What is ‘nduja?

August 15, 2017 by
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Spreadable salumi might sound like an oxymoron, but it is in fact a product, namely an Italian specialty called 'nduja. Made from pork, chilli peppers, herbs and spices, the fiery spread (pronounced en-doo-yah) comes from the Calabrian region of Italy. As Australian Gourmet Traveller explains, its spicy flavor enhances many dishes, from eggs to pizza and beyond.  In addition to its… read more

Joan Nathan’s list of the best Jewish cookbooks

August 14, 2017 by
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  Joan Nathan knows a thing or two about Jewish cooking. She is the author of over a dozen cookbooks in the genre, including Jewish Cooking in America, which won both the James Beard Award and the IACP / Julia Child Cookbook of the Year Award in 1994. (Learn more about Joan in her EYB author story.) Recently she spoke with… read more

Chefs recall their greatest influences

August 13, 2017 by
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  Every chef - and probably most passionate home cooks as well - can recall a dish that inspired them to dive headlong into the world of food, whether it was a top chef who guided them or a family member passing down cherished treasures. I find these stories fascinating so I was tickled to see top chefs recently sharing… read more

The story of food in photography

August 12, 2017 by
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In the Instagram age, where everyone's screens are saturated with lush, colorful, and precisely arranged images of food and drink, we have to be reminded that for most of human existence, people did not have photographs of food to entice them to eat or guide them to cook. From photography's earliest days to the present, however, food and photography have… read more

In defense of an over-stuffed pantry

August 11, 2017 by
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  Every so often I go through my pantry, promising myself that I will be ruthless and get rid of all of the things I don't use, like that 1/8 of a bag of forbidden rice or those nori sheets that have been in my pantry for longer than I care to admit. (Also, how did I end up with… read more

Making bad drinks good

August 10, 2017 by
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  Drinks of the 21st century - which often incorporate exotic infusions of herb and spices, feature high-quality craft spirits, and offer sophisticated flavors - have elevated cocktail hour from the days of sickly-sweet Cosmos and Amaretto Sours. Now bartenders are reimagining these and other much-maligned drinks like Midori Sours and the Grasshopper (a drink I recall from grandparent's supper-club… read more

Why did Rocco DiSpirito quit cooking?

August 9, 2017 by
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In the late 1990s and into the early aughts, Rocco Dispirito was at the top of his game. He had a successful New York City restaurant, Union Pacific, that was praised by critics and frequented by celebrities.  He was one of the earliest "celebrity chefs," before food television and social media rocketed an entire cadre of chefs into the spotlight. But in 2004,… read more

Cooking up history

August 8, 2017 by
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If you live near Washington, DC, or are planning a visit there and love food, one "can't miss" attraction is the National Museum of American History. The museum features an entire exhibition on food, plus a monthly class called "Cooking up History". The classes take place in museum's demonstration kitchen on the Coulter Performance Plaza and each showcases a guest chef, along… read more

Is harissa going to be the next Sriracha?

August 7, 2017 by
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  As food trends go, the rise and continued popularity of Sriracha has outlasted many flash-in-the-pan foods that have since lost their luster. The spicy condiment continues to find new devotees, and it has even found its way into other condiments (Sriracha ketchup, anyone?). So what is the poised to be the next Sriracha, taking the world by storm? The Washington… read more

Spice support: the differences between Mexican and Mediterranean oregano

August 6, 2017 by
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  The Latin name for Mediterranean oregano (on the right, above) provides a clue as to how ubiquitous it has become in kitchens all over the world. Origanum vulgare -vulgare coming from the Latin word vulgus, meaning 'the common people' or 'the masses' - is a pungent herb related to mint that is used extensively in Mediterranean cooking, particularly in Italian… read more

What’s the difference between baking soda and baking powder?

August 5, 2017 by
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  Even if you are not an avid baker, there's a good chance you have baking soda in your kitchen because it is used in a variety of other applications. Baking powder might not be in your cupboard unless you do a lot of baking. If you were inspired to bake and didn't have baking powder on hand, you might… read more

Preparing for the new GBBO, and what’s next for Mary Berry

August 4, 2017 by
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Channel 4 Productions has just released its first trailer for the upcoming season of The Great British Bake Off, the first season that the show is not airing on the BBC. The advertisement features a variety food items, whimsically animated and singing along to Paul McCartney's song 'We All Stand Together'. What we can see in the clip does not substantially… read more

Are these the best cookbooks of the 21st century?

