Food writer and humorist Jess Thomson recounts her hilarious and daunting visit to the mecca of molecular gastronomy in the States: Grant Achatz’s Alinea.
How to Buy Cooking Knives
Writer Chad Ward gives you all the details—gory and not—about what to look for in an excellent kitchen knife, how to buy it, and what to watch out for.
Notes from Portugal: Gavião Novo ~ Madeira
Janet Boileau, Portuguese food scholar, enjoys the food on Madeira, including wine-garlic pork sandwiches and limpets grilled with butter and garlic.
Notes from Portugal: Campo de Ourique ~ Lisbon
Janet Boileau and David Leite met photographer Nuno Correia for lunch at a Lisbon restaurant, where they get restaurant recommendations and travel tips.
Notes from Portugal: Bica do Sapato ~ Lisbon
David finds the fashion statement at Bica do Sapato restaurant in Lisbon to be an inspiration while cooking at home. A tip: the shirts run small.
Reserve Some Frosting, Stir in Nuts for Glamour
A gift of Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book made Paulette Licitra examine her mother-daughter relationship, the role of a wife and women’s identity.
Meat: The Pleasures of the Flesh
Novelist, essayist, and food writer James Sturz writes about the pleasures of flesh—both animal and human—and their sometimes disquieting similarity.
Michael Pollan: The Omnivore’s Dilemma
In this interview with with Anne E. McBride, Michael Pollan discusses the success of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” agribusiness, and how to eat better.
A Hunt for the Classic Icebox Cake Leaves a Cold Trail
Food history editor Gary Allen tracks down the classic icebox cake. The recipe for the original icebox cake is on the Nabisco chocolate wafer box.
The Search for Silky Sorbet Doesn’t Go Smoothly
Grainy chocolate sorbet was one readers problem, so Gary Allen put on his food science hat and found out the the solution: chocolate syrup.