Author Archives: Sarah

Feeding up your Mad Men

Found by Sarah on Friday, 4th March 2011

Don Draper was never hungry for food as he told his wife Betty in one of the earliest episodes. *Blush*. Guessing this cook book will contain plenty of Baked Alaska, Steak Diane and instructions which only make sense after eight tumblers of Canadian Rye Whiskey.

Set aside the $1.99 you were going to spend on that Mad Men cocktail app and save it for the cookbook. News of the deal comes from the subscribers’ section of Publishers Marketplace: “Judy Gelman and Peter Zheutlin's The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook, a guide to the food and drink mentioned in the show from Sterling Cooper power lunches to Betty's Around the World Dinner; also offering suggestions for Mad Men-themed parties and entertaining with style, with every detail true to the period and themes of the show, [has been sold] to Leah Wilson at BenBella Books, for publication in Winter 2112.”

Filed under Features | Tagged cocktails, cook book, Grub Street New York, mad men |

Ex-Atomic Kitten Grapples with Meaty Issue

Found by Sarah on Friday, 4th March 2011

» Belfast Telegragh

Interestingly, only female celebrities agreed to scribble on this ferocious-looking creation to raise awareness about the economic plight of pig farmers. Perhaps the C-list men they approached didn't feel quite comfortable with the job in hand.

But is that sausage good to eat?

Celebrities including TV personality Christine Hamilton, pop singer Liz McClarnon and sports presenter Sharron Davies signed a giant sausage outside Downing Street as part of a campaign to help pig farmers secure a fair deal from supermarkets and processors.

Filed under Features | Tagged Belfast Telegragh, campaign, pig, sausage |

Chubby Man Takes Burgers to the Next Level

Found by Sarah on Wednesday, 2nd March 2011

» Chubby Hubby

When it comes to perfecting the burger, most men go for the buying meat and wielding a huge pair of tongs over hot coals – while their face melts – approach. But not the Chubby Man from Singapore.

It’s no secret that I love burgers. Love going out for them and also love making them. And I think I do a pretty good job. Haven’t had too many complaints at least. That said, I’ve always been slightly bothered by one thing. I prefer my burgers with a slightly thicker patty. It’s just more pleasurable to chomp down on