At least in the northern hemisphere, it's now officially grilling/barbecue season - and we understand that it's actually never not grilling season down under. So we thought a brief primer on the difference between barbecue and grilling, courtesy of this video at Southern Cooking, might be helpful to all our members.

So what is the difference? It's simple:

Barbecue is cooking long, low, and slow. Grilling is cooking hot and fast. Suitable meats for barbecue are ribs, pork shoulder, brisket - meats that take a long time to tenderize. Foods suitable for grilling include boneless breast of chicken, hamburgers, steaks, and seafood. 

And while we're on the subject - is it barbecue or barbeque? Well, both spellings are acceptable, but if you want to be fussy, stick with "barbecue." According to the Grammar Girl, "The most accepted spelling of the word is "barbecue" because it most closely resembles the word from which it's derived--"barbacòa." The shorter forms, such as "bar-b-q," are just abbreviations that play on the sounds from the syllables "be" (b) and "cue" (q)."

Finally, this also gives us a chance to announce our latest board on Pinterest, Summer Grilling - lots of great ideas already and more to come.

Photo courtesy of Flickr

Forrest Pritchard is a farmer who just published a well-reviewed book, Gaining Ground: A Story of Farmers' Markets, Local Food, and Saving the Family Farm (his is an eighth-generation farm) - you can read Michael Ruhlman on the book here. But Pritchard also publishes an interesting blog at his farm's website, Smith Meadows. One of those blogs we thought would be very informative to share.

Titled 4 Questions You Should Never Ask at Farmers' Markets, Pritchard leads in with: "I've spent over 1,000 Saturdays and Sundays selling at farmers markets, and even after all this time I still love to answer questions. Farmers markets are one of the few places where customers can directly connect with their food, meeting face-to-face with the people who grew it. Questions are expected at market, and even encouraged. From livestock breeds to production practices, organic certification to chemical usage, I've been asked just about every food-related question under the sun.

Though most farmers will happily answer all inquiries, there are a handful of questions that make even the friendliest farmers want to choke a carrot. If you don't want your farmer to turn three shades of beet red, here's the reasoning behind 4 questions every customer should avoid."

Here are the questions, with a condensed version of his response - the full blog is well worth reading, if for nothing more than the humor.

Was this picked fresh this morning? As he explains, given the work involved in getting ready for the market, the farmer and his crew would have to be up all night.

What time do you get up? Apparently this is a no-win question, so he has learned to say 4:30 - all farmers always get up at 4:30

I know you're not open yet, but I'm in a hurry… could you sell me something before the bell? No - it's a rush as it is to get ready for the opening bell.

Since it's the end of market, can I get a special deal on what you've got left? Again, no. This is a no-win question - people would either wait until the end or complain about paying full price.

And now you're a "market insider."

Adam Roberts, over at the Amateur Gourmet, recently provided an antidote to Food TV. He gives links to five past food shows, now available online, that really defined good food television - they actually give you tips and advice on how to cook. In no particular order, they are (with our comments):

• Molto Mario, with Mario Batali (probably the best show ever on cooking Italian)
• Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home (Julia Child and Jacques Pépin together are a magical combination - the ultimate power kitchen couple)
• Lidia's Italy, with Lidia Bastianich (not quite as dynamic as Mario, but there's always room for two Italian cooking shows)
• From Martha's Kitchen (whether you find her too perfect or not, it's hard to deny that  Martha Stewart can cook)
• Avec Eric  (this has a lot of travel in it, but Eric Ripert presents spot-on cooking lessons at the end of each episode)

These are all on Hulu, but you can watch them on your computer without a paid subscription (though there are commercials).

Burritos are delectable - but can be a sloppy mess. But this 4-minute video from The Daily Meal takes you by the hand and shows you how to build the perfect burrito - one that doesn't get soggy or fall apart. There are several keys:

• The order of ingredients is truly important - beans, rice, shredded cheese, meat/vegetable, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, hot sauce.
• The ratio of ingredients is key, especially rice to bean - about even. And not too much guacamole.
• The desired shape is a rectangular, elongated form.
  
• Rolling is a four-step process: in with the sides, over the top using your fingers to insure coverage, corners in, and tucked under itself (not really a roll) - and take your time.

