Check out the new 'Cookbook Love' podcast
Although the traffic is terrible, the worst part of my long daily commute is that it wastes time that I could be spending reading cookbooks. Until now, there has not been much to fill that time that is even…
Antipasto
When a cookbook doesn't live up to expectations
Oh, the thrill of a new cookbook: cracking open the cover, leafing through the pages, and marking the pages of the recipes you want to try first. You gather all of the ingredients and proceed on the maiden voyage. And…
How to keep your wooden cutting board in tip top shape
Everyone knows that proper seasoning is the key to great cast iron, but what you might not realize is that the same holds true for wooden cutting boards. Over at indexed website Serious Eats, J. Kenji López-Alt gives us…
Jenny vs. Modernist Bread - Bagel Battle
Earlier this year, I purchased Modernist Cuisine from an author friend who was downsizing. Due to my obsessive nature, I couldn't have one set of the books without the other so I took the plunge and ordered Modernist…
Bring on the pumpkin
Labor Day is nearly over here in the US, and that can only mean one thing: pumpkin season has officially begun. Pumpkin spice-flavored items have sprung up on menus everywhere (pro tip - there is no pumpkin in pumpkin…
When life hands you lemons (and cucumbers and tomatoes and herbs and...)
After a trip to a particularly bountiful farmers' market last week, I stood before my open refrigerator in wonderment at the heaps of luscious fruit, vegetables, and herbs I had just purchased. Just as I was basking in…
James Beard on the importance of salt
Discovering a new seasoning is one of the greatest pleasures a food lover can have. The first time you taste it, you immediately start imagining all of the dishes in which you could use the flavor. It gets tucked away…
The latest tattoo fad is inspired by kitchenware
Tattoos of whisks, animals, cupcakes, and more adorn various body parts of chefs and dedicated cooks all over the world. Now we can add a new category to the annals of kitchen-inspired tattoo art: Pyrex bowls and…
Bong Appetit? Chefs take an interest in marijuana
With the expansion of recreational marijuana in several US states, entrepreneurs have looked for new ways to market their product. One popular concept is marijuana edibles, usually sold in the form of chocolates or…
The rise of the donut peach
In 1993, Florence Fabricant reported on a new type of peach that was "juicy and luscious" but looked rather odd. It was much more squat than the typical golden red orb that everyone loved. First called a Saturn peach,…
The biggest food trends of the past 40 years
We spend a fair amount of time researching and reporting on food trends here at EYB. No matter how frivolous, they are reflected through the subject matter of new cookbooks. However popular they may be at the time, the…
State fair season is here
The cicadas are buzzing, signaling the wind-down of summer in the US. Another sign that summer is drawing to a close is the opening of state fair season. Across the country, each state celebrates with a combination of…