Food Culture

Cookbooks that changed my life – Eatocracy - CNN.com Blogs

From CNN Eatocracy editor Kat Kinsman, 5 cookbooks that changed her life, including An Invitation to Indian Cooking (1973), by Madhur Jaffrey.

via eatocracy.cnn.com

CORRECTION to Stir-Fried Rice Vermicelli with Shredded Chicken and Vegetables

OK, I goofed.  In my July 18, 2010 post, "Stir-Fried Vermicelli with Shredded Chicken and Vegetables," I made a mistake.  The recipe calls for a teaspoon of Chinese rice wine for the marinade for the chicken.  I erroneously used mirin, when I should have used Chinese rice wine.  The cookbook author, Helen Chen, contacted me to point out this error:

The Chinese cooking wine called for in the recipe is not mirin.  Mirin is a sweet Japanese wine for Japanese cuisine and the Chinese don't use it.  Since this seems to be a common misperception you may wish to bring this to the attention of your readers.

Please make this change, thank you.

Harris Poll: Half of Americans Watch Cooking Shows Very Often or Occasionally

Half of Americans (50%) say they watch TV shows about cooking very often or occasionally, but half (50%) say they watch these shows rarely or never. Looking a little more specifically, just one in five U.S. adults (21%) say they never watch TV shows about cooking while three in ten (29%) do so rarely, one-third (34%) do so occasionally and 15% watch cooking shows very often.

These are some of the findings of the Harris Poll, conducted online between May 10 and 17, 2010, among 2,503 online U.S. adults ages 18 and over.

Certain groups are more likely to watch cooking shows. Over half (55%) of Baby Boomers (those aged 46-64) watch cooking shows very often or occasionally, compared to over half (57%) of Echo Boomers (those aged 18-33) who say they rarely or never watch these shows. While many of the great chefs are male, and men say they love to cook more than women do (32% versus 28%), women are more likely than men are to watch cooking shows very often or occasionally (54% versus 46%).

Besides trying to make the dishes shown on cooking channels, those who watch these shows can be influenced to potentially purchase some of the food they see being prepared, along with the gadgets the chefs use and even the cookbooks the star-chefs have written. In fact, over half (57%) of those who watch these shows say they have purchased food as a direct result of something they've seen on a cooking show. Over one-third (36%) say they have purchased small kitchen gadgets, 24% have purchased cookbooks and 6% have even purchased large appliances as a direct result of something they've seen on a cooking show.

Much as they are more likely to watch these shows, Baby Boomers are also more likely to purchase both food (60%) and kitchen gadgets (41%) because of something they've seen on a cooking show. Gen Xers (those aged 34-45) are more likely to purchase cookbooks (29%) and large appliances (9%) after seeing them on cooking shows.

Rachael Ray is the queen of easy meals and manages to get people cooking rather than dining out. According to Americans who watch cooking shows, 30 Minute Meals with Rachael Ray is their favorite cooking program. Tied at number two for favorite cooking show are two Southern cooks - Paula Deen with Paula's Home Cooking and the king of "Bam," Emeril Lagasse, with Emeril Live. At number four is the uber-cooking competition, Iron Chef, and number five is Good Eats.

In at number six is Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and number seven is Top Chef. Three females round out the top ten: the Barefoot Contessa hosted by Ina Garten, Martha Stewart, and Everyday Italian with Giada de Laurentiis.

Cooking shows are big business. They can boost viewership for networks and can also spur show collateral, such as cookbooks and kitchen gadgets. Additionally, many TV chefs have their own restaurants that can draw viewers and fans of the show to dine there. Besides business, cooking shows are also a form of escapism for many people. And, while many may have a little Martha Stewart in them, who can actually do the perfect souffle? However, watching these shows makes cooking look so easy, that it's likely many file away those recipes as something they would "love to make later."

For more information, you can read the complete press release.