August 3, 2017 by
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  While almost every 'best-of' cookbook list is dominated by the heavyweights published before the turn of the last century like Mastering the Art of French Cooking, there is no doubt that the 21st century has been good for cookbook lovers. In fact, there is an entire generation of cooks that have never cooked a single recipe from the 20th… read more

Legendary editor Judith Jones has died

August 2, 2017 by
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The culinary world is in mourning today after learning of the death of legendary cookbook editor and author Judith Jones. Jones passed away last evening at her summer home in Walden, Vermont, from complications of Alzheimer's disease. She was 93.  Jones was a long-time senior editor and vice president at Alfred A. Knopf. She was instrumental in the publication of… read more

Mario Batali working on new show

August 1, 2017 by
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  It seems that Mario Batali isn't busy enough being on the daytime talk show The Chew along with running several restaurants and Eataly locations. Eater reports that the chef has started filming on a new television program. We don't know much about the show other than the fact that Batali was shooting on location in northern Michigan.  However, a… read more

The gentrification of food

July 31, 2017 by
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  Grubstreet posted an article today on how the price of chicken wings has drastically increased in recent months. Wings were once little more than throw-away pieces, with low prices to match their low popularity. Then sports bars across the US - and to some extent, around the world - starting making spicy wings a mainstay of their menus, causing… read more

Use your melon

July 30, 2017 by
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  Here's a scenario that most food lovers can probably identify with: It's the peak of summer produce season, and the quality of the fruit - plus fantastic prices - leads you to fill your cart to the brim with one (or more) of everything you see. Deciding what to make with this bounty can be a daunting task. While… read more

Spice support: lovage

July 29, 2017 by
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Nothing beats an easy-to-grow perennial herb. Not only do they add interest to your garden, they are useful in the kitchen as well. One of these herbs, lovage (levisticum officinale), has been all but forgotten by modern gardeners, who instead opt for more exotic fare. If you live in a temperate climate where it doesn't get bitterly cold, you should… read more

French tips for getting the most out of your pressure cooker

July 28, 2017 by
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  There is little doubt that Amazon's Prime Day ended with thousands more Instant Pots and related devices being shipped to homes in countries across the globe. Once the unit arrives on your doorstep, however, getting into the rhythm of using it can be daunting if you are not accustomed to pressure cooking. While pressure cookers have been around for… read more

Making a case for onion powder

July 27, 2017 by
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When I first started cooking, my spice rack held only a few spices: salt, black pepper, a few dried herbs, cinnamon, garlic powder, and onion powder. As I grew more adventurous and sophisticated in my cooking, using more fresh herbs and fewer processed ingredients, some of the spices on my shelf seemed to be outdated. The garlic powder, most of… read more

Why are there so many technique-driven cookbooks today?

July 26, 2017 by
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  While gorgeously-illustrated, recipe-based cookbooks still dominate the market, another category of books has been quietly experiencing a rennaissance. As Sarah Whitman-Salkin of Food52 explains, technique-driven, back-to-basics cookbooks have been on the rise in the last few years.  There have always been general cookbooks, but the new crop sets themselves apart from older works that were straightforward in their descriptions… read more

Pyrex remains popular after more than a century

July 25, 2017 by
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 If you live in the United States, chances are good that you have a piece of vintage Pyrex or two somewhere in your kitchen collection. The heavy glass product, created over 100 years ago, has endured through the decades. NPR's The Salt takes a look at Pyrex's continued popularity, especially among mid-century modern collectors. The story of the glassware's origins… read more

Put excess produce on ice

July 24, 2017 by
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  Feeling overwhelmed with the amount of produce that is ripening all at once in your garden? If you have too much to use and don't want to let it go to waste, you have a few choices. Canning takes time, heats up the kitchen, and requires special equipment. Freezing, on the other hand, is quick and easy, but not… read more

This app aims to identify recipes from photographs

July 23, 2017 by
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  Seeing a photo of a gorgeous dish is nice, but it won't do much good in learning the recipe - at least for now. Researchers have developed an algorithm that locates a recipe for a dish using only a photograph.  The algorithm has been made into an app called Pic2Recipe (if they had asked me, I would have suggested Pic2Plate).… read more

Chefs dish on the worst mistakes you can make in the kitchen

July 22, 2017 by
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  Everyone makes mistakes in the kitchen. There are some things you may not be able to avoid, but many errors are completely preventable. The Independent recently quizzed a number of chefs to find out which mistakes they see most often, and which ones really raise their hackles. One of the most grievous errors is wasting food. Buying more than is… read more
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