Food news antipasto

We start out this week’s review with the passing of two very different culinary figures. The first is Marian Burros, cookbook author, food columnist for The New York Times from 1981 to 2014, and former Washington Post food editor, who has died at age 92. An Emmy award-winning television host, Burros became famous for her plum torte recipe, which was featured in Food52 Genius Recipes.

The second passing of note was Marilyn Hagerty, a food critic in Grand Forks, North Dakota, who gained a sliver of fame after publishing an earnest review of Olive Garden that went viral in 2012. She wrote about ordering the chicken Alfredo, which she described as “warm and comforting on a cold day.” Hagerty was 99.

Love the smell of bakeries? You might enjoy a new candle from fragrance company snif. They partnered with the team from famed NYC bakery Levain to produce a candle that “captures the delicious moment of walking into the bakery every day–with sea salt, cookie accord, chopped walnuts, creamy orcanox, and fluffy musk.” I am not exactly sure what “fluffy musk” is, but if it smells like a bakery, I’m in. A reminder from Jenny – the Levain Bakery: A Story of Friendship, Community, and Cookies by Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald will be released on October 14th!

Have you heard about the “stretchy yogurt” trend? Stretchy yogurt is just what the name indicates: yogurt that has been transformed by adding starch to get a stretchy, bouncy, and sticky texture. The folks at Food and Wine report that the best comparison may be to “slime, the goopy, non-edible material that’s been popular online for nearly a decade.” That’s a no from me, dawg.

Vicariously peeking into other kitchens via real estate listings is always a fun jaunt – you can sometimes get ideas for making better use of your own space. Even better is someone explaining how they set up their kitchens, especially when that someone is a chef. That’s what happened when The Independent’s Olivia Lidbury talked to four chefs about how they maximize space at home in their tiny London kitchens.

Have you cleaned your kitchen light switches recently? Find out why it’s important to clean this overlooked spot that is surprisingly packed with bacteria. BRB, going to grab a disinfectant wipe.

In case you miss this weekend’s posts:

• Chemistry in the kitchen
• The Great British Bake Off/Baking Show – Bread Week 3 – 2025