Now this is an art form everyone should - and can - learn.

Photo courtesy of The Daily Meal

Since we doubt that anyone is unaware that kale has been soaring in popularity (stand aside, tomatoes) we haven't tackled it as a blog item -  it seems to be almost passé. But sometimes events overtake the best of intentions, and the event that overtook us was the final, canonical blessing on kale by the New York Times who just announced that kale has been accepted in "Manhattan social circles."

In their article, Oh, How the Humble Has Risen, they note that "Along with midriff-baring tops and all things Gatsby, another trend has swept the spring social circuit: kale salads." Apparently, we can "Forget about filet mignon or caviar. The fashionable plat du jour these days is the humble kale salad, which seems to telegraph a certain veggie-chic for the juice-cleanse set."

Don't get us wrong - we love kale. But the premise that a Manhattan social set acceptance should turn us on to kale does befuddle us - it's not a group that we turn to for vegetable blessings. 

And the group is even late to the party. As The Guardian wrote last March, in Kale: the hottest vegetable this season, the British have been tuned onto kale for quite awhile, "According to trade magazine  the Grocer, kale is the "new star" of the brassica family. Sales were up by 40% in the past year, with 3,048 tonnes shifted in the 12 months to February, when its core season ends.  Data analysts Kantor Worldpanel, who conducted the study, don't make the link between celebrities and our new-found fondness for this powerful leaf. But thanks to its high-profile supporters - including Gwyneth Paltrow (whose website  Goop  features recipes for kale juice and kale chips),  Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall  and  Jamie Oliver- some of it may even have been eaten, rather than left at the back of the veg drawer."

Or what about this article in Epicurious, The Next Big Thing: Baby Kale Salad Mix? They note that "Americans are crazy for kale. So crazy, in fact, that we might as well be singing "Kale to The Chief!" All kidding aside, it's taken a while, but kale is now solidly entrenched in our vegetable lexicon. Whether raw or cooked, it has firmly planted itself on restaurant menus. Bushy bunches of it crowd the produce aisles of supermarkets. And the farmers' market? Forgettaboutit. When kale's in season, there are so many different varieties piled high on tables, it's hard to choose."

We're not sure who started the kale craze, but we're glad they did and we'd like to give them credit if we could. However, the least we can do is to note that our EYB members are much savvier than the Manhattan social set when it comes to food (we doubt if many could use the expression "veggie-chic" with a straight face), so here are those online recipes at EYB for kale that have created the most buzz. Enjoy!

Photo courtesy of shutterbean on Flickr

The Daily Meal has a wonderful list today for all of you of a certain age who might have spent a fair time in front of a television set (we plead guilty) in the U.S. It's a list of The 11 Most Iconic Food Commercials of All Time, plus links to the actual commercial on You Tube. As they say, "They're more than just ads, they're cultural touchstones."

Among the ones they list are several of our favorites:  The Claymation raisins singing I Heard it Through the Grapevine, the Spicy Meatball commercial from Alka-Seltzer, and, definitely, Mikey for Life Cereal. But think of the ones they missed - the Bill Cosby Jell-O episodes, the Trix Bunny always losing out because "Trix are for kids," the Wendy's "Where's the beef" lady, and we are even nostalgic for the Green Giant - ho, ho, ho.

Enjoy the trip through memory lane, and let us know which ones you especially liked and don't see on the list.

The Kitchn has an article that may strongly resound with our members - 6 Ways to Manage Your Cookbook Addiction. Their description of what defines a cookbook addict may strike a chord with some of our members: "Perhaps it's because while you have more cookbooks then you will ever be able to cook recipes from, you cannot stop yourself from adding to your collection. Or maybe there are teetering piles of cookbooks all over your house, surrounding the bed, on a little stool near the bathtub, stacked up next to the couch. It is almost impossible for you to not buy the latest release by a favorite author, even if there's not much new going on there and you can never, never walk past the cookbook section in the bookstore without stopping and losing half a day in the stacks. These are all signs that you may have a situation on your hands."

