Food news antipasto

Have you heard about waterfall chicken? It’s a Vietnamese street food that’s gone viral, with millions of people watching videos of the chicken being made. Nick DiGiovanni, MasterChef finalist and cookbook author, explains how the process works. The name of the dish is a clue: hot oil cascades over chicken pieces like a waterfall, creating an ultra-crispy treat.

Fans of a good gin and tonic know that the tonic is just as important as the spirit. In fact, says The Guardian’s Mina Holland, tonic is so good that it should be enjoyed on its own. There’s a growing trend of drinking tonic solo, and Holland says that it “is more grown-up than lemonade, more interesting than fizzy water, and there is something chic about cracking open your own mini tinny.” New tonics with different flavor profiles are making it easy to fall in love with this bar back staple.

Auntie Anne’s, the pretzel chain that is ubiquitous in malls across America, is celebrating National Pretzel Day on April 26 with some serious deals. First, new and existing loyalty club members can snag a free original or cinnamon pretzel on the 26th. Second, a limited number of Golden Pretzel Passes will be offered for $50. This gets you one original or cinnamon pretzel every week for 52 straight weeks.

Trader Joe’s recently settled a class action lawsuit, and if you shopped there between March 5, 2019 and July 19, 2019 and used a credit card or debit card, you may be entitled to payment. The issue is that for a short period of time, the receipts printed at some Trader Joe’s listed 10 digits of the shopper’s credit card numbers instead of just the last 4 digits. This could potentially make it easier for thieves to conduct identity theft. While Trader Joe’s denies any wrongdoing, it is paying $7 million to settle the lawsuit.

Eating too much meat is associated with a host of health concerns like higher risks of heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes. However, researchers have found that for some people, not eating enough meat is a big problem. The study showed that for carriers of the APOE4 gene, which is linked to a heightened risk of Alzheimer’s, eating more meat had a protective effect, with participants exhibiting slower cognitive decline and lower dementia risk. Researchers think this may be due to better vitamin B12 absorption.

Event reminders from Jenny:

• Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer – Honey & Co. Daily
• The British Library – London (Food Season is coming!)
• Lucie Franc de Ferriere – Cake from Lucie
• Adeena Sussman – Zariz
• Roxana Jullapat – Morning Baker
• An amazing event for cookbook lovers is happening soon! (This week!)

Other articles of interest:

• Cookbooks highlight underrepresented cuisines
• Home distilling takes a step forward