Fresh Food
The science, politics and culture of what we eat
Losing 'Virginity': Olive Oil's 'Scandalous' Fraud()
December 12, 2011 In his book Extra Virginity, Tom Mueller explains why you can't believe everything you read on olive oil labels. Much of the "extra-virgin" olive oil sold in the U.S. has actually been mixed with lower-priced, lower-grade oils and artificial coloring, he says.
Tried And True Tricks From 'America's Test Kitchen'()
December 7, 2011 From perfect pie crusts to poached salmon, Christopher Kimball and Bridget Lancaster share cooking tips and secret shortcuts from America's Test Kitchen. The biggest challenge is getting home chefs to faithfully follow recipes, Kimball says: "They will substitute ingredients with great abandon."
Unlocking The Mysteries Of Good Cooking()
September 1, 2011 What's the difference between wooden and plastic cutting boards? When should you throw out frozen fish? Harold McGee, an expert on the science of food and cooking, untangles these kitchen mysteries and more in his Keys to Good Cooking.
Author Interviews
How The A&P Changed The Way We Shop()
August 23, 2011 The A&P changed the way Americans do their grocery shopping, but it did so at a cost — thousands of mom-and-pop corner stores closed as the chain grew. Economic historian Marc Levinson chronicles the rise and fall of the grocery giant in The Great A&P and the Struggle for Small Business in America.
Julia Child On France, Fat And Food On The Floor()
September 1, 2011 In a 1989 interview, Julia Child describes the first meal she had in France in 1948 — the start of her lifelong love affair with French cooking. With her signature combination of gusto and charm, Child would spend the rest of her career guiding American amateurs through the intricacies of French cuisine.
Mark Bittman Explains 'How To Cook Everything'()
September 1, 2011 New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman is known for his straightforward approach to recipes. In How To Cook Everything: Vegetarian, he explains how to make more than 2,000 meatless meals.
Ruth Reichl: Dining In Disguise And Going 'Gourmet'()
August 31, 2011 Food writer Ruth Reichl famously went undercover to review restaurants for The New York Times. In a series of interviews on Fresh Air, she discusses her formative food experiences, her restaurant reviews and her tenure at Gourmet magazine.
'Kitchen Science': The Dinner Is In The Details()
August 31, 2011 In How to Read a French Fry: And Other Stories of Intriguing Kitchen Science, Russ Parsons answers all sorts of food science questions, including why meat browns, why sauces emulsify and how frying is different from roasting.
Bananas: The Uncertain Future Of A Favorite Fruit()
August 30, 2011 Americans consume more bananas than apples and oranges combined. Dan Koeppel, author of Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World, gives us a primer on the expansive history — and the threatened future — of the seedless, sexless fruit.
Tube Burgers: The World Of In Vitro Meat()
August 30, 2011 Would you eat a steak grown in a laboratory? Science writer Michael Specter examines the progress scientists have made in developing test-tube meat. "Depending on what your definition of any sort of life is, this is as fundamental as any animal is," he says.
Brad Bird, Patton Oswalt On Cooking Up 'Ratatouille'()
August 29, 2011 Director Brad Bird decided to cast comedian Patton Oswalt as the film's leading rat after watching him perform a stand-up routine about a steak restaurant. He says Oswalt, a serious foodie himself, was "perfect for Remy."
Grant Achatz: The Chef Who Couldn't Taste()
August 29, 2011 Two years after opening his award-winning Chicago restaurant Alinea, chef Grant Achatz was diagnosed with tongue cancer. He describes losing and regaining his taste in Life, on the Line. "My palate developed just as a newborn," Achatz says. "I don't recommend it, but I think it made me a better chef."
Summer Cooking Tips From 'America's Test Kitchen'()
July 3, 2012 Jack Bishop and Bridget Lancaster highlight some of their favorite grilling techniques and summer recipes — everything from meats to vegetables to, yes, even desserts.
Marcus Samuelsson: On Becoming A Top Chef()
June 28, 2012 The James Beard award-winning chef was the youngest ever to receive a three-star review from The New York Times. His new memoir, Yes, Chef, explains what it takes to be a master chef — and describes his journey from Ethiopia to Sweden to some of America's finest restaurants.
'Fermentation': When Food Goes Bad But Stays Good()
June 13, 2012 Self-described "fermentation revivalist" Sandor Katz says "the creative space" between fresh and rotten is the root of most of humanity's prized delicacies. His new book, The Art of Fermentation, explores the ancient culinary art form.
Author Interviews
The Man Who Studies The Fungus Among Us()
January 18, 2012 Botanist Nicholas Money's book Mushroom takes readers inside the world of the fungal organisms that appear overnight on lawns, are occasionally poisonous and appear in everything from Alice in Wonderland to some lifesaving medications.
Food
Alice Waters: 40 Years Of Sustainable Food()
August 22, 2011 Waters founded her Berkeley restaurant, Chez Panisse, long before "organic" or "locally grown" entered the vernacular. In 40 Years at Chez Panisse, Waters looks back on the sustainable food movement and the momentum it has built in recent years.
The Future Of 'Wild Fish,' The Last Wild Food()
July 1, 2011 Almost half of the fish we eat has been raised on farms — and the genetic modification of fish is increasing. Paul Greenberg writes about changes in the fishing industry — and what the future holds for our dinner tables — in his book, Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food.
How Industrial Farming 'Destroyed' The Tasty Tomato()
June 28, 2011 In his new book, Tomatoland, food writer Barry Estabrook details the life of the mass-produced tomato — and the environmental and human costs of the tomato industry. Today's tomatoes, he says, are bred for shipping and not for taste.