Foodbuzz Calls on Food Bloggers Across the Country to Create Gulf Coast-Inspired Cuisine to Benefit the Greater New Orleans Foundation

Largest Online Food Community Harnesses Power of Social Media to Support Relief Efforts

As the Gulf Coast struggles to recover from the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history, Foodbuzz, the online food community, is calling on food bloggers across the country to cook up a Gulf Coast-inspired meal on July 24th -- and blog about it -- all in support of the Greater New Orleans Foundation (GNOF), which has been playing a key role in relief efforts in the wake of the tragic oil spill.

Each month, Foodbuzz' 24x24 section of the website showcases blog posts from 24 Foodbuzz Featured Publisher bloggers from around the world about meals they've prepared within one 24-hour period. This month, Foodbuzz has chosen 24 bloggers from around the country to serve as "Gulf Ambassadors" and host a Gulf Coast-inspired meal on Saturday, July 24th. A donation of $250 in the name of each of the bloggers will be donated to the GNOF, for an initial contribution of $6,000. Some of the participating bloggers from around the country include:

Passionate Eater - San Francisco
Cooking with Christen  - Louisiana
Fresh Local and Best - New York City
SheSimmers - Chicago
Le Grand Fromage - Florida
Don't (White) Sugar Coat It - Boston
Four Points Foodie - Austin
Wannabe TV Chef - Alabama
First, Make a Roux! - San Diego

For additional food bloggers -- up to 100 -- who would like to participate in the program by hosting their own Gulf Coast-inspired meal, Foodbuzz will also donate $25 in their name to the GNOF. Posts can be submitted to Foodbuzz on July 25th at editorial@foodbuzz.com.

The GNOF will give 100 percent of the proceeds to the fishermen and their families affected by the spill in the following parishes: Plaquemines, St. Bernard, lower Jefferson, Terrebonne, and Lafourche. The blog posts will be aggregated on Foodbuzz' 24x24 section and featured for one month.

Food Search Site Yummly Adds Features to Its Platform

Yummly, a foodie site that uses semantic search to deliver content to its users, announced today that it has added new features for searching and sharing to its intelligent food platform. Users can now send favorite recipes to friends and relatives in just two clicks, thanks to a new easy to use email button that makes sharing culinary finds simple. The email button expands the site's current recipe sharing options, which include integration with Facebook and its own internal social networking community: TasteBuds. (Food Culture admits: GREAT branding!)

Yummly also announced that registered users can now receive recipe recommendations -- handpicked for them based on their tastes and preferences -- delivered to their email inboxes each week, and can track popular recipes within the Yummly community with new search functions in the FoodFinder.

The new additions are designed to enhance its feature-rich recipe search platform that delivers a simplified, intuitive recipe search, and a vastly improved user experience for cooking enthusiasts around the globe.

Yummly's new features include:

--  Share Recipes via Email: Easy-to-use email button makes sharing recipes with friends and family easy for anyone.
--  Culinary Inspiration Delivered Right to Your Inbox: Registered users can now receive customized weekly e-newsletters with delicious recipe recommendations tailored specifically to their tastes.
--  What's Hot and What's Not: New recipe trending search feature allows users to discover what recipes are most popular on Yummly or highly rated by other users.

"We are pleased to deliver this latest round of features to further simplify and enhance our users' experience of finding and sharing recipes," said David Feller, CEO of Yummly, in a statement.  "We will continue to chart an aggressive product roadmap and look forward to further enriching our platform's feature set in the coming months."

For more on Yummly's new recipe emailing feature, visit:
http://blog.yummly.com/blog/2010/07/new-feature-email-your-recipes/.

Founded in 2009 by foodies on a mission to invent a better way to find, modify, share and store recipes, Yummly is the world's first semantic search platform for food.  Yummly seeks to empower individuals to discover recipes based on their personal tastes and preferences, and offers more than 500,000 of the most popular recipes aggregated from leading cooking sites and all over the web.

Visit the Yummly blog at blog.yummly.com, connect on Facebook, www.facebook.com/yummly, or follow on Twitter www.twitter.com/yummly.

