Man with a Pan

Culinary Adventures of Fathers Who Cook for Their Families

By

A guy who ran a pie company finally discovers a love of baking.

Spaghetti on the Wall

What supermarkets get right

Bounty and possibility

People love to hate the supermarket.

The Culinate Interview

Pat Tanumihardja

The granddaughter

“Grandmothers are the keepers of culture and the culinary flame.”

Opinion

The evolution of fresh food

Back to the land — or at least to the farmers’ market

Will this love for “local” last? Or is it the next victim of food fashion?

Recipes

Search Recipes

Chinese Five-Spice Cookies

Martin Yan’s elegant cookies go beautifully with tea.

Kung Pao Chicken
with House Rice

A classic that’s become a family favorite from ‘Simply Ming.’

Homemade Veggie Bouillon

Mix this freezer-friendly blend with water for a fresh-tasting broth.

Graze: Bites from the Site
First Person

Jam out of hand

Embracing a new cooking skill

Adam’s Rib

A celery-soup celebration

Reconsidering holiday rituals

Local Flavors

Persimmon time

Ripened Hachiyas are a treasure

Spaghetti on the Wall

Whipped up

Cool Whip, for the curious

Sift: Sort and report
  • Russ Parsons and his cookbook collection

    Russ Parsons and his cookbook collection

    The rare and the signed

    January 27, 2012

    In mid-January, Los Angeles Times food editor Russ Parsons published a meditation on his cookbook collection, focusing not on the cookbooks he used the most but on those he treasured the most — the rare, the unusual, the funky, and above all, the signed first editions that had serendipitously made their way onto his shelves. Whose autographs does Parsons cherish the most? James Beard, Richard Olney, and Paula Wolfert, among others. Later, Parsons asked readers to add their own favorites in comments on a blog post. Check ‘em out for even more obscure suggestions and vintage treasures.

  • Pesticides and honey bees

    Pesticides and honey bees

    A study shows just how bad it can get for bees

    January 26, 2012

    Among the myriad troubles afflicting honey bees — including parasites, a mysterious ailment called Colony Collapse Disorder, and the possibility of a fungus and a virus working together to attack bees — pesticides have always been considered an obvious threat.

    Now comes a Purdue University study documenting direct damage to honey bees from pesticides. The vector? Harmless talc, which is used to help coat corn, soy, and cotton seeds with pesticides, but then gets blown into the air during planting. And because the pesticides are so concentrated on the seeds, honey bees get up to 700,000 times a lethal exposure if they happen to fly or land nearby. Not good.

  • The Costco universe

    The Costco universe

    The megaretailer, by the numbers

    January 25, 2012

    Patricia Marx, the New Yorker’s shopping reporter — yes, such a thing exists — recently wrote about shopping for groceries in NYC. Tacked on at the end of a typical roundup of high-end foodie destinations (Fairway, Citarella, Dean & DeLuca) was a fascinating look at Costco, the national warehouse discounter that sells everything from gasoline and hot dogs to bulk toilet tissue and diamonds. Nope, you can’t read the full article online, but here are the stunning numbers:

    Last year, in its 596 outlets, Costco sold 92 million hot-dog-and-drink combinations at $1.50 each (the same price as in 1985). It grossed $4.6 billion in meat sales, $855 million in seafood, $1.35 billion in wine (it’s the largest wine merchant in the U.S.), $1.9 billion in TVs, $1.1 billion in baked goods, and $3.9 billion worth of produce. According to ABC News, the chain sells $300,000 worth of cashews every week, buying up more than half the world’s supply of the nut. Toilet paper and nuts, along with rotisserie chicken, are Costco’s three biggest-selling items, excluding tobacco and gasoline. Last year, the store pumped 2.6 billion gallons of gas and filled 35 million prescriptions. If Costco were a country, its revenues would make it the 65th largest in the world, ahead of both the Republic of Microsoft and Applestand and right behind the United Kingdom of Procter & Gamble.
  • Oily aftermath

    Oily aftermath

    Oil spills mean fish kills

    January 24, 2012

    Nearly two years after the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, the relevant food science is starting to come in, and yes, it’s bad. As the Los Angeles Times reported, exposure to oil and then to sunlight has been documented to destroy fish embryos, a phenomenon known as phototoxicity:

    In the wake of BP’s 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout in the Gulf of Mexico . . . much of the spilled oil stayed at depth, but that which did rise through the water column could have produced phototoxic effects that are still unknown and unstudied.

