Food prices on the rise

February 3, 2021 by
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In anticipation of the upcoming tax season, I recently sat down to look over our household spending for 2020. It was not a surprise to discover that we spent more on groceries and a lot less on eating out last year. Overall our restaurant expenses were down 75 percent, although our grocery bill only increased by about 20 percent, much… read more

The benefits of setting a cooking goal

February 1, 2021 by
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For many of us, the one-year 'anniversary' of work from home is fast approaching. The suddenness with which this occurred (at least from my perspective) meant that there was not much time to plan for how staying home - and making almost every meal at home - should look. Along the way, we hit a lot of 'walls' with respect… read more

Valentine’s Gift Guide for the Cookbook Lover

February 1, 2021 by
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I'm a bit of a practical person - if practical is defined as owning 5,000 cookbooks, never saying no to a piece of cookware and having more baking tins/gadgets than a full fledged bakery. Yes, my practicality runs in the form of enjoying practical things - I am not a flowers, chocolate or expensive dinner out type of person. Yes,… read more

Food news antipasto

January 31, 2021 by
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Michelin suspended its star ratings in 2020 due to the pandemic, but it is back in the business of grading restaurants again this year. This week Michelin announced the latest restaurants in the UK and Ireland that earned the coveted three-star rating, and both restaurants are helmed by female chefs. Hélène Darroze at the Connaught and Core by Clare Smyth join existing… read more

How precise do you need to be when cooking?

January 30, 2021 by
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I recently received a baking book in which the US cup measurements also included metric weights. I prefer using weight measures - and metric weights are so much easier to work with than ounces - so this was a welcome addition to the book. I did have to chuckle, however, when I saw the numbers: 1 cup of sugar was… read more

Flatirons Food Film Festival giveaway

January 28, 2021 by
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The 8th Flatirons Food Film Festival starts today and goes through February 5, and like so many other programs, the festival has gone completely virtual. The festival features films about chefs, Black American/ indigenous peoples foodways, food waste, and more. Events include a food trivia game night with prizes, free children's puppet-making class, and if you live in the Denver/Boulder… read more

Food news antipasto

January 24, 2021 by
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With restaurants remaining shuttered in London as the city deals with the another coronavirus surge, it's back to the kitchen - and into cookbooks - for restaurant critic Jay Rayner. He is planning a new weekly column in which he will explore a classic cookbook from his own collection. Says Rayner: "I’ll celebrate its recipes. I’ll explore its influence on… read more

The ‘moist’ controversy

January 21, 2021 by
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If you have an aversion to the word 'moist' as a food descriptor (or just in general), you are far from alone. It comes with negative connotations that once learned are difficult to remove from one's mind. But have you considered the alternatives? Emily Heil has, and she says that we should all learn to love moist because the words… read more

What’s your favorite spice?

January 20, 2021 by
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Normal people do not have two drawers chock full of herbs and spices - at least that is what my friends tell me. In this respect, if not several others, I am happily abnormal. Baking and cooking are my main hobbies and passions, things I do when I have time and think about doing when I don't have time. This… read more

The difference between raisins, sultanas, and currants

January 18, 2021 by
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When it comes to dried fruit, raisins are king. Although humble in appearance, they are found in a variety of savory and sweet recipes in almost every food culture in the world. Have you ever wondered about the difference between raisins and sultanas (aka golden raisins)? And did you know there is another dried grape product that goes by another… read more

Food news antipasto

January 17, 2021 by
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Over a year ago, we received news that a new scripted series about the life of Julia Child would be coming to HBO Max. At the time of the last announcement, Joan Cusack was slated to be in the starring role. We've finally received an update on this project. Filming has begun, but two-time BAFTA (British Academy of Film &… read more

When AI makes recipes

January 16, 2021 by
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Artificial intelligence has been used to solve intractable mathematical problems, create eerie deep-fake videos, and make dancing robots. Now we can add recipe developer to the long list of AI achievements, thanks to Google. Researchers at Google Cloud, inspired by the surge in baking searches during the pandemic, "decided to dive a little deeper into the trend and try to… read more

Google’s top recipe searches of 2020

January 14, 2021 by
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After cooking morning, noon, and night, who among us wasn't desperate to find new recipes last year? Most readers here likely opted to use the EYB Library to search for what to cook for the next meal, but of course worldwide, Google is the top English-language search engine. Naturally they have kept track of what people searched for in 2020,… read more

