The dirt about “superfoods”

August 14, 2013 by
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We're on a bit of a nomenclature binge, discussing the definition of the word "pizza" yesterday, noting the now legal definition of "gluten-free" last week,  and today taking a look at the word "superfood."  This is a word that's been used quite a lot recently and ostensibly means a food that is packed with nutrients, vitamins, or other beneficial attributes,… read more

Is it a pizza or isn’t it?

August 13, 2013 by
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We know it's August and in much of the world there's not a lot of heavy mental lifting going on. so we wanted to nudge the brain cells a little with this crucial question, posed by the kitchn, "When Is a Pizza Not a Pizza?" Does it have to have a traditional crust? A traditional crust with sauce? A traditional… read more

Great prosciutto doesn’t have to come from Italy

August 8, 2013 by
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Having posted yesterday about lab-grown hamburgers, we wanted to bring the discussion around full circle, and this New York Times article about a small Iowa farm producing prosciutto that rivals that from Parma does the trick. In Some Prosciutto Fans Turn to Iowa, they ask the question: "Would people buy prosciutto from a guy named Herb from Iowa?" The answer… read more

Faking great balsamic vinegar

August 5, 2013 by
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It's hard to keep a good tip down on the internet. Here's a quick tip from Food52 - A Trick for Faking Fancy Balsamic, which, in turn, was adapted from  Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts by Alice Medrich. "Simmer two parts inexpensive balsamic vinegar with one part honey until the mixture is thickened and reduced by about half. Let cool." You can… read more

How to use up past-its-prime fruit

August 4, 2013 by
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  To solve an obviously rotten problem, here's the Kitchn's take on 10 Top Ways to Use Up Overripe Fruit: Quick Bread Jam Crumble, Cobbler, or Pie Smoothie Sauce for Pancakes or Sandaes Meat Sauce Salad Dressing Juice Fruit Leather Popsicles They offer several recipes suggestions for many of these ideas, but we wanted to see if the EYB library… read more

Safe ways to defrost food

July 30, 2013 by
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When it's hot out, the chances of food spoilage increase. So we thought a short primer on safe ways to defrost food would not go amiss. Most people understand that defrosting food in the refrigerator, which usually takes at least overnight but keeps the food at a safe temperature, is the best way to proceed. And we hope that most… read more

Steak Misconceptions

July 28, 2013 by
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One of the biggest misconceptions about steaks (and other proteins) is that you need to sear them to seal the juices in. It's now pretty widely accepted that that is not true - searing makes little difference to the juiciness of a steak; it does, however, improve the flavor through the Maillard Reaction. But other misconceptions about grilling or searing… read more

Ice myths that aren’t true

July 26, 2013 by
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It was very hot recently in our part of the world, so we spent more than the usual time breaking out the ice trays. With ice at the forefront of our kitchen, an article at SeriousEats by their food science columnist, Kevin Liu, hit the proverbial spot. In 5 Myths About Ice, Debunked, he explains why the following 5 preconceptions… read more

Just what is Za’atar?

July 21, 2013 by
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Recently, we were at a farmer's market and noticed that a vendor was selling homemade Mozzarella flavored with Za'atar. And it dawned on us that we were seeing that ingredient more and more, so we were inspired to do a little research. It turns out that Za'atar has a double personality. It is a name used for an herb in… read more

New cooking ideas to use up herbs

July 18, 2013 by
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We've all had the problem of a) buying a bundle of fresh herbs when only a small amount is needed, or b) growing a pot of herbs and having to deal with a surplus. While drying and preserving them is always a good idea, we also like the idea of meeting the culinary challenge this problem poses. And, to help,… read more

Mislabeled fish fillets can fool chefs, along with consumers

July 17, 2013 by
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Susie has an interesting blog today describing two trends in fish cookbooks (check out Coastal features.) So it seemed appropriate to call attention to this NPR features on fish fillets, "How Well Do You Know Your Fish Fillets? Even Chefs Can Be Fooled." They point to a study by Oceana: "Oceana, a conservation group, has been beating the drum about… read more

Introducing herb crystals

July 16, 2013 by
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The recent Fancy Food Show apparently had a number of interesting items, discussions of some of them have been popping up on blogs recently. We thought one of the most interesting were herb crystals. According to  Regina Schrambling at Epicurious, they're quite tasty. And she recommends several ways to use them, "I could imagine them dusted over shortbread, for instance,… read more

Efficiently blind-baking pie shells without weights

July 15, 2013 by
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There's an excellent video on Bake, by a King Arthur Flour's baker, on efficiently blind-baking a pie shell without weights or shrinkage. When blind baking pie shells (essentially baking an empty pie shell so it either gets a head start or is totally baked before ingredients are added) there can be a tradeoff between a cumbersome technique (adding beans or… read more

Food quiz: Can you tell if these foods are fruits or vegetables?

