Food news antipasto

Eating at the French Laundry is a bucket-list item for many food lovers. While it may not have risen to that level for San Francisco Chronicle restaurant critic Mackenzie Chung Fegan, it was still going to be a memorable experience. She had no idea how memorable, as Thomas Keller asked her to leave the restaurant (gift article).

Love making risotto but don’t love the tedious stirring? Use Ina Garten’s “bulletproof” risotto method and reduce the stirring to just a few minutes. The trick is to start the risotto in the oven before finishing on the stovetop, says Ina. She provides a few other tips to make your risotto top notch with much less hands-on time.

The latest TikTok drink craze could spice up your summer. Adding jalapeños to wine is the latest fad to hit social media, with “spicy sauvy B” the drink of the moment. Millions of positive comments accompany the videos, with people saying things like “I fear I will never be able to drink my sauvy b the same way again”. New Zealand sauvignon blanc seems to be the most popular choice if you want to try this out.

Fruit smoothies are often seen as a healthy way to enjoy a quick, easy, and delicious meal or snack. But what you put into them can drastically effect the nutrition you get out of them, according to the results of a new study. Scientists found that adding banana to smoothies significantly diminished nutrient absorption, with up to an 84% reduction in flavanols. Skip the banana and stick to berries, oranges, and mangoes instead.

Other articles posted this weekend:

• Too many onions?
• Splish-splash: What is the best method for washing your produce?