When mold on food is OK

June 29, 2012 by
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We all have had that disconcerting moment - there's a bit of mold on a food item that, ordinarily, we'd be reluctant to toss. What to do...? In this article on the HuffPost, 4 Moldy Foods You Can Eat (Plus Which Foods to Toss), EatingWell gives some useful advice - we found it both interesting and ironic that you can keep… read more

Remembering Nora Ephron

June 28, 2012 by
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Nora Ephron's death reminded us of the pleasure that she brought with such movies as Julie and Julie, Sleepless in Seattle, and You've Got Mail. And, of course, if for nothing else we'll remember her for teaching us how to make great vinaigrette in Heartburn. In this interview at Epicurious she talks about childhood dishes, favorite cookbooks, and food. And the Huffington Post… read more

Food52’s final list of 10 essential cookbooks

June 27, 2012 by
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A few weeks ago we posted a blog noting that Food52 had put out a call to all their readers for a list of their 10 essential cookbooks. The contest has ended and Food 52 just posted the finals. Any - or all! - of these would make a great gift for a graduate or new married couple. And remember… read more

Is there too much sanctimony in today’s food writing?

June 26, 2012 by
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Stephen Budiansky in The Wall Street Journal has a thought-provoking article about today's food writing. Among the disturbing traits he notices is the use of the word "preferably," as in "1 teaspoon paprika, preferably sweet Spanish pimentón dulce"  -  a sure sign of pretentiousness. And there's the hectoring that accompanies too many recipes, "½ cup brown sugar, preferably fair-trade organic."… read more

Making crème fraîche at home

June 25, 2012 by
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Food52 has a nice lesson in making crème fraîche at home, using 1 cup of pasteurized heavy cream and 2 tablespoons buttermilk. It only takes a day to thicken and then will be available for up to two weeks in the refrigerator. Check out the recipe here. The only drawback may be that the recipe leaves you with a good supply of… read more

How lunch earned its urban status

June 24, 2012 by
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Does anyone else remember an old movie with Cary Grant and Doris Day called That Touch of Mink? In it, Doris works in an automat, a restaurant format which was nearing its end about the time of the movie (early 60's). Just put a nickel or dime or quarter in a slot, open a door and there was a piece… read more

The latest food crazes

June 22, 2012 by
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One of the joys of being part of the EYB community is the ability to stay on top of the latest food crazes and making a game of guessing just how lasting they may be. After all (at the risk of showing our age) we remember when extra virgin olive oil and real Parmigiano Reggiano were considered off-the-wall items. And… read more

Four fresh corn tips

June 21, 2012 by
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We have four fresh corn tips today. The first, from the Washington Post, gives a solution to the husking/silk issue. Microwave, cut the husk end off, and shake the corn out of the husk, leaving behind the silk. The tip comes complete with a You Tube video demonstrating the process. And - as an added bonus - according to some… read more

Celebrating the extinction of cookbooks

June 20, 2012 by
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Over at Slate, L.V. Anderson has stirred up a lot of controversy with a provocative essay on why she's OK with the extinction of cookbooks. In her article, The Future of Cookbooks: They'll Go Extinct. And That's OK she makes claim to a number of controversial statements. Among these are: the primary reason people buy cookbooks is to give them as… read more

Best cookbook lists from Cooking Light

June 20, 2012 by
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Cooking Light has a thought-provoking new series going on, gathered under the name The Cookbook Awards. Starting last November, each month they've been announcing the best cookbooks of the last 25 years in 15 categories. The series ends in May 2013. The most recent collection is American, here's the full list:   General Baking Healthy Asian French Latin American American… read more

How to avoid ever buying a rotten avocado

June 19, 2012 by
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Our friends over at theKitchn have a great tip for anyone who's ever held their breath opening an avocado. Since avocados brown so fast after opening, they need to be opened pretty much right before using. But then what to do if the avocado is a brown mess inside rather than the welcoming green that means creamy deliciousness? Not only… read more

Are garlic presses evil?

