Why some people are picky eaters

May 21, 2016 by
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  We all have at least one friend or relative who we find difficult to please when making a meal. The list of items he or she doesn't like seemingly goes on forever, and we can't understand how some of the foods got put on the 'dislike' list. It may make us wonder how the person got to be such… read more

The unhealthy truth behind ‘clean eating’

May 13, 2016 by
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  One only needs a brief scroll through almost any news feed to see a blog or article about 'clean eating.' Some bloggers have become tremendously popular, like Ella Woodward of 'Deliciously Ella', and the Hemsley sisters. Leaving behind junk food, fats, and take out is touted as the path to wellness. But that's not always the reality, says Ruby… read more

Pet peeves of a cookbook copy editor

May 12, 2016 by
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  If you decide to write a cookbook, you'll need to know that the work isn't finished when you type the last page and hand the manuscript to the publisher. That's when the copy editor steps in, and her job can be quite a challenge, says veteran editor Suzanne Fass. It's her task to "save writers from embarrassment" by correcting spelling, punctuation, noticing missing… read more

Has Tartine Bread turned into a culinary movement?

May 10, 2016 by
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  It's fair to say that country-style breads, enriched with whole grains, are a hot trend in bread baking. Today you can walk into almost any US grocery store and find a "craggy-edged bread with a custardy crumb tinged the color of a plank of walnut by the presence of whole-wheat flour." According to the San Francisco Chronicle, this trend… read more

Why one baker swears by bleached cake flour

May 8, 2016 by
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  Coinciding with the trend toward less processed food, many bakers have switched from bleached flour to unbleached. Not so Stella Parks, also known as BraveTart. The pastry chef, writing for Serious Eats, tells us why she swears by bleached cake flour for her baking. Cake flour is a very low protein flour, usually less than 8%. All-purpose flour usually… read more

What’s the difference between coconut cream, creamed coconut, coconut milk, and coconut water?

May 6, 2016 by
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  Coconut cream, creamed coconut, cream of coconut, coconut milk and coconut water: this panoply of products can drive you coco-nuts. It's very easy to get them confused, especially if you are using a recipe from another country. This recently happened to Jane when making Thai chicken, sweet potato and spinach curry from The Sunday Telegraph. That recipe calls for… read more

Get your cheese on

May 3, 2016 by
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  Following Prince's death, the song Purple Rain again surged to the top of the US charts. Another item that is also at its highest point since the mid 1980s is the US cheese supply. Thanks to a surge in imports from the European Union along with an increase in domestic production, the US is sitting on its largest cheese… read more

The difference between food media and home cooking

May 2, 2016 by
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  When Gourmet magazine folded in 2009, Christopher Kimball of America's Test Kitchen wrote about its demise, lamenting what he felt was the dumbing-down of cooking that happened because of the internet. "Google 'broccoli casserole' and make the first recipe you find," he wrote. "I guarantee it will be disappointing." Yet if you do Google 'broccoli casserole' and follow the… read more

A no-garlic-breath garlic is rediscovered

May 1, 2016 by
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  Love garlic, but hate garlic breath? There is some good news for you: a type of odorless garlic, thought to be extinct, has been rediscovered. The Guardian reports on the resurgence of aglione, also known as "kissing garlic", a rarely seen Italian garlic varietal that is odorless, milder tasting, easier to digest, and doesn't cause the dreaded "garlic breath."… read more

The science and art of recipe testing

April 30, 2016 by
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  If you Google the phrase "chicken recipes" you'll get over 74 million results. The vast majority of those recipes - as well as a surprising amount of cookbook recipes - are published without any testing at all. That means it can be difficult to know which recipes are worth trying. LA Times food writer Noelle Carter takes a look… read more

Chef pokes fun at restaurant buzzwords

April 22, 2016 by
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  Buzzwords and phrases appear on restaurant menus and seem to spread faster than you can say farm-to-table. Chef Frank Bonanno poked a little fun at hipster-inspired marketing slogans and certain restaurant trends when he announced his latest Denver restaurant venture. In a Portlandia-like spoof, he rambled on with overwrought descriptions and even invented a word. Here's a short excerpt… read more

Food meets art in unique London restaurant

April 21, 2016 by
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A restaurant inspired by old-time soda fountain drugstores is not, in and of itself, a novel concept. But when the restaurant is a collaboration between controversial artist Damien Hirst and celebrated chef Mark Hix, it gets interesting. The eatery, called Pharmacy 2 (alternately Pharmacy²), opened this February in Vauxhall, South London, inside the Newport Street Gallery. Designed solely by Hirst,… read more

