Food news antipasto

Hazelnut lovers, prepare for price increases. It seems a stinkbug invasion in Turkey is threatening the world's largest hazelnut growing region. The brown marmorated stinkbug has been hitching rides in cargo containers. If the bug cannot be contained, it could damage about 30% of Turkey's output, which would be close to 20% of the entire world supply of hazelnuts. The… read more

Rethinking holiday dinners

Easter and Passover are two of the biggest food holidays of the year, but 2020 is shaping up to feature much more intimate feasts. This means rethinking what is going on the table. If there are only going to be two to four instead of a dozen or more, you are going to need to scale back unless you want… read more

Chefs and authors help us cook in quarantine

If you find yourself struggling to find interesting ideas for making meals from your pantry supplies, you are not alone. The cavalry is on the way, however: a handful of well-known chefs, cookbook authors and food writers are here to help. They have started streaming free cooking demonstrations and lessons from their own home kitchens. Maggie Beer's career has already… read more

Sowing the seeds of self-care

Every year I have great plans to create a large, bountiful garden that will supply me with an abundance of vegetables. It never gets quite as large as I envision, but I usually get enough plants to at least supplement my weekly grocery shop with vegetables like cucumbers, beans, tomatoes, and lettuce. This year the garden is taking on even… read more

We are all Ina Garten right now

Being at home all of the time makes it difficult to remember what day of the week it is, so we're going to pretend it's Sunday again and time for more food news 'antipasto'. Today the beloved Ina Garten reminded us why we love her. She posted a video in which she is making a giant Cosmo (and when I… read more

Out of sight, out of mind

Jenny's post earlier today about the Le Creuset factory to table online sale sent me scurrying to the LC website in a flash. Thanks to generous friends and my own efforts in finding good deals on LC and Staub, I have a better-than-average collection of enameled cast iron cookware. Nevertheless, I figure there is always room for another pan in… read more

No World’s 50 Best ceremony in 2020

Usually during this time of year we are sharing news of cookbook award nominees and winners, along with other food industry awards. This year, however, everything seems to be in limbo. IACP is postponing their awards ceremonies, the James Beard Foundation hasn't even released its list of nominees, and now we learn that there will be no ceremony until at… read more

Food news antipasto

With more of us cooking at home than ever before, I thought it would be a good idea to focus on the basics this week. First up is a guide from The L.A. Times on how to roast vegetables. It provides advice on how to adjust oven temperatures and times for different sizes and densities of vegetables. Jim Dixon, who… read more

Cooking with supermarket rejects

Visits to the grocery store take on a completely different vibe these days. Staples like flour, spaghetti, and eggs are in short supply, although some aisles of the supermarket are completely stocked. If you are clever and can afford to take a chance on unusual ingredients, you can make good use of the items everyone else is overlooking, says Australian… read more

Farmers markets go virtual

In addition to chefs, servers, dishwashers and other employees, farmers are caught up in the closure of restaurants across the US. Many small farmers sell directly to restaurants in addition to running CSAs or particpating in farmers markets. Due to social distancing concerns, some farmers markets are going virtual, offering direct to consumer shipments of produce, grass-fed beef, and free-range… read more

Food safety tips

A lot of us are suddenly making more meals at home than ever before. Most of us are hunkering down in our homes and only venturing out for necessities like groceries. In nearly all areas of the US, people are still able to go to the grocery store (even if some staples are rarely in stock), but even these necessary… read more

Chef Floyd Cardoz dies at age 59

We received the sad news today that celebrated Chef Floyd Cardoz, owner of three acclaimed NYC restaurants and the author of two well-regarded cookbooks, has died due to complications of Covid-19. As news of his death spread, people reflected on Cardoz's trailblazing career. The Splendid Table's Francis Lam tweeted: "Utterly stunned and heartbroken by the loss of Floyd Cardoz. A… read more

