Grocery store etiquette

February 17, 2026 by
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Two articles caught my eye today that revolved around behaviors that drive grocery store employees bonkers. The first involved bagging etiquette at Aldi stores, and the second touched on shopping cart courtesy at Trader Joe's locations. These stories prompted me to think about how the grocery shopping experience has evolved in the last several years. The COVID-19 pandemic really threw… read more

Food news antipasto

February 15, 2026 by
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KitchenAid recently debuted its 2026 Color of the Year: Spearmint. The light, cool green gets a subtly textured matte finish to further distinguish it from previous greens available. In connection with the debut, KitchenAid has a sweepstakes where you can enter to win an Artisan mixer and a commercial-style dual-fuel range, both in Spearmint. Caesar salad from How to Eat… read more

Cooking at the bottom of the world

February 14, 2026 by
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Everyone who cooks a lot eventually faces a challenge or two: finding out that a vegetable went moldy when you are in the middle of making dinner, a malfunctioning oven or stove, or some other malady. Usually solving the problem is fairly easy, like running to the store for a replacement or calling a repairman to fix the equipment. But… read more

Galentine’s Day treats

February 12, 2026 by
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Valentine's Day gets a lot of attention, but a trend that started with a sitcom keeps growing every year. Galentine's Day began with a bit on the TV show Parks & Rec, where Amy Poehler's character Leslie Knope hosted an annual breakfast and mimosa event with her friends. In the episode that introduced Galentine's Day, Knope declared “You know my… read more

Forget the spoon and use your fingers, says Daniel Boulud

February 11, 2026 by
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NYC chef Daniel Boulud has a storied history with nineteen restaurants, including Michelin stars. The chef recently spoke with Food & Wine about how to season like a French chef to get the perfect amount of salt in a dish. His biggest piece of advice is to forego measuring spoons while cooking, and instead just use your fingers to gauge… read more

Are microwaves a thing of the past?

February 10, 2026 by
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I still remember when my grandparents got their first microwave oven in the late 1970s. Until they purchased their Amana Radarange, I had never seen a microwave. The unit was a pricey affair, costing hundreds of dollars, its shiny door practically screaming 'Space Age' to the six-year-old standing before it. For early adopters it was a status symbol as much… read more

Food news antipasto

February 9, 2026 by
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Prue Leith may have left the Great British Baking Show, but she isn't quite done with television altogether. This week we learned that she is working on a new program with former GBBO host Sandi Toksvig. Leith and Toksvig became fast friends before the GBBO moved to Channel 4, and have continued their friendship over the years. It sounds like… read more

Conditional love

February 7, 2026 by
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There are some foods that I will happily eat almost anywhere, anytime. Tacos and ice cream are two that immediately come to mind. Even when they're 'bad' they are good, and I love them without reservation. On the other hand, some foods I only appreciate under certain circumstances. I do not like chicken noodle soup 99% of the time, but… read more

Behold the ‘Gastronaut’

February 4, 2026 by
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Grocery store chains do not often try advertising campaigns that are 'out there', sticking to common formats like weekly ads stuffed into mailboxes or inserted into newspapers. However, Waitrose recently took a giant leap for mankind by launching a new brand campaign that reaches for the stars - literally. It features advertisements centered around an astronaut named Michael who is… read more

Food news antipasto

February 1, 2026 by
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Rancho Gordo announced it has new digs for its Napa, California store. Located in the former Shackford building on Napa's Main Street, the store noted that the "symbolism of beans going Main Street is not lost on us." If you are planning a Napa Valley trips, this might be worth a detour. I missed this when it was first published… read more

Does it matter which side of aluminum foil goes where?

January 31, 2026 by
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Aluminum foil gets a workout in our house, from covering and lining pans to zhushing up cake boards. For the cake boards, it is obvious that the shiny goes on the outside, but when you are using it in the oven or on the grill, does it matter which side goes where? The short answer is, not really. You might… read more

Is cooking an art or a craft?

