Beloved Italian cookery writer Antonio Carluccio has died

November 8, 2017 by
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We have sad news to report today, as the much-loved and respected Antonio Carluccio has died at the age of 80. Known as a master of Italian food, Carluccio cooked, ate, and championed the cuisine for over 50 years. Born on the Amalfi Coast in the South and raised in the wooded North-West, Carluccio moved to London in 1957. In… read more

Dessert anthropology

November 7, 2017 by
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I just discovered my dream job, and baker and cookbook author Valerie Gordon has it: dessert anthropologist. Gordon's enviable position involves researching and recreating popular items from bakeries, stores, and other places that are no longer in business, where the recipes for iconic dishes have been lost to time. When I was majoring in anthropology years ago, I never imagined… read more

2018’s food trends according to Waitrose

November 6, 2017 by
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  Each fall, Waitrose publishes an annual report on food and drink. In it, they predict what the next year's big trends will be. Often, they are right on the mark - last year, they correctly predicted trends like gourmet meal kits and botanical cocktails. Last week, Waitrose published their report for 2018, providing us with clues as to what… read more

Spice support: galangal

November 5, 2017 by
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Some spices so much resemble another spice that the more common of the two is usually substituted for the lesser known one. Such is the case for galangal, a tropical plant in the ginger family. There are two main types of galangal used in Southeast Asian, and to a lesser extent, Chinese cooking: greater galangal and lesser galangal. There is… read more

The meaning behind food memoirs

November 4, 2017 by
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If cookbook lovers aren't devouring the latest offering from Yotam Ottolenghi, Ina Garten, or their favorite blogger, they are probably reading another food-related book such as a food memoir. That genre has exploded in recent years, with bloggers, chefs, and other food writers sharing their stories. Although some critics complain that the books are too similar, Ruby Tandoh thinks that… read more

Meals that changed the world

November 3, 2017 by
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Yesterday we posted about six people who changed an entire country's (and perhaps even beyond its borders) cuisine. In addition to people, meals themselves have shaped the course of world affairs for centuries. Whether in the form of celebratory banquets or intimate dinners, this "dining diplomacy" helped negotiators get the upper hand when it came to treaties, drawing borders, and… read more

How six ex-pats changed the way Americans eat

November 2, 2017 by
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Prior to the middle of the 20th century, the American food scene was stagnant. A post-war boom led to increased availability of canned and processed foods, and less and less food was made at home, from scratch. That trend began to reverse when the likes of Julia Child and Richard Olney brought French influences back with them from extended stays… read more

Use this food-serving calculator to make just the right amount this Thanksgiving

November 1, 2017 by
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  Planning a big holiday meal, like the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday for those of us in the US, can be stressful. First, you have to choose which dishes to make, running the risk of angering family members if you stray too far from tradition. Then you have to determine how much of everything to prepare. The biggest concern is running… read more

Even top chefs use shortcuts

October 31, 2017 by
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  When you think of what the world's top chefs make at home, you likely picture them gently simmering bones and vegetables to make homemade stock, or folding and rolling puff pastry from scratch. As it turns out, even chefs use shortcuts. Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge surprised many people last week when he admitted to using stock cubes instead of… read more

Truffle prices surge due to poor harvest

October 30, 2017 by
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Truffles have long been associated with haute cuisine. Brillat-Savarin called truffles "the diamond of the kitchen", and the delicious fungi have graced fine dining menus the world over. Truffles are notoriously finicky to grow, steadfastly resisting attempts to cultivate them. This results in truffle prices being high even in good years - which 2017 is not. Bloomberg reports that white truffles… read more

600 years of cookbook history

October 29, 2017 by
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We are living in a golden age of cookbooks, one where almost everyone can find a book filled with recipes for a reasonable price. It wasn't always like this - centuries ago, only the wealthiest people had cookbooks, which were seen as a status symbol. Henry Notaker traces the history of cookbooks for seven centuries in his book A History of… read more

Potato, potahto

October 28, 2017 by
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  White, red, russet, gold, fingerling - while these are the types of potatoes you will find in most supermarkets, there are actually dozens of varieties. You might see some of the lesser known cultivars at farmers' markets or upscale grocery stores. It's tempting to pick up a bundle of purple potatoes, but then what? We've found a handy guide… read more

Lidia’s American Dream

October 27, 2017 by
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Lidia Bastianich helped create a food empire -  in addition to owning six restaurants with her son, Joe, she is part owner of the New York and Chicago Eataly locations. As if this weren't enough, she has two Emmy Award-winning PBS programs,  Lidia's Italy and Lidia's Kitchen, and several successful cookbooks. While you may already know all of this, you might not know… read more