Eater’s list of the best cookbooks of the season

The lists of new cookbooks to add to your wish list keeps growing. This version, featuring fifteen volumes, comes from Eater. You will see many of the same books that Jenny included on her recent list of the best spring cookbooks such as Dinner in French: My Recipes by Way of France by Melissa Clark and Falastin: A Cookbook by… read more

The top 10 breads in the world

Although I will happily eat a burnished baguette, a slice of sourdough, or a puffy pita, I'm a sucker for a pillowy, soft white sandwich bread. I'm sure everyone has their favorite bread, but few people are willing to state what they believe to be the top 10 breads in the entire world. But Tim Carman of The Washington Post… read more

Food news antipasto

People are probably tired of hearing about the coronavirus, but the severe fallout keeps making headlines. One that might be interesting to our Members is that the sun may be setting on California's beloved Sunset Magazine. Due to a drop in advertising, the publication is laying off workers and its future is now in doubt. Restaurants around the world are… read more

Harbinger of the season

Spring has sprung here in the northern latitudes, and signs of the season are literally popping up all over. Yesterday I went outside to enjoy a breath of fresh air, and while the air was still chilly, the sun shone brightly and small sprigs of green could be seen in a few spots in my garden. Approaching one of these… read more

Now is the time for complicated projects

A great number of people who normally work in an office are currently working from home. Others are staying home for less fortunate reasons, such as layoffs and store closures. In both scenarios, a lot of us have a little extra time on our hands, and also could use a little positive distraction. Perhaps now is the time to jump… read more

How to support local businesses (including cookbook stores)

The restaurant industry is reeling during this chaotic time. Also feeling the pinch are independent booksellers, many of which have been forced to close their doors as cities institute strict policies on which stores can remain open during the pandemic. Many stores and restaurants are shifting how they do business in order to stay afloat, as most of them operate… read more

Food websites offer free access

As more and more of us are staying home due to the coronavirus outbreak, people will be reversing the trend of eating out and will be making their own meals. Some of us are more accustomed to doing a lot of cooking at home but others will struggle. And after a few days, even those of us who like cooking… read more

The best spring cookbooks according to Epicurious

While Jenny provides us all with great reviews of upcoming books, she is only one person and can't possibly review every new volume that is hitting store shelves. To help fill the gaps, occasionally we report about other sites that also provide us with insight on upcoming releases. Today we'll take a look at what Epicurious thinks are the 55… read more

Food news antipasto

This week's news cycle has been dominated by measures being taken by countries around the world to slow the spread of the coronavirus. If you are staying home to avoid contact with others, you might want to take note of the recent Salon article on how to use citrus peel scraps to make better cocktails. Resourcefulness rules during times like… read more

Celebrate Pi(e) Day

Today is the perfect day for bakers to celebrate both pi and pie due to the natural synergy between the two. Bakers use pi when scaling pie and cake recipes to determine the proper pan size, and of course, they also love to make pie, whether filled with fruit, custard, meat, or vegetables. Pie is universally appealing to everyone from… read more

Coronavirus takes its toll on the food industry

While people have wiped the shelves bare of toilet paper, the concern about the spread of coronavirus has affected other areas of the economy as well. Several restaurants, including NYC's Le Bernardin, San Francisco's La Taqueria, and dozens more have closed their doors for at least a couple of weeks. Alinea's Nick Kokonas explains how many restaurants are facing a… read more

Renowned chef Michel Roux dies at age 79

Michel Roux, the famed French chef who along with his brother Albert revitalized fine dining in the UK, has died at the age of 79. The Roux brothers restaurants, Le Gavroche and The Waterside Inn, attracted Britain’s upper crust and provided a training ground for many of the country's top chefs, including Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsay and Marcus Wareing. Even though… read more

Buzz about the Great British Bake Off 2020

I think we are all in need of some good news and something to look forward to, which is why I was excited to see a blurb about the Great British Bake Off in my news feed. In January we reported that GBBO host Sandi Toksvig was not going to be a co-host on the upcoming season of the show… read more
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