Pizza chains are feeling the pinch

Pizza is almost as iconic as hotdogs and apple pie in the American lexicon of food. From chains to local artisanal pie shops to the frozen food aisle, pizza is everywhere. Not everything is rosy in the land of pizza, however - two major chains are closing hundreds of restaurants, a large franchisee filed for bankruptcy, and this week a… read more

Sourdough science

Do you still have the starter you created when everyone was making sourdough bread in the pandemic? I'm sad to report that my starter died an ignoble death at the back of our basement refrigerator. I'm a serial starter killer, but I might have to try again, because nothing you can buy can replicate the flavor of a true sourdough… read more

Give me a break: Thieves make off with tons of KitKats

This story seemed appropriate for me to discover on April Fool's Day because it sounds made up. Food conglomerate Nestlé confirmed a report that thieves pilfered a truck carrying over 400,000 specially crafted KitKat candy bars. The candy bars were part of a special production to celebrate KitKat becoming the official candy bar of Formula One racing, and were molded… read more

New Le Creuset + Nigella’s Easter Egg hunt

Today I discovered that Le Creuset dropped another color on us; this one is called Riviera, and it absolutely speaks to me. I thought Sea Salt was the perfect color to complement my kitchen cabinets, but this one would really pop against the more subdued blue-green paint. Damn you, Le Creuset! The company pairs Riveria with Sea Salt and Marseille… read more

Food news antipasto

Recent years have been bad for wineries, especially in the US. A 56-year-old winery, Kenwood Vineyards, recently closed its doors with no plans to reopen. Other major wineries, including E. & J. Gallo and Jackson Family Wines, have also shuttered operations at some facilities and laid off workers. Industry experts are blaming Boomers for the decline, as they have reduced… read more

Food as medicine

Chicken soup to treat a cold, ginger for nausea, tea with honey for a sore throat, a mustard poultice for muscle pain - these foods and more have been used to treat ailments for millenia. While these home remedies vary in their ability to cure illness, scientists have discovered compounds in foods that can have therapeutic effects. For certain conditions,… read more

How accurate are food labels?

Before I buy any packaged food product that I haven't purchased before, I first look at the nutrition information and ingredient list. My husband gets exasperated when he accompanies me on shopping trips, grumbling about how much time I spend poring over the package before adding it to the cart. I ignore the grumbling because I want to know how… read more

Stand by Your Pan – Quick Bites, Giveaway

Enter our US giveaway to win a copy of Stand By Your Pan: 100 Easy and Affordable Comfort Food Recipes So Good They'll Hurt People's Feelin’s by Hannah Dasher. Before going any further - warning: you may develop an ear worm of Tammy Wynette's song as I have. Hannah has events planned which we have on our Calendar. Country artist… read more

March 2026 New Cookbook Review

Here we are again, the end of another month. My 2026 Cookbook Preview Post is growing every day with great titles to covet. Excited to see these additions recently:  Simply Ina: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten, Back to Green: Rediscovering a World of Delicious, Healthy Eating by Marcus Samuelsson, Jamie Oliver BBQ: Easy Grilling, Big Flavour by Jamie Oliver, Guesting: How to… read more

How much have food prices really gone up?

You can't scroll through any news site without seeing at least one story about inflation, and often the focus is on food prices. One issue after another has hit different sectors of the food supply: cold weather, hot weather, drought, flood, war, bird flu - it seems the food sector just can't catch a break. So how much have all… read more

How thick is too thick?

Visiting diners is one of my favorite things to do when traveling. I adore a stack of fluffy pancakes with a ball of whipped butter melting into the top as I pour thick syrup over the stack. One of my favorites was in a small diner in the heart of Philadelphia (I think it was Broad Street Diner, but it… read more

An amazing event for cookbook lovers is happening soon!