January 30, 2026 by
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When does something move from being a finely honed craft into a work of art? That's the question being asked in Denmark, after its culture minister, Jakob Engel-Schmidt announced a new initiative to classify gastronomy as a fine art. If this goes forward, it would be the first time a country has made such a move. The initiative is still… read more

Chefs share their favorite condiments

January 29, 2026 by
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My refrigerator doors are stuffed full of sauces and condiments. Although I have my favorites, I am always on the lookout for new things to try, which is why I had to check out the article from The New York Times Style Magazine on which spice blends and condiments chefs always keep on hand (gift link). Now I am going… read more

Learning how to cook again

January 27, 2026 by
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Cooking columnist Yewande Komolafe has been writing recipes for The New York Times since 2018. Her impressive career spans 20 years, working in restaurants and test kitchens, developing recipes, and writing cookbooks. Two years ago that career and her very life was in jeopardy as Yewanade lay comatose in a hospital bed after a severe episode related to sickle cell… read more

Food news antipasto

January 25, 2026 by
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Shortly after Prue Leith shared the news that she was leaving the Great British Bake Off after nearly a decade, rumors began to swirl that Nigella Lawson was in talks to be Dame Leith's replacement. This has not been officially confirmed by Channel 4, but they have not denied the rumors. Fingers crossed that this is true! Sauternes custard with… read more

James Beard Award Restaurant and Chef semifinalists

January 22, 2026 by
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Yesterday the James Beard Foundation released its 2026 semifinalists for its Restaurant and Chefs Awards. The Awards celebrate excellence with national awards such as Best New Restaurant, Outstanding Baker, Outstanding Chef, Outstanding Pastry Chef, Outstanding Restaurateur, Outstanding Bar, and Emerging Chef, plus regional categories for Best Chef.  Several chefs nominated for Outstanding Restaurateur or Outstanding Chef have written cookbooks: Stuart… read more

Prue Leith is leaving GBBO

January 21, 2026 by
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Dame Prue Leith announced today that she is leaving the Great British Bake Off. You can read her announcement below, where she said she feels "very lucky to have been a part of [the GBBO]." She took over after Mary Berry left the program, taking on hosting duties in 2017 and continuing to co-host with Paul Hollywood since that time.… read more

Cookbook storage ideas

January 20, 2026 by
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It's a conundrum all cookbook lovers face eventually - the best location for storing cookbooks is not always the most attractive or most convenient. So what should you do? Tasting Table looked at the problem and came up with fourteen different ways to display cookbooks. They titled their post as "innovative" ways to show off your cookbook collection, but I… read more

Food news antipasto

January 19, 2026 by
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Several highly acclaimed US chefs are launching new restaurants in 2026. Brian Lockwood, formerly of NYC's Eleven Madison Park and a consultant for FX's The Bear, is opening Gingie in Chicago, which will feature a casual menu with refined technique, writes Kate Kassin. Kwame Onwuachi, whose Caribbean restaurants in New York and DC have earned him high praise, is heading… read more

Are French fries actually French?

January 17, 2026 by
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In the US we call them French fries, but there has been a long debate on whether frites originated in France or in Belgium. The latter country has laid claim to the invention of the deep fried deliciousness, but Belgian historian Pierre Leclercq says that the claim is not true. He posits that French fries originated on the streets of… read more

Sales have lost their luster

January 16, 2026 by
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I will probably sound like a curmudgeon saying this, but I remember when sales were really sales ("back in MY day" etc. and so forth). Pre-internet, people frequently paid full price for an item because if you really wanted something, it was risky to wait until a sale came along because you would risk not finding it. Also, it was… read more

Gourmet Magazine is back – sort of

January 15, 2026 by
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Gourmet Magazine was once the premiere food publication, a shining star owned by a storied company, Condé Nast. Then, in 2009, when the world was experiencing a deep recession and had started the inexorable shift to an online experience, Gourmet was abruptly shuttered. The decision to end the magazine shocked the food world, including its editor Ruth Reichl, who wrote… read more

What a bunch of baloney

January 13, 2026 by
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Bologna in the US is often derided as low quality "mystery meat" and looked down upon by food lovers. However, the origins of this meat date back centuries and its close relative and likely inspiration, mortadella, is highly regarded. The Daily Meal brings us this fact plus many more in a deep dive into this humble food. The Dagwood from… read more

Food news antipasto

January 11, 2026 by
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We are starting off the week on a sad note, as we learned that Boston chef and food stylist Elle Simone Scott passed away last week at the age of 49. Scott served as a host and a food stylist for America's Test Kitchen. ATK's Jack Bishop offered praise for Scott in a note, saying that among her contributions to… read more

New life for old spices

January 10, 2026 by
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"If your spice is more than six months old, you should replace it with new" is common advice, but it is not practical for most people. Throwing out spices is an expensive proposition, and with food prices in an unrelenting upward trend, it can stretch an already tight budget. While it's true that spices will lose potency over time, there… read more
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