Epicurious stopped publishing beef recipes for 'sustainable cooking' - TODAY

Epicurious stopped publishing beef recipes for 'sustainable cooking' - TODAY
No-Cook Cooking: Crackers' utility surpassed only by their versatility - The Daily Progress
Cooking From The Heart - Southlake Style
The Best Cheap Wine for Cooking Is Not a Cheap Wine at All - Eater
Cooking for 1: Here are 10 of the best single-serving recipes - KSL.com

Posted: 26 Apr 2021 06:39 PM PDT

In an effort to help their audience of at-home cooks be more environmentally friendly, digital magazine Epicurious will no longer share recipes made with beef.

The outlet made the announcement on Monday, though Epicurious had quietly slowed publishing new beef recipes since Fall 2019.

In several stories published on Monday, the outlet went on to explain why it is pushing forward an "effort to encourage more sustainable cooking."

"We know that some people might assume that this decision signals some sort of vendetta against cows—or the people who eat them. But this decision was not made because we hate hamburgers (we don't!)," a story written by David Tamarkin, the digital director emeritus, and Maggie Hoffman, a senior editor, reads. "Instead, our shift is solely about sustainability, about not giving airtime to one of the world's worst climate offenders. We think of this decision as not anti-beef but rather pro-planet."

In another article written by Epicurious editors, the outlet names three ways raising cattle contributes to climate change. Citing research from the Natural Resources Defense Council, the editors explain their beliefs that raising cattle is bad for the environment on every level of production. From the food needed to feed cattle — a "massive" amount of corn and soybeans — to cows digesting that food releasing methane in the form of belching and flatulence to the final product of that digestion, manure, releasing nitrous oxide and methane into the atmosphere, all parts of production, the editors argue, are harming the Earth.

The article cites an Environmental Protection Agency report that found agriculture — like raising cattle — accounts for about 10% of greenhouse gasses in the United States. It also points to large quantities of water being used to raise cattle, which is also a drain on natural resources.

"Of course, when it comes to the planet, eschewing beef is not a silver bullet," Tamarkin and Hoffman wrote. "All ruminant animals (like sheep and goats) have significant environmental costs, and there are problems with chicken, seafood, soy, and almost every other ingredient. In a food system so broken, almost no choice is perfect."

April 19, 202105:10

In the story, the two writers note how the move away from consuming cattle might feel "pointless" but it is all part of a larger goal.

"Addressing climate change requires legislation, international cooperation, and buy-in from the corporate sector," they wrote. "Individual actions like choosing alt-meat—or mushrooms, or chickpeas—instead of the real thing can feel so small they're essentially pointless. But every time you abstain from beef at the grocery store or a restaurant, you send a signal—to the grocery store, yes, but also, and perhaps more influentially, to whomever you talk to about your decision."

In an interview with Forbes, Hoffman added that she believes making the change will be very doable.

"There's so much food in the world, and we work with so many fantastic recipe developers, it's honestly not difficult at all to skip one ingredient that's been covered plenty in the past," she told the outlet.

In recent years, critics have publicly called for the general public to reduce their intake of red meat. In 2019, dietician Kristin Kirkpatrick wrote a piece for TODAY explaining that while many trendy diets — like paleo or keto, for example — call for increased consumption of red meat, it's actually not very healthy.

"Bottom line: There does not seem to be a lot of health benefits from having red or processed meat as a regular part of your diet," Kirkpatrick wrote, citing several studies that found frequent red meat can lead to disease and early death.

And earlier this month, in honor of Earth Day, chef Joel Gamoran offered TODAY advice for cutting back on all meat.

The cattle industry does not appear to have responded to the move on Monday by Epicurious, but the National Cattleman's Beef Association this month put out a release arguing that the U.S. beef production system is sound, citing a recent research paper.