June 18, 2012 by
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In the world of elite cooking there is a conception that garlic presses are evil. A press supposedly crushes the garlic to mush, while using a knife keeps the garlic edges even and sharp, allowing for full flavor to come out. But over at America's Test Kitchen (aka Cook's Illustrated), they not only only disagree, but argue that a good… read more

Why Yelp can’t be trusted

June 17, 2012 by
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Epicurious reported recently on a growing problem with Yelp, the consumer rating site. As they reported, "a small minority of Yelp reviewers have been abusing the system, threatening places with bad reviews unless they get freebies and assorted perks (or, though it's not mentioned in the article, that restaurateurs are flooding Yelp with positive reviews they or their friends write… read more

Roasted Tomatoes for the Pantry

June 15, 2012 by
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Serious Eats has a great idea to plan for an abundant tomato harvest. As they say: "This method involves snatching up pounds of gorgeous summer tomatoes and giving them a low and slow roast with garlic, herbs, and olive oil. This slow cooking method concentrates all of that great tomato flavor, making them perfect for freezing and breaking out during… read more

Tomato growing styles are highly revealing

June 14, 2012 by
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The Washington Post has an amusing slide show illustrating various ways to support tomato plants and pointing out the personality types that each matches. Plus there are some good tips about techniques and types of tomatoes each approach requires. So meet the Innocent, the Gardener (who lies awake at night wondering if she missed a sucker), the Perfectionist, the Farmer,… read more

Call for 10 essential cookbooks and a giveaway

June 13, 2012 by
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Our friends at Food52 have an interesting challenge on their site -- one that's right up our members' alley. As they describe it: "Every home cook has their cookbooks: the ones front and center on their shelf, the ones they turn to advice, for courage, for inspiration. We want to hear yours. Leave your 10 essential cookbooks in the comments section of… read more

The family meal at “the best restaurant in the world”

June 12, 2012 by
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We recently discovered a fascinating video made by Danish photographer and filmmaker Simon Ladefoged. He went behind the scenes to film the  staff or "family" 5:00 meal at Noma, a Michelin two-star Copenhagen restaurant that Restaurant Magazine rated "the best restaurant in the world." The meal has a simple goal - merely to fuel, energize, and satisfy an intensely knowledgable… read more

Pesto bliss

June 12, 2012 by
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The New York Times recently profiled the owners of Buddhapesto - an artisanal company in New York's Hudson River Valley that has perfected a pesto inspiring intense devotion, selling out the 3,000 containers the owner makes a month using just home food processors. As well as the interesting profile of the woman who has devoted years to perfecting basil (and… read more

Slicing 15 cherry tomatoes in half at the same time

June 11, 2012 by
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We love cherry and grape tomatoes. But let's face it, it can be a bit laborious to slice each one in half -- an imperative step for maximizing their surface exposure to dressing, etc. So we were very impressed by this easy tip from the big girls small kitchen blog that shows how to slice 15  cherry tomatoes all at… read more

The most beautiful corn in the world

June 10, 2012 by
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Meet glass gem corn, a throw back to corn in its original state, when it had multi-colored kernels. This corn was the result of some fortuitious maintenance of heirloom seeds, and can be bought at the Seeds Trust Institute (though there is a waiting list until August). Unfortunately, though, it is not as good as it looks - in fact,… read more

New Modernist Cuisine volume to be targeted for the home cook

June 8, 2012 by
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The Eater has an indepth interview with Nathan Myhrvold, one of the authors of Modernist Cuisine, the 6-volume guide to scientific cuisine published last year. Myhrvold just announced that, in the fall, he will be publishing the one-volume Modernist Cuisine at Home. He describes the idea behind the book as "let's approach modernist cuisine - the topic - with a big constraint.… read more

Bourdain and Lawson are the new odd couple

June 8, 2012 by
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Via the Eater, ABC has just announced a new competition cooking show for the fall starring a real odd couple - Anthony Bourdain and Nigella Lawson. And here's the best part - if you think you're a good cook, you can be a part of it. The competitor casting calls are now open: "Do you sizzle in the kitchen and… read more

Outrageous cookbook covers

June 7, 2012 by
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We all know the old saying, there's no bad publicity - but is that true of cookbook covers? The Mercury News has compiled a list of 10 cookbooks that beg the question, "Would you buy this?" At the very least, you'll notice them when browsing in a bookstore or at Amazon. But do they turn you off or turn you… read more

New healthy food app for kids gets over 1 million downloads

June 6, 2012 by
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As anyone with an iPhone or iPad knows, the number of available apps is staggering. So when one breaks through, it receives a lot of publicity. And recently we noticed one app that's creating quite a stir and earning rave reviews. Designed by the Fun Machine in coordination with Whole Kids, (the Whole Foods' foundation that encourages healthy eating in… read more

Don’t feel bad about hating cilantro

June 6, 2012 by
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Do you really dislike cilantro, or know of someone who does? Cilantro seems to be increasingly popular in today's recipes, not only in Tex-Mex food, but expanding across all cultural boundaries. In fact, many people love it so much they routinely substitute cilantro for parsley. Yet some people truly dislike cilantro - claiming it tastes of soap and worse. The… read more
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