Food : NPR

Alabama Chef Up For 'Oscar' Of The Food World

April 30, 2010 • Alabama may not be known for fine cuisine, but native son Frank Stitt is in the running for a 2010 James Beard Award for outstanding chef. The prestigious awards will be announced Monday. Debbie Elliott

On Today's Menus, Adjectives Overpower The Entrees

A chef inserts a stalk of rosemary into a serving of pasta. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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iStockphoto.com

On Today's Menus, Adjectives Overpower The Entrees

April 29, 2010 • From Michelin Guide-ranked restaurants to the humble local Denny's, literary garnishing for ingredients has run amok. Oatmeal is "steel cut," vanilla is "Tahitian," and scallops are not merely trawled but "diver" harvested. So what's behind the tyranny of ingredients?

Chicago Wants To Soup Up School Menus

April 29, 2010 • The Chicago Board of Education on Wednesday adopted new nutritional standards for school breakfasts and lunches, promising that next year the meals will be tastier and much healthier. The move was spurred, in part, by complaints from students about the quality of food.

Michele Kayal for NPR

In Defense Of Marmite

April 27, 2010 • Few foods inspire the kind of revulsion that Marmite does. Technically called "yeast extract," it's basically a spread made from waste from the beer-making process. But food writer Michele Kayal says it gets a bad rap — and that this earthy, salty British export will set your taste buds free.

Waynoka Historical Society Collection/'Appetite for America'

How Was The West Won? With Hospitality

April 22, 2010 • Fred Harvey was the Ray Kroc before McDonald's, the J.W. Marriott before Marriott Hotels. A new book by Stephen Fried looks at how Harvey civilized the West with his railroad restaurants and changed America's eating habits.

Color Sells: Nickolas Muray's Food Photography

Boy with raisin bread, photograph for the cover of McCall's Homemaking Magazine, ca. 1944 Nickolas Muray/Courtesy of the National Museum of American History Photographic History Collection hide caption

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Nickolas Muray/Courtesy of the National Museum of American History Photographic History Collection

The Picture Show

Color Sells: Nickolas Muray's Food Photography

April 22, 2010 • Today it seems like everyone is a food photographer. But that was not always the case. Nickolas Muray was a pioneer of color food photography, way back when the process was complicated.

Opinion

A Pediatrician Confesses To Her Salty Guilty Pleasure

April 21, 2010 • The secret's out on salt. Now that attempts to regulate sodium levels have come to the forefront of American consciousness — and taste buds — Dr. Anjali Jain is breaking her silence. Though she knows high sodium levels aren't healthy she can't shake her love for the savory seasoning.

T. Susan Chang for NPR

Opinion

Kitchen Window

For The Love Of Licorice

April 21, 2010 • Like its dark, tarry candy form, the flavor of licorice can overstay its welcome. So food writer T. Susan Chang prefers dishes in which other ingredients complement and tame its sweet refrain. In the right context, she says, the essence of licorice — in fennel, tarragon or basil, for example — charms and captivates.

Is Organic Food Stuffed Full Of Marketing Hype?

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Opinion

Intelligence Squared U.S.

Is Organic Food Stuffed Full Of Marketing Hype?

April 20, 2010 • Is paying extra money for organic food worth it? Some argue that the label confers real value, while others claim that organic food has not been proven healthier and that it comes with its own environmental trade-offs. A panel of experts faces off on the topic in the latest Intelligence Squared U.S. debate.

For The Best Belgian Beer, Go To ... Michigan?

April 18, 2010 • When The New York Times did a blind taste test of Belgian-style beer, a brew from Michigan came out on top. The golden ale, called Oro de Calabaza, comes from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, a small brewery owned by Ron Jeffries.

Cooking With Fresh Roe: A Rite Of Spring

David S. Deutsch

Opinion

Kitchen Window

Cooking With Fresh Roe: A Rite Of Spring

April 14, 2010 • The delicate, delectable eggs and egg sacs from many kinds of fish are a seasonal treat worth trying, even for the uninitiated. So, food writer Bonny Wolf suggests, don't balk when your fishmonger asks if you want to keep the roe.

Classic Southern Food Gets A Makeover

April 11, 2010 • Brothers Matt and Ted Lee take "a disgusting dish" and turn it into nouveau Southern fare. It's one of the ideas from their new book, Simple Fresh Southern, which puts a new spin on old favorites.

Grass-fed cows almost always have less total fat in their meat than corn-fed cows. Zac Visco for NPR hide caption

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Zac Visco for NPR

Your Health

The Truth About Grass-Fed Beef

April 8, 2010 • A decade ago, there were fewer than 50 grass-fed-cattle operations in the U.S. Now there are thousands. Clearly people are eating this meat. Trendiness aside, is grass-fed beef more nutritious than standard, corn-fed beef?

All Tech Considered

Yelp Goes Unfiltered. Let The Arguments Begin

April 6, 2010 • Users of Yelp, the customer-review site, can now read reviews that the site's automatic filtering system had previously hidden from view. The change comes after lawsuits arose, in which business owners said they were treated unfairly.

Chilean Winemakers Regroup After Crushing Quake

Correa Albano vineyard is trying to get its wine production back on track following the massive earthquake. Juan Forero/NPR hide caption

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Juan Forero/NPR

Chile Quake: Emergency Without Parallel

Chilean Winemakers Regroup After Crushing Quake

April 6, 2010 • Losses from the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Chile in February totaled $250 million in spilled wine alone. Chilean winemakers, who export much of their fruity, inexpensive varieties to the United States, are cleaning up from the temblor and trying to resume production. "You have to get up, work, rebuild," says winemaker Sebastian Astaburuaga. "The only way to survive is to work."