"U.S. beef production is the most sustainable production system in the world, a fact long understood by America's cattle producers, who between the 1960s and 2018, reduced the carbon footprint of the industry by 40% while producing 66% more beef," the release reads, before arguing that cattle and beef production makes up only 2% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

Still, the editors at Epicurious hope the reduction in beef consumption will catch on.

"Epi's agenda is the same as it has always been: to inspire home cooks to be better, smarter, and happier in the kitchen," the story by Hoffman and Tamarkin concludes. "The only change is that we now believe that part of getting better means cooking with the planet in mind. If we don't, we'll end up with no planet at all."

Samantha Kubota

Samantha Kubota is a digital journalist and editor for TODAY Digital based in Los Angeles.

No-Cook Cooking: Crackers' utility surpassed only by their versatility - The Daily Progress

Posted: 27 Apr 2021 03:00 PM PDT

Last week, we dove into the delectable world of open-faced sandwiches. This week, we're taking it down a notch or two — as in miniaturizing.

If your children have asked you for Lunchables kits for their lunchboxes or after-school snacks, they get it. They understand the appeal of crackers and scaled-to-fit meats and cheeses as a microcosm of munchies, and of the tiny, organized packaging that can smooth out a rough school day with a sense that all is right with the world.

The meal kit in miniature may soothe more than it satisfies, but it checks off a lot of boxes when it comes to uncovering the moments of comfort and got-away-with-it optimism hidden in an otherwise rough day. One thing we all learned during 2020's pandemic adapt-a-thon was how to bring our own flavor to every challenge.

Assembling your own can be an entertaining exercise in miniature that'll check off all those satisfying boxes. You have complete control over the ingredients, so you can replace the ham with Lebanon bologna and the American cheese with Swiss, layering it all on the pretzel crackers or woven wheat squares you likely won't find in a kit. Experiment with thinly sliced cucumbers or zucchini — or both — as summer's garden wealth starts rolling in.

Another advantage to working in miniature is being able to use up the last of that delectable tuna, egg salad or pimento cheese when there simply isn't enough left for a satisfying sandwich.

You can follow up your deli-style stacks with crackers topped with your favorite chocolate hazelnut spread and sliced bananas, or with dollops of peanut butter and translucent apple jelly. And don't forget the granddaddy of all cracker-based sweet stacks during s'mores season — which is whenever you and your friends feel like gathering around a campfire, grill or fire pit.

Whether you're planning a snack or an appetizer, crackers deserve their spot on the all-star team of the No-Cook Cooking cook's secret weapons. Piling scrumptious stuff on top of them is merely scratching the crispy surface.

Not only are multiple kinds of crackers plentiful on grocery store shelves these days, but quite a few are on sale at the moment, giving you the excuse you need to tuck a few spares in your cart for your pandemic pantry. Check your Sunday papers each week for coupons and use your favorite stores' discount cards to pump up the price breaks.

You can be confident that crackers won't go to waste, because you can put saltines, buttery rounds and other varieties to work in every meal. And when cooler weather returns, you may find yourself sprinkling animal-shaped cheese crackers over a steaming bowl of tomato soup.

Generations ago, thrifty home cooks used crushed crackers to stretch ground beef into enough meatloaf to feed the family. Meatloaf recipes use all kinds of fillers, from seasoned bread crumbs to rolled oats to my father's go-to stuffing mix, and crackers make the list for their fine texture and subtle flavors. Those qualities also make crackers a prime ingredient in some meatball recipes.

Whenever you're at yard sales, flea markets or used bookstores this summer, keep an eye out for small-print-run cookbooks released by churches, clubs and civic groups, because they offer insights into how people fed their families and filled groaning potluck tables during recessions, wars and tough times of all sorts. Once you start seeking out these recipes, you'll gain a deeper appreciation for the recipe developers' resourcefulness when the dinner hour was approaching but the bread was too stale to serve.

