CookShelfI recently received a sales catalog from a famous cookware store. There is nothing at the moment that I need in my kitchen, but that didn't stop me from leafing through the pages. One item in particular captured my…
Some recipe writers conjure words like the best poets or lyricists, others are matter-of-fact and straightforward in their prose. Most people have a preference for one type of recipe over another, and Leite Culinaria's…
Today is International Dog Day, a celebration of all things canine. The day started in the US in 2004 by Animal Welfare Advocate and Pet Lifestyle Expert, Colleen Paige, and according to the official website, it…
The pandemic has changed the way millions of people worldwide are eating. Many people accustomed to eating out for some (or all) of their meals suddenly had to shift gears and cook at home. While the transition has not…
Although my grandmother had very few herbs and spices in her cooking arsenal, she always had a jar full of large dried bay leaves. These leaves were used in long-simmering soups and stews, carefully fished out prior to…
The era of free wine tastings in Australia may be coming to a close. The pandemic nixed wine tastings for months, and now that wineries are able to reopen, many owners say they will never go back to the era of free…
Traveling during a pandemic can be an exercise in anxiety, but sometimes duty calls. Likewise, cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen, difficult in the best of times, is made worse during this stressful time. I have made a…
The James Beard Foundation's annual Chef and Restaurant Awards were initially scheduled to be announced at a gala event in Chicago. After postponing that event and announcing a virtual event, the JBF has effectively…
While avid home cooks stock their cupboards with a rainbow of Le Creuset, gorgeous glowing copper pans, and high-dollar triple-ply cookware, restaurant kitchens contain more utilitarian pots and pans, usually plain…
My vintage KitchenAid stand mixer has made countless batches of cookies, cakes, and other items. Even though I have a newer and larger KA, I drag out the old one for nostalgia's sake from time to time, and used it for a…
Interested in the juncture between cookbooks and history? A new publicly available searchable database called The Sifter might be right up your alley. The Sifter, conceived by food historian Barbara Wheaton, "is…
Although the EU has drawn together much of Europe into a common market, the food remains more diverse, with each country and even regions within countries having their signature dishes, styles and ingredients. The…
