Spice and butter sales boom during pandemic

November 2, 2020 by
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Last weekend I spent a couple of hours stripping leaves from thyme, oregano, and mint stems that I had dried, preparing a stock of herbs to carry me through the long winter months ahead. I also assessed my spice collection and realized I have used more spices in the last few months than probably any other time since I started… read more

Food news antipasto

November 1, 2020 by
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We begin this week's run down of food news with the sad news that Cecilia Chiang, credited with bringing authentic Chinese food to the U.S., has died at age 100. Chiang's pioneering Mandarin restaurant in San Francisco showcased food that was worlds apart from the chop suey that reigned at the time. In a profile of Chiang in 2007, The San… read more

The foods of Día de Muertos

October 31, 2020 by
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On the heels of Halloween is the Mexican celebration Día de Muertos or Day of the Dead, celebrated November 1-2 each year. Day of the Dead celebrations can be traced to the ancient Aztecs, who felt that instead of mourning the deceased, people should celebrate their lives and welcome their spirits back to the land of the living once a year. Spanish… read more

It’s time for cranberries to shine

October 30, 2020 by
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Until I had been out on my own for a few years, my only experience with cranberries came during Thanksgiving, involving a tin can and a wobbly cylinder with ridges encircling it (all the easier to cut even portions). I didn't like it. However, once I tasted cranberry sauce made from fresh cranberries, I was instantly hooked on using the… read more

Downsizing the holiday meal

October 29, 2020 by
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For many of us, the holidays are not going to be the same this year. Diwali and US Thanksgiving are just a few weeks away, with Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa following soon after. Instead of large feasts and gatherings we will likely be preparing smaller meals for fewer people. For those who have lost their jobs or have reduced income due… read more

2020 Taste Canada Cookbook Awards

October 27, 2020 by
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A champion of Canadian cookbook authors, Taste Canada is a national not-for-profit that aims to inspire readers to discover delicious recipes and diverse food stories written from a Canadian perspective. Over the past two decades, Taste Canada Awards has honored hundreds of Canadian-authored books and blogs on an array of topics related to food. The awards cover both of Canada's… read more

An outpouring of cookbook love

October 26, 2020 by
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Last week we shared the sad news that the 3,800-volume cookbook collection of California chef Cindy Pawlcyn was destroyed in the Glass fire that swept through the Napa Valley. As news of the devastation circulated, friends, coworkers, and even total strangers reached out to Pawlcyn, giving her cookbooks to replace some of what she had lost. The contributions became so… read more

Food news antipasto

October 25, 2020 by
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When Danny Bowien started Mission Chinese Restaurant, he was looking to create a working environment free from the abuses he experienced as a young chef. From the outside, it seemed that Bowien was achieving his goal of having a restaurant geared toward healthy employee relations, but a Grub Street investigation uncovered a toxic work environment flourished instead. Recently, Bowien admitted… read more

IACP Cookbook Award winners announced

October 24, 2020 by
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With the IACP going digital like so many other conferences (and the fact that one Blursday runs into another), I almost missed the IACP Cookbook Award winners announcements, livestreamed on Twitter. But luckily my cookbook radar alerted me at the last moment, averting tragedy. It is hard to believe that we learned who the nominees were back in February, and… read more

Cookbooks or lookbooks?

October 23, 2020 by
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Some cookbooks on my shelf have splashes and splotches in many places, worn dust jackets, and other signs of being well-used in the kitchen. Others are pristine, with stiff spines and immaculate covers. This does not mean I love these volumes any less, however. Some cookbooks lend themselves more to looking than cooking, and that's okay. I'm not alone in… read more

Do you organize your grocery cart?

October 22, 2020 by
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A lot of people dislike bagging their own groceries, feeling like it is disenfranchising workers and pushing work on shoppers without giving them any benefit in price reduction. I, on the other hand, often volunteer to pack the groceries myself. Bagging my own is one of the many reasons I am a fan of Aldi as well. I'm pro-self-bagging because… read more

Is something amiss in the GBBO tent?

October 21, 2020 by
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As Jenny has noted in her weekly recaps, the Great British Bake Off seems to be lacking its usual charm and it seems more difficult to engage with the bakers this season. It is difficult to put a finger on what about the show is leaving people cold. The hosts seem fine, the bakers are characters as always, so what… read more

Extreme gardening takes root

October 20, 2020 by
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Vegetable gardening took off this year, partly because the pandemic stoked fears of food shortages and partly due to the fact the people had a lot more time on their hands and needed a good socially-distant hobby. People proudly posted photos of their tomatoes, carrots, beans, and squash on social media. But the twee harvests of these nascent backyard horticulturalists… read more

Is making pasta the new yoga?