When a Kickstarter goes bad

April 17, 2016 by
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  We've highlighted a few Kickstarter projects here at EYB, including the Paula Wolfert memoir/cookbook, the vegan butcher shop, and the recent Field cast-iron skillet. Several Members have likely backed these or another cooking-related project on Kickstarter or similar crowdfunding websites. But before you agree to support a  project, you may want to read what happens when a Kickstarter campaign… read more

How to substitute dairy products in your baking

April 14, 2016 by
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Have you ever started a baking project only to be stymied when you realize that the recipe calls for sour cream and you don't have any? You do have buttermilk or yogurt, and you wonder if you can substitute either of those or if your cake will be a disaster without the specified ingredient. Wonder no more, thanks to Rochelle… read more

Chefs embrace playing with fire

April 13, 2016 by
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  In recent years innovative chefs have experimented with new tools and techniques like sous vide and anti-griddles to up their game. Now they're returning to a more basic - some would call primitive - method in restaurants around the world. Live-fire cooking is on fire as chefs embrace the technique to get smoky flavors and contrasting textures that you… read more

Is this “cake” the next cronut?

April 11, 2016 by
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  You may have seen a very strange "cake" passing through your social media news feeds. It's not a cake in the traditional sense, it's more like Jell-O than any baked good. Known as The Raindrop Cake, it" is inspired by traditional Mizu Shingen Mochi from Japan. It's a light, delicate and refreshing raindrop made for your mouth," according to… read more

The rise of guest chefs

April 9, 2016 by
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Once upon a time the biggest changes in a restaurant menu involved swapping out one seasonal fruit for another. But now menus - and even the chefs - can differ from day to day. When the latter happens, diners can experience the cuisine of another region or country without ever leaving town, reports Diana Henry as she explores the growing… read more

New Kickstarter promises lighter, smoother cast iron

April 5, 2016 by
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Cooks love cast iron. The combination of durability, simplicity, and excellent heat retention makes cast iron skillets the workhorse of many kitchens. Well-seasoned vintage pans can fetch hundreds of dollars at flea markets and antique stores. Compared to most new cast iron pans, vintage pans offer a smoother surface which translates into better seasoning and less sticking. The older pans… read more

Not your father’s ball game food

April 3, 2016 by
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  Tomorrow is opening day of baseball season in the US, and millions of fans will flock to stadiums across the country to see the first game. They'll also eat a lot of food, and they have many more options now than they did in the past, as Food Republic explains in their history of baseball stadium food. The offerings… read more

Stop using these food words

April 2, 2016 by
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In every industry, buzzwords and catchphrases come and go, and food is no exception. Sometimes these terms have sticking power, but usually they fall in and out of favor faster than you can say "Bam!". A few sayings are fondly remembered, but many times words and phrases can't leave the lexicon soon enough. Keep that thought in mind as you… read more

Julia Child’s lasting impact

April 1, 2016 by
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  In today's world of celebrity chefs, it can be difficult to imagine a time when chefs toiled anonymously in the kitchen. However, that was the norm until relatively recently, and one person who probably did more than anyone to bring chefs into the limelight is Julia Child. The Smithsonian Institution recognizes the contributions that Child made to the culinary… read more

From rule breaker to baker

March 29, 2016 by
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  Even the most experienced cooks can be intimidated by the thought of baking. Off-the-cuff improvisation and editing - essential in cooking - can be disastrous to baking endeavors. That was something that kept food writer Kathy Gunst from doing a lot of baking. She explained to The Washington Post that "for someone who prides herself on being a bit… read more

Gluten free magazine gets nationwide distribution

March 28, 2016 by
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  Gluten Free Forever, aka GFF, a popular San Francisco magazine, is poised for nationwide distribution beginning with its spring 2016 issue. The magazine's founder, San Franciscan Erika Lenkert, wanted to expand the magazine's impact, so she reached out to the Meredith Corporation, one of the country's largest media and marketing companies. Even though she got transferred to the wrong number,… read more

The secret to better frying

March 26, 2016 by
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  Creating the perfectly crisp french fry or golden brown piece of crunchy fried chicken can be frustrating. How to ensure that the food is properly cooked inside while maintaining a good crust is a challenge. Many factors go into creating perfect fried foods, but one technique can make the difference between good and great, says NPR's The Salt. Double-frying… read more

The authenticity trap

March 21, 2016 by
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When people look for a restaurant - or a cookbook, for that matter - from a specific country or region, the question of authenticity often arises. You might hear someone ask "Is it real (Mexican/Chinese/Thai/etc) food?" But to think that way is to acquiesce to a stereotype, says Phoenix Times reporter Minerva Orduño Rincón. Rincón discusses the phenomenon as it applies to Mexican… read more
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