From Scratch

Hunger is a relative term. Here in America, where a report released this week shows hunger among kids is growing, the government uses the obnoxious euphemism “low food security” to classify people who struggle to eat enough food and who cope in many ways, from eating less varied foods to taking part in Federal programs […]

Food & Wine magazine has been ahead of its competition in recognizing food budgets are tightening or already tight and after offering a few budget-friendly recipes, has now compiled a labyrinth of tips and recipes that begins at Cost Cutting Secrets From Star Chefs.
There are five tips, common sense really, with chefs’ examples of putting […]

If there’s an upside to insomnia, it’s having time to read online in the middle of the night– and it’s quiet. I’ve read so many good and varied articles and columns this week I thought I’d do a quick roundup and link to them if you’d like to explore. All the links will open in […]

I was watching one of the news channels Friday night when I saw this startling commercial:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=EEbRxTOyGf0
What it doesn’t tell us — although it’s not hard to guess — is that the Corn Refiners’ Association is behind the SweetSurprise website. It’s fairly even-handed, if selective. For instance, the FAQ entry about how sweeteners are metabolized says […]

Cook’s Country Television will debut next month, presumably on PBS. The program’s a companion to Cook’s Country magazine, a sister publication of Cook’s Illustrated which has produced America’s Test Kitchen for PBS for several years.
Little else is known. There’s no information at pbs.org and all that’s found at the Cook’s Country website is a notice […]

I’ve discovered a wonderful international resource I’d like to share. It’s a website called pickyourown.org and it’s a comprehensive guide to farms and orchards where we can pick our own fruits and vegetables. If you’re in the US, Canada, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa or Japan, you can consult the […]

Nothing racy here, just chicken thighs, and their name’s a bit of a misnomer because they’re flavorful but gently seasoned.
I mentioned a few days ago that I’ve been cooking with ginger and this was on the “to try” list. It’s another winner from Perdue and uses a touch of chili powder and some cumin along […]

My cyberfriend roadsofstone is back from a recent ski vacation in the French Alps, where he found fabulous spring conditions and, of course, fabulous food. He’s written about it in such glorious detail, complete with photos, that I suspect he’s a foodie at heart.
The tartiflette sounds and looks amazing; that’s his photo (please click to enlarge) I […]

Think of it as lol politics and media.
Cheez and Tofu, the team behind I Can Has Cheezburger, have launched a new site this election year with familiar faces getting the clever caption treatment. Some of the captions are even in plain English, not lolspeak (or kitteh, to those of us who are fluent) and politicians […]

Did you know teal is the hot color for Easter eggs this year? The 125-year-old PAAS company, whose name (which comes from the Pennsylvania Dutch word for ‘passen’, or Easter) is synonymous with egg decorating kits, says teal has replaced purple as the most popular color. The company also says Americans who decorate eggs will fancy up an […]

In her “kitchen sink” approach to attacking her opponent, Mrs. Clinton has acquired a recent fondness for saying, “I have a lifetime of experience that I will bring to the White House. I know Senator McCain has a lifetime of experience to bring to the White House. And Senator Obama has a speech he gave in […]

Gourmet magazine, long a part of epicurious, launched gourmet.com today. The magazine will continue to be part of epicurious, but this stand-alone site has a slightly different focus and very different look and feel from epicurious. It’s like a cross between a blog and a news site.
Editor Ruth Reichl says it will be updated every […]

The prize money gets the attention, but winners of Bravo’s Top Chef also get the often-mentioned feature in Food and Wine magazine, where Top Chef judge Gail Simmons is an editor. The feature on Season 3 winner Hung Huynh is just out today.
We learn he quit his job as sous chef at Guy Savoy in Las Vegas […]

There’s always something to learn. I did not know pure maple syrup can be kept in the freezer.
I learned that tip from Good Housekeeping online, which has a wonderful three-page, printable chart of the best ways to store food and for how long. There are separate pages for dry goods, condiments and perishables.
I’ve long followed […]

The Center for Science in the Public Interest and the American Medical Association are urging the Food and Drug Administration to require food makers to reduce the salt in their products. A hearing is scheduled next week and they are expected to say intervention is needed to fight heart disease.
Nearly one-third of American adults — […]