Stir-Fried Rice Vermicelli with Shredded Chicken and Vegetables

I used to live in one of New York's Chinatowns -- Flushing.  Admittedly, it's more Koreatown these days, but I do miss the 24-hour markets and my gas stove, which could accommodate the ringstands for my woks procured in one of several 'shlock' stores in downtown Flushing.

In the mood to try my hand at a stir-fry noodle dish -- using my trusty Calphalon 12-inch hard-anodized skillet and ingredients from the local H-E-B (the only supermarket chain in San Antonio -- yes, that's right, the ONLY chain), I ventured forth with a book that hopefully promised what its title offered, Easy Asian Noodles.

Note that the recipe calls for both light and dark soy sauces.  I could only find 'regular' soy sauce -- and don't cringe -- by Kikkoman.  (Sorry, foodie friends.)  I did find mirin on the shelf, but not rice vermicelli, so I substituted wider rice noodles by mass market Thai food producer A Taste of Thai.  

It came out pretty good.  The taste was basic Chinese, but with a sprinkling of crushed peanuts and a few squirts of Sriracha sauce, I was on my way. 

Recipe from HELEN'S ASIAN KITCHEN:  EASY ASIAN NOODLES
(John Wiley & Sons, 2010, $17.95/hardcover)

12 ounces rice vermicelli (pho) or rice sticks
1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry plus 1 tablespoon for the sauce
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil plus 1 tablespoon for garnish
1 teaspoon cornstarch
8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, shredded, about 1 cup
1/3 cup canned chicken broth
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 pound napa cabbage, shredded
1 medium carrot, shredded
3 scallions, bulbs split and cut into 2-inch pieces

1 In a large bowl, soak the rice vermicelli in hot tap water until soft, about 20 minutes; drain and set aside to drain again.

2 In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 1 teaspoon wine, light soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch. Stir in the chicken and mix until evenly coated.

3 In a separate bowl, mix together the chicken broth, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon wine, and sugar.  Stir until the sugar is dissolved.

4 In a wok or stir-fry pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil over high heat.  Add the garlic and stir until it sizzles.  Don't let it burn or it will be bitter.  Stir up the chicken again and add to the hot pan.  Cook, stirring constantly, until the meat turns white and separates, about 2 minutes.  Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon.

5 In the same pan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of canola oil.  When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the cabbage, carrot, scallions, and drained noodles.  Stir and toss to blend the ingredients together, about 1 minute, then pour the sauce over the noodles and cook, stirring, until the noodles have absorbed the cooking liquid, another 4 to 5 minutes.  Return the chicken to the pan and toss until well mixed, about 30 seconds. Drizzle with sesame oil and give the noodles a couple of big turns with the spatula.  Transfer to a platter and serve hot or warm.

CNN Launches Eatocracy

CNN.com today announced the launch of Eatocracy, a blog created to feed the minds, hearts and stomachs of food fanatics across the world.  Covering the pulse of food news – from its culture and trends to the politics and economics of eating -- Eatocracy will aim to be a destination for passionate dialogue and debate about food.

 

 

 

HAVE YOU TRIED Fish Stock?

Nothing adds depth of flavor to a dish like homemade chicken stock, but what about fish stock?  It's easier to make than you think, and can lend a unique flavor you hadn't had in awhile.  (Cooking it does not cause unpleasant odors as you would expect.)

A recent weekend in Columbus, Ohio included a trip to the famous North Market in the trendy downtown Short North district.  The fishmonger ("The Fish Guys") offered beautiful salmon heads, and my good friend Abra decided to buy 7 lbs worth and make a fish stock.

 

Below is a recipe from Epicurious -- adapt for your needs as appropriate.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Strong-Fish-Stock-105266

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium onions, very thinly sliced
4 stalks celery, very thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, very thinly sliced
2 dried bay leaves
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves and stems
6 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
1 large (6 inches long or more) or 2 small (4 inches long or less) fish heads from cod or haddock, split lengthwise, gills removed, and rinsed clean of any blood
2 1/2 to 3 pounds fish frames (bones) from sole, flounder, bass, and/or halibut, cut into 2-inch pieces and rinsed clean of any blood
1/4 cup dry white wine
About 2 quarts very hot or boiling water
Kosher or sea salt

Recipe Contests: Menu Development or Publicity Stunts?

