Food news antipasto
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…
Darcie
Spice support: coriander
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…
Get enthused to infuse
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…
Don't let pronunciation stop you
Have you ever been too intimidated by the name of a food to make it? I must confess that I've held back from making certain items to share with others because I did not want to attempt pronouncing the name when someone…
In awe of the restaurant supply store
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,…
Fun facts about KitchenAid mixers
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…
When children write recipes
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…
A day in the life of a recipe tester
Cookbook authors rely on recipe testers to make sure that what they are developing for the books will work in the kitchens of the target audience. Sometimes they will ask friends and relatives to do the testing, but…
National Doughnut Day is worth celebrating
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…
Baking legend Maida Heatter has died at 102
We have just learned the sad news that legendary chef and author Maida Heatter has passed away at age 102. Food writers including Helen Rosner, Charlotte Druckman, and George Geary shared stories on Twitter about how…
Prue Leith tells chefs: no more foams or drizzles
Drizzles, foams, jellies, and "lollipops of crackling" - these are not a few of Prue Leith's favorite things. In an interview with The Guardian, Leith spouts off on these trends and others that have become popular in…
Catching up with the 'Queen of Cake'
Would-be bakers that think they are too old to start a second culinary career should pay heed to the recent interview of Sylvia Weinstock (aka the Queen of Cake) in The New York Times. The 89-year-old Weinstock has…