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Food

The Best Books About Food of 2016

Looking for the perfect gift for the food lover in your life? Any of these suggestions will hit the spot

New Research

Feeling Down? Scientists Say Cooking and Baking Could Help You Feel Better

A little creativity each day goes a long way

French toast, also known as lost bread, German toast, and "poor knights' pudding" is celebrated today, but it tastes great any day.

There Are as Many Names for French Toast as Ways to Cook It

People have been enjoying the eggy bread treat since Roman times

Astronauts enjoy a Thanksgiving feast on the International Space Station in 2014. Turns out that modern space food is something to be grateful for.

Trending Today

What Do Astronauts Eat on Thanksgiving?

It’s not as bad as you might think

An Evaptainer is a lightweight storage unit that uses evaporative cooling to cut down on food spoilage.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

Could This Cooler Help Combat Global Hunger?

The Evaptainer keeps perishable food fresh for up to two weeks–no electricity required

New Research

New Technique Could Supercharge Crop Production

Proteins inserted into tobacco plants improved yields by up to 20 percent

Trending Today

Four American Cities Voted for Taxes on Soda Last Night

One step forward in tackling obesity in America

The Sacramento Municipal Utility District is working with dairy farms to provide on-site digesters for manure.

Future of Energy

Why Anaerobic Digestion Is Becoming the Next Big Renewable Energy Source

A food-to-electricity plant in England is just one in a string of local efforts to make waste less wasteful

Trending Today

Demand for Coffee Hits Record High as Global Supply Tightens

Millennials have led the surge in java consumption

Cool Finds

You, Too, Can Cook Like Surrealist Godfather Salvador Dalí

The painter’s erotically charged cookbook is getting a rare reprinting

The Story of How McDonald’s First Got Its Start

From the orange groves of California, two brothers sought a fortune selling burgers

With some seed money from her grandparents, Alina Morse started her very own business.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

Meet the 11-Year-Old Who Invented a Healthy Lollipop

Made with plant-derived sugar alternatives, Alina Morse’s Zollipops help reduce the risk of cavities

Mmm, science.

Science Explains Why Chocolate Should be Savored, Not Scarfed

And other molecular secrets to digest while you’re digesting

Rick Bayless, whose innovative Chicago restaurants blazed the trail toward wider acceptance of south-of-the-border cooking, has much in common with the celebrated Julia Child.

Rick Bayless Preaches the Gospel of Modern Mexican Cuisine

The trail-blazing Chicago chef and cookbook author wins the second annual Julia Child Award and makes a donation to the Smithsonian

Are Pumpkin Beers, Thank God, Finally on the Way Out?

Some breweries are slowing production, as the trend may be fizzling

Yes, Spiders Eat Spiders

Portia spiders, known for their remarkable intelligence, have some of the most astonishing hunting skills in the arthropod community

This golden goodness relies on a mathematical concept known as the silver ratio.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

Using Math to Build the Ultimate Taffy Machine

A mathematician dives into taffy-pulling patents to achieve optimum confection creation

In search of distinctly American beer hops.

Wacky, Wonderful, Wild Hops Could Transform the Watered-Down Beer Industry

The diversity of hops reflects a diversity of tastes and traditions that are part of an extraordinary evolution in beer

Have burned wasteland, will grow.

New Research

Hungry for Morel Mushrooms? Head to Yosemite

It turns out that the shriveled shrooms love forests ravaged by fire

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