Bonding over Le Creuset

April 19, 2025 by
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In September 2023, I attended the Le Creuset Factory-to-Table (FTT) sale in Minneapolis and provided a report on the experience. Le Creuset's sales move around to different cities every year, but the tradition continues, drawing ever larger crowds. People who get VIP tickets to the first day of the sale have the opportunity to buy a "mystery box" of items… read more

Are ‘the munchies’ real?

April 18, 2025 by
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There is a food holiday of sorts coming up on Sunday that isn't Easter or associated with any spring festivals. Cannabis aficionados will be celebrating 4/20 (here's why this date is associated with marijuana) and of course smoking pot leads to 'the munchies' making this a food-associated event. But does THC actually lead to food cravings? Not everyone believes that… read more

What does it take to be a “fancy” food – and do we really need it?

April 17, 2025 by
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Food labeling in the United States is...interesting, to say the least. Some terms that companies use on their labels are not defined and are mainly unregulated, such as grass-fed and sustainable. Others are regulated but the terms do not necessarily mean what consumers think they do including cage-free and natural. One term that is regulated by the USDA surprised me… read more

Easter’s most essential egg?

April 16, 2025 by
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While the price of eggs has people scrambling to find alternative items to dye for Easter, those eggs are not really the most iconic ovoid harbingers of the holiday. That honor belongs to the Cadbury Creme Egg, that delightfully gooey concoction that is loved around the world. Eater takes a look at how the Cadbury Creme Egg became popular in… read more

Food news antipasto

April 13, 2025 by
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If you like to cook, it is inevitable that you will end up with small amounts of ingredients left over from a recipe. Over time, these small amounts pile up and clutter your cupboards. The Telegraph's Amanda James is here to help, with a bevy of recipes to use up the bits and bobs in your pantry or larder. Strawberry… read more

Do you need a kitchen lamp?

April 12, 2025 by
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Kitchen lighting is one of the most important considerations when planning a kitchen. Finding the right combination of task and general lighting is a challenge that usually involves several different types of lights: overhead whether pendants or recessed, under cabinet, and even within cabinets and drawers to help you find items more easily. However, Francky Knapps suggests that there is… read more

Recall roundup

April 11, 2025 by
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If we posted about every food recall there would probably not be space for anything else, but the two most recent ones I saw sounded worthy of attention since they covered a large swath of the US. There is another reason to talk about food recalls: the number of illnesses and deaths due to foodborne illness is on the rise.… read more

Cookbooks that embrace cultural messiness

April 9, 2025 by
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One of the great debates over cuisine is the idea of authenticity: does a cookbook or recipe truly represent the culture of a place or people. This debate gets messy because culture is never static and is ever evolving. Think about how the spice trade introduced flavors that became 'authentic' to a cuisine thousands of miles away from where the… read more

Is a ‘snacking recession’ happening?

April 8, 2025 by
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With 401(k) balances sinking like the Titanic and the threat of huge price increases due to tariffs, Americans are becoming budget conscious in a hurry. This is affecting consumer spending, and one area feeling the pinch is the snack industry. This trend began late last year, with companies reporting disappointing sales numbers across a wide swath of snacks and beverages.… read more

Food news antipasto

April 6, 2025 by
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Earlier this week the James Beard Foundation released the finalists for its 2025 Restaurant and Chef Awards. There are three new award categories this year: Best New Bar, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service. Winners will be announced on Monday, June 16, during a gala ceremony at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The nominees for the… read more

What’s the right way to trim asparagus?

April 6, 2025 by
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When I was learning to cook, a friend showed me how to snap asparagus spears to remove the tough ends and keep only the tender parts. I dutifully did this tedious prep until I read an article that said it was a waste of time. Instead, it was better to just cut them all across the board because any difference… read more

The great grape explosion

April 3, 2025 by
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Not that long ago, there were two, maybe three, varieties of table grapes available in supermarkets, and none of them were particularly noteworthy. They were often relegated to fruit salads or garnishes with a charcuterie board. In the past few years, however, store shelves have been brimming with multiple grape options. The Guardian's Aimee Chanthadavong investigates this growing trend. Spicy… read more

Food banks and farmers hit by funding cuts

April 2, 2025 by
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During the pandemic, families across the U.S. turned to food banks to help them weather the economic fallout that included a sharp increase in food prices. Because many of those inflationary pressures continue to the present, families still rely on food banks to a greater degree than before the pandemic. Now they are facing additional issues with food insecurity due… read more