We currently live in an age of recipe contests.  Normal, everyday home cooks can now have a chance at money and stardom with a winning cookie recipe or creative use of some branded ingredient.  The Food Network, in addition to every cooking magazine, offers some type of recipe or cooking contest.  

The winners usually receive a cash prize, along with recognition in a press release, an introduction at an event, and the recipe posted on the website or perhaps in a cookbook.  But the ultimate prize:  getting your winning recipe on the menu of a national fast casual or casual dining chain.

TGI Friday's has long been involved in recipe contests.  In November 2006, TGI Friday's partnered with Bravo's Top Chef (currently in its sixth season), in which the casual dining chain's Executive Chef served as a guest panelist to identify a winning entrée that was then added to the TGI Friday’s menu.  In January 2008, the company partnered with Food Network's Ultimate Recipe Showdown to launch six menu items inspired by winning dishes from the show. 

Janice Kollar was one of those winners.  Her "Really Good" Chocolate Layer Cake won the Ultimate Recipe Showdown episode on cakes, and in addition to the $25,000 in her prize package, the cake was to be added to the menu at TGI Friday's.

Well, not exactly.

For the winners, "these are not the actual recipes," explains Amy Freshwater, a spokesperson for TGI Friday's, "but rather inspired by winning recipes.  They are true to the spirit of the original recipe but had to be adjusted so we could introduce them to our 600 U.S.-based restaurants."

Cage-Free at Last

As part of its ongoing commitment to "real food" using "simple" ingredients, Hellmann's announced last week that its Light Mayonnaise recipe in North America will feature 100% certified cage-free eggs in the United States.

Will being associated with a more humane practice of egg production resonate with consumers when reaching for the jar on the supermarket shelf?

"Hellmann's is made from real, simple ingredients -- vinegar, oils rich in Omega 3 and Omega 6, and eggs," said Jamey Fish, Hellmann's senior brand manager, in a statement. "Hellmann's understands that people are increasingly attuned to what's in their food and where it comes from and that's why Hellmann's Light is now moving to 100% cage-free eggs, keeping with the brand's commitment to 'Real Food' using simple ingredients."

Battle of the Apps: AllRecipes.com Upgrades iPhone App 9 Days After Launch of Martha Stewart's

The battle of the food/cooking iPhone apps continues unabated.  Last Thursday, popular recipe website AllRecipes released Dinner Spinner Pro, its new iPhone and iPod Touch application. A build on AllRecipes' Dinner Spinner -- a food app with more than 2.8 million downloads worldwide -- Dinner Spinner Pro allows users to access the complete AllRecipes library, add recipes directly to personal Recipe Boxes, create interactive shopping lists, and more.

And it's cool.

The Wait Is Over: 'Martha's Everyday Food' Now on iTunes

Last Tuesday, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE:MSO) announced the launch of the "Martha's Everyday Food^TM" App on Apple's iTunes App Store. The app gives iPhone and iPod touch users access to thousands of recipes from the MSLO Everyday Food magazine that can be shared, saved and organized into mobile shopping lists.

(Disclaimer:  I am a paid subscriber to the print edition of Everyday Food magazine.)

According to a statement, this will "make meal planning and grocery shopping easier and more efficient," which I agree, is a good thing.

How often are we at the supermarket, standing there, looking at Nutrition Facts labels, wondering how the combination of ingredients will contribute to the meal's bottom line?  A handy smartphone app would definitely seem necessary.

(And I have to learn to stop printing out recipes and bringing them with me into the store.  Does anyone else still do this?)

A Beginner's Lesson in Bramborak

Joanna Bettelheim, Contributing Writer, Food Culture

The soul of a culture is in its food.  You can spend hours wandering the streets of a city, but if you don’t eat, you’re just a visitor (and McDonald's doesn't count).  In the herbs and the spices, the cream, and occasionally the grease, you taste the place.  This sense tells you more than the viewing of its historical monuments, the sounds of the guided tours, or the smell of the streets.