Have you ever dreamed of a festival that focused on cookbooks, held in a city that's made for food lovers? Consider your wish granted: we're excited to share news about Cookbook Week, to be held April 21-25 in San Francisco, California. The festival brings together celebrated cookbook authors, passionate home cooks, and food lovers for a week of immersive events… read more

Food news antipasto

Trader Joe's just announced that it will begin selling its coveted limited-edition lavender and pink canvas totes on Monday, March 23. Nakia Rohde, Trader Joe’s public relations manager, provided the scoop to the Reno Gazette Journal on Friday. These tote bags are popular because they are part of a larger pastel colored tote trend. Some people like to use the… read more

March 2026 EYB Cookbook Club Summary

Each month we allow posting in our Eat Your Books Cookbook Club from any cookbook, magazine or blog and most months we also offer one featured cookbook. We hope that sharing our favorite recipes will help our Members discover new cookbooks and recipes to try. Also please see our April 2026 Great Big Cookbook Club Summary which is now organized by location and includes… read more

Pâtisserie Made Simple – Giveaway

Enter our US/UK giveaway to win one of two copies of Pâtisserie Made Simple: The Art of Petits Gâteaux by Maxine Scheckter. See our prior promotion and Quick Bites for more information. Note there are four recipes with errata notations: Blueberry pancake, Lemon, poppy and blackberry, Swiss meringue and Sticky toffee pudding be sure to see the notes on these… read more

Sweets and more to celebrate Eid al Fitr

It's been confirmed: Eid al-Fitr will be celebrated on 20 March this year and Muslims around the world will mark the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting and prayer. Food is at the forefront to celebrate the end of Ramadan fasting. The foods eaten vary depending on the culture of the local celebrants, but sweets are an… read more

It’s not just you, foods are getting worse

I've written before about how I think butter has changed in recent years, and not for the better. The shift to feeding cows more palm oil products (probably alongside other feed and nutrition changes) has resulted - in my opinion - in butter that is greasier and harder at room temperature. Butter is not the only food product that has… read more

Good news for French fry lovers

French fries are a ubiquitous side dish to any fast food or casual restaurant meal, and even find their way onto a few fine dining menus. What's not to love? A golden, crisp exterior that yields to soft fluffy interior is truly the highest calling for the humble potato. Alas, eating French fries is correlated with a host of negative… read more

Food news antipasto

The viral Korean sweet potato hack that's been circulating in social media promises that a good old-fashioned "one weird trick" will recreate the custard-like texture of goguma, whole roasted sweet potatoes sold at Korean convenience stores. The key, according to the videos, is to dunk the sweet potato into an ice bath halfway through baking. Food and Wine's Merlyn Miller… read more

It’s pi day, make a pie

If you write your dates in the US convention (month/day/year), then today is pi day in honor of the mathematical constant. I usually forget about the “National Pie Day” that occurs in January, but that is okay since today is the logical choice for a day celebrating math used to determine measurements of round objects. Even if you don’t write… read more

Vintage kitchenware as decor – love it or leave it?

When homeowners design a kitchen, most of the work revolves around the mechanics of it: what kind of cabinets to use, how to arrange the workspace, which countertop materials will work best, and so on. Colors and textures play a role, too. But once it’s all done comes another topic that doesn’t usually rise to the top of the plan:… read more

April 2026 Great Big Cookbook Club Summary

As our members know, each month we offer several cooking options in our Eat Your Books Cookbook Club. There are other fun cookbook clubs around world and we’d like to highlight those for those members who might want to cook or bake something other than our choices.  I will update this post as clubs make their additional choices. Something that has… read more

How much salt you should add to your pasta water, according to science

One of the reasons I love to bake is because of the science behind the craft. Physics and chemistry play vital roles and understanding how the various components interact with one another fascinates me. Cooking involves science too, although there is more wiggle room when compared to baking. However, you can use exacting science in cooking - molecular gastronomy is… read more

The dark side of perfection

René Redzepi is arguably the most influential chef of the 21st century. His pioneering work in fine dining highlighted local foods and environmental sustainability through exquisitely plated, intricate food. While Redzepi has been recognized for his achievements in many ways such as by having his restaurant, Noma, chosen as the number one restaurant in the world several years in a… read more

Food news antipasto

I think I may have discovered my dream job. A posh members' club in the Belgravia area of London recently posted an opening for a butter sommelier. The advertisement said that the club is looking for “a passionate person with a deep love for and understanding of butter. This individual will curate our butter assortment and assist in training staff… read more
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