Dessert anthropology
I just discovered my dream job, and baker and cookbook author Valerie Gordon has it: dessert anthropologist. Gordon's enviable position involves researching and recreating popular items from bakeries, stores, and other…
Darcie
2018's food trends according to Waitrose
Each fall, Waitrose publishes an annual report on food and drink. In it, they predict what the next year's big trends will be. Often, they are right on the mark - last year, they correctly predicted trends like gourmet…
Spice support: galangal
Some spices so much resemble another spice that the more common of the two is usually substituted for the lesser known one. Such is the case for galangal, a tropical plant in the ginger family. There are two main types…
The meaning behind food memoirs
If cookbook lovers aren't devouring the latest offering from Yotam Ottolenghi, Ina Garten, or their favorite blogger, they are probably reading another food-related book such as a food memoir. That genre has exploded in…
Meals that changed the world
Yesterday we posted about six people who changed an entire country's (and perhaps even beyond its borders) cuisine. In addition to people, meals themselves have shaped the course of world affairs for centuries. Whether…
How six ex-pats changed the way Americans eat
Prior to the middle of the 20th century, the American food scene was stagnant. A post-war boom led to increased availability of canned and processed foods, and less and less food was made at home, from scratch. That…
Use this food-serving calculator to make just the right amount this Thanksgiving
Planning a big holiday meal, like the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday for those of us in the US, can be stressful. First, you have to choose which dishes to make, running the risk of angering family members if you stray…
Even top chefs use shortcuts
When you think of what the world's top chefs make at home, you likely picture them gently simmering bones and vegetables to make homemade stock, or folding and rolling puff pastry from scratch. As it turns out, even…
Truffle prices surge due to poor harvest
Truffles have long been associated with haute cuisine. Brillat-Savarin called truffles "the diamond of the kitchen", and the delicious fungi have graced fine dining menus the world over. Truffles are notoriously finicky…
600 years of cookbook history
We are living in a golden age of cookbooks, one where almost everyone can find a book filled with recipes for a reasonable price. It wasn't always like this - centuries ago, only the wealthiest people had cookbooks,…
Potato, potahto
White, red, russet, gold, fingerling - while these are the types of potatoes you will find in most supermarkets, there are actually dozens of varieties. You might see some of the lesser known cultivars at farmers'…
Lidia's American Dream
Lidia Bastianich helped create a food empire - in addition to owning six restaurants with her son, Joe, she is part owner of the New York and Chicago Eataly locations. As if this weren't enough, she has two Emmy…