Food news antipasto

I hope our US Members had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We start with some good news for the world of food safety. Scientists at Ohio State University have found a new way to combat salmonella bacteria that contribute to foodborne illness. The researchers identified antimicrobial peptides from probiotic strains that inhibited the growth of salmonella in chickens. While this needs to be further researched, it is comforting to see such promising initial results.

The round blue tin that holds piped and sugar-coated Danish butter cookies is so ubiquitous it has even appeared in an SNL skit with Pedro Pascal. Costco sells a version of this tin that is immensely popular every holiday season. This year, however, some people are opting to skip the tin because of the poor quality artwork decorating its sides. What is supposed to be a windmill looks like mosquito, according to one commenter. Maybe skip the tin and try the Danish butter cookies from Food52 by Samantha Seneviratne instead.

Moving to the world of restaurants, The Robb Report recently released its top 100 US restaurants of the 21st century. A jury of 250 chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers, and other industry experts (along with ‘well-traveled’ diners) compiled the list. No doubt you will recognize many of the names in this ranking; these restaurants have appeared on many “best” lists and a sizable number of the chefs have written cookbooks – mostly aspirational rather than practical.

Have a slow-cooker that’s gathering dust? Put it to use by baking bread in it. With just a few tweaks, apparently you can bake a gorgeous loaf without heating up the oven. Because the cooker operates at a lower temperature, you can even skip the usual proofing. It almost sounds too good to be true, so if anyone has tried this, please let us know how it went by leaving a comment.

This time of year, special holiday menu items and foods often appear at chain restaurants and grocery stores. Sometimes these items can be a bit over-the-top, throwing everything but the kitchen sink into the mix. Hannah Twiggs takes a look at the Christmas sandwich offerings in the UK this year “billed as limited-edition luxuries, marketed like collector’s items” and sadly, rarely worth the hype.

The last item for the week is niche: a cookbook that celebrates the Minnesota music scene. A Musicians Menu: Recipes That Rock by the Minnesota Music Community by Edie Baumgart contains recipes from musicians and others involved in the music industry in Minnesota. The book is available online and at Minneapolis-area shops including Lucky Cat Records and HiFi Hair and Records.

In case you missed it:

• Loving the leftovers
• Encouraging words on Thanksgiving Eve
• Thanksgiving ruined? Maybe AI is to blame
• Holiday Gift Guide and Giveaways!