Midcentury cooks used crushed crackers in everything from piecrusts to cookie bars. It's easy to take today's grocery shopping ease for granted, especially when we lift a finger only to order on an app and then watch someone else load bags into the trunk from the rearview mirror. But the series of empty-shelf shockers we endured in 2020 serves as a reminder that resourcefulness and flexibility never truly go out of style. And whenever I read vintage recipes that call for crackers and I picture a cook methodically crushing a sleeve of crackers to powder, I can't help wondering if some of those recipes were reserved for the nights when the cook had one nerve left and someone was stomping on it.

Watch the salt levels in any recipe that call for crushed crackers, though, whether vintage or modern. If you aren't careful, those appetizing-looking meatballs can morph from umami bombs to salt licks.

Cooking From The Heart - Southlake Style

Posted: 28 Apr 2021 03:46 AM PDT

It's the typical bustling restaurant scene. Food sizzles in the kitchen; guests socialize over drinks in the dining room; dirty plates, bowls and silverware pile up in the sink; and the next course comes to the table, eager to be enjoyed. Only this particular scene isn't happening inside of a chic bistro, and there aren't staffed waiters and cooks. It's all Laura Laird.

A Texan for almost 30 years, Laura is a wife, mother and self-made chef. After learning a variety of cuisine styles to enhance her craft, she began the Culinary Immersion Supper Club out of her house in 2017. Now she serves five-course meals to families all around Southlake and surrounding areas.

"It's going to her home or yours and being immersed in amazing cuisine," client Magdalena Battles says. "It isn't just a dinner with her — it's a whole experience."

Immigrating to America when she was 24, Laura knows what it's like to live without all of the flavors and sensations she experiences today. Now, she works to give her clients everything she missed while growing up.

RAISED IN ROMANIA

Laura was born in Ploiesti, Romania, in 1968. Raised under the communist rule of Nicolae Ceausescu, Laura lived with her parents on the sixth floor of a concrete building. With the winter weather usually dropping below zero degrees, Laura says living in Romania was like living in the freezing winter storm that crippled Texas in February.

"The electricity, the hot water, the gas — everything was turned off every day at 10 a.m. and would not turn back on until 6 p.m.," Laura recalls. "We were told by Ceausescu and his people that we needed to do our part to pay down the debt that Romania was in. I lived like that for 10-15 years."

Even getting food from the grocery store was a challenge for Laura and her family.

"You stood in line for five to six hours just for a loaf of bread," Laura recalls. "Whether it was rain, snow, heat or sun, it didn't matter. You stood and waited in line to get your bread. If you got to the front and they ran out, that was just your bad luck. You went home with the worst of the worst, or you went home with nothing at all."

The rest of the grocery stores would be empty, save for a few cans of 10-year-old green beans and peas. While milk and yogurt were available when Laura was younger, those too faded away as she grew older. And if they were lucky, the butcher would have cuts of parizer bologna deli meat available.

"The people in the villages had a little more food," Laura recalls. "They grew some vegetables and raised some livestock. People would bring my father things like lamb, chicken or pork. Mom would butcher it on the kitchen table, then we would freeze the meat so we could have it for a little while. The only beef we ate were the bones we used to make beef stock."

Despite the hardships they faced, Laura loved to cook, especially around her grandmother. When she was 6, she would watch her grandma toast rice in a pan while she dangled her feet off of the kitchen table. When she turned 12, she learned how to make dumpling soup for her family.

"When I started learning how to cook, I learned that I loved it very much," Laura says. "It wasn't just a necessity to me. It was something I very much enjoyed and looked forward to."

After Ceausescu's government was overthrown in 1989, Laura experienced her first taste of freedom, and she was eager to see the world.

COMING TO AMERICA

In September 1992, Laura left Romania and explored Paris. She immediately noticed the difference between the two countries.

"The first time I went into a grocery store in Paris, I walked in and had one of those visceral experiences," she recalls. "These people were carrying huge carts of food and checking out. I went all around these aisles, seeing fresh bread, hand-rolled pasta and 14 different kinds of cheeses. I had never seen that much food in my whole life, let alone in one day in one grocery store."

