Ditch the cling wrap with these lids

How many recipes ask you to cover an item with clingwrap/plastic wrap while it is proofing, marinating, cooling, or in some other waiting stage? Too many to count, right? If you hate wrestling with finicky wrap that seems to stick to everything except the edges of the container it's supposed to seal, Serious Eat's Andrew Janjigian has the answer, and… read more

Celebrating National Pasta Day

I was struck with the urge to make homemade pasta today, a desire that came out of the blue. After pulling the pasta machine out of the cabinet, I proceeded to make simple ricotta-filled ravioli (judging by the results, I need more practice). Imagine my surprise to later learn that today is National Pasta Day, with restaurants around the country… read more

November 2023 Great Big Cookbook Club Summary

As our members know, each month we offer several cooking options in our Eat Your Books Cookbook Club. There are other fun cookbook clubs around the interwebs and we’d like to highlight those for those members who might want to cook or bake something other than our choices.  We want to get this information out to you so you can prepare… read more

Food news antipasto

As we become immersed in the new season of the Great British Bake Off, it's tempting to do armchair quarterbacking on strategies or ideas the contestants have chosen. It is easy to opine from the comfort of our living room, but a former contestant on the US version of the show reminds us that baking in that iconic tent is… read more

Kneaders Bakery and Cafe Cookbook & Gift Basket Giveaway

Enter our US giveaway to win one of 4 prize packages that will include a copy of Kneaders Bakery & Cafe: A Celebration of Our Best Recipes and Memories by Colleen Worthington as well as a Kneaders Famous Chunky Cinnamon Gift Box. The story of Kneaders bakery and café began with Colleen and Gary Worthington baking traditional European bread in… read more

The Great British Bake Off/Baking Show – Week 3 – Bread Recap

Biscuit week had Keith going home and Tasha being deemed star baker. Week 3 is bread week - my least favorite week. I think the other weeks, at least to me, are more creative. Signature: A cottage loaf in 2 hours and 45 minutes. A cottage loaf is a traditional type of bread originating in England. The loaf is characterized… read more

When you can’t look away

I'll begin this post with a disclaimer: I am not on TikTok and have no plans to join any time soon. When I report on TikTok trends it's because I learned about them via someone's cross-shared post on Instagram or through an online article, like Aaron Hutcherson's latest in The Washington Post. He discusses the reasons we are attracted to… read more

The thrill of the score

As I talked to shoppers at the Le Creuset Factory to Table sale, a common refrain popped up: LC did not fit into their budget unless they could purchase it a steep discount. While I saw some carts filled to the brim with boxes, others contained only one or two small items because those bargain hunters didn't find the prices… read more

Of Cabbages & Kimchi Cookbook Giveaway

Enter our worldwide promotion to win one of two copies of Of Cabbages & Kimchi: A Practical Guide to the World of Fermented Food by James Read. James has events on October 21st at Wimbledon High School Hall and on October 28th at Wild Pickle Ferment Festival Stoke in the UK. James Read is the founder of Kim Kong Kimchi,… read more

Embracing the change

Tonight we turned off the water going to the outdoor faucet, a yearly ritual that is repeated in reverse come springtime. That means it is officially autumn. I'm generally a spring/summer person because I abhor being cold, but it is during autumn that my cooking senses really come alive. Baking in the summer, as we have witnessed on the Great… read more

Roast Figs, Sugar Snow: Food to Warm the Soul + Tote Bag Giveaway

Enter our US/CA giveaway to win one of three copies of Roast Figs, Sugar Snow: Food to Warm the Soul by Diana Henry and a special tote bag. Diana has events scheduled: a virtual event at Book Larder coming up on October 17th and events in the UK in December. Be sure to check out our calendar. Diana Henry's 2009… read more

Food news antipasto

This week we learned the sad news that chef Michael Chiarello has died at age 61 following a severe allergic reaction that led to anaphylactic shock. The chef hosted shows on PBS, Food Network, Fine Living, and Cooking Channel. He also appeared on Top Chef Masters and was a judge for Top Chef. The partners in his restaurant group said… read more

