Cooking
The Assault on Salt
If a ban proposed by Brooklyn assemblyman Felix Ortiz passes, New York chefs will be banned from using salt in food preparation in all restaurants. The bill states: "No owner or operator of a restaurant in this state shall use salt in any form in the preparation of any food for consumption by custo...
March 15, 2010 |
By Abby Callard
A Week Without Recipes: The Results
Last weekend, I challenged myself to cook without recipes for the rest of the week. I had been feeling bogged down by the amount of time I was spending researching recipes and planning menus and shopping lists. I wanted to test my creativity and ability, and push myself to be more spontaneous. I we...
March 12, 2010 |
By Lisa Bramen
Colonial Recipes: Sally Lunn Cake
On a visit to Colonial Williamsburg last weekend, I picked up a booklet of recipes sold by the reconstructed village's Raleigh Tavern Bakery. The cover promised A Collection of the Most tasteful and Approved Recipes in Virginia Cookery. Though the language was old-fashioned, the recipes for treats...
March 11, 2010 |
By Amanda Bensen
In a Pickle
Salty and crunchy cucumber pickles have been a mainstay in American refrigerators for decades. But The Daily Beast recently listed pickling as one of its top trends for 2010. And the trend isn't just for cucumbers—you can pickle just about anything. At the restaurant where I work, we serve pickled ...
March 09, 2010 |
By Abby Callard
Challenge: A Week Without Recipes
Most home cooks consult recipes at least some of the time, whether for inspiration or instruction. Others seem to be able to look at the ingredients in their pantries and conjure a delicious and innovative meal without so much as cracking a cookbook.I fit squarely within the former category. Other ...
March 08, 2010 |
By Lisa Bramen
The ABC's of Maple Syrup
March can be an ugly month in the northeast, all mud and slush and wind—some compare it to a lion, but I think of it more like cranky old Mr. Wilson in Dennis the Menace. Like him, it conceals a current of sweetness beneath its bluster.It's hard to predict exact dates for maple sugaring season beca...
March 02, 2010 |
By Amanda Bensen
Five Ways to Eat Coconut
The coconut has long been a staple of cuisine in tropical places. As the trend toward Eastern flavors picks up here in the States, coconut has shown up in many flavor forecast lists for 2010.The coconut is one of the most useful plants in the world. Some cultures use almost every part of the tree f...
March 01, 2010 |
By Abby Callard
Searching for Hanoi's Ultimate Pho
With more Americans sampling Vietnam's savory soup, a noted food critic and an esteemed maestro track down the city's best
March 2010 |
By Mimi Sheraton
Unconventional Ovens
The inventor of the Easy Bake Oven, Ronald Howes, died last week, as you may have heard. The news made me finally pay attention to those little ovens, a toy I neither owned nor noticed with any interest as a child, and I was startled to realize that baking temperatures can be achieved with a simple...
February 25, 2010 |
By Amanda Bensen
Cooking Up a Storm
In case you haven't heard, the DC region got some serious snow this past weekend...some have been referring to it as "Snowpocalypse," "Snomaggedon," or just "SnOMG!"The world didn't end when about 24 inches of snow fell in as many hours, but life did come to a screeching halt for most of us. No wor...
February 08, 2010 |
By Amanda Bensen
Turmeric as Health Food?
Amanda recently wrote about cinnamon having a reputation as a good food for healthy eyes, and it got me thinking about spices. I tend to think of them merely as flavor, but cinnamon isn't the only spice that people are investigating for its possible health benefits. I was looking for a recipe for s...
January 26, 2010 |
By Abby Callard
Delicious Moments on Film
Movie award season kicked off recently with the Golden Globes, and continued Saturday night with the SAG awards, and Meryl Streep already added another trophy to her case. She won best actress in a musical or comedy for her comedic (and, you might say musical, considering her sing-song voice) portr...
January 25, 2010 |
By Lisa Bramen
Five Ways to Eat Fresh Fennel
I met a new vegetable recently, and I'm totally infatuated: fennel.I'd heard of fennel, but had never eaten it until I visited my husband's family for Thanksgiving a couple of years ago. The appetizers included a veggie tray with familiar snacks like peppers, cucumbers, broccoli and baby carrots. B...
January 20, 2010 |
By Amanda Bensen
Five Ways to Eat Jicama
I've always like jicama (pronounced HEE-kuh-muh), a starchy, slightly sweet root popular in Mexico. It looks like an ugly brown turnip (and is sometimes called Mexican turnip) and, when raw, has the crunchy texture of a firm pear or a raw potato. Until a few weeks ago, raw was the only way I'd ever...
January 13, 2010 |
By Lisa Bramen
Sub a Veggie for Spaghetti
I love pasta as much as the next person. It's easy, it's cheap and it's convenient. But it's not exactly packed with nutrients. I think I have found a great alternative to the simple pasta dish. Don't get me wrong, I will eat pasta, but subbing in a healthier alternative once in a while can't hurt....
January 12, 2010 |
By Abby Callard
If You Had to Pack Your Kitchen in a Suitcase...
Two dear friends of mine just moved overseas rather suddenly, taking only four suitcases between them for a job posting that could last more than a year. They're a young couple who had been sharing a studio apartment here in D.C., so they didn't own much to begin with, but they still had to put a l...
January 11, 2010 |
By Amanda Bensen
Sushi At Home
On New Year's Eve, my boyfriend and I decided to try our hands at sushi. We eat sushi out pretty frequently, but something about making it in my own kitchen seemed terrifying. It was easier than I had expected, albeit time consuming. Definitely something I recommend trying for a sushi eater. If not...
January 07, 2010 |
By Abby Callard
Five Ways to Eat Pomegranates
Post-holidays, most people take at least a passing interest in eating healthier. I know I do, anyway. That's what motivated me to pick up a whole, fresh pomegranate at the grocery store a few days ago—I'd heard that this round, red fruit is a "superfood," packed with antioxidants and vitamins. Neve...
January 04, 2010 |
By Amanda Bensen
What Are Those Green Specks in My Biscuits?
Several weeks ago I baked a batch of buttermilk biscuits with sunflower seeds in them, using a recipe from a cookbook I've had since college, Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin. They were delicious fresh out of the oven, but when I broke one open the next day I noticed what appeared to be vivid ...
December 16, 2009 |
By Lisa Bramen
What is this Junket, Anyway?
As I wrote yesterday, I'm having fun flipping through a century-old cookbook that once belonged to my great-grandma. Most of the recipes are somewhat familiar, but there was one title in the desserts section that stopped me cold: "Junket Pudding."Since the only kind of junket I'm aware of is a "pre...
December 15, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