October 19, 2020 by
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With a pandemic raging in many areas of the world, fires burning in several US states, no-deal Brexit looming, and a hotly-contested US Presidential election only weeks away, it is safe to say that people everywhere are stressed out (except maybe in New Zealand, lucky dogs). Self-care has never been more important, and what better way to soothe and nourish… read more

Food news antipasto

October 18, 2020 by
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We'll start off this week with a perennial favorite: a list of 50 great cookbooks coming out in fall 2020. This one comes to us from Food & Wine, and contains many of the volumes that Jenny has in her review of the best cookbooks of the season. Speaking of Food & Wine, they recently discussed how California chefs are… read more

Take a look at Le Creuset’s Noël Collection

October 17, 2020 by
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If you follow Jenny on social media (and if you don't, you should), you probably saw her post on the latest special edition Santa cocotte from Le Creuset. It is part of their new Noël Collection, and there is something there that almost everyone can afford. If the Dutch oven with the Santa lid is out of your price range, you… read more

Smithsonian Food History Weekend goes virtual – and it’s free to attend

October 16, 2020 by
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Last evening, Washington's Smithsonian Institute opened its sixth annual - and first virtual - Food History Weekend with a live gala announcing the recipient of the Julia Child Award, Danielle Nierenberg, Co-Founder and President of Food Tank. The theme of the weekend, hosted by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, is Food Futures: Striving for Justice. The event brings… read more

Maggie Beer isn’t afraid of hard work

October 15, 2020 by
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Maggie Beer is one of Australia's best-known food personalities. A master of media, she has appeared on several television programs and has written a string of successful cookbooks, and this spring she even started an Instagram video series. This is in addition to being a successful restaurateur. When not pursuing those varied activities, Maggie spends her time working on her… read more

Legendary Napa chef loses cookbook collection in fire

October 14, 2020 by
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In our weekly roundup of food news we have covered the effects that fires in California and Oregon have had on restaurants and wine-producing regions in those states, and today we learned of another loss in the culinary community. Napa chef Cindy Pawlcyn of Mustard's Grill and other influential California restaurants lost her entire 3,800-volume cookbook library in the devastating Glass… read more

Pandemic culinary pastimes

October 14, 2020 by
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Although restrictions are loosening in many areas, venturing out to restaurants is still too risky for my family, which includes extremely high-risk individuals. Leisurely grocery shopping trips are out as well. Even though I am a diehard baker, my enthusiasm for baking has dwindled since spring and my sourdough died months ago. But all is not lost - I have… read more

An apple a day

October 13, 2020 by
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Along with magnificent leaf colors, a crispness to the air, and noticeably shorter days, a sure sign that fall is underway are the stacks of shiny apples at the local market. There are over 7,000 named types of apples, and although most guides to apple varieties stick to only the top ten or so, every region has its own local… read more

Food news antipasto

October 11, 2020 by
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Another team member has left the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen. This time it is breakout video star Claire Saffitz, author of the newly-released cookbook Dessert Person: Recipes and Guidance for Baking with Confidence. Saffitz broke the news to fans via Instagram, saying that she was "grateful to Bon Appétit and CNE for the opportunity to build my career on their platforms, but… read more

What happened to Fine Cooking’s website?

October 9, 2020 by
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Fine Cooking Magazine has been a perennial EYB Member favorite and has legions of dedicated fans. Earlier in the year, we heard that Taunton was going to stop publishing the print magazine, although nothing was said about what would happen to its digital offerings. Fine Cooking's Twitter account fell silent beginning in June but the Facebook page continued to post… read more

Thanksgiving, virtually

October 9, 2020 by
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One of the most important food holidays in the US and Canada is coming up, but it will look a lot different than it has in years past. Monday marks Canadian Thanksgiving, and the US holiday follows on November 26th. Usually, we would be talking about how people would be gathering around the table in large groups, debating perennial topics… read more

Pandemic cooking gets weird

October 8, 2020 by
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When lockdowns were first implemented and restaurants had to close their doors, millions of people had to quickly pivot to becoming full-time cooks for their families. At first many of us embraced this paradigm shift, pouring our anxiety-laced energy into making breads and tackling meals we otherwise might not have made. After some time had passed, however, things started to… read more
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