Two years ago, I spent a semester abroad in Prague with NYU.  The main driving force behind my choice of destination was in order to reconnect with the Czech half of my heritage, and in doing so I made sure to sample plenty of traditional dishes.  Heaps of zeli, piles of dumplings, and several servings of svickova marked my time there.  But for all these wonderful meals, I had yet to be involved in the cooking or preparing of them.  It was not until I made potato pancakes, or bramborak, that I crossed the boundary between diner and cook – between visitor and bona fide Czech.

 

Though her two sons have moved out, my cousin Barbora still cooks weekly Saturday lunches for them and her father; during my stay in Prague, I joined the table for these weekly meals.  She must cook for seven, however, as she also supplies the family with leftovers to heat up on Sunday.  I became a part of these Saturday lunches, eating many meals made in a true Czech kitchen, but this was the first time I had stepped in to aid in the preparation of one.  This is the story of how I learned to make potato pancakes.

Quinoa Stir-Fry and Fiber

Carolyn Phenicie, Contributing Writer, Food Culture

I rarely test recipes from magazines, usually because they make too much for just me or because they call for ingredients that I use so rarely it wouldn't make sense to keep them in my tiny Manhattan kitchen. When I got this month's issue of SELF, though, I knew I had to try this recipe for quinoa stir-fry. 

Quinoa has been appearing more and more on menus and in recipes.  Unlike wheat or rice, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source.

I love any food that's even vaguely Asian, and the texture of quinoa is always intriguing.

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 small carrot, thinly sliced

1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped

2 teaspoons grated ginger

1 clove garlic, sliced

1 small red chile, chopped (optional)

2 cups snow peas, trimmed

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 egg, beaten

4 oz grilled chicken breast, chopped

2 scallions, chopped

1/2 cup cilantro

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1) Place quinoa in a small saucepan with 3/4 cup water and 1/4 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook, undisturbed, until quinoa absorbs water, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork and leave uncovered. 

2) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook carrot, stirring occasionally, until it softens, about 1 minute. 

3) Add bell pepper, ginger, garlic and chile, if desired; cook, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes. 

4) Add peas, sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, 1 minute. 

5) Remove vegetables and return skillet to heat; add quinoa, along with egg. Cook, stirring constantly, until egg is evenly distributed, about 2 minutes. 

6) Add vegetables, chicken, scallions, cilantro and soy sauce; cook 1 minute more. Divide stir-fry among 4 bowls; serve warm.

I don't like spicy foods, so I omitted the chile, and I forgot to buy peas so I didn't include those either. Here's what my version looked like:

 

Although the recipe says it makes four servings, I made three. Plus, I don't have a wok, so I made it in a large skillet -- which wasn't quite big enough and so resulted in my getting quinoa all over my kitchen. It was delicious, but if I make it again, I'll likely add another egg, more ginger and less chicken. 

The recipe was packaged with a chart called "15 grains to eat more of," noting that carbohydrates are good for you and that those who eat at least 34 grams of fiber per day absorb up to 6 percent fewer calories. It seems that high fiber is the food modification of the moment, following in the steps of low carb and low fat. 

Many foods, like fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, oatmeal and other grains are naturally high in fiber. But it's new additions to foods from Kellogg's Apple Jacks cereal to Splenda to Fiber One Yoplait yogurt that's really making a splash. 

So where does this added fiber come from? Recently, food manufacturers learned to process inulin, a type of carbohydrate chain that doesn't break down totally in the digestive tract. It can be added to food without adding calories, and improves the taste and texture in addition to upping the fiber count. Most is derived from the chicory root. (It's the first ingredient in Fiber One Chewy Bars, which have 9 grams of fiber each.)  

Although inulin is derived from a plant, it – like too much fiber of any kind – can cause gastrointestinal discomfort. Like everything else, it's probably best to eat a variety of produce and grains (like quinoa) to meet daily fiber needs.