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

There’s a cure for that

June 19, 2014 by
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The recent trends of pickling and home curing have revived interest in old methods and recipes. One of these everything-old-is-new-again methods is a favorite of Sydney chef Ben Sears: curing egg yolks. "It's salty, a little bit sweet, a little bit more complex," he says. Sears shaves cured egg yolks over his bibimbap. "You get a different depth of flavour… read more

A blank canvas

June 18, 2014 by
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Spaetzle, the German dish that falls somewhere between noodle and dumpling, is a blank canvas upon which you can add layers of texture and flavor. Portland, Oregon chef Dominique Geulin is a huge fan of this versatile dish. "It's like pizza, you just have to figure out what toppings you want," he says. The Alsatian recipe Guelin uses tilts more… read more

Apricot appreciation

June 14, 2014 by
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Sometimes fruit can be quite a tease. It looks so beautiful sitting on the grocer's shelf, but when you get it home the taste doesn't live up to the good looks. If you feel this way about apricots, you'll want to read what Russ Parsons has to say about this stone fruit. As with many other foods in the supermarket,… read more

A hot topic

June 13, 2014 by
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The warmer weather has everyone's thoughts turned to grilling, and with this weekend being Father's Day, a lot of the grilling is going to involve steak. It's no surprise that steak is popping up everywhere online. Even though cooking meat over a fire is a simple and ancient method, that doesn't mean we can't make improvements. Food Network provides Alton… read more

Delicious tomatoes in the winter: more than just a fantasy?

June 5, 2014 by
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Supermarkets teem with produce year-round, with crops shipped from as far away as another hemisphere allowing apples, grapes, peppers, and other foods to be purchased during any season. Greenhouse-grown vegetables also make the seasons less of an issue. But some vegetables defy these methods and the quality difference between an in-season, locally-grown variety and the greenhouse or commercial product is stark. The tomato is… read more

Stalemate – is the fridge bad for bread?

June 3, 2014 by
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Freshly baked bread - it's one of the simple pleasures in life. It's also one of the most ephemeral, since the best breads are also the ones that go stale the quickest. Usually we turn to the refrigerator to help keep food fresh, but in this case the go-to appliance turns out to be the no-no one instead, as Serious Eats'… read more

The transformation of the American table

May 25, 2014 by
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There is no doubt that the way Americans eat was utterly transformed in the last half of the 20th century. This transformation occurred, to a lesser but significant extent, in other postmodern industrial countries following World War II. The Smithsonian's American History Museum in Washington, DC, explores this metamorphosis in its exhibit FOOD: Transforming the American Table 1950-2000. While the… read more

Drink your vegetables

May 22, 2014 by
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Many busy people turn to fruit juice as a time-saving way of getting part of their daily five servings of fruit and vegetables. However, fruit juice can be high in sugars--even higher than some sugary foods like doughnuts! Vegetable juice, on the other hand, is "lower in sugar than fruit, which means freshly made vegetable juice is lower in calories than fruit… read more

The love child of kale and Brussels sprouts

May 19, 2014 by
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What happens when two of the most popular vegetables in the U.S. get together? The answer can be found in Kalette, a new product developed by Tozer Seeds, a British vegetable breeding company. While you may think that Tozer was capitalizing on the current popularity of both brassicas, Kalette has actually been in the works for over 15 years. (It's… read more

Last minute desserts

May 18, 2014 by
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Does this situation sound familiar to any EYB members? You are invited on the spur of the moment to a friend's or neighbor's house for dinner. The host already has the meal planned--except for dessert. Naturally, you volunteer to bring something, but the dinner is only an hour away. Panic sets in as you run through the options in your… read more

Why we love smoke

May 17, 2014 by
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The days are getting longer and the sun is warming up the Northern Hemisphere, which means that it's grilling season. The smell of a backyard barbecue makes our stomachs rumble in anticipation of a burger, steak or even grilled vegetables. But why are we so drawn to this primitive cooking method? Jim Shahin of The Washington Post sets out to… read more

A quick hop to your next meal

May 12, 2014 by
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Since we discussed the ebb and flow of foraging yesterday, it's only logical that we next turn to a meat that was once popular, faded into the background, but is now making a comeback: rabbit. As Noelle Carter of the L.A. Times notes, although rabbit consumption hit a peak in the U.S. during World War II, it nearly disappeared in… read more

