all things food
Here at Food52, we love recipes—but do we always use them? Of course not. Because once you realize you don’t always need a recipe, you’ll make your favorite dishes a lot more often.
Today: Whether you grew up on your bubbe’s kugel or yo…
Here at Food52, we love recipes—but do we always use them? Of course not. Because once you realize you don't always need a recipe, you'll make your favorite dishes a lot more often.
Today: Whether you grew up on your bubbe's kugel or you have no idea what kugel is, you can (and should) make a perfectly sweet, family-friendly casserole that will have you noshing in no time.
I hustled into Shalom Japan in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on a stormy Friday night. It was dimly lit inside and had all the ambience of a casual Japanese ramen joint. Inside the bathroom, there was an enlarged photo of a Levy’s Jewish Rye ad from the ’60s…
I hustled into Shalom Japan in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on a stormy Friday night. It was dimly lit inside and had all the ambience of a casual Japanese ramen joint. Inside the bathroom, there was an enlarged photo of a Levy’s Jewish Rye ad from the ’60s, which read “You don’t have to be Jewish to love Levy's real Jewish Rye” in large black letters, with a picture of a Japanese boy dressed in a white shirt and red tie holding his sandwich next to an open bag of Levy’s Jewish Rye.
There was only a handful of tables. I grabbed a seat at the bar with an open view of the kitchen to my right. A native New Yorker I had met in Berlin happened to be in town at the same time and joined me. I saw chefs Aaron Israel and Sawako Okochi busy at work and turned my attention to the menu, giving it a cursory glance. But we both already knew we were getting the matzo ball ramen soup. How could we not?
Netflix’s newest food program is a splash into cold foods, namely cold noodles, ideal for this time of the year. Korean Cold Noodle Rhapsody, which came out this past Friday, is a two-part documentary series that explores the complex nuances defining o…
Netflix’s newest food program is a splash into cold foods, namely cold noodles, ideal for this time of the year. Korean Cold Noodle Rhapsody, which came out this past Friday, is a two-part documentary series that explores the complex nuances defining one of Korea’s most beloved and seemingly simple dishes: naengmyeon.
Naengmyeon translates literally to “chilled noodles,” and typically, it’s considered a summertime staple. But it turns out, there’s so much more to it. Hosted by South Korean chef and food researcher Paik Jong-Won, the series is a follow-up to 2020’s Korean Pork Belly Rhapsody. This second chapter journals Paik as he travels to different parts of Korea, from the cities of Seoul, Jinju, and Busan, to the islands of Baengnyeongdo and Jeju, to taste how naengmyeon varies from region to region. “Other people may see [naengmyun] as another item on a menu but it’s unique to us,” Paik says in the show. “I’d love for people all over the world to learn why we eat this and what the advantages are. I want to share with them what its secrets are.” As such, viewers are served countless bowls of noodles by proxy of Paik’s intense slurps, gulps, and thoughtful explanations of how each eats. But even he is just one part of the complete noodle oracle.
When it comes to dinnertime, a pound of ground beef can be the start of something great. I’m thinking meatballs floating in tomato-butter sauce or minestrone soup (or even grape jelly—don’t knock it till you’ve tried it!). Or maybe smash burgers slathe…
When it comes to dinnertime, a pound of ground beef can be the start of something great. I’m thinking meatballs floating in tomato-butter sauce or minestrone soup (or even grape jelly—don’t knock it till you’ve tried it!). Or maybe smash burgers slathered with ketchup and mustard, shatteringly crisp lumpia, spicy kebabs wrapped tightly in chapati, a steaming bowl of chili with a skillet of cornbread on the side. Whichever direction your taste buds are sending you, these ground beef recipes will feed a crowd.
Some of these recipes are takes on classic dishes that swap in grains or vegetarian protein for some of the beef. And even if you’re not a meat eater at all (but have somehow found yourself reading this, a roundup of ground beef recipes), there are still options. Swap in a ground faux meat like Impossible or Beyond, which both make vegan ground “beef” offerings that would work relatively seamlessly in any of these 19 ground beef recipes.
Gazing into a brothy noodle bowl always elicits delight, comfort, and anticipation to mix and match the array of textures and flavors within. I always say, especially at this time of year when it is cold out, a steaming bowl feels like the ultimate nou…
Gazing into a brothy noodle bowl always elicits delight, comfort, and anticipation to mix and match the array of textures and flavors within. I always say, especially at this time of year when it is cold out, a steaming bowl feels like the ultimate nourishment.