Her eyes grew even wider when she tasted the food. From roast chicken and potatoes to roast beef sandwiches, there was nothing that Laura didn't enjoy.

"The food was excellent everywhere," Laura smiles. "The cheeses were fresh. The baguettes were golden brown, crispy and crunchy on the outside and moist and buttery on the inside. And you've never had French onion soup before if you haven't had it in Paris. You couldn't swing a dead cat and not hit a foodie somewhere in Paris."

After three months, she took a detour into Germany via the autobahn, where she got to immerse herself even further into new culinary offerings.

"I went to an authentic German pub with beer wenches, and I ate so much German sausage and sauerkraut that I practically died and went to sausage and sauerkraut heaven," she says. "The fact that I didn't become 50 pounds overweight is a miracle in and of itself."

When she moved to Houston, Texas, in December 1992, she only had an apartment and a car with a cigarette burn in the front seat to her name. But she also had the freedom to go to the store and buy more than bread and canned goods, and that was worth more.

"To this day, I'm smiling every time I go to the grocery store," she expresses. "I am so grateful I can wake up in the middle of the night, go to certain stores and buy anything I want. I lived in Romania for 24 years. That never happened over there."

CULINARY IMMERSION

During her first few years in America, Laura started watching cooking shows and picking up on hosts' tips and tricks, learning from professionals like Gordon Ramsay, Ina Garten and Wolfgang Puck.

"I was sitting in my living room watching Wolfgang Puck, and he says he's going to serve this amazing piece of veal with polenta," she recalls. "Polenta was peasant food. We boiled corn and water and ate it every day in Romania, and you're here getting paid millions to make it. But then I tried making it his way, and it tasted amazing. I was like, 'No wonder Wolfgang sells this thing for $12 a spoon.'"

Laura immersed herself into anything food-related, whether it was books or recipes. Laura says she would sometimes spend hours sitting on her couch reading and looking at pictures, essentially turning her living room into her own cooking school.

"I started studying cuisines of the world because I realized that even though food is universal, it's also personal to everyone belonging to that culture," Laura says. "Great food made with love always brings people together."

A consultant recommended Laura start her own supper club, where she would travel from household to household to prepare elaborate four- to six-course meals for clients. In February 2017, she went for it and turned her culinary passions into a professional endeavor.

To test out the concept, Laura invited a group of friends to her house and served them a five-course meal that included a salad, salmon, soup, chicken stew and a fruit dessert called clafoutis. Longtime friend Tammy Lewis already knew the food would be delicious, but Laura exceeded her high expectations.

"We all loved each dish so much, it was actually hard to think of a criticism," Tammy chuckles. "We gave her some thoughts of how the evening flowed, timing issues and how the soup needed to be warmer, but other than that, it was a great first event. It was then that I knew how incredibly strong her passion for food was."

PASSION FOR FOOD AND PEOPLE

For years, Laura kept steadily growing her brand, promoting her business in Facebook groups, going to clients' houses and serving dish after dish. Using only organic ingredients, Laura prides herself in her menu always being fresh and original, never repeating the same recipe twice. She also explains the origin and background of each course to her clients so they understand the significance of where it came from.

She's also expanded to doing more themed events, such as French and global cuisine and "Downton Abbey" dinners. Her friend Mary Evelyn Wallace usually works alongside her as a floral decorator, and she says Laura's creativity inspires her own.

"Working with Laura gives me joy, especially because Laura never loses her childlike excitement in sharing her work as it unfolds," Mary says. "Laura excitedly outlines every detail with precision and always with a ready smile, even in the flurry and intensity of an event."

Laura has even hosted a murder-mystery dinner modeled after Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot novels, where she wrote out the script and characters her clients played.

