A cooking club celebrates its 20th anniversary

February 20, 2017 by
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  When you find a great group of friends, the relationships can last a lifetime. The only thing better than finding lifelong friends is finding them through food. That's what happened to a group of women in Montreal, Canada, who formed a cooking club in the mid-1990s. They were coworkers at a company, and even though most of them no… read more

Use your thermometer for more than meat

February 19, 2017 by
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  Most cooks have a meat thermometer and many of us are equipped with an instant-read version like the Thermapen. It's essential for taking the temperature of steaks, chicken, and other meats to ensure food safety and avoid overcooking. You shouldn't limit your temperature taking to meat, however, says Bonnie Berwick of The Washington Post.  Just like meats, most baked… read more

Freda DeKnight, a ‘Titan of African-American Cuisine’

February 18, 2017 by
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As the recent movie 'Hidden Figures' demonstrates, African-American women have contributed greatly to the United States' success without getting much recognition for it and despite being unfairly treated. This is the case with American cookery, too.  NPR's The Salt reminds us of another 'hidden figure', this one in the culinary sphere: Freda DeKnight. Born in 1909, DeKnight spent much of her… read more

Olive oil prices skyrocket

February 17, 2017 by
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  It might be a good idea to stock up on olive oil. According to reports, supplies of the popular substance are dwindling and the price has skyrocketed due to several devastating weather events. Hot and humid weather in Italy attracted olive fruit flies and allowed damaging bacteria to flourish. The yield this year is expected to be only half of… read more

Have vanilla, will travel

February 16, 2017 by
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Pichet Ong has carved out a reputation as a world-class pastry chef known for combining French technique with Asian ingredients. He's written a cookbook, The Sweet Spot: Asian-Inspired Desserts, and has appeared on Top Chef. In the last several years, Ong has transitioned from holding a traditional chef position into being a jet-setting pastry consultant.  Although Ong likes to incorporate… read more

Is Prue Leith coming to the GBBO?

February 15, 2017 by
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Rumors are swirling that restaurateur, and cookery-school founder Prue Leith may be in the running to replace Mary Berry on the new GBBO. No one has confirmed this rumor, but many people agree that she is amply qualified for the hosting spot. Leith opened her Michelin-starred restaurant, Leith's, in the late 1960s and founded Leiths School of Food and Wine… read more

Food52’s Piglet 2017 lineup

February 14, 2017 by
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While the official tournament doesn't begin until next Wednesday, Food52 gave us a head start on its 2017 Piglet cookbook contest by announcing the contenders via Twitter. They haven't announced which books will be going head-to-head, only which books are in the contest. For those who aren't familiar with The Piglet, we'll provide you with a quick refresher. The contest… read more

Pitch-perfect posset

February 13, 2017 by
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  A couple of months ago while on vacation, I enjoyed a creamy, indulgent dessert that perfectly straddled the lines between rich/heavy and sweet/tart. I had not heard of the dish prior to that meal and was excited about making a new food 'discovery'. Of course, just like many explorers before me, I hadn't 'discovered' anything at all, but rather became… read more

Take your cheese platter to the next level

February 12, 2017 by
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  If you entertain even a little bit, you have probably assembled a cheese plate or two. However, you might not have put together a cheese board quite like those from award-winning cheesemonger Lilith Spencer. I've never seen any platters as jaw-droppingly gorgeous as the ones posted in a recent article on the Saveur website about Spencer's work. Spencer recently took home… read more

The history of a decadent chocolate dessert

February 11, 2017 by
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When we were discussing minimal ingredient recipes on the blog last month, we listed a few that were sublime despite having only a handful of ingredients. Recently The Kitchn took a deep dive into another fantastic recipe with only three ingredients: Rose Levy Beranbaum's Chocolate Oblivion Truffle Tort. The article goes into great detail, with Beranbaum explaining the history and… read more

Make your Valentine’s Day rosy

February 10, 2017 by
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Eating out on Valentine's Day is a bad idea. Don't just take my word for it; Bon Appetit, The Kitchn, and The Huffington Post all agree with me. The food is overpriced, restaurants are crowded, and the staff is likely to be in a foul mood. You are better off making your sweetie a romantic dinner at home. This route,… read more

IACP announces 2017 Cookbook Award nominees

February 9, 2017 by
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Yesterday, the International Association of Culinary Professionals (more commonly known by its acronym IACP) announced its 2017 Food Writing Awards. The awards cover a large spectrum of food writing, from regular food columns to social media accounts (two awards for best food Instragram accounts!), blogs, websites, videos, and our favorite, cookbooks. The sixteen categories remain unchanged from last year with… read more