At a noodle bowl’s foundation is a warming, flavorful broth. Whether doctored up store-bought or homemade, both are legit, especially if you plan to add layers and hues and make your noodle bowl chock-full of eat-the-rainbow, punchy elements. If you go the route of using boxed stock, consider first adding aromatics such as garlic and ginger, chile pepper, or dried mushrooms to infuse the broth for a further hit of umami or zest. Each ingredient helps add more depth of flavor towards the dazzling end result. Think of building a broth you might enjoy drinking as an elixir all on its own (like savory, comforting tea!).
Let’s face it: Some nights are harder than others. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve saddled up, ready to work at my kitchen counter―sleeves pushed up, hair pulled back―and had a stare down with the cutting board, willing a dinner idea to revea…
Let's face it: Some nights are harder than others. I can't tell you the number of times I've saddled up, ready to work at my kitchen counter―sleeves pushed up, hair pulled back―and had a stare down with the cutting board, willing a dinner idea to reveal itself.
And especially these days, that's fine. I don't have to tell anyone about the importance of keeping a well-stocked pantry, but there are a few specific ingredients that have proven their worth, time and time again. In my kitchen, udon noodles enjoy that MVP status.
A Big Little Recipe has the smallest-possible ingredient list and big everything else—flavor, creativity, wow factor. Psst: We don’t count water, salt, black pepper, and certain fats (specifically, 1/2 cup or less of olive oil, vegetable oil, and butte…
A Big Little Recipe has the smallest-possible ingredient list and big everything else—flavor, creativity, wow factor. Psst: We don't count water, salt, black pepper, and certain fats (specifically, 1/2 cup or less of olive oil, vegetable oil, and butter), since we're guessing you have those covered. Today, we’re turning three ingredients into anytime noodles.
If winter is for hot commodities like baked ziti, rendang rigatoni, noodle kugel, and brothy pho, then summer welcomes the opposite—noodle dishes that are exhilaratingly cold, like stepping into an A/C-blasted apartment after trudging through the muggy midday sun.
As someone that used to cook but now writes about food for a living, I’m embarrassed to admit that aside from her association with Gourmet, I knew little to nothing about Ruth Reichl. Gourmet, for some reason, always struck me as a bit fussy and inacce…
As someone that used to cook but now writes about food for a living, I’m embarrassed to admit that aside from her association with Gourmet, I knew little to nothing about Ruth Reichl. Gourmet, for some reason, always struck me as a bit fussy and inaccessible—and so, by extension, I mistakenly assumed the same of Reichl’s writing.
In a somewhat meta-fashion, the first chapter—titled “Magic Door”— of Reichl’s just-released memoir Save the Plums, pulled me in, not releasing its hold until I was nearly through. I was surprised by what Reichl and I share in common: We both are only children to older parents, and have revered food magazines and cookbooks from a young age. We cooked anything our curious mothers brought us (her, a whole pig; me, a whole duck), and kept cooking because of the closeness it afforded us with our reserved fathers (“...he rarely talked about himself, and I was afraid if I uttered a single sound he would stop speaking”).
It’s the end of the long workday (or the start of an extra-long week) and we’re hungry. Like, “can’t-think-straight” hungry. Luckily, Food52 contributor EmilyC wants to do all the thinking for us. In Dinner’s Ready, her monthly column on weeknight wond…
It's the end of the long workday (or the start of an extra-long week) and we're hungry. Like, "can't-think-straight" hungry. Luckily, Food52 contributor EmilyC wants to do all the thinking for us. In Dinner's Ready, her monthly column on weeknight wonders, she shares three simple, flavor-packed recipes that are connected by a single idea or ingredient. Stick with Emily, and you'll have a good dinner on the table in no time. Today, Emily shows us what to cook if you don't feel like cooking anything (and still eat well).
Suffice it to say, people everywhere are cooking differently (and most of us more) than ever before. We’re stretching our pantry items, creating meal plans (even if we never relied on them in the past), and stocking and cooking from the depths of our freezers. We’re turning to foods that bring us comfort, whether freshly baked bread, big pots of beans, or cakes that do double duty as dessert and breakfast.
Someone buy me a ruler, please.
Photo by Ella Quittner
In Absolute Best Tests, Ella Quittner destroys the sanctity of her home kitchen in the name of the trut…
In Absolute Best Tests, Ella Quittner destroys the sanctity of her home kitchen in the name of the truth. She's boiled dozens of eggs, mashed a concerning number of potatoes, and seared more Porterhouse steaks than she cares to recall. Today, she tackles pasta.
Nobody likes limp, lifeless pasta.