No fry zone

May 10, 2014 by
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Fried foods are downright tasty, but sometimes you don't want all the fat, or all the mess, that comes along with the frying process. Getting a crisp texture without frying is not easy, however. Heidi Knapp Rinella of the Las Vegas Review-Journal interviewed several chefs who have developed low-fat techniques that preserve the crunch. Glenn Rolnick, corporate chef of Carmine's, uses… read more

Ramp up the flavor

May 4, 2014 by
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It's ramp season in the U.S. If you aren't familiar with these pungent alliums, Food & Wine provides everything you need to know. Also known as wild leeks, ramps grow wild everywhere from the Southern U.S. to Canada. They are known for their strong flavor, which "falls somewhere between onions and garlic, with an earthy, slightly funky aroma," according to… read more

Get ready for Cinco de Mayo

May 2, 2014 by
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Everyone appreciates a reason to celebrate, especially when the festivities involve great food. This is evident in the widespread celebration of Cinco de Mayo far outside the borders of Mexico. It's likely that many people who celebrate this day may not fully comprehend the history behind it: it is not, as many people believe, Mexico's Independence Day, which is September… read more

What’s your sign?

April 27, 2014 by
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While the pickup line of "what's your sign?" has fallen out of fashion (at least, we hope it has), horoscopes still enjoy some popularity. Now Saveur has matched each astrological sign to its perfect cocktail complement. The drink for Gemini, pictured above, is called La Puella y el Puer. Bartender/astrologer Patricia Clark Hippolyte created the cocktail "specifically for Gemini drinkers:… read more

Does local and seasonal produce always taste better?

April 22, 2014 by
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The mantra of eating local and seasonal has reached a fever pitch. But The Guardian's Amy Fleming wonders if the product lives up to the hype. Does a locally grown strawberry really taste much better than one that's been shipped from many miles away? The conventional wisdom is that the local product will be better because it is grown under optimal… read more

Skimping on shrimp

April 21, 2014 by
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Shrimp prices have soared worldwide due to a shortage caused by a disease that's wreaking havoc on the crustacean's population. Bloomberg reports that shrimp prices increased 61 percent in March over last year, mostly due to a bacterial disease known as early mortality syndrome (EMS). The surge in prices was made especially difficult because it came during the Lenten season, when many… read more

Uses for leftover Easter eggs that aren’t all devilish

April 20, 2014 by
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The Easter egg hunt is over, the kids are in a sugar coma from the chocolate bunnies, and now you're left with a bunch of hard-boiled eggs. Now what? Naturally, deviled eggs come to mind. The EYB library is full of deviled egg recipes, with all manner of add-ins like guacamole, sriracha, and just to mix things up, beet-pickled deviled… read more

Bringing home take out

April 16, 2014 by
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Even though EYB members love cooking at home, we occasionally (or perhaps more than occasionally) crave take out. Frequently that means Chinese food, and in particular, the kind of crispy, sweet, and spicy dishes typified by General Tso's chicken. But sometimes we don't want take out because we don't want to go out (is spring ever coming to the upper… read more

What to do when life doesn’t hand you limes

April 15, 2014 by
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The U.S. relies on Mexico to supply 95% of its limes, but severe weather late last year knocked blossoms off lime trees and reduced the current crop by two-thirds. As a result, lime prices have soared by 200%. One damaged harvest isn't enough to cause more then a temporary spike in prices, but a strain of bacteria that is slowly creeping across… read more

How cookbooks rate in the States

April 12, 2014 by
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Amazon.com has just released an interactive infographic called "Great American Eats" that shows which cookbooks originating in each region of the U.S. are most popular. The map is curated by Mari Malcolm, Amazon Books' food editor. She explains her inspiration to the LA Times: "I've long been intrigued by the regional trends in cookbooks, so I decided it would be… read more

Pickle your fancy

April 8, 2014 by
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Have you ever rummaged through the vegetable drawer, noticing produce that needs to be used but not being inspired to make anything from it? Or maybe you overindulged at the farmer's market and came home with more than you could manage. You mutter to yourself "Maybe tomorrow..." but tomorrow never comes, and you eventually discard the limp vegetables into the compost bin or trash can. There is an… read more

Go a little nuts

April 6, 2014 by
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Nut milks and have steadily grown in popularity with the trend toward minimizing animal products, and they've long been a boon to people who suffer from lactose intolerance. However, if you've read the ingredient list for most nut milks (almond being the most popular), you will likely find a host of added ingredients including sugar, flavorings, and emulsifiers. Reading this… read more
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