What are the best picnic side dishes?

May 21, 2026 by
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This weekend is a holiday in the US that marks the unofficial start to summer. People will be firing up their grills and enjoying the warm spring weather. Family reunions, ball games, and other outdoor activities mean potlucks and picnics are on tap. There are classic side dishes that are 'must haves' for every picnic or outdoor eating event, although… read more

We’re living in a bean renaissance

May 20, 2026 by
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With each year that passes, beans seem to be getting hotter. Back in 2024 I wrote about how beans were getting a glow-up, and their rise in popularity has continued unabated. As NPR explains, today bean cuisine reigns supreme. So what has driven this unprecedented interest in all things legume? As with anything these days, social media plays a role… read more

Chefs say it’s time to bring back the buffet

May 19, 2026 by
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When grocery prices are giving people sticker shock, it's hard to beat the allure of an all-you-can eat buffet. In the past, this type of restaurant usually aimed at providing quantity over quality, with an array of industrial-kitchen items straight out of a can or box. Food and Wine explains how today's chefs are breathing new life into the concept,… read more

June 2026 Great Big Cookbook Club Summary

May 18, 2026 by
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As our members know, each month we offer several cooking options in our Eat Your Books Cookbook Club. There are other fun cookbook clubs around world and we’d like to highlight those for those members who might want to cook or bake something other than our choices.  I will update this post as clubs make their additional choices. Something that has… read more

Food news antipasto

May 17, 2026 by
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Farewell, room service? The growth of delivery services like Deliveroo have led to a decline in sales at hotel restaurants in the UK. People want what they want, not necessarily what the hotel chef has decided to serve, so they turn to something akin to room service, ordering food to be delivered. One hotel is trying to mitigate these losses… read more

Michelin Guide expands to include new locations

May 16, 2026 by
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Michelin just announced that its Michelin Guide would be coming to Australia for the first time ever. South Australia inked a deal with the French company to have a guide published in 2027, and Michelin said its anonymous teams were already in the state to begin their work. Michelin also recently announced that they would adding Minneapolis to its new… read more

Labors of love

May 15, 2026 by
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There are some things I do as a baker that I do not really enjoy, and am thankful that they are only infrequently required. One of those is the task I completed this evening, making candied violets. While I adore being able to garnish a cake or tart with gorgeous edible flowers, I do not love the effort it takes… read more

Don’t tell your nonna, but this is a better way to cook pasta

May 13, 2026 by
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True or false: to make pasta you need to have a large kettle of boiling water, about 6 quarts per pound of pasta. For decades most people would have said "true", but people are turning to a newer way of cooking pasta that uses much less water. There are several advantages to the low water method, as Serious Eats' Leah… read more

No shame in the grocery aisle

May 12, 2026 by
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NPR published a bewildering (to me) story today. It profiled shoppers who were seemingly ashamed to shop at Aldi and other low-priced grocery stores. The premise was that due to "economic pressures and frustrations" people have started to shop at "budget grocery stores and warehouse clubs" instead of supermarkets, "their priorities shifting in pursuit of a good deal." I'm not… read more

Food news antipasto

May 10, 2026 by
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We start out this week's news with a couple of gardening tips. First, there is a surefire companion plant that can help maximize your cucumber (and other curcurbit) harvest: nasturtiums. Because nasturtiums have trumpet-shaped flowers similar to cucumber blossoms, they attract the same types of pollinators. Also, nasturtiums are often more tempting to pests like cucumber beetles, distracting them from… read more

A surprising potential protein source

May 9, 2026 by
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Protein is everywhere these days, as every food product imaginable is touting a protein-enhanced version or providing its protein bonafides. This comes at a time when animal protein is becoming increasingly expensive, and as population growth means keeping up with protein demands will have to move beyond animals as that source is incredibly resource intensive. This has led to research… read more

James Beard Media Award nominees for 2026

May 7, 2026 by
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Yesterday the James Beard Foundation announced its 2026 Media Awards Nominees. “We’re honored to announce this year’s James Beard Media Awards nominees—exceptional storytellers who are shaping how we understand the world through food,” said Clare Reichenbach, CEO, James Beard Foundation. “Through their work, they bring meaning and perspective to the stories behind what we eat and drink, illuminating the people, places,… read more

There’s a new breed of chip in town

May 7, 2026 by
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Potato chips/crisps are a beloved snack the world over. While the concept of this mainstay item is simple - thinly slice potatoes and fry them in oil - there is a lot of science behind them. One aspect of this is in the potatoes themselves, and the scientists at the Michigan State University are hard at work developing new varieties… read more

A prescription for lobsters?

