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…
2014
New edition of a classic cookbook
Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone first came out in 1998, quickly attaining canonical status among both the meat-free and the pro-vegetable. 10 years later, there was an anniversary edition, and now,…
Ready, set, breakfast!
Over at The Kitchn they're discussing must-haves to keep at your desk for emergency lunches. I was glad to see the shout-out for nut butter: a jar of peanut butter lives in my desk drawer for just such situations. I…
Making the Grade
Last week we learned that fabled New York City restaurant Per Se received a large number of violations during its latest health inspection. This resulted in a "grade pending" while the restaurant appeals the report.…
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…
Featured Cookbooks & Recipes
Today we're sharing our latest compilation of recipes and cookbooks we've featured on Facebook, Twitter, & Google+. Many of the recipes are samples from recently indexed cookbooks, so even if you don't have the book…
Et tu, bratwurst?
It seems that every other week a new report is published on what foods are good or bad for you. Often, these reports conflict with earlier research. First coffee is bad, then it is good, and so it goes with other…
"Recipes and Stories"
In early 2011, I was scratching my head trying to think of an appropriate subtitle for my book, A Spoonful of Promises. I know! I thought. I'll use "Stories and Recipes"! That sounds like something I'd want to read. I…
Pro Pho
Difficult for many people to pronounce--is it fuh? foe? (find the answer here), pho is a dish that defines a country. Even though Vietnamese cooking is varied and complex, pho is probably the food most familiar to…
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,…