Of couse, unlike serious addictions (drugs, gambling, etc.) this addiction is one that isn't really unhealthy - as long as it's not financially draining or forces you to sleep in the garage due to space concerns. In fact, to us the word "addict" really doesn't work. The word ignores the fact there are many benefits to cookbook ownership - not least that home-cooked meals are now acknowledged as a crucial part of a healthy lifestyle. And cookbooks are not just to cook from - they can provide hours of reading enjoyment. But this article does have some good advice on how to approach a fondness for cookbooks rationally.

First, though, if you're a member of EYB you've already taken the most important step - making sure you can access all those recipes so you actually use the books. In fact, an EYB membership is the best way to approach two of the suggestions listed in this article - explore your archives and weed out any books that just don't work anymore. 

So what are the other suggestions? Fuller explanations are in the article, but three interesting ones are: 

• Use the library
• Avoid Amazon
• Start a cookbook club with your friends

And what about buying new cookbooks? The article goes on to give advice on how to choose new cookbooks wisely. There are several good approaches here as well, we especially liked the one that reads: "Rule of thumb: If you casually pick up a cookbook to browse but find you're still reading it 10 minutes later, then you may just want to bring this one home with you."

Feel free to contribute any ideas you have. And we want to thank those members who added comments to the the Kitchn article strongly endorsing an EYB membership as an invaluable resource to help with many, if not all, of these suggestions.

Photo courtesy of the Kitchn

NPR's The Salt recently revealed that the British have developed quite a passion for baking. In Why Britain Has Gone Mad About Baking, they announced "In the last year alone, some 9 million Britons have taken up baking, according to market research firm Mintel. Indeed, the home-baking market grew a whopping 84 percent between 2007 and 2012, according to Mintel. Increases included sales of all baking-related products, from flour to decorating items, baking tins, mixers, even cake stands."

Attributable to the financial crisis, which "has encouraged the nation to stay at home, finding low-cost leisure activities," this passion has found several outlets.  The outlet we found most fascinating was cake clubs. According to NPR, "Over the past three years,  cake clubs like Hill's have been growing in popularity in the U.K. The concept is similar to a book club - except with cake. Often there's a theme: new recipes only, international or other mandates. Hill, who created her Clandestine Cake Club in 2011 (there are now 168 chapters in the U.K. alone), likes to build excitement by keeping meeting spots secret until the last possible moment."

Our congratulations to our friends across the Atlantic who have found a constructive and tasty way to deal with adversity. And you can see the index for the Clandestine Cake Club Cookbook here.  Bake on...

We were remiss earlier that we didn't acknowledge the winners of the Munchie Awards. As explained by Braiser, which published the results, these awards were created by Andrew Zimmern (most famous for his show, Bizarre Foods). "Zimmern and a panel of 26 experts (chefs, journalists, and media personalities alike) compile a list of nominees in each culinary category which are then open to a public vote."

You can check out the entire list at Braiser's article, but here are the winners of the Taste Makers award (they also announce Tasty Bites and Delicious Destinations - both geographic awards):

TERRIFIC TASTEMAKERS

• Best Food Reality TV Show:  Chopped (Food Network)
• Best Food TV Personality: Alton Brown, Good Eats (Food Network)
• Best Food Magazine: Cooking Light (Time, Inc.)
• Best Food Blog or Site: Serious Eats
• Best New Cookbook: Bouchon Bakery, Thomas Keller and Sebastien Rouxel (Artisan)
• Best Food Podcast or Radio Show: NPR: Food (NPR)
• Best Chef: Hugh Acheson, Empire State South, Atlanta

Our congratulations to the winners and, most especially, the voters. Excellent choices, everyone...

Today, we're going to take a break in our regularly scheduled blog to pat ourselves on the back. Just this week, we've reached a monumental milestone - we now have over 100,000 online recipes!  Of those, almost 10,000 were added by our members  using the Bookmarklet feature (thank you, thank you); over 10,000 are from cookbooks; and 33,000 are from magazines.

By the way, If any of you don't know about the bookmarklet feature, which is a great way to add favorite recipes from the net to your EYB library, here's a written explanation of how to use one. Or, if you prefer visual instruction,  here's an explanation in a brief video.

And, of course, we'd be totally remiss if we didn't applaud all our members for supporting us while we reached this milestone and encouraging us to keep going. Today 100,000; tomorrow the world!