The Great British Bake Off/Baking Show – Week 2 – Biscuit Recap

Last week, we saw Amos leave the tent and Dan being deemed star baker. It is a new week and the theme is biscuits! Signature: 12 identical marshmallow biscuits with either marshmallow in the center or on the top in 2 1/2 hours. During the challenge, I kept thinking "Won't someone please tell Keith that he has a dot of… read more

How Canadian Thanksgiving differs from the US holiday

Canadian Thanksgiving happens next Monday, and families will gather for a traditional meal that looks similar to those served during the US version of the holiday. Even though the meals might resemble one another, there are a few ways in which the Canadian edition of Thanksgiving differs from that of its southern neighbor. The first and most obvious difference is… read more

CAPTCHA, Prime Day, James Beard entry period open, 1,700 EYBD Previews and more

This week we have added CAPTCHA in order to sign-in to our site. A CAPTCHA is a type of challenge–response test used in computing to determine whether the user is human in order to deter bot attacks and spam. Please see Jane's blog post with more information about this measure. October 10-11th is Amazon Prime Day again! If you do… read more

Do you really need a roasting pan?

Few home kitchens in the US are without a large deep roasting pan. Most of them are made from aluminum, although enameled steel and stainless steel pans are also common. Usually they are tucked away in the back of a cabinet for most of the year, pulled out to hold the Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas ham. Serious Eats has long… read more

Efforts to stop bot activity

As regular visitors will know, we have been having site performance issues related to very high levels of search bot activity. The bots fire thousands of requests per second at our site which causes the server to get overloaded and grind to a slow crawl or even a halt for anyone else using it (our members). Our short-term solution was… read more

Break out the good china: what you serve your food on matters

When I start thinking about what to make for lunch or dinner, only rarely do I consider the dinnerware on which we will be eating the food. Our everyday plates are Fiesta Tableware in six different colors that we mix and match with abandon. Pairing a color with a particular food isn't something I contemplate unless I'm really into getting… read more

2024 James Beard Book Awards Call for Entries are Now Open!

The James Beard Foundation® announced today that the entry and recommendation period for the 2024 James Beard Awards® is officially open until November 30, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The 2024 Awards ceremonies will be held in Chicago on the following dates:● Media Awards: Saturday, June 8, 2024● Leadership Awards: Sunday, June 9, 2024● Restaurant and Chef Awards: Monday, June 10,… read more

Food news antipasto

Restaurant aficionados often turn up their noses at chain restaurants, and there are many reasons why a food lover might not like them: they can be noisy, the food is often bland, and the overall dining experience will never knock your socks off. But as Grace Dent explains, sometimes a chain restaurant is just the place to go, especially if… read more

The Great British Bake Off/Baking Show – Week 1 – Cake Recap

We are back in the tent and hopeful about the show's new direction this year. (That's a great name for a band.) To prepare for the new season I have updated the Which Great British Bake Off Contestants have written books post so it is current. Many GBBO bakers are coming out with books next year! The contestants from the… read more

IACP Cookbook Award winners

The International Association of Culinary Professionals announced the winners of its 2023 Cookbook Awards (along with other food media and writing awards) this evening at its 2023 Summit held in rain-soaked Brooklyn, NY. In addition to this year's winners, the IACP inducted three cookbooks into its Culinary Classics, which is a like a Hall of Fame for cookbooks. IACP also… read more

Coming soon to a recipe near you: shrinkflation

A recent article in The Guardian explained how Galaxy chocolate bars are now 10% smaller but priced the same as before, a strategy pundits have dubbed "shrinkflation" because in the end the result is the same as raising prices: less purchasing power for the consumer. The article reminded me of an issue that came up with a recipe I was… read more

Thinking inside the box

As I cracked open a box of organic, low-sodium broth earlier today I recalled Michael Ruhlman saying that one should never use canned or boxed chicken broth, that homemade was the only way to go, and that even water would be better than commercial broth. Despite his admonition, I glugged the box straight into the sausage and potato soup with… read more

September 2023 EYB Cookbook Club Summary

Each month we offer at least four cooking options in our Eat Your Books Cookbook Club. This month we cooked: Cookbook: Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling or Oaxaca: Home Cooking from the Heart of Mexico by Bricia Lopez and Javier CabralOnline: Any online recipes from Bricia Lopez and Javier CabralBaking: 100 Morning Treats by Sarah Kieffer or any online recipes… read more
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