Sticking to a ‘dry January’ has never been easier

January 11, 2021 by
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Following the indulgence and excess that can happen during the end-of-year holiday season, people frequently cut back on both food and drink when the new year rolls around. Some take a 'dry January' pledge, opting not to drink any alcoholic beverages during the entire month. In the past this meant a rather boring drink selection, but not these days. Increasing… read more

Food new antipasto

January 10, 2021 by
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Tales of kitchen disasters never fail to entertain me, perhaps because I have had so many of them in my own kitchen. From charcoal caramel to accidentally pouring out long-simmering stock, messes and mix-ups are part of everyone's culinary journey. For your amusement, here's a small gallery of kitchen disasters to make you feel better about your own mishaps. Le… read more

The case for following the recipe exactly

January 9, 2021 by
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Normally when the calendar turns over to January I write a post about New Year's food resolutions. I think all of us have enough pressure on us this year without adding to it, so I skipped the resolution post. However, some of you might have made one anyway, like the The New York Times' Genevieve Ko did. Her resolution is… read more

Nathalie Dupree’s downsizing auction boasts many treasures

January 7, 2021 by
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Beloved Southern cookbook author Nathalie Dupree and her husband Jack Bass have retired and moved from Charleston, South Carolina to be closer to family. As part of the downsizing for their new home, they are having an estate sale, and the treasures to be found there are amazing. Nathalie not only wrote cookbooks, but was a featured culinary writer for the… read more

The grocery shopping blues

January 4, 2021 by
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I enter the supermarket like an MI6 agent on a mission: furtive glances to identify maskless patrons, determined movements as I methodically toss items into the cart, and brisk steps to the next aisle because time is of the essence. This is not the way I shopped in January 2020. In those halcyon days, my shopping trips were leisurely and… read more

Food news antipasto

January 4, 2021 by
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With 2020 in the rearview mirror, we can take a look back at the year and find the few bright spots. For many people, those happy moments involved food. The Guardian asked its readers to tell them which new ingredient discoveries they made in 2020, and the results are fascinating, ranging from the comforting to the exotic. Croissant dough keeps… read more

The bucatini shortage of 2020

December 28, 2020 by
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Among the items that were in short supply this year, pasta ranked near the top of the list. In March, I was shocked to see a huge swath of completely bare shelves where once sat myriad boxes of Barilla, Colavita, Rummo, and bevy of store brands. The only items that remained were a couple of sad whole wheat pasta products… read more

Food news antipasto

December 27, 2020 by
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Have a refrigerator full of Christmas leftovers? Find ideas for how to use them with Yotam Ottolenghi's Boxing Day (and beyond) recipes that make use of turkey, Christmas pudding, cranberry sauce, and more. If that isn't enough inspiration, try Tim Dowling's 17 ways with leftover turkey or Diana Henry's ideas for leftover ham, turkey, stuffing, and sprouts. This week's news… read more

Best selling foods of 2020

December 25, 2020 by
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Grocery stores had their busiest year ever in 2020 and it had a lot of drama: toilet paper hoarding, yeast and flour flying off the shelves, delays in producing and shipping, putting up plexiglass partitions in the checkout lanes, and more. Grocery store workers were on the front lines of this pandemic, and our hats are off to them as… read more

The food trends of 2020 that helped us cope

December 24, 2020 by
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Even those of us who love to be in the kitchen were pushed to our limits this year, churning out meal after meal. When we felt drained of creativity, we turned to cookbooks and the internet to find inspiration to make it through another day of cooking. Some of us turned to baking as a respite, and it's probably fair… read more

Crafting a smaller holiday dinner

December 23, 2020 by
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Like so many others, my husband and I are going to be alone for the holidays for the first time in many years. Even though we rarely travelled to celebrate with family, we always invited other 'orphan' friends to our home or would go to the neighbors for Christmas Eve or Christmas - and in some years, to celebrate the… read more

Counting down the top foods of 2020

December 21, 2020 by
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We have made dozens of new recipes and made several favorites on repeat in our house this year. While finding delicious new meals is exciting, sometimes nothing beats the comfort of tried-and-true items when inspiration and energy runs down. I've been going through my cookbooks to flag favorite recipes on my EYB bookshelf so I can easily find them but… read more
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