Organic vs. non-organic: A flawed Stanford study produces dangerous sound bites

A study just released by Stanford University scientists has found that organic foods—produce, meat and dairy—are no more nutritious than non-organic or conventional foods. The study also reports that they are no less likely to be contaminated. They’re probably right. They examined more than 40 years’ worth of research on the topic; the study used no outside funding to avoid any “perception of bias;” and, well, they’re scientists.

The problem with their research, as I see it, is that they asked the wrong question. No one has really seriously claimed that organic foods are more nutritious. And earlier studies on this very subject have already stated what the Stanford researchers were “surprised” to discover. To me, they missed the point. Their central question was kind of like asking if LED light bulbs are any quieter than conventional ones, or if fuel-efficient vehicles are any shinier than gas guzzlers. Continue reading “Organic vs. non-organic: A flawed Stanford study produces dangerous sound bites” →

A book about Julia Child’s cat and Blue Kitchen’s first ever giveaway

I’m giving away a copy of this lovely book. Enter to win it for your favorite child—or for your own inner child. Details below.

Appropriately and charmingly enough, my review copy of Minette’s Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat arrived on the 100th anniversary of Julia Child’s birth.

Julia left behind her own tantalizing paper trail, with a mountain of cookbooks and the delightful memoir, My Life in France, that served as a source for Nora Ephron’s Julie & Julia. (If you haven’t read My Life in France, do. It is wonderful.) And more than half a dozen authors have written books about her. There’s even a book about Julia and her cats—Julia’s Cats. But this is the first book about Julia’s first cat, Minette. And it’s for children. Continue reading “A book about Julia Child’s cat and Blue Kitchen’s first ever giveaway” →

The corn-free challenge: My week without corn

My week-long corn-free challenge is at an end, and these are the things I learned.

The food was the easy part. That’s the first thing I want to say about my week trying to live without corn.

During my corn-free challenge, I did have to avoid a lot of food items. Among the foods I did not eat were chicken, pork or beef unless we were assured it was grass-fed and grass-finished. I didn’t eat eggs, milk and most cheeses because they came from animals that had eaten corn. Continue reading “The corn-free challenge: My week without corn” →

Step away from the corn: The Corn-free Challenge

This summer’s drought and its devastating effect on corn points up just how much we rely on this single crop. Today, I’m beginning an experiment to see how long I can go without it.

The other day, my sister and I were noodling through the neighborhood farmer’s market and passed a farmstand offering fresh picked ears of corn. Look how small they are, my sister said. Tiny.

Yes, they are. The table corn we’ve been seeing coming to farmstands and grocery stores here in Illinois is not like last year’s. The ears are tiny, and the price is high. And that is just a glimpse of what is happening more broadly across the country, as record-busting heat and drought do their ugly work. The corn crop, Reuters wrote today, is harmed beyond repair.

This does not mean only that the price of table corn will rise. The price of anything that involves corn is going to go up. Field corn is one of the basics of industrial food, and the uses we have put it to are breathtaking. If you eat beef that is not grass fed, you will see prices rise. In fact, ranchers out west have been sending cattle to market for weeks now, way ahead of schedule, because of the murderous heat—a move that will make future beef prices even higher. If you eat grocery store chicken, you are going to see prices climb. Continue reading “Step away from the corn: The Corn-free Challenge” →

Happy Birthday, Julia: Celebrating the woman who changed how we cook

To mark the 100th anniversary of Julia Child’s birth, PBS.org recently invited a number of chefs and food bloggers to share tributes to Julia, to tell a little about how the seminal cookbook author, TV personality and larger than life person had influenced them. They were kind enough to include me on their list.

You’ll find Julia sprinkled throughout the pages of Blue Kitchen (and it’s interesting that we all feel comfortable enough with her to call her that, not Ms. Child—but that was the kind of warmth and comfort she always inspired). There are actual recipes, of course, starting with Potage Parmentier, the simple six-ingredient potato leek soup she made for her beloved husband and collaborator Paul almost every day. And there was Skate Meunière with Browned Butter and Capers, based on the life-changing sole meunière Julia ate on her first day in France with Paul. Continue reading “Happy Birthday, Julia: Celebrating the woman who changed how we cook” →

Why your food will cost a lot more, starting soon

The weather. More than half the United States is in a drought right now. What had looked like a world record corn crop is now vanishing before our eyes; across the Plains, many farmers are plowing under what little they have left—not enough has been growing to pay for the cost of harvesting. US soybean crops are failing too—on foreign exchanges, the price of soy is nearing record highs.

