Frank Bruni questions whether seasonal eating is all that everyone claims but a commenter says it best: "Unseasonal eating is fine, depending on what season you’re talking about: Sausages in summer is a matter of taste, while tomatoes in January is unsustainable eating." Of course, in place of "unsustainable eating," I would have simply said "gross."
Is soy the next corn?…
Is soy the next corn? A long, detailed report from the Guardian questions the health claims of soy, looks at the broad use of soy in processed foods and its extensive planting and destruction of our natural resources, and wonders if this miracle bean is as miraculous as we've been told. I drink soy milk every day, now this article's got me wondering if I should. [thanks Augie]
What is Biodynamics? I thought…
What is Biodynamics? I thought something that was biodynamic was basically organic, but it's not. Biodynamics is much stricter and a more complicated system for growing things.
10 kitchen tips from the…
10 kitchen tips from the pros. Of all of them, I think knife skills (and a sharp knife) is the most important.
Summer slowdown
Things will be pretty slow around here for the next few days. Ruhlman's no longer around to pick up my slack, and I'm heading out of town for a long weekend visit with family. If time permits and inspiration hits, there will be updates. Otherwise, things will get back on track next week.
Two beautiful words come together…
Two beautiful words come together at last: bacon mayo. You read that right, mayonnaise made with bacon fat! Mmm…[via kiplog]
If you're looking for a…
If you're looking for a new t-shirt (and really, who isn't?), this Hooray Cholesterol! tee from Threadless could be just the thing. All those fats attacking the heart?! Brilliant.
Gadget: Peppergun
I can't live without freshly ground salt and pepper in my kitchen, so I have two of these Nantucket Pepperguns: one in white for salt, one in black for pepper. The simple design lets you grind with one hand, so that you can use your other hand for stirring if you want. Another ingenious aspect of its design is the way you fill it. You twist the tube to reveal a hole, and in doing so, rotate the "ears" towards he back. Then you can lay the peppergun on the counter, supported by the ears at the back, with the hole pointed toward you, and easily fill with sea salt or whole peppercorns. I've used lots of different pepper grinders in my day, but this is far and away my favorite. Easy to use. Easy to refill. Easy to clean. I love it.
I've created an archive page…
I've created an archive page of all of Michael Ruhlman's post for this site. So you can access everything he wrote during his visit on one page.
Make your own wine with…
Make your own wine with custom wine and custom crush services. You can blend varietals, determine the style, pick the kind of press, and many other things related to winemaking. In the end, you have your own custom wine. It sounds cool, if you can avoid screwing up and wasting $5000 to bottle your own bitter grape juice.