Baking soda’s surprising uses

October 18, 2016 by
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We all know about baking soda's leavening prowess for muffins, cakes, and quick breads, and its ability to help cookies and other baked goods brown evenly. There are more uses for the common pantry ingredient, says indexed blog Serious Eats, which describes five additional ways to use baking soda in your cooking. The first tip is to improve shrimp by using a quick… read more

Celebrate National Pasta Day

October 17, 2016 by
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  Today is National Pasta Day in the US. The "official" Pasta Day website contains several interesting facts about our favorite carbohydrate. Although Marco Polo has long been credited with "discovering" pasta in Asia and bringing it back to his native Italy, documents describing what appears to be pasta have been found that pre-date Marco's travels to the Far East.… read more

Observer Food Monthly announces 2016 awards

October 16, 2016 by
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  The 2016 Observer Food Monthly awards were announced at a gala celebration last Thursday. The awards, in their 13th year, celebrate the best of British food and drink. Categories range from best restaurant and best cheap eats to best food personality to best market and more, including our favorite, best new cookbook. While most of the categories are for… read more

The rise of Israeli cuisine

October 15, 2016 by
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  Over the last several years, Israeli cuisine has made a huge splash all over the world. In the UK, Yotam Ottolenghi has reached icon status and currently his cookbook Plenty is on more EYB Bookshelves than any other book in the Library. In the US, Michael Solomonov's restaurant Zahav is making waves and his cookbook of the same name is also… read more

A brief history of coffee

October 14, 2016 by
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It's safe to say a significant portion of the adult world runs on caffeine, usually received in the form of coffee. It's best not to talk to me until I've had my first cup of the day, and I know I am not alone in that sentiment. Beyond the caffeine, the tantalizing aroma of coffee and the way the mug… read more

Cooking by vibration

October 13, 2016 by
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In 1958, at the age of 19, Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor left the US for Paris in search of a career in the theater. What began as a simple search for black-eyed peas in France ended up being far from simple, and led Smart-Grosvenor down the path of writing about food and cooking as a way of expressing one's culture.  Known as an… read more

An interview with an editor of Bread Illustrated

October 12, 2016 by
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  It wasn't that long ago when most bread that ended up in US shopping carts was a squishy, white, bland loaf. Now it seems we are in the midst of a bread renaissance. Books about artisanal bread making - often touting a minimal amount of hands-on time - crowd bookstore shelves. So when Sacha Madadian edited Bread Illustrated, the… read more

The subtle science of menu writing

October 11, 2016 by
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  When you venture out to a new restaurant one of the first impressions you will have, aside from the decor, is the menu that you are handed once you are seated. While you may consider the dish options as the critical part of the menu, there are other factors at work that could influence your dining decision. As Anna Roth… read more

Shining the spotlight on tahini

October 10, 2016 by
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  When someone mentions tahini, you probably think hummus. While that is a great use for the sesame seed butter, tahini is certainly not a one hit wonder. Cooking Light Magazine explores the many ways to use the paste in a primer on tahini. The article extols the many virtues of tahini before getting to recipes highlighting the ingredient. For… read more

Travel around the world in a sweet way

October 9, 2016 by
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  When people talk about virtually traveling around the world by making dishes from various cuisines, savory foods generally get the spotlight. But we shouldn't forget about dessert, says indexed magazine Saveur. They examine 22 different dessert recipes from across the globe.  Some of the recipes are familiar, like French eclairs and chocolate chip cookies. But if you are in… read more

Ottolenghi moves peppers to the forefront of the meal

October 8, 2016 by
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  Peppers are a staple in most cooks' kitchens. They are so often used in supporting roles that they can be ignored when it comes to the starrring role in dishes. Instead of relegating them to background props, chef Yotam Ottolenghi says they deserve to be the stars of the dish. The popular chef notes that peppers "do a lot… read more

No aged balsamic? No problem

October 7, 2016 by
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  Aged balsamic vinegar (aceto balsamico tradizionale) - syrupy, rich, complex and just a little sweet - is a decadent splurge. When you're on a budget, it can be a bit too much of a splurge.  If you can't afford to spend the big bucks on a 25-year aged balsamic, the editors at America's Test Kitchen have created a cheat that is almost… read more

An interview with Beatrice Ojakangas

October 6, 2016 by
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Before Beatrice Ojakangas, there was no cookbook for Finnish cuisine. Today her first book, The Finnish Cookbook, is in its 38th printing. The Minnesota author has published several cookbooks since that 1964 volume, including The Great Scandinavian Baking Book, a Member favorite that has been inducted into the James Beard Foundation Cookbook Hall of Fame. Ojakangas has just released a memoir entitled Homemade:… read more

