5 kitchen things I can’t do without

June 24, 2012 by
 |  5 Comments  |  Leave Comment
Each of us has a different approach to kitchen equipment.  Some of us--whether because we're just starting out as cooks, or we live alone, or because we're minimalists or purists--have a fairly austere selection: a couple of good knives of different sizes, cutting board, measuring tools,  a few good pots. The rest of us tend to accumulate.  Some of us love… read more

How lunch earned its urban status

June 24, 2012 by
 |  Leave Comment
Does anyone else remember an old movie with Cary Grant and Doris Day called That Touch of Mink? In it, Doris works in an automat, a restaurant format which was nearing its end about the time of the movie (early 60's). Just put a nickel or dime or quarter in a slot, open a door and there was a piece… read more

The latest food crazes

June 22, 2012 by
 |  One Comment  |  Leave Comment
One of the joys of being part of the EYB community is the ability to stay on top of the latest food crazes and making a game of guessing just how lasting they may be. After all (at the risk of showing our age) we remember when extra virgin olive oil and real Parmigiano Reggiano were considered off-the-wall items. And… read more

Four fresh corn tips

June 21, 2012 by
 |  Leave Comment
We have four fresh corn tips today. The first, from the Washington Post, gives a solution to the husking/silk issue. Microwave, cut the husk end off, and shake the corn out of the husk, leaving behind the silk. The tip comes complete with a You Tube video demonstrating the process. And - as an added bonus - according to some… read more

Adrienne Kane

June 20, 2012 by
 |  Leave Comment
After my recent run-ins with pie recipes that didn't work, it was a relief and a joy to work with Adrienne Kane's United States of Pie. As I read it, I found myself wondering where Kane found so many obscure and interesting pies. So I was interested to read her piece for this week's newsletter, which chronicles her misadventures working with… read more

Celebrating the extinction of cookbooks

June 20, 2012 by
 |  One Comment  |  Leave Comment
Over at Slate, L.V. Anderson has stirred up a lot of controversy with a provocative essay on why she's OK with the extinction of cookbooks. In her article, The Future of Cookbooks: They'll Go Extinct. And That's OK she makes claim to a number of controversial statements. Among these are: the primary reason people buy cookbooks is to give them as… read more

Best cookbook lists from Cooking Light

June 20, 2012 by
 |  Leave Comment
Cooking Light has a thought-provoking new series going on, gathered under the name The Cookbook Awards. Starting last November, each month they've been announcing the best cookbooks of the last 25 years in 15 categories. The series ends in May 2013. The most recent collection is American, here's the full list:   General Baking Healthy Asian French Latin American American… read more

How to avoid ever buying a rotten avocado

June 19, 2012 by
 |  Leave Comment
Our friends over at theKitchn have a great tip for anyone who's ever held their breath opening an avocado. Since avocados brown so fast after opening, they need to be opened pretty much right before using. But then what to do if the avocado is a brown mess inside rather than the welcoming green that means creamy deliciousness? Not only… read more

Teen and “student” cookbooks: really necessary?

June 18, 2012 by
 |  3 Comments  |  Leave Comment
Summer's just about upon us, and even the latest high school and college graduations are finishing up.  Each year, I wonder: how many of those new graduates are getting cookbooks as presents?  And how many of those cookbooks have names like "Clueless in the Kitchen" or "Teen Cuisine" or "Teens Cook" or "Awesome Recipes for Teen Chefs" or "Where's Mom… read more

Are garlic presses evil?

June 18, 2012 by
 |  3 Comments  |  Leave Comment
In the world of elite cooking there is a conception that garlic presses are evil. A press supposedly crushes the garlic to mush, while using a knife keeps the garlic edges even and sharp, allowing for full flavor to come out. But over at America's Test Kitchen (aka Cook's Illustrated), they not only only disagree, but argue that a good… read more

Why Yelp can’t be trusted

June 17, 2012 by
 |  One Comment  |  Leave Comment
Epicurious reported recently on a growing problem with Yelp, the consumer rating site. As they reported, "a small minority of Yelp reviewers have been abusing the system, threatening places with bad reviews unless they get freebies and assorted perks (or, though it's not mentioned in the article, that restaurateurs are flooding Yelp with positive reviews they or their friends write… read more

Roasted Tomatoes for the Pantry

June 15, 2012 by
 |  Leave Comment
Serious Eats has a great idea to plan for an abundant tomato harvest. As they say: "This method involves snatching up pounds of gorgeous summer tomatoes and giving them a low and slow roast with garlic, herbs, and olive oil. This slow cooking method concentrates all of that great tomato flavor, making them perfect for freezing and breaking out during… read more

Tomato growing styles are highly revealing

June 14, 2012 by
 |  Leave Comment
The Washington Post has an amusing slide show illustrating various ways to support tomato plants and pointing out the personality types that each matches. Plus there are some good tips about techniques and types of tomatoes each approach requires. So meet the Innocent, the Gardener (who lies awake at night wondering if she missed a sucker), the Perfectionist, the Farmer,… read more