Ottolenghi comes to the New York Times

February 8, 2017 by
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  Yotam Ottolenghi is best known for his savory, vegetable-centric recipes in cookbooks like Plenty and Plenty More, for his restaurant-inspired recipes in Nopi and Ottolenghi, and for the foods of his homeland in Jerusalem. Despite this savory focus, Ottolenghi likes sweets, telling The New York Times that he rarely goes a full day without eating something sweet. In fact,… read more

The Splendid Table gets a new host

February 7, 2017 by
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  For over 20 years, Lynne Rossetto Kasper has enchanted fans of the radio program The Splendid Table. Recently, she announced her retirement from the show at the end of this year, and a replacement has been named. Starting in March, award-winning food writer Francis Lam will take over hosting duties. While no one will be able to replicate the retiring… read more

New website aims to get kids in the kitchen

February 6, 2017 by
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  It can be a challenge to get kids to eat healthy food or even to get them interested in cooking. Parents employ any number of strategies, some of which include disguising vegetables (the premise behind Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious, for example). Bristol (UK) cook Claire Thomson, author of the family cookbook The Five O'Clock Apron, along with actor Katy Carmichael, has a different approach. Thomson… read more

Making the most of your ingredients

February 5, 2017 by
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One of the best parts of Eat Your Books is the ability to fully utilize the ingredients you have on hand. This is especially useful when you are between shopping runs and have limited items available. Just type in the names of the ingredients and you'll easily find recipes to use them - many times in ways that you wouldn't… read more

Cookbook literacy

February 4, 2017 by
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  Whenever someone asks me if I've read any good books lately, I always hesitate slightly before responding "Well, I've been reading some great cookbooks." I'm afraid that the person might not think that cookbooks count toward the activity of reading. But when I think about it more, I wonder 'why shouldn't they'? Cookbooks are so much more than just… read more

USA tops the Bocuse d’Or

February 3, 2017 by
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A little over a week ago the Bocuse d'Or, the most prestigious worldwide culinary competition, was held in Lyon, France. For the first time in the competition's 30-year history, a team from the United States - helmed by Chef Mathew Peters - won the event. You can read a diary that Peters kept for The Daily Beast that tracked the… read more

Get ready for Super Bowl Sunday

February 2, 2017 by
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  According to the United States Department of Agriculture, food consumed on Super Bowl Sunday is second only to food eaten on Thanksgiving for US consumers. Over 1.3 billion chicken wings will be devoured, along with other party foods like pizza, nachos, chili, and potato chips. For those who don't understand what all the fuss is about, The Daily Meal features a rundown… read more

Food52 creates a cookbook club

February 1, 2017 by
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Just a couple of weeks ago we discussed the rise of cookbook clubs here on the EYB blog. Today indexed blog Food52 added to the trend by announcing its inaugural community cookbook club. Those who were paying close attention may recall that the site hinted at starting a club last fall, and now they are following through on that. The first… read more

Enhance your cooking with video recipes

January 31, 2017 by
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  Did you know there are over 4,300 video recipes in the EYB Library? They are from a variety of sources including blogs like 101 Cookbooks and Serious Eats, newspapers and magazines like The New York Times, Bon Appetit, and Food Network Magazine;  from favorite authors like Annabel Langbein and Yotam Ottolenghi. Some of these recipes are specific "how-to" instructions,… read more

The intersection of food and politics

January 30, 2017 by
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  In order to find interesting food news to share with EYB Members, I spend considerable time on social media (tough job, I know). I follow hundreds of food writers, publications, chefs, and bloggers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. As I am sure that Members in the US can verify, our feeds as of late are peppered with political posts… read more

The Year of the Rooster

January 29, 2017 by
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  Billions of people the world over are ringing in the Chinese New Year with celebrations, fireworks, and of course, food. Many of us will opt for takeaway, but others of us will likely make our own meals to ring in the Year of the Rooster. If you're among the latter, TV chef Ching-He Huang has a few pointers to help… read more

Food serves as a bridge to cultures

January 28, 2017 by
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  Food has served as a bridge between cultures dating back to ancient times. Emissaries carrying gifts always brought some type of food from their homeland like fruits, vegetables or baked goods that were novel to the country they were visiting. The gifts served more than one purpose: beyond a mere gesture of goodwill, the foods provided insight into the… read more

The trouble with minimal-ingredient recipes

January 27, 2017 by
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One of the most frequently clicked recipe subcategory for many food websites is the "5 ingredients or fewer" section. Cooks looking for simple meals flock to those minimalist recipes. Bonnie Berwick investigates this phenomenon in a recent Washington Post article, wondering why these recipes often leave out a few essential ingredients - and why they frequently disappoint.     Most of… read more
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