Extreme Makeover: fruit edition
The kiwifruit is an iconic symbol of New Zealand as well as an important export for the country. But some people think the exotic fruit is held back from greater success by its furry brown wrapping. The most popular…
Antipasto
Don't keep it bottled up
Russ Parsons of The L.A. Times recently reminded us of the importance of purging the spice drawer. His story is probably similar to that of many other cooks: you buy a spice to make a particular recipe, the bottle…
Down the rabbit hole
When you first learn to cook, it's exciting to learn how to make from scratch things that you used to buy ready-made. It begins with simple items like chicken stock and hummus, and quickly progresses to pie crusts,…
If you can't beat 'em, drink 'em?
Depending on your point of view, dandelions are either tasty and beautiful rugged perennials or noxious weeds to be eliminated from your landscape. Either way, they have been used as food and medicine across the globe…
New science on the "five second rule"
Everybody does it. Well, at least 87 percent of people admit to doing it: eating food that has been dropped onto the floor. That is one of the findings in a new study on the transmission of bacteria to food conducted by…
Something to crow about
You won't find them indexed on EYB, but these amazing animal sculptures made exclusively from knives, forks, and spoons are worth a share nonetheless. The only thing more amazing than seeing Ohio artist Gary Hovey's…
Captivating cardamom
Do you remember the first time you tasted cardamom? Perhaps it occurred when you nibbled on Swedish meatballs or drank masala chai. Mysterious yet approachable, cardamom contains notes of cinnamon and nutmeg coupled…
Recycled love
One of my favorite ways to spend a Saturday afternoon is browsing a dusty secondhand shop, church bazaar, or (weather permitting) an outdoor tag sale. It never ceases to amaze me the perfectly useful things people throw…
Meet Watson, a most virtual chef
Milk and Cookie Shots are not the only food items making a splash at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. IBM's Watson computer (perhaps best known for being the world's best Jeopardy player) demonstrated its culinary…
Creating the next "it" food
In 2013, the cronut hit the NYC food scene like the Beatles descending on the States in 1964. People waited in line for hours to sample this hybrid croissant/donut, the brainchild of Chef Dominique Ansel. The sensation…
Sizing up the situation
Over at Food52, award-winning cookbook author Alice Medrich is dishing out excellent advice on using a kitchen scale instead of measuring cups. Ms. Medrich points out the obvious advantages that weighing is faster,…
When good wine goes bad
Sometimes it's difficult to know if the wine you bought is really bad, or if it started out good but became flawed. This recently happened to me when I was celebrating with colleagues at an Italian restaurant. Because I…