Call for 10 essential cookbooks and a giveaway

June 13, 2012 by
 |  12 Comments  |  Leave Comment
Our friends at Food52 have an interesting challenge on their site -- one that's right up our members' alley. As they describe it: "Every home cook has their cookbooks: the ones front and center on their shelf, the ones they turn to advice, for courage, for inspiration. We want to hear yours. Leave your 10 essential cookbooks in the comments section of… read more

The family meal at “the best restaurant in the world”

June 12, 2012 by
 |  Leave Comment
We recently discovered a fascinating video made by Danish photographer and filmmaker Simon Ladefoged. He went behind the scenes to film the  staff or "family" 5:00 meal at Noma, a Michelin two-star Copenhagen restaurant that Restaurant Magazine rated "the best restaurant in the world." The meal has a simple goal - merely to fuel, energize, and satisfy an intensely knowledgable… read more

Pesto bliss

June 12, 2012 by
 |  Leave Comment
The New York Times recently profiled the owners of Buddhapesto - an artisanal company in New York's Hudson River Valley that has perfected a pesto inspiring intense devotion, selling out the 3,000 containers the owner makes a month using just home food processors. As well as the interesting profile of the woman who has devoted years to perfecting basil (and… read more

Slicing 15 cherry tomatoes in half at the same time

June 11, 2012 by
 |  One Comment  |  Leave Comment
We love cherry and grape tomatoes. But let's face it, it can be a bit laborious to slice each one in half -- an imperative step for maximizing their surface exposure to dressing, etc. So we were very impressed by this easy tip from the big girls small kitchen blog that shows how to slice 15  cherry tomatoes all at… read more

Pops: Cake or Ice?

June 11, 2012 by
 |  3 Comments  |  Leave Comment
As long as I could remember, "pops" were something you bought off a truck--some kind of unnaturally-colored ice on a stick you didn't know whether to lick or bite, but ate anyway after a swim on a hot day. Then, I married into a Midwestern family and got used to hearing "pop" in places where I was used to hearing… read more

The most beautiful corn in the world

June 10, 2012 by
 |  Leave Comment
Meet glass gem corn, a throw back to corn in its original state, when it had multi-colored kernels. This corn was the result of some fortuitious maintenance of heirloom seeds, and can be bought at the Seeds Trust Institute (though there is a waiting list until August). Unfortunately, though, it is not as good as it looks - in fact,… read more

New Modernist Cuisine volume to be targeted for the home cook

June 8, 2012 by
 |  Leave Comment
The Eater has an indepth interview with Nathan Myhrvold, one of the authors of Modernist Cuisine, the 6-volume guide to scientific cuisine published last year. Myhrvold just announced that, in the fall, he will be publishing the one-volume Modernist Cuisine at Home. He describes the idea behind the book as "let's approach modernist cuisine - the topic - with a big constraint.… read more

Bourdain and Lawson are the new odd couple

June 8, 2012 by
 |  Leave Comment
Via the Eater, ABC has just announced a new competition cooking show for the fall starring a real odd couple - Anthony Bourdain and Nigella Lawson. And here's the best part - if you think you're a good cook, you can be a part of it. The competitor casting calls are now open: "Do you sizzle in the kitchen and… read more

Outrageous cookbook covers

June 7, 2012 by
 |  Leave Comment
We all know the old saying, there's no bad publicity - but is that true of cookbook covers? The Mercury News has compiled a list of 10 cookbooks that beg the question, "Would you buy this?" At the very least, you'll notice them when browsing in a bookstore or at Amazon. But do they turn you off or turn you… read more

New healthy food app for kids gets over 1 million downloads

June 6, 2012 by
 |  Leave Comment
As anyone with an iPhone or iPad knows, the number of available apps is staggering. So when one breaks through, it receives a lot of publicity. And recently we noticed one app that's creating quite a stir and earning rave reviews. Designed by the Fun Machine in coordination with Whole Kids, (the Whole Foods' foundation that encourages healthy eating in… read more

Don’t feel bad about hating cilantro

June 6, 2012 by
 |  Leave Comment
Do you really dislike cilantro, or know of someone who does? Cilantro seems to be increasingly popular in today's recipes, not only in Tex-Mex food, but expanding across all cultural boundaries. In fact, many people love it so much they routinely substitute cilantro for parsley. Yet some people truly dislike cilantro - claiming it tastes of soap and worse. The… read more

The perfect pineapple upside-down cake, plus…

June 5, 2012 by
 |  Leave Comment
Combining two blogs today, we first present America's Test Kitchen's recipe for perfect pineapple upside-down cake. Among the keys to the recipe is how to ensure perfect unmolding plus how to keep the pineapple pieces securely in place once unmolded. And the recipe comes with instructions on how to substitute peaches or nectarines for the pineapple. Our second reference is… read more
« Older posts
Newer posts »
Seen anything interesting? Let us know & we'll share it!

Categories

Archives