Jamie Oliver’s controversies over the years

October 5, 2016 by
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Jamie Oliver recently landed in hot water with Spaniards  when he put chorizo into a paella recipe. The outspoken chef is not afraid to say what's on his mind, and that often makes people angry. Food Republic has compiled a listing of all the times that Oliver has stirred up controversy. Most of the dustups that the chef has gotten… read more

It’s not the humidity, it’s the heat

October 4, 2016 by
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  As the weather turns cool and damp, articles suggesting that you need to adjust the amount of flour in your baking recipes start popping up on newsfeeds. Usually the author suggests that you may need to add more flour to a recipe to account for the extra humidity. However, the science of humidity and flour doesn't mesh with this… read more

What others are saying about the 2016 fall cookbooks

October 3, 2016 by
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  I think you'll all agree that Jenny has been doing a fantastic job of doing in-depth reviews of many new cookbooks for EYB. However, no one person - no matter how energetic and enthusiastic - can cover every new release, especially in the fall when the books really start coming. To keep you in the loop on other new… read more

Dominique Ansel takes Cronut 2.0 to London

October 2, 2016 by
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  Londoners who want a Cronut now have a much shorter distance to travel to find one. Dominique Ansel has just opened a new London bakery featuring a retooled Cronut plus several new menu items. Queues are expected to be quite long for the new bakery, located in the West London neighborhood of Belgravia.  Ansel is excited about his new space,… read more

Tips for getting the most out of your cookbooks

October 1, 2016 by
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  We all have our go-to cookbooks with grease-splattered, dog-eared pages that we return to time and again. Other books on our shelves are used far less often, and there may be a few that we've never cooked from at all. At the end of a long day it's just easier to return to a familiar friend rather than take… read more

Diana Henry works hard to make recipes effortless for us

September 30, 2016 by
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Looking at the most popular authors in the EYB Library you'll see plenty of restaurant chefs like Yotam Ottolenghi and television stars like Ina Garten. Their celebrity helps them reach a wide audience when they release a cookbook. A few authors, however, are popular with Members despite not having such a visible platform to promote their work. Diana Henry is… read more

Add your own photos to recipes on your Bookshelf

September 29, 2016 by
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Have you ever made a recipe on your Bookshelf that turned out so well that you thought your version should be the image that represents the dish? Or perhaps you have searched for a recipe and found one in a book with no images and you wished that you had a photo of the finished dish for reference. If either… read more

Pairing whisky with food

September 28, 2016 by
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We've long been familiar with wine pairings on menus, and in recent years beer pairings have become commonplace as well. Now chef Marcus Samuelsson is adding another category: pairing food with Scotch whisky. Working with iconic distiller Glenmorangie, Samuelsson brings his knack of blending different cultures and cuisines to bear on pairing foods with spirits. In his year-long partnership with… read more

Learning to love eBooks

September 27, 2016 by
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  Hello, my name is Darcie and I'm a cookbookaholic. My friends contemplate the rows of cookbooks lining my bookshelves in stunned silence, yet I don't think I have enough! Few things make me as happy as curling up with a cup of coffee and a cookbook filled with possibilities. My favorite books have receipts, Post-It notes, and torn envelope… read more

ATK’s post-Kimball plans are all wet

September 26, 2016 by
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  When news broke that Chris Kimball was leaving America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Illustrated, which he founded more than 20 years ago, people wondered how the brand would change and what the bow-tied star would do. While Kimball has moved on to a new venture ( Milk Street Kitchen), it looks like ATK has opted to sail the high… read more

BBC may launch a rival show to GBBO

September 25, 2016 by
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Fans who were disappointed that Mary Berry wasn't going to stay with The Great British Bake Off as it moves to a new channel will be happy to hear that the BBC is planning a new cookery competition starring Berry along with former GBBO co-hosts Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins. Sources state that the BBC have told Berry "that she will… read more

Dumplings pack flavor in a small package

September 24, 2016 by
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  It seems that almost every culture enjoys dumplings, whether filled or just pillowy clouds of deliciousness. What's not to love? Today we'll focus on the filled variety; petite packages containing a variety of savory (and even a few sweet) fillings that liven up a meal, whether you find them in a soup or on your dinner or dessert plate.… read more
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