World’s 50 Best Restaurants announced

June 26, 2019 by
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Even though the World's 50 Best Restaurants list has some, well, let's just call them issues, there is no denying that the establishments that land on the list serve some of the finest food on the planet. Yesterday we learned which restaurants made the top 50 in 2019. Landing in the top spot was Mirazur, Mauro Colagreco's restaurant on the French… read more

Blue and white CorningWare is back

June 24, 2019 by
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The iconic white with blue flowers CorningWare evokes a wave of nostalgia for almost everyone who sees the cookware at a resale shop or thrift store. Rare pieces of vintage CorningWare can fetch astronomical prices, up to $7000 for certain items. If those kind of prices are out of reach, don't despair: CorningWare recently released a new edition of the… read more

Food news antipasto

June 23, 2019 by
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This week's sampling of interesting or offbeat food news begins with a tribute to the late Anthony Bourdain. Earlier this week, the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, Bourdain's alma mater, announced that it would be offering a scholarship in his name. It will be awarded to one or two students per year, and will help to pay for… read more

Spice support: hyssop

June 22, 2019 by
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A few days ago we reported on the trend of chefs to bring back forgotten herbs, often as part of a local and seasonal cooking focus. One of the old-fashioned herbs discussed in the article was hyssop, a perennial plant native to the Mediterranean. In today's edition of Spice Support we'll take a closer look at the uses of this… read more

Not too hot, not too cold

June 20, 2019 by
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Everyone who cooks food for a crowd - either at a dinner party or for a holiday meal - understands the struggle of timing things so that all of the hot foods are served hot and cold items don't get warm while waiting for the other items to cook. Having foods that can be served at room temperature helps solve… read more

Lesser known herbs are having their day in the sun

June 19, 2019 by
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Make room in your herb collection for some new names to go alongside perennial favorites like oregano, basil, and parsley. Chefs are embracing lesser known, but equally delicious, herbs like lovage and hyssop in their dishes, according to the website Flavor and The Menu.  As restaurants expand on the concepts of local, seasonal, and heritage offerings, old-fashioned herbs are working… read more

Food news antipasto

June 16, 2019 by
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Usually when I sit down to write the daily post of what's happening in the world of food and cookbooks, it follows a lengthy session of social media and food website browsing as I search for news that will be meaningful or useful to our readers. As I scroll through various posts, many offbeat news items will catch my eye… read more

Spice support: coriander

June 15, 2019 by
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This spice we are profiling in today's installment of Spice Support has a dual personality. Coriander (coriandrum sativum) exists in two forms, both as a leafy herb and as a seed used whole or ground as a spice. In the US, the leafy form is known as cilantro (the Spanish word for coriander), which is why many people here don't associate… read more

Get enthused to infuse

June 14, 2019 by
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Wander down the aisles of any decent-sized liquor store and you are bound to see scores of flavored spirits. You will find everything from spiced rum to cucumber gin to peach and orange blossom vodka. Usually these flavored liquors command a premium price, and if you end up not liking the taste, you might find yourself with a mostly-full bottle… read more

In awe of the restaurant supply store

June 11, 2019 by
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If there is any shopping experience that I enjoy as much as browsing through a cookbook store it is wandering the aisles of a restaurant supply store. Not all of these establishments are willing to sell to the public, but I've found that at the very least they won't kick you out for wandering through the space - and what… read more

Fun facts about KitchenAid mixers

June 10, 2019 by
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It is difficult to imagine a kitchen appliance that is as universally recognizable as the KitchenAid stand mixer. It proudly adorns countertops in countless households in the U.S. and beyond (I spied KitchenAid mixers in a few seasons of GBBO). The story of KitchenAid mixers goes back 100 years, as explained in the recent Taste of Home article listing six… read more

When children write recipes

June 9, 2019 by
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As they find their way in the world, children learn many skills by imitating their parents and other adults with whom they interact. How many of us have said that we learned to cook or bake from watching our parents or grandparents? Although we may have indeed learned from them, our earliest experiences probably were not anything close to skilled,… read more

National Doughnut Day is worth celebrating

June 7, 2019 by
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When I arrived at work today, several people had brought in doughnuts. I wondered why so many people were celebrating on a random Friday in June until I was reminded that today is National Doughnut Day. Unlike some of the other "food holidays" that are created by the food industry, this special day has roots that go back almost 100… read more

