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

Strangest food stories of 2025

January 8, 2026 by
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Since the new year is just over a week old, let's take one more look back at 2025, this time with an eye for the weird. The Standard recently published a recounting of six strange food stories in the UK. As with nearly everything in these turbulent and fast-moving times, 2025 was filled with...interesting moments. Japanese fruit sandos from Simply… read more

More 2026 food predictions

January 7, 2026 by
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Several days ago we published McCormick's prediction for flavor of the year, black currant, but NPR's Neda Ulaby reports that chefs and food business insiders think that additional foods and flavors are poised to be big in 2026. Among these predictions beyond the afore-mentioned black currant, along with cinnamon rolls, pandan, and cabbage. Pandan lamingtons from Cuisine Magazine Swicy -… read more

Celebrating National Bean Day

January 6, 2026 by
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Serendipity stepped into my kitchen today as I accidentally celebrated National Bean Day. I was alerted to this food "holiday" by my coworker who loves beans. As luck would have it, I had soaked chickpeas overnight to make falafel, so I was able to celebrate the holiday without even trying. Maybe eating that pot of calico beans on New Year's… read more

Food news antipasto

January 4, 2026 by
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Visiting family (or having family visit) during the holidays can be both rewarding and stressful. Having people stay at your house means dealing with their likes, dislikes, and quirks. Usually by the time they leave everyone is ready for the departure. If you managed to avoid any arguments, kudos to you. One man recently posted on Reddit about the fallout… read more

ATK poised to buy Food52

January 2, 2026 by
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Last week, Food52 filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition, seeking to reorganize the company's assets and liabilities in an effort to avoid going out of business. America's Test Kitchen has entered into an agreement to buy all of Food52's assets, according to a press release issued just before the new year. According to a story on MSN, the sale price… read more

Jacques Pépin’s advice to young chefs

January 1, 2026 by
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It is difficult to overstate the amount of influence that Jacques Pépin has had on American cooking. From his work at Howard Johnson in the 1960s to his fabulous PBS shows to his numerous cookbooks to his more recent philanthropic work, he has solidified his legacy as a culinary icon. As he celebrated his 90th birthday, Food and Wine talked… read more

Lucky foods for the new year

December 31, 2025 by
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After waking up this New Year's Day (if you feel like eating, that is), you may celebrate with a traditional meal of ‘lucky’ foods meant to help bring good fortune for the coming year. Foods that have particular symbolism vary depending on culture, but most are associated with wealth, health, and good luck. Beans and greens are two of these… read more

A new way to help achieve your New Year’s cooking goals

December 30, 2025 by
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We have reached that time when many of us reflect on the past year and set our aspirations for the next. Last year, my main intention was to read or re-read every one of my cookbooks. On this, I failed miserably. I will not share the paltry number of books I made it through, but in my defense, 2025 was… read more

Food news antipasto

December 29, 2025 by
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This liminal period between Christmas and New Year's has my brain scrambled, so please accept my apologies for this delayed recap of food news. Since 2025 is nearly over, everyone is looking back at the top stories and recipes for the year. Australian Gourmet Traveller published its most popular recipes of 2025, and The Sydney Morning Herald's Good Food recounts… read more

Self-checkout theft is rising

December 27, 2025 by
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One consequence of continued high prices at the grocery store may be that shoppers are taking advantage of self-checkouts to help ease their grocery budget issues. More people are reporting that they have intentionally not scanned items at self-checkouts, with 27% of shoppers admitting to it in a recent survey. The rates vary by age and economic status, with younger… read more

In pursuit of perfection

December 26, 2025 by
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In October, a Redditor who goes by Chivelord began a quest: cutting chives every day until Reddit deemed them 'perfect'. Each day he would post a photo of the day's cut. The comments would pour in: "uneven", a "train" (when the chives aren't cut fully through and are still attached), "towers" (cut too long). Chivelord persevered, cutting again and again… read more

How well do you know Christmas food traditions?