"My husband played detective Poirot," Magdalena chuckles. "I didn't think he would get into it, but he did. He played the part, investigated, accused suspects and had fun with it. I think Laura made it easy for him."

Seeing her guests happy and satisfied makes the whole endeavor worth it to Laura.

"That's what I love about this business — meeting people and them allowing me into their intimate home with their family and friends for one night," Laura says. "I adore the interaction, the friendships I make and seeing the people's smile when they eat."

People are why she got into food in the first place, whether she was cooking for her own family or others'.

"I want people to know where I came from," she expresses. "Why food is so important to me — because of how I grew up. Why people are so important to me — also because of how I grew up. Whatever you had, you shared with others. When you didn't have food, you had each other."

The Best Cheap Wine for Cooking Is Not a Cheap Wine at All - Eater

Posted: 27 Apr 2021 06:27 AM PDT

This post originally appeared in the April 26, 2021 edition of The Move, a place for Eater's editors to reveal their recommendations and pro dining tips — sometimes thoughtful, sometimes weird, but always someone's go-to move. Subscribe now.

In the year I spent working at a wine shop in New York, there was probably one person per week who would come in and ask for a "cheap bottle of wine just for cooking with": a white wine for steaming mussels, a red wine to poach some pears for dessert. Each time, though, I did my best to move them toward not just the cheapest, dump-it-down-the-drain-when-you're-done bottle, but to something that both didn't break the bank and that they'd also enjoy drinking. Because when a recipe calls for cilantro, we don't go to the store and pluck the saddest-looking herbs in the bunch. So why are so many of us buying less-than-stellar bottles of wine when we need a little of it to cook with?

There's only one basic rule when it comes to cooking with wine: Stick to the recipe's suggested wine. If a recipe calls for dry white wine, don't substitute with an off-dry; if it calls for red, just use red. (Yes, you can substitute milk with lemon juice or vinegar for buttermilk, but that "just hack it" approach doesn't really work here.) If the recipe calls for a wine you're not familiar with, ask the person at the shop where it falls on an acidic scale, since something with higher acid will give you a bit more tartness; similarly, sweet wine will make the final dish a touch sweet.

Once you nail down the style, cooking with higher-quality wine famously won't make much of a difference in the end product. The flavors and aromas bursting from wine will pretty much cook off and get masked by the other ingredients, so it's true that a pricey bottle won't make the red wine glaze on the chocolate cake more delicious, or the wine-steamed mussels more inviting, in any memorable way. But we shouldn't be thinking of buying a bottle for cooking as separate from a bottle we'd otherwise joyfully sip from; don't let wine as a recipe ingredient make you forget that wine is first and foremost to be drunk. Unless you don't drink wine and the rest of the bottle would actually go to waste, this reasoning for buying cheap wine for cooking should just go out the window.

Instead, the best bet is to buy or choose a bottle of wine you actually like that fits into what the recipe calls for, use the quarter-cup needed to make that delicious braised brisket, and drink the rest of it while you're cooking, while you're eating, or over the next day or two with another dish — make sure to keep it corked and in the fridge if you go this last route. If you're early in the process of discovering the wines you enjoy drinking, ask someone at your local wine shop what they might recommend based on your liking off-dry riesling or light-bodied reds, or that you loved a recent acid-charged bottle.

So unless you're making several recipes in the span of three-ish days that call for enough wine to add up to one fully cooked-with, not-drunk bottle, stop buying shitty wine to cook with. Wine is to be chilled and sipped and enjoyed, no matter what its application.

P.S. Want someone to take even more of the wine guesswork off your hands? Each month the wines in Eater Wine Club are curated by a wine pro from a beloved restaurant or bar and delivered straight to your door.

Cooking for 1: Here are 10 of the best single-serving recipes - KSL.com

Posted: 27 Apr 2021 07:02 PM PDT

SALT LAKE CITY — For many of us, the concept of cooking for one may look like eating leftovers night after night, or eating boring eggs. And the other side of eating leftovers every evening may feel like spending a lot of time in the kitchen night after night.

