If you had to draw a line between instructional food media made for "entertainment" and those meant as actual advice, I would have to take the side of producing the latter. I'm making that clear now so there's no confusion down the line. I don't think I'm alone, either. But...

I made unagi recently. And I didn't produce the Japanese specialty by unwrapping a vacuum-packed fillet of fully prepared, barbecued eel -- I went to a seafood market after having dim sum with friends in Chinatown, took home a sack of fresh eel, and prepared it from that. This was...

Somebody's got to be a Scrooge. It's only been a few short weeks after giving thanks, but I've already made a list of holiday gifts I'd have to say, "No, thanks" to, and imagine that many other moderate to serious cooks would, too. We, the avid, maybe obsessive foodies who...

Last week, I listened to a radio program about the need for more grocery stores in rural food deserts, as they are known. This, which occurs in dense inner-cities as well, can lead to a health crisis when the only food options are unhealthy restaurant meals or junk food. I've...

I'm tapping my fingers waiting for asparagus to arrive. It's like the night before Christmas, or worse, the early morning hours when you're not sure whether Santa's come and gone, or might shuffle in yet. So while we're waiting, I thought I'd rehash some of the simplest, most satisfying, no-nonsense...

It's a ubiquitous side on the sushi restaurant menu, but "seaweed salad" is just weeds from the sea, tossed with dressing. Often, it's made from dried and reconstituted seaweed sheets, shred into ribbons. You can get packages of the dried stuff at any Japanese grocery. Or, if you're at the...

cross-posted from Not Eating Out in New York

It's summer. There's produce, plenty of it local. It's coming to supermarkets, restaurants and Greenmarkets throughout New York City. But one place you won't hardly ever find it at is a bodega, those convenient, often round-the-clock shops where...

cross-posted from markbittman.com

Memorial Day's around the corner and if your social calendar looks anything like mine, this weekend marks the first of many eager backyard owners' barbecues of the season. Seriously, don't all shout at once! (Or do, but please stagger your times and locations conveniently, because...

cross-posted from MarkBittman.com

A friend of mine is learning to play piano. As his left hand hesitated on the keys, I shared a quick method of reading the sheet music, recalled from childhood lessons: "All cows eat grass." From the bottom up, the notes in between the spaces...

Cross-posted from Not Eating Out in New York:

Ditching the blizzard in New York and being delayed twice thanks to frost on the planes, I finally arrived in Madison, Wisconsin Friday evening, well-fed from my carry-on meal. I was picked up at the airport by Jonny...

cross-posted from Not Eating Out In New York:

That is the question. It is quite possibly the most perplexing thing about not eating out. We live in a culture that travels a lot -- whether it's just a twenty-minute commute to work each day in a car or...

cross-posted from Not Eating Out in New York:

I just love peeking into other people's kitchens, see how they chop and dice and scurry about. This time my voyeurism has a very particular angle: to see how they cope with a Week of Eating In. And...

cross-posted from Not Eating Out In New York:

Getting into the heat of the Week of Eating In, I figured it was time for a good gathering over (homemade) grub again. As I discussed in The Art of Eating In, everyone can use some...

Some of you might be wondering now, why all the fuss about eating in? Is that such an escape from the ordinary? Well, in a culture in which roughly half the food we purchase is already fully prepared, 77 percent of it from fast-food restaurants, and almost a quarter of...

cross-posted from Not Eating Out In New York:

Let me confess: my first day of the Week of Eating In was officially Sunday, one day before it officially began. On that day, I managed to leaven two loaves of bread, which would later be baked, roast...

Before you even think about picking up that spatula, make sure you have all your bases covered. To assist you in your cooking ventures during The Week Of Eating In, here's a list of kitchen staples you should always keep in plentiful supply. You never know when you're...

Cross-posted from Not Eating Out in New York

It's the first day of the Week of Eating In challenge, and I'm taking it easy like Sunday morning. Only it's Monday. You don't start skiing by tackling the super giant slalom. No, you keep to the bunny...

You probably already know that a pot comes in handy in the kitchen, but we're taking it a step further with this list of essential cookware items to have in your arsenal for the The Week Of Eating In, and beyond. Many of these cookware items are highly...

You might be wondering why we chose a week in the middle of winter for you to try our Week Of Eating In. We swear it wasn't diabolical. Though seasonal produce can look scant nowadays, and many farmers' markets are closed, we've rounded up a few

I'm laughing at a snarky blog. It's called Trainpigs, and it's essentially snapshots of people eating on trains. The characters in these photos are shoveling Chinese food from Styrofoam trays into their mouths, clutching fast-food sandwiches by a handful of paper wrappings. Sitting, standing, even walking. Nothing strange...