Best food-related April Fools’ Day pranks

April 1, 2025 by
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I completely forgot it was April Fools' Day, so a couple of social media posts had me really puzzled before I realized what was going on. Overall, it seemed like there were not as many posts trying to fool people as in years past - maybe everyone thinks there is enough weirdness going on without adding to it. Although I… read more

Food news antipasto

March 30, 2025 by
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a wooden bowl filled with lemons sits next to two whole and two halves of lemons on a wooden surface
I am not sure how long this was in the works - usually magazines plan ahead several months - but the timing of Food and Wine's special travel issue seems especially poignant today. Billed as a "celebration of Canadian cuisine," the issue features Canada native and BravoTV host Gail Simmons as guest editor. Simmons says the goal is "to fuel… read more

A chocolate lover’s dream job

March 29, 2025 by
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Some jobs just sound too good to be true, like being a professional chocolate taster. However, that is very much a real job, and it sounds amazing. Tasting Table recently sat down with Cherrie Lo, a certified chocolate taster, author, and judge of chocolate competitions, to learn what a day in the life of a professional chocolate taster is like.… read more

Take me out to the ballgame

March 28, 2025 by
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Yesterday was Major League Baseball's opening day, thousands of eagers fans headed to baseball stadiums across the U.S. In addition to the love of the game, spectators enjoy noshing on ballpark foods (and often, drinking adult beverages). I am not a huge baseball fan, but Target Field in downtown Minneapolis is a great place to spend a sunny afternoon, quaff… read more

Better than butter?

March 26, 2025 by
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During the 1980s when fats were considered the worst dietary evil, the oil-based spread "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" made its debut. The product is still around, even though its flavor is not fooling anyone. Fast forward 44 years and a new butter substitute is making a similar claim, despite not having either animal OR plant products in it.… read more

Lessons from a lifetime of cooking

March 25, 2025 by
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When I was a fresh-faced college graduate 30 years ago, I was far from an accomplished cook. In fact, I was terrible. This was a shortcoming I was determined to overcome, because I really liked eating and did not have the resources to frequently dine out. This was before the ease of finding instruction on YouTube, so I looked to… read more

Food news antipasto

March 23, 2025 by
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Plate has published its biannual list of top cookbooks. Food writer and cookbook author Kate Leahy compiled 17 chef-driven titles that take a deep dive into a place, capture a movement, or break the rules. Leahy notes that the current crop of chef-authored books "are more personal, focused on what built the chef’s career...rather than a singular restaurant." (Free registration required if… read more

Mellow yellow

March 22, 2025 by
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One color is dominating the trends in 2025, showing up on everything from KitchenAid mixers to clothing: butter yellow. Although Pantone chose a dark, brooding color for its 2025 Color of the Year (Mocha, which people likened it to, well, you can guess), butter has proved to be much more popular. Eater's Franky Knapp explores the color, bringing us several… read more

Don’t try this at home

March 21, 2025 by
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Since the advent of the internet, the amount of useful information available at one's fingertips has grown astronomically. It's easy to forget how much more effort you had to expend to find out the answers to questions both trivial and weighty. For example, I can easily find a YouTube video for nearly any home improvement project I might want to… read more

Culinary icon Lynne Rossetto Kasper to auction prized collection

March 19, 2025 by
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Lynne Rossetto Kasper, founder and original host of American Public Media's acclaimed "The Splendid Table" radio show, is downsizing and offering her treasured culinary collection to the highest bidder. Throughout her distinguished career, Rossetto Kasper connected with renowned chefs and home cooks alike until her retirement in 2017. Her expertise earned her multiple James Beard awards, and in 1988, the… read more

Celebrating Persian New Year

March 18, 2025 by
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On the spring equinox every year, the festival of the traditional Persian New Year festival celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan, and the Kurdish regions of Iraq, Turkey and Syria, throughout Central Asia, and by members of the diaspora worldwide. Known as Nowruz (with many spelling variations), the holiday can be traced to Zoroastrians over 3,000 years ago who celebrated the coming of… read more

Food news antipasto

March 16, 2025 by
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This is a reminder that the free webinar sponsored by IACP and Milk Street is this Tuesday, March 18, at noon Eastern (US) time. Join J.M. Hirsch and Deb Broide as they explore how Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street blends culinary storytelling with a journalist’s eye. They’ll discuss everything from book and magazine planning to travel, reporting, and recipe development.  Our best avocado toast from Food52 I… read more
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