Avoid slow cooker mistakes
Slow cookers are a godsend to the busy cook. They're so useful that even Grant Achatz of Alinea & Next uses them in his restaurant. As good as they are, slow cookers can't do everything well, and indexed blog The Kitchn…
Antipasto
Add some color to your cocktails
We are heading into the holiday party season, and you can bet that many of the parties will feature cocktails. While many classic cocktails are delicious, some of them are very drab: various shades of brown or nearly…
Bleak year for olive oil producers
If you're a fan of good olive oil, prepare to pay more next year for what is quickly becoming a precious commodity. 2014 is being called "The Black Year of Italian Olive Oil," as the olive harvest throughout much of…
Catalogs, gadgets, and apps
As the holidays approach, one thing is almost guaranteed--a glut of catalogs in your mailbox. No sooner are the Halloween decorations down than the Christmas sales promotions begin (whether you like it or not). Even if…
Carve out some time to sharpen your knives
Thanksgiving meal plans are coming into focus and you've probably starting a few make-ahead items. When the big day arrives, you'll have more work, up to and including the turkey carving. But before you dice the first…
It's hard to let go
It's a sin that most cooks are guilty of committing - buying an unusual herb or spice, using it once (if at all), then leaving it in the spice drawer or cabinet, neglected. A recent study by kitchen electronics company…
A beef between countries
An outspoken French butcher is making waves in his home country by suggesting that English beef is superior to French beef. In a new documentary, Yves-Marie Le Bourdonnec, a well-known French butcher, insists that…
You'll go nuts for this tip
This is the time of year where many of us are deep into our holiday meal planning. The most organized cooks are making lists and setting schedules. Over at indexed blog Serious Eats, J. Kenji López-Alt has discovered a…
Tips to spotting bad recipes
Finding recipes online is easy, but ensuring that they are great isn't always as simple. Of course the EYB Library is full of well-tested recipes from trusted sources, but occasionally you may stumble across a recipe…
Antipasto Holidays & Celebrations
The great holiday meal debates
In a recent Epicurious article, the writer opines that it doesn't matter what you put in your stuffing. Rather, she instructs that whatever flavoring agents you choose, you should put in more than you think you need to…
The surprising history of culinary trends
Did you know that maple syrup was promoted as an alternative sweetener decades before high-fructose corn syrup was even invented? Or that "Meatless Mondays" date back 100 years? A new video series out Tuesday from…
The resurgence of dinner parties
In the last few years, news articles have repeated a theme that the dinner party is dead. Various explanations have been offered for the dinner party's demise, from frenetic schedules to the trend toward casualness to…