Kitchen analysis paralysis
I have been called an overthinker, and my husband says that choices are bad for me. Both of these are truths that I must painfully admit. Ruminating over even the simplest of decisions can result in analysis paralysis,…
Darcie
Amanda Hesser leaving Food52
Amanda Hesser, one of pioneering website Food52's founding members, announced in her newsletter that she is stepping away from the company. She will focus on her Substack Homeward in which she is chronicling her home…
Food news antipasto
Eating at the French Laundry is a bucket-list item for many food lovers. While it may not have risen to that level for San Francisco Chronicle restaurant critic Mackenzie Chung Fegan, it was still going to be a…
Too many onions?
There is a glut of onions right now in the US (and in India, too). Due to a combination of bountiful harvests and a dip in demand, the supply of onions is currently high. That should, in theory, lead to lower prices for…
Splish-splash: What is the best method for washing your produce?
When you buy fresh produce, especially items that are loose in bins, you don't know what (or who) it has been in contact with, so you wash it before using. There are new products on the market that claim to be able to…
The rise of bakery tourism
When you are in your 20s or 30s, a pub crawl is often a weekend activity, jaunting from bar to bar with friends to enjoy a pint or a cocktail. This doesn't always seem like fun when your 30s (or 40s) are in the rearview…
The struggle to spell
Before I started writing for Eat Your Books (over 11 years ago!), I had a bi-monthly food column at a medium sized newspaper for several years. In junior high, I competed at the state spelling bee and made it to the…
Food news antipasto
Microplastics can be found everywhere, even inside our bodies. Researchers have raised concerns about this issue, noting that certain types of plastic shed more particles than others and warning about their use in…
Getting to know your gingers
Ginger is one of the most common spices, used around the world in a variety of cuisines. Humans have grown it for so long that it has become a cultigen, meaning it no longer exists in the wild. This fact, along with a…
Recipe rabbit holes
It's easy to run down a recipe rabbit hole on the internet. One click leads you to an article about a particular dish, then you follow tangents until you have forgotten the impetus for the original click. That just…
Just for the fun of it
Chef Chris Young wanted to test a theory about basting steaks with butter, a common practice among chefs that is often shown during cooking shows. He wanted to know if basting meant the steak would cook faster, remain…
What type of cardamom to use when?
Do you remember the first time you tasted cardamom? Perhaps it occurred when you nibbled on Swedish meatballs or drank masala chai. Cardamom’s enchanting flavor has made a home for itself in cuisines across the globe.…