    Will there be fish in the Gulf in the future? Stay tuned.

  • The Walmart warning

    The Walmart warning

    Big isn’t necessarily better

    January 23, 2012

    Grist takes on the mega-retailer. »

  • GMOs and your health

    GMOs and your health

    The unknown consequences of genetically modified foods

    January 20, 2012

    Make sure you’ve got a non-GMO shopping list, too. »

  • Barry Estabrook’s latest

    Barry Estabrook’s latest

    Covering feedlots, sea urchins, and dioxins

    January 19, 2012

    The guy’s been busy. »

  • The Paula Deen problem

    The Paula Deen problem

    Her diabetes diagnosis frustrates health advocates

    January 18, 2012

    Deen chooses drugs over diet. »

  • Juvenile eating habits

    Juvenile eating habits

    Successes and failures

    January 17, 2012

    What will kids eat? »

  • Slow Food in crisis

    Slow Food in crisis

    What are its goals these days?

    January 16, 2012

    Will the real Slow Food please stand up? »

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Dinner Guest

Holiday buzz

Remembering the dance of the bakers

Joan Menefee recalls many holiday seasons behind the counter.

Fritter: Get ideas, give ideas.
Fritter: Get ideas, give ideas.
Olga 25 Jan 2012, 11:00 AM

Potato Balls in Tomato Sauce

These potato balls in tomato sauce are so much easier than gnocchi. Yeet, incredibly satisfying! Make them any weeknight or for Sunday dinner.

art and lemons 16 Jan 2012, 03:38 PM

oatmeal sandwich bread

makes terrific toast adapted from Kim Boyce’s spectacular “Good to the Grain”

Mariana Kavroulaki 12 Jan 2012, 02:50 AM

Best thing on a cold night: trachana soup

Cold nights call for a warm bowl of trachanas soup, rich and satisfying.
http://www.historyofgreekfood.org/2012/01/best-thing-on-cold-night-trachana-soup.html

JeanE23 9 Jan 2012, 09:13 PM

Mushroom-Barley Soup

Why do none of my cookbooks have a good recipe for this? But, of course, a quick Culinate search turned up a post from a member with the perfect recipe.

Mariana Kavroulaki 8 Jan 2012, 01:13 AM

A box of ganache cubes

Ganache is not just an easy chocolate sauce...
http://www.historyofgreekfood.org/2012/01/box-of-ganache-cubes.html

JeanE23 2 Jan 2012, 06:06 PM

New Year’s Good Luck Charm

Made a Black-Eyed Pea and Vegetable Stew this year to ensure the good fortune that this bean promises.

art and lemons 2 Jan 2012, 05:51 PM

Croutons

the video plus a recipe for caesar salad (without eggs, Parmesan, or anchovies...)

Mariana Kavroulaki 29 Dec 2011, 01:10 PM

Watch this video to see how to make and decorate a traditional New year bread- pie from Attica / Greece
http://www.historyofgreekfood.org/2011/12/happy-new-year-bread.html

JeanE23 28 Dec 2011, 05:22 PM

Festive Holiday Dish

Looking for a more interesting bean salad to take to an office potluck, I found this festive holiday-colored Chickpea With Roasted Red Pepper Salad recipe at Smitten Kitchen blog. Quite tasty, too!

Olga 27 Dec 2011, 10:28 AM

Rugelach!

What’s your favorite rugelach filling? I share four fillings I made last weekend. Nutella is my favorite!

Caroline Cummins 24 Dec 2011, 02:15 PM

when is whole milk not whole milk?

when it’s the new kroger brand simple truth, which contains milk, skim milk, anchovy and/or sardines (for the omega-3s), and fish gelatin from tilapia. well, at least it’s organic, right?

more…