July 11, 2013 by
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The British press is doing a lot to entertain themselves waiting for the Royal baby, and a good example is this test from the Telegraph, Do you know your fruit from your vegetables?  Hint: This is based on a scientific definition rather than a culinary one. Go there now if you want to take the test without help. For those… read more

The new berry varieties and how to keep berries fresh longer

July 10, 2013 by
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The Wall Street Journal just ran an interesting story on all the new berry varieties that are gaining market acceptance. Called America's Next Top Super Berry , the Journal notes that with blueberries gaining major kudos for health claims, all berries have benefited from the same claims: "In the past two years, weekly same-store supermarket sales of berries have risen 18%,… read more

Modern Australian food 101

July 9, 2013 by
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Side note: We wanted to alert our readers that the Apple App Store is celebrating their 5th anniversary with some free apps, including Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything. In an article by Rebecca Morris over at Serious Eats -  An Introduction to Modern-Day Australian Food - an American expat moves to Australia and devotes her time to deciding what makes… read more

Cocktail vocabulary lesson

July 8, 2013 by
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There's something obnoxious about people who insist on always using the proper terminology for food - after all, if someone wants to call something a soufflé that's not made with an egg yolk base and egg whites - it's OK as long as the dish is airy and the diner isn't led astray. But the worst sinners seem to be… read more

20 ways to use vegetable and fruit peels (besides composting)

July 5, 2013 by
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  Over at Mother Nature, they've compiled 20 uses for leftover fruit and vegetable peels. And they haven't restricted the categories, including general home and beauty uses besides food. Here are some of our favorites - check out the article for more food suggestions plus 4 beauty ideas and 4 home ideas: Make citrus extract powder (which can then be… read more

Does Amazon’s expansion mean cyber-groceries are here to stay?

June 30, 2013 by
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Amazon recently announced an expansion of its online grocery delivery service. Formerly available only in Seattle, it's now expanding to Los Angeles. Basically, the company is offering customers same-day and early-morning delivery on more than 500,000 products, such as apples, bread, and even mozzarella di bufala from variety of stores. In short they're not only competing against local stores, but also… read more

Michael Pollan’s rules for restaurant eating

June 24, 2013 by
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Michael Pollan has long been a rational, non-hectoring voice for eating wisely and sustainably. His Food Rules continue to be quoted widely (including don't eat anything your Grandmother wouldn't recognize as food; don't eat anything that won't eventually rot; shop the perimeter of the grocery store; don't buy food where you buy your gasoline, etc.) as do his many other… read more

Learning to appreciate tofu

June 15, 2013 by
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We recently had an epiphany with tofu - if you want to make a great creamy soup, instead of adding cream, blend in semi-soft tofu. Great texture and mouth feel without the fat. So we were sympathetic to this recent article at Food52, In Defense of Tofu. The article makes the challenge, "Think you don't like tofu? Think again." The… read more

15 ways to bake eggs in something other than bread

June 13, 2013 by
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Here's something fun for a hectic dinner: 15 ways to bake eggs in foods, apart from using toast (though that is still one of the best ways). But before listing them, a slight digression on different terminology that our research unearthed. In the U.S. the classic egg fried in a piece of bread with a hole cut out of the… read more

The nine top grilling gadgets from Cook’s Illustrated

June 11, 2013 by
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Father's Day is approaching and, although it may be overdone, it still strikes us as appropriate to pass on some ideas for grilling gifts. And rather than compile them ourselves, we're handing over the job to real experts - the testers at America's Test Kitchen (Cook's Illustrated). Here are their 9 Favorite Grilling Gadgets for Outdoor Cooking; check out the article for… read more

The modern way to publish a cookbook – use crowdsourcing

June 10, 2013 by
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We like to stay au courant with new ideas - especially those where technology and cookbooks interesect - so the idea of going straight to the consuming public to finance cookbooks intrigued us. First, a little background for those who may not have followed the use of internet sites for crowd-funding. While not a new concept per se, the internet… read more

Making sure your brownies have a wrinkled top

June 7, 2013 by
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There are many views as to just what makes a perfect brownie - fudgy vs. cakey, nuts or no nuts, cocoa vs. bittersweet chocolate. But there is a uniform agreement that brownies should have a crinkly top. And thanks to America's Test Kitchen, here is the way to insure that they do: use the right sugar. Their testers tried three… read more
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