The biggest reason for this is drought; when drought is accompanied by drastic temperatures, as it has been, things get worse. For many of our typical crop plants, when the mercury climbs, photosynthesis can slow and even stop. That means the plant is dying. Continue reading “Why your food will cost a lot more, starting soon” →

Small Bites: 5 cool grilling tools and celebrating LGBT Pride Month in the kitchen

Five cool tools for summer cookouts and honoring the contributions of gay and lesbian chefs for LGBT Pride Month are subjects of recent USA Character Approved Blog posts.

A fun, exhausting weekend road trip and a surprisingly debilitating summer cold are conspiring to keep me out of the kitchen this week. I’ll return next week with a recipe.

Grilling equipment used to consist of a fire and a sharp stick. Or maybe two sharp sticks, so you could use one to protect your meal from a saber-toothed tiger. Things have certainly evolved since then. Our tandem loves of grilling and of gadgets have converged to create a dazzling array of tools and accessories for outdoor cooking. Some come with a princely price tag—how many pizzas would you have to grill in your artisan fire pizza oven to amortize its $6,500 cost? Others are just, well, silly. Do you seriously need your grill thermometer to alert your smartphone when the steaks are done? Continue reading “Small Bites: 5 cool grilling tools and celebrating LGBT Pride Month in the kitchen” →

Small Bites: Honoring a father/son chef team for Father’s Day and embracing kitchen contraptions

The award-winning father-and-son chefs Michael and David Cordúa and wonderfully weird kitchen gadgets are subjects of recent USA Character Approved Blog posts.

Having Esquire magazine call your first restaurant one of America’s best new restaurants is no small feat. Having them follow that by naming your second place the “Restaurant of the Year” means you really must be doing something right. Chef Michael Cordúa definitely is. The Nicaraguan-born, self-taught chef and restaurateur is credited with introducing Americans to upscale, inventive Latin cuisine. Through his growing group of award-winning restaurants in Houston, he is expanding our palates as he explores the diverse culinary cultures of the Americas. Continue reading “Small Bites: Honoring a father/son chef team for Father’s Day and embracing kitchen contraptions” →

Small Bites: Drinking (and dining) with dinos and artisanal ice cream goes big

Wine Enthusiast invades the Field Museum this Friday night with 500 wines and 45 restaurants for Toast of the Town 2012. And on the USA Character Approved Blog, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams keeps growing, but keeps it real.

We are serious museum geeks. Marion refers to the Field Museum’s annual Members Night event as “the happiest night of the year.” Not only do you get to go behind the scenes, talk to real scientists and poke around in their offices—you can do it with a drink in your hand. So when Wine Enthusiast asked us if we’d like to attend Toast of the Town Chicago at the Field, with 500 wines from nearly 60 wineries and foods from more than 45 restaurants, well, let’s just say we were excited. Continue reading “Small Bites: Drinking (and dining) with dinos and artisanal ice cream goes big” →

Small Bites: New York ate my homework and playing Character Approved catch-up

Two sisters fighting cancer with cupcakes and a mother/daughter chef team are the subjects of recent USA Network Character Approved Blog posts.

We just spent four amazing days in New York City, eating, drinking, seeing tons of art, hanging out with friends and walking, walking, walking. Totally fun, totally exhausting. So despite my best intentions of having a recipe based on those experiences to share now, I just couldn’t get it together. Instead, I’m going to catch up with a couple of posts I’ve written recently for USA Network’s Character Approved Blog. I promise to have a recipe again next week.

Eating cupcakes is always a good thing. And when you can say you’re fighting cancer by doing it, so much the better. Cupcakes for Courage is a Chicago-based food truck that donates a portion of its proceeds to support cancer research and Ride Janie Ride, a foundation that helps individuals struggling with the financial burden of cancer treatment. Continue reading “Small Bites: New York ate my homework and playing Character Approved catch-up” →