The Galloping Gourmet’s cookbook is updated and reissued

October 26, 2017 by
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One of the first food television personalities, Graham Kerr figuratively and literally leapt into the public eye in the late 1960s in his television shown called The Galloping Gourmet. Known for his boundless energy, Kerr introduced the world to the idea that watching someone cook could be highly entertaining. Publishing house Rizzoli has updated Kerr's popular cookbook, The Graham Kerr… read more

Over 5,000 video recipes now indexed

October 25, 2017 by
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  A growing category of recipes available on blogs and websites is the video recipe. Sometimes they take the form of a mini-episode of a cooking show; other times they are more focused on specific techniques or methods. A few are made as much for kitsch and fun (I'm looking at you, Metal Kitchen) as they are for serious cooking. … read more

French butter shortage causes consternation

October 24, 2017 by
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  A perfect storm of various trends is causing a butter crisis in France. Increased demand for French baked goods in Asia and other locations, coupled with a reduced European milk supply, has caused a shortage of butter and a resultant spike in prices that shows no sign of abating.  Butter prices in France have increased 60-percent the past year.  Photos… read more

Chef John Besh steps down amidst controversy

October 23, 2017 by
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On Saturday the New Orleans Times-Picayune published a shocking account of sexual harassment allegations against lauded New Orleans chef and restaurateur John Besh. Two days after the story broke, Besh resigned as head of Besh Restaurant Group (BRG), the company he founded. BRG executive Shannon White will assume the duties of chief executive officer. Besh has not said what he will do with… read more

What do you do when you have 30,000 cookbooks?

October 21, 2017 by
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  Many EYB Members have impressive cookbook collections numbering in the hundreds and a few have thousands of cookbooks on their shelves. One man in Berlin puts us all to shame. He has collected over 30,000 cookbooks and did what anyone with that many books would do: he opened a cookbook store.   In the article, we only learn the collector's… read more

Raiding Grandma’s recipe box

October 20, 2017 by
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  If you are a fan of Southern barbecue, you are probably familiar with the side dishes that are must-have accompaniments like baked beans, macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, and potato salad. One North Carolina pitmaster is shaking things up at his popular restaurant. Matt Register, proprietor of Southern Smoke BBQ in the tiny town of Garland, raids his grandmother's recipe… read more

Feeling the absence in the leftovers

October 19, 2017 by
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  When I was growing up, Sunday supper at my grandparents' farm was all but mandatory. Portions were substantial, dessert always provided, and leftovers packaged and sent home to various households. The act of cooking for others - whether it be your own family, for friends, or even for strangers - is entrenched in cultures worldwide.  Food writer Jay Rayner… read more

This chef is tired of over-the-top food

October 18, 2017 by
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When food crazes include rainbows, unicorns, and mash ups of foods, it's safe to say that over-the-top is definitely in style. However, that's no longer the philosophy of Los Angeles chef Kris Yenbangroom, who is set to open his third restaurant. When he first opened his place, called Night+Market, he admits he had a "heavy hand" when it came to… read more

Melissa Clark on how to create the perfect recipe

October 17, 2017 by
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Popular food writer Melissa Clark is no stranger to recipe development. She creates recipes for her column in The New York Times and other publications, plus she's written or co-written nearly 40 cookbooks. In a recent interview with The Cut, she explains her process for creating the perfect recipe.  The first step involves inspiration. Clark says she she sometimes begins with… read more

Cooking for good

October 16, 2017 by
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No doubt you have heard about the devasting fires in northern California, and the dire situation facing the residents of Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. What you might not have known is that two celebrity chefs have jumped in to help the people affected by those disasters. With all of the bad news being reported in recent weeks, it's heartwarming to… read more

The evolution of the newspaper food section

October 15, 2017 by
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  In today's media saturated age, it can be difficult to imagine a time when there was only one or two sources for information about food and cooking. For decades, however, that was the case. Before there was Instagram, blogs, food television, or even food magazines, the newspaper food column provided the only information most people could get about recipes… read more

Quick action saves M.F.K. Fisher’s former home

October 14, 2017 by
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Few people have had as much impact on food writing as M.F.K. Fisher. Beginning with Serve it Forth, published in 1937, her career as a writer flourished. For the last 20 years of her life, Fisher resided in a home she designed and called "Last House", built in Glen Ellen, California.  The recent devastating wildfires in northern California threatened the… read more
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