And what should the fruit look like? Russ Parsons of the L.A. Times offers some tips on how to pick the perfect melon. Melons can… read more

Bartenders’ latest secret ingredient

August 15, 2014 by
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Salt is not new to the repetoire of cocktails, but the salt is now moving from the rim into the glass. Mixologists are discovering something chefs have known forever: adding a little salt helps bring out the flavors of other ingredients. "You salt your food, so why not your drinks?" says Morgan Schick of Trick Dog in San Francisco. One feature of salt… read more

Dried chiles add depth and nuance

August 13, 2014 by
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Many of us keep whole spices in our pantry because we prefer the vibrant flavor of freshly ground spices like peppercorns or cumin seed over the sometimes flat flavors of the pre-ground varieties. Yet when the recipe calls for chile powder, we still reach for the pre-ground version because we are overwhelmed by the dozens of varieties of dried chiles available to… read more

Move over maple, there’s a new syrup in town

August 11, 2014 by
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A stack of steaming pancakes with a pat of butter begs for a generous drizzle of syrup. But instead of reaching for the maple syrup, you may want to try hickory syrup. You didn't know there was such a thing? Neither did Travis and Joyce Miller of Virginia until a few years ago. Now they are producing the tasty substance… read more

Would we lye to you?

August 9, 2014 by
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It may be a few weeks until Oktoberfest, but it's never too early to start practicing your favorite German pretzel recipe. Over at The Salt, Paula Friedrich shares pretzel making tips, and even provides her mother's recipe. The secret to getting that beautifully brown and crackly crust? Lye (yes, the same stuff that you use to clear drain pipes and… read more

Versatile dry vermouth

August 7, 2014 by
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As part of its 9-bottle bar series, indexed blog The Kitchn provides background on the rise, decline, and resurrection of this aromatized and fortified wine, primarily associated with the dry martini. Once wildly popular as a cocktail ingredient and aperitif, vermouth went out of fashion for decades, probably because it oxidizes very quickly. Even when stored in the refrigerator, which… read more

Fresh ways to eat your veggies

August 3, 2014 by
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Even though we may spend months anticipating the bounty of summer vegetable season, it's easy to fall into a rut of preparing the same dishes over and over once the vegetables arrive at the market. Chef Amanda Cohen of the restaurant Dirt Candy shows us how to break out of the boring vegetable routine. Cohen, who penned a cookbook named after… read more

The all-weather fruit

July 28, 2014 by
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Lemons may be associated with summertime treats like lemonade and sorbet, but we shouldn't overlook their contribution to winter foods, notes Judith Elen of The Australian. Lemons go well with so many types of food that they remain popular year round, and in the global marketplace you can usually find fresh lemons in any season. But even though it may not… read more

The savory side of jams

July 26, 2014 by
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For the past few years, home canning and preserving has been growing in popularity. As people master the basics like strawberry and raspberry jam, they look for new challenges. ABC News reports that increasingly, people are finding that outlet in savory jams. These semi-sweet concotions "occupy the space between chunky relishes made of pickled items and smoother spreads and purees"… read more

The good, the bad and the ugly

July 24, 2014 by
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Visit any supermarket produce department and you'll see beautifully arranged bins with towering mounds of perfectly formed, glossy fruits and vegetables. There is nary a blemish or mark on the produce. But as any gardener knows, not all cucumbers are straight, sometimes carrots look funny, and apples are frequently lopsided. A great many fruits and vegetables don't conform to the supermarket… read more

Underappreciated summer vegetables

July 20, 2014 by
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Summertime brings a plethora of vegetables. Many people eagerly await the first corn, tomatoes, and melons of the season. But as this articles explains, there are other great vegetables that get overlooked in the shadows of these more popular foods. Break out of your routine and try some of these delicious vegetables, starting with kohlrabi. Sometimes thought of as "the… read more

Grain vs. grains

July 15, 2014 by
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During the hot days of summer, cool salads feel just right and news feeds buzz with recipes for salads made with grains and grain products. The LA Times sings the praises of grain salads. Meanwhile, the NY Times is promoting cool noodle dishes as perfect summer food. This has all the makings of a classic East Coast/West Coast rivalry, in… read more

Make room in the pantry for ajvar

July 10, 2014 by
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Sometimes an ingredient or food product that was once only locally or regionally popular sweeps across the culinary world, like pimentón did a few years back. The Telegraph reports that a British chef is aiming to create a new such craze with a Balkan roasted pepper and aubergine relish called ajvar. Ajvar has been a pantry staple in Macedonia and surrounding areas since the time… read more

Camera cuisine

July 9, 2014 by
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We've all heard the phrase "we eat first with our eyes." That has never been more true than in the digital age, when if a meal isn't on Instagram, it didn't really happen. Digital photography not only allows us to share (and perhaps overshare) our meals, it has also changed the way chefs approach their craft, according to Pete Wells… read more

Unripe and ready

July 7, 2014 by
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Everyone awaits the first tomato of summer with eager anticipation. The same holds true for most fruits and vegetables, but toward the end of the season one often encounters a glut of produce that must be harvested before a frost hits or before the heat wilts the plants, even though the fruits may not yet be ready. Over the years,… read more

How sweet it is

July 4, 2014 by
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While hot tea may be associated with English tradition, iced tea is closely linked to Southern hospitality. In restaurants across the Southern U.S., iced tea (almost always served sweetened) is revered. The importance of the beverage to the South can be summed up by a quote from the movie Steel Magnolias: Dolly Parton's character calls sweet tea "the house wine… read more

Buckle, Betty, and boy bait: learn all about cobbler-like desserts

July 2, 2014 by
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What do grunts, slumps, pandowdys, buckles, and Bettys all have in common? They are all colorful regional names for baked fruit and dough creations, sometimes put in the category of "cobbler-like" desserts. (Not to be confused with cobblers that are drinks.) If you have a hard time telling these various treats apart, indexed blog Serious Eats offers an in-depth guide to these desserts. While… read more

Summer on a stick

July 1, 2014 by
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Something about summer just calls for food on a stick. Maybe it's all of the fairs and festivals that try to outdo each other in novelty foods: deep fried butter on a stick and hot dish on a stick. Or perhaps it's because we spend a lot of time cooking and eating outdoors and want to minimize the use of… read more

The trick to making great sorbet

June 28, 2014 by
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Sorbets are wonderful: they are simple to make, can meet almost everyone's dietary requirements, and there are hundreds of flavor options available. They can be fickle, however: too much sugar and they become a soupy mess, too little sugar and they will turn out icy and hard. So how can you tell if a recipe has the right amount of… read more

Become a cheese whiz

June 26, 2014 by
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Parmagiano Reggiano. Emmenthaler Swiss. Aged sharp cheddar. All of these delicious treats are hard cheeses, yet they all taste very different from one another. Why is that? Serious Eats has the answers in an article that explains the mysteries of hard cheese flavors. Different processing methods combined with unique aging procedures and times are the keys to each cheese's flavor. There are different… read more
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