The good news is cooking for one doesn't have to look like either of those scenarios.

I encourage my clients to stock their kitchens with pantry (and fridge/freezer) staples so they can throw a quick meal together, whether or not they've planned it out, and to seek out easy recipes for one.

Another piece of advice I have for clients who don't enjoy cooking "only for one," or don't feel like it's worth it, is to make the cooking process more enjoyable. Turn on a favorite playlist, watch a show or listen to a podcast. Cooking for one is usually less stressful than cooking for others since no one else is eating your meal. So lean into this less stressful opportunity and make it fun.

To help get you cooking, here are 10 of the best recipes for one:

1. Mushroom Chicken Soup with Wild Rice

I love this recipe because it takes just a few minutes to chop up the veggies, then you can throw all the ingredients in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot and let it do all the work. It's hearty, delicious, and easy to make 1 serving or double it.

2. Detroit Style Pizza for One from Joanie Zisk of One Dish Kitchen

This homemade pizza for one is easy to make on your own. Just start the dough three hours before you want to eat. Other than that, it's mostly a hands-off recipe.

3. Beef Enchiladas from Joanie Zisk of One Dish Kitchen

This recipe makes two enchiladas, which is perfect for one person. It just takes about 15 minutes to prep and 20 minutes to bake. Double this recipe for leftovers, which you'll definitely want.

4. Hummus Toast with Everything Bagel Spice from registered dietitian nutritionist Amy Gorin

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This simple toast recipe would be great for breakfast or a 5-minute dinner. It's got lots of different flavors and textures going on and it's very easy to prepare.

5. Easy Instant Pot Fish

This is one of my favorite pantry staple meals. I always have frozen fish, couscous and frozen vegetables on hand. No need to defrost the fish since this recipe uses frozen fish. The simple lemon butter topping adds a lot of flavor and makes your fish tender and delicious.

6. Baked Chicken Tenders from Joanie Zisk of One Dish Kitchen

Who doesn't love chicken tenders? This simple recipe for one is quick and super tasty!

7. Pan Seared Pork Chops with Potatoes and Green Beans

This breaded pork chop with veggies recipe can all be cooked in one pan and is ready to eat in just 20 minutes. You can also swap the green beans for whatever vegetable you have.

8. Lentil Avocado Salad from Joanie Zisk of One Dish Kitchen

Lentils are one of my favorite inexpensive, plant-based proteins. They're easy to use, take on any flavor, and are an affordable option. These little lentils take on the delicious flavors of a tasty red wine vinegar and dijon vinaigrette.

9. Pasta Carbonara for One

Healthy Lemon Carbonara (Photo: Rebecca Clyde)

I used to think that carbonara was a special meal that I couldn't just have whenever. Well, this recipe changes the game. This 15-minute recipe is definitely something you can throw together any day. Plus, it'll still feel like a special meal (for half the effort).

10. Easy Black Bean Tacos

Black Bean Veggie Tacos (Photo: Rebecca Clyde)

This recipe is the best for cleaning out your fridge. Throw in those random veggies or toppings from your fridge so you can reduce food waste and make simple tacos that taste different every time you make them.

If you've felt like cooking for one is something to not look forward to, I hope these simple recipes can change your mind. Of course, cooking may not always be something to look forward to, but if you enjoy cooking for others these recipes will help you enjoy cooking for yourself just a bit more.

Editor's Note: Anything in this article is for informational purposes only. The content is not intended, nor should it be interpreted, to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition; Any opinions, statements, services, offers, or other information or content expressed or made available are those of the respective author(s) or distributor(s) and not of KSL. KSL does not endorse nor is it responsible for the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, information, or statement made in this article. KSL expressly disclaims all liability in respect to actions taken or not taken based on the content of this article.

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Epicurious stopped publishing beef recipes for 'sustainable cooking' - TODAY