Playing the ingredient name game

May 29, 2019 by
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The internet has done wonders to connect food lovers across the globe. In addition to website and blogs that share information from every country with the world, there are oodles of cookbook clubs that operate on social media no matter their location (like the EYB Cookbook Club and EYB Sweet Ottolenghi clubs). I belong to a handful of additional cookbook… read more

If you can’t beat it, eat it

May 28, 2019 by
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Do you know the old saying "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em?" A new cookbook takes a similar tack to that adage, but instead of joining the problem, it suggests that you eat it. Gastro Obscura brings us the story of a Tasmanian cookbook dedicated to helping combat invasive species.  Titled 'Eat the Problem', the book features recipes for… read more

Spice support: cumin

May 25, 2019 by
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Few spices are as versatile or universally employed as cumin. Originating in the Middle East (or possibly the Nile Valley, depending on which source you believe), cumin is one of the world's oldest spices with a culinary history that dates back over 6000 years. Cumin is a member of the parsley family, and its seeds look a lot like caraway… read more

Summer grilling looks different these days

May 23, 2019 by
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For the majority of Americans, the upcoming Memorial Day weekend marks the official start of summer. Across the nation, it's a tradition to fire up the grill and pile it high with bratwurst, hamburgers, and ribs, accompanied by cold beer. That scenario is rapidly changing, however, says Food & Wine. They report on a recent study that says not only… read more

Spice support: star anise and anise seed

May 18, 2019 by
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Although both star anise and anise seed (aka aniseed) share a licorice-like flavor compounds called anethole, the two are unrelated botanically. It's easy to confuse the two because of their similarities, but the two are used differently and possess subtle differences in flavor.  Star anise is the seed pod of an evergreen native to southern China, although it is now… read more

Pucker power – how sour flavors have taken over

May 17, 2019 by
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Sour beer, sour candy, lacto-fermentation: there is no denying that sour flavors are ascending, in homes and restaurants alike. What's the reason behind this trend? Is it a reflection of our environment or something else? Ligaya Mishan explores the topic in a recent New York Times article. Statistics show that foods like kimchi are showing up on more and more… read more

The television series ‘Great Chefs’ celebrates 40 years

May 16, 2019 by
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The televised cooking program Great Chefs recently celebrated its 40th anniversay. It is one of the oldest cooking/travel series on cable. When it debuted in the early 1980s, Great Chefs took a bold step away from most TV cooking shows, taking viewers out of the TV studio and into working restaurant kitchens, profiling some of the world's most well-known chefs. They… read more

In praise of the quarter sheet pan

May 14, 2019 by
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I have to admit to being a little late to the party on this, but I did not appreciate the versatility of quarter-size sheet pans until very recently. Why would I want yet another item to clutter my small kitchen when I had a nice stack of half-sheet pans at my disposal? Cathy Barrow's excellent Pie Squared convinced me to try… read more

Inside Julia’s Kitchen podcast with Matt Sartwell

May 13, 2019 by
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The podcast Inside Julia's Kitchen contains interviews with many distinguished and diverse culinary guests, including chefs and authors. Recent episodes include a conversations with Jacques Pépin and Ruth Reichl, and recently the podcast celebrated a milestone: its 50th episode. That conversation features Matt Sartwell, managing partner of NYC's famed cookbook store Kitchen Arts and Letters. In the discussion, Sartwell explains… read more

These Ligurian bees are a long way from home

May 12, 2019 by
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It makes sense that foods become associated with the place of their origin. If the place association becomes lost, the food can morph into something else or fade into obscurity. Or, it can retain the name and the legacy even though it's farm from its birthplace. That is the case with Ligurian honey, as Gastro Obscura reports.  Highly prized by… read more

Feeling stressed? Try watching these enchanting cooking videos

May 6, 2019 by
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Lots of us read cookbooks as a form of relaxation, allowing the stories and recipes to transport us away from our stressful, workaday world. Of course there are other ways to get carried away from the ordinary, as we have learned via EYB Member sir_ken_g, who pointed us to a series of cooking videos that have people mesmerized.  The videos… read more

Art in the kitchen

April 30, 2019 by
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When it comes to artwork in the kitchen, opinions are divided. There are those who feel that form follows function and prefer to have pots, utensils, or shiny equipment as the decoration in their workspace. Others opt for clean lines with no extraneous items cluttering up the walls or counters. Some people like to have beautiful items in all areas… read more
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