December 25, 2025 by
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If you are sitting around in a food-induced stupor after consuming a huge holiday feast, here is a fun Christmas food (and drink) quiz to complete. I did okay, although I missed a few that I really should have known. I blame the heavy meal for making me have brain fog, but it was totally worth it. We eschewed tradition… read more

The worst gifts ever

December 23, 2025 by
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What's more fun than sharing your favorite food and cooking holiday gifts that you received? A list of the worst gifts you ever got. While the list is not specifically for kitchen items, several people recounted presents that were food or cooking- related. One woman, who bought her husband an expensive Tag Heuer watch, received a cheap blender from him.… read more

Food news antipasto

December 22, 2025 by
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Assorted cheeses on a rustic wooden board
We recently learned that Sri Owen, who popularized Indonesian cooking worldwide, died last month at the age of 90. Born in Sumatra, Indonesia, she moved to Britain in 1964 and was an internationally celebrated author, lecturer and cook. Her books include The Rice Book (winner of the Andre Simon award) and Indonesian Regional Food and Cookery. She served on the… read more

Put down the cocktail, pick up…the dishrag?

December 20, 2025 by
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A hand in a yellow cleaning glove wipes across the face of an oven
Just when you think you have seen all the hot takes possible when it comes to cleaning your kitchen, up pops a new one. This one involves a DIY hack, but it does not instruct you to use vinegar, baking soda, or any of the usual items that get pulled into service as a cleaning product. Instead, says Rolland Judd… read more

Taking holiday classics to a new level

December 19, 2025 by
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While most of us struggle to create a passable bûche de Noël or galettes des rois, pastry chefs around the world are taking these creations to new heights this holiday season. Food and Wine brings us seven interpretations of bûche de Noël that will amaze. Nina Métayer's looks like an elaborate, oversized Christmas ornament. Lift up the top and you… read more

The best type of pan for baking pie

December 18, 2025 by
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Even if you don't bake often, you probably have a pie pan that gets dragged out for special occasions like the holidays. A majority of people have a glass or ceramic pan because those are the most common options, but as Serious Eat's Rebecca Frey notes, those may not be the best materials to achieve an evenly-baked, flaky crust. She… read more

Huge salad dressing recall at Costco, Publix, and more

December 16, 2025 by
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Ventura Foods LLC has issued a recall of salad dressings sold in 27 US states at retailers including Costco and Publix. The recall, which was initiated first on November 4 and later classified as a Class II recall, affects over 3,500 cases of the product. The issue is the presence of foreign objects, namely a black plastic planting material that was… read more

Food news antipasto

December 14, 2025 by
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I spotted several gift guides and ideas as I was checking on food news, and thought I would share a few highlights: Nordic Ware has gifts for the Bundt lover and more, Saveur has a limited edition cookbook featuring holiday cakes. The New York Times has a list of 24 gifts for people who love food, and Food & Wine… read more

That’s a wrap

December 13, 2025 by
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Plastic packaging is on nearly every food you can buy these days. It is difficult - almost impossible, in fact - to avoid it. Aside from the environmental impact, the plastic does little to improve the food. It only minimally keeps it from spoiling, and in some cases it leaches chemicals into the food. But what if the wrap around… read more

The 2026 flavor of the year, as predicted by McCormick

December 11, 2025 by
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The spice company McCormick, in part of its annual report on dining trends, has predicted that black currant will be the breakout flavor of the coming year. They also predict that 'little luxuries' will continue to be popular, and say that black currant goes hand-in-hand with that trend. Last year, the company named ají amarillo as the flavor of 2025. McCormick dispatched… read more

Chocolate on the chopping block

December 10, 2025 by
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It's no secret that chocolate, like so many food items, has been getting increasingly expensive. Cocoa plants are highly susceptible to the effects of climate change. Add to that labor issues, tariffs, and an infection carried by mealybugs, and you have a crisis. Manufacturers have to pivot as the cost of their key ingredient continues to rise. Some companies have… read more

They don’t make them like they used to

December 9, 2025 by
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My husband and I collect vintage appliances, but not just for display, we use them on a regular basis. The oldest electric appliance we have dates to 1915, the waffle maker shown below. We have non-electric items as old as 1868 (a Howe treadle sewing machine). Beyond the beauty of these items, we appreciate how well they work - in… read more

Food news antipasto

December 7, 2025 by
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Jamie Oliver is not a quitter. Six years after he had to shutter his Italian restaurant chain's UK locations, he is bringing Jamie's Italian back with a new partner. The new iteration of the restaurant is backed by Brava Hospitality Group, which hopes to revive the chain. The first location will be located in London’s Leicester Square. Despite the obstacles… read more
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