Cool as a cucumber

July 20, 2020 by
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Whether they are pickled, tossed in a salad, or used in a dip, cucumbers find their way into many meals. They are not typically the stars of any meal, although the team at Serious Eats thinks they are underrated. Reminding us of "the cucumber's sweet, grassy flavor and refreshing crunch", Serious Eats provides 22 cucumber recipes to keep you cool… read more

Food news antipasto

July 19, 2020 by
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We'll start this week's roundup of food news with an announcement from Saveur magazine. In a recent IG post, the magazine said it is bringing back the Saveur 100. You can help contribute to this special issue by telling Saveur about your favorite places to eat, must-have kitchen tools and gadgets, and game-changing techniques. In the past few weeks, social… read more

Learning from the masters

July 18, 2020 by
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Television cooking shows can offer useful cooking tips, workable recipes, and creative ideas on how to showcase unusual ingredients. Sometimes, however, what is being done on the small screen - especially in competition cooking programs - does not exactly translate to the real world. Good Food (AU) Eloise Basuki explains this is a humorous, snark-filled article on 12 unrealistic cooking… read more

Moldy jam causes a stir at Sqirl

July 16, 2020 by
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Earlier this month I wrote about how there is no clean part of moldy bread. Perhaps I was sensing mold in the air because recent events have brought the subject to the forefront. Jessica Koslow, owner of the highly regarded Los Angeles cafe Sqirl, has come under fire for reportedly scraping the mold off containers of Sqirl’s house-made jam and… read more

John deBary on the most underrated cocktail

July 15, 2020 by
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Almost no one has been as steeped in the world of cocktails as John deBary. With law school as his goal, he landed what was supposed to be a temporary job at Jim Meehan's famed NYC bar, PDT, in 2008 during the cocktail revival. He got hooked on mixology, ditched his law school plans, and went on to be the… read more

Ideas to use up your zucchini glut

July 14, 2020 by
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One of my neighbors gave me some zucchini from her garden last week. I had been waiting for this moment, as I don't plant it in my own garden. Like most people who grow zucchini (aka courgettes or summer squash), my neighbor ended up with more than she could use and began giving it away, which worked out perfectly for… read more

Another famed restaurant closes permanently

July 13, 2020 by
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The headlines about top restaurants that are closing permanently continue to pile up. Even long-standing establishments that have weathered recessions and natural disasters are not immune to the financial pressures created by lockdowns and the public's reluctance to resume in-person dining when it is available again. This time it is K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen, a staple of the New Orleans dining… read more

Food news antipasto

July 12, 2020 by
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Two world-famous NYC-based culinary schools announced their merger earlier in the week. The International Culinary Center (formerly the French Culinary Institute) is closing its doors after over thirty years and will be absorbed by The Institute for Culinary Education. We don't know the plans for the ICC's legendary instructors )Jacques Pépin, Jacques Torres, André Soltner and Alain Sailhac) although ICE… read more

Beautiful to grow and wonderful to eat

July 11, 2020 by
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Gardening has long been a hobby for me. I inherited the gardening bug from my parents, who grew an assortment of vegetables, fruits, and flowers in gardens scattered across our small suburban lot. While it's obvious when you are growing vegetables that you plan to eat them, the same cannot be said about gardens that showcase beautiful blooms. There are… read more

Sur La Table to close nearly half of its stores

July 10, 2020 by
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I have always appreciated dedicated kitchen stores. The tempting displays of cookware, gadgets, serving platters, niche foods, and tableware provide inspiration, even if some items are a bit too precious (does anyone really need to brand their initials on a steak?) or priced out of reach for us working class folk. I will never forget the sense of awe I… read more

Neil Perry announces his retirement

July 9, 2020 by
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In news that came as a surprise to the industry, Australian superstar chef Neil Perry announced that he is hanging up his chef's whites this year. After a nearly 40-year career that saw the launch of a successful restaurant empire, Perry is "stepping away from the role of culinary director and ambassador within the Rockpool Dining Group but will remain a… read more

Lockdown bakers get creative

July 8, 2020 by
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Whether it's a seasoned baker making an impressive tart or a newbie tipping his toes into the bread-baking waters, the pandemic has spawned an obsession with baking. Part of it has to do with the 'comfort-food' factor, while shortages and disrupted shopping schedules also play roles. As an avid baker who has long attempted (mostly unsuccessfully) to drag my friends… read more

Celebrate World Chocolate Day

July 7, 2020 by
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Today is World Chocolate Day, fêted on 7 July because that is ostensibly the date that chocolate was introduced to Europe in 1550. We will help you celebrate by listing several revered chocolate recipes from the EYB Library. But first, let’s learn some interesting facts about this delicious subject. Express (UK) lists ten things you probably never knew about chocolate, while… read more

When in doubt, throw it out

July 7, 2020 by
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One of the most memorable people I ever met was my friend's elderly grandmother. At age 98 she traveled to Hawaii for the first time. At 99, she worked a garden larger than any I have ever tended, filled with corn, beans, and her favorite vegetable, sweet potatoes. She canned many of the vegetables and fruits she grew in her… read more

Food news antipasto

July 5, 2020 by
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Earlier this week we learned some news from one of our favorite cookbook authors, the talented Nik Sharma. Nik informed us that he will be contributing a regular food science column to Serious Eats. In the tweet, he also shared that Daniela Galarza will be leaving Serious Eats and moving to The Washington Post. Congrats to Nik and Daniela -… read more

The interesting history of the Popsicle

July 4, 2020 by
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As we celebrate Independence Day in the US, the temperature in much of the country is sizzling hot. When the weather gets hot, people turn to the freezer for refreshment, and one frozen treat is perfect to beat the heat: Popsicles. The brightly-colored, fruit-flavored frozen concoctions are a natural foil to a sticky summer afternoon. Popsicles are adored by children… read more

Fear of an empty pantry

July 3, 2020 by
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Two days ago I did something I haven't done in four years: I plugged in the chest freezer in the basement. I inherited this freezer from the previous home's owner, and to say that it is an eyesore is an understatement. The handle is broken, rust spots speckle the exterior, and duct tape covers a crack in the plastic underside… read more

Peter Meehan out at LA Times

July 3, 2020 by
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It wasn't that long ago that the Los Angeles Times announced that Peter Meehan would head its revamped and expanded food section. Just a little more than one year since he assumed his duties, Meehan has resigned his post as editor after claims that he created a toxic work environment. The departure comes after freelance writer Tammie Teclemariam alleged that… read more

Lost in translation

July 1, 2020 by
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How many cookbooks do you have that are written in another language? How many others that began life in another language but were translated to English? If you have a large enough cookbook collection, you might have a handful of books that aren't in your native tongue, but most of us only have cookbooks in one language, and for most… read more

Padma Lakshmi’s new television program

June 30, 2020 by
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Former model and Top Chef co-host Padma Lakshmi is no stranger to the camera, but on her new Hulu show Taste the Nation, she is front and center in a different way. We first learned about the show last year, and recently Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips interviewed Lakshmi about the the program (subscription required to read the article), which… read more

Food news antipasto

June 28, 2020 by
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If you loved Monica, Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Joey, and Phoebe, then I have good news for you: an official 'Friends' cookbook is coming out this fall. There will be over 70 recipes inspired by the popular show featuring everything from appetizers to desserts. Some of the recipes include ones from specific episodes, such as Ross's gravy-soaked "Moist Maker" sandwich and… read more

Keeping your cool in a hot kitchen

June 27, 2020 by
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It's 11:00 p.m. and I am standing in my kitchen, putting dough into my enameled cast iron pot for a loaf of no-knead bread. I promised my friends I would go on a bicycle ride with them at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow, so why I am I staying up so late baking bread? Because even though the sun has been down… read more

Look outside the newsstand for the best food writing

June 26, 2020 by
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For decades, if you wanted to read well written pieces about food, you purchased a magazine or a book. The invention of the internet changed the paradigm, and suddenly the world was awash in food blogs, some better than others. It is difficult monetizing a blog, however, and as the space becomes ever more crowded, it can be all but… read more

Bourdain Day remembrances

June 25, 2020 by
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Today would be Anthony Bourdain's 64th birthday, and the culinary world still mourns his loss. His friends Eric Ripert and José Andrés started #BourdainDay in 2018 as a day to honor the chef, author, and television star. Today remembrances have been streaming through social media. Ripert tweeted "Celebrating My Dear Friend Anthony Bourdain. THX for your unconditional Friendship & loyalty,… read more

Flouting conventional fungi wisdom

June 24, 2020 by
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Just when you think you can't be surprised by a new cooking technique, someone comes along to shake things up. The debate about whether to wash mushrooms before cooking has raged for decades, but how you should cook them was never in doubt - you saute them with butter or oil, right? Maybe not: according to Jim Fuller, co-founder of… read more
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