May 6, 2026 by
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For most home cooks, lobsters and other shellfish purchased live may be the only creatures we dispatch ourselves prior to cooking. There's been debate about the best, most humane way to kill lobsters, with many chefs believing a quick knife plunge straight down into the carapace is the best way to do it. Often, people will place the lobster in… read more

Food news antipasto

May 3, 2026 by
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Radio Cherry Bombe has a new miniseries debuting this week called “The New Home” which will feature conversations with women about their lives, kitchens, and inspiring careers. They are kicking off the series with Donna Hay, the culinary legend from Australia. ⁠According to Cherry Bombe, the episode "traces how [Donna] found her visual voice (thanks to some crêpes and a brioche… read more

Get ready for Cinco de Mayo

May 2, 2026 by
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While Cinco de Mayo is a relatively minor historical anniversary in Mexico, in the U.S. it has become a much larger celebration. The date commemorates the Mexican Army’s victory over the French Empire at the first Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862. It is not, as many people assume, Mexican Independance Day (that falls on September 16). In the United… read more

2026 Fortnum & Mason Award Winners announced

May 1, 2026 by
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The winners of the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards 2026 were announced at a ceremony April 30 hosted by Andi Oliver and Angela Hartnett OBE, held at The Royal Exchange, London. This was the 14th annual Awards, which celebrate the richness and diversity in food and drink writing and broadcasting in the UK and Republic of Ireland. The awards were… read more

Getting the arrangement right

April 30, 2026 by
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I have the majority of my cookbook collection on five bookshelves all in one room. The other day I had the urge to rearrange the room (it's a spare bedroom), so everything got a deep clean and each book was taken off the shelf, dusted, and stacked on the floor, the bookshelf was wiped down, and then I put everything… read more

Kitchen shortcuts you just won’t take

April 29, 2026 by
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Ina Garten often says, "if you don't have homemade, store bought is fine." Most of the time, I agree with Ina, but there a few ingredients where I draw the line, saying store bought is not fine. The big one for me is premade pie crust: I won't buy one because it's easy for me to make from scratch and… read more

April 2026 New Cookbook Review

April 28, 2026 by
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My 2026 Cookbook Preview Post is growing every day with great titles to covet. Excited to see these additions recently: Sweet Heart: Simply Perfect Recipes to Satisfy Every Craving from the Creator of Beatrix Bakes by Natalie Paull; Eat (Like) the Rich - A Cookbook by Olivia Tiedemann; Family - Simple, Healthy Recipes for Everyone by Claudine Boulstridge; Kamayan: The Filipino Cookbook by… read more

Meal planning and grocery lists now in CookShelf

April 28, 2026 by
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The hardest part of cooking for me is planning the meals. It is all but impossible for me to stay organized, put together a menu, and make sure to buy all the items I need. That's IF I can remember where I put the darn grocery list. Meal planning has become so much easier for me now that there are… read more

Food news antipasto

April 26, 2026 by
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The judges on Bravo TV's Top Chef have consumed some amazing foods and some that were...not so amazing. Recently some of the judges sat down with Delish to recount the worst things they have ever eaten on the show. Tom Colicchio, Kristen Kish, and Gail Simmons all provided their least favorite foods. One involved warm, undercooked cod served to Tom… read more

More uses for your tortilla press

April 24, 2026 by
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The tortilla press is a simple piece of kitchen equipment, usually made of metal plates that are hinged together to create perfectly even, flat dough pieces to make corn or flour tortillas. At first glance it seems like an Alton Brown "unitasker", something that takes up valuable space but only has one use. That's simply not true, says Taste Cooking's… read more

April 2026 EYB Cookbook Club Summary

April 23, 2026 by
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Each month we allow posting in our Eat Your Books Cookbook Club from any cookbook, magazine or blog and most months we also offer one featured cookbook. We hope that sharing our favorite recipes will help our Members discover new cookbooks and recipes to try. Also please see our May 2026 Great Big Cookbook Club Summary which is now organized by location and includes… read more

Everything’s coming up rhubarb

April 22, 2026 by
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The moment that really marks the end of winter for me is when I see the tightly curled leaves of rhubarb poking up through the brown debris of last year's plant. That moment happened last week, and it caught me off guard this year. I missed the earliest signs and only noticed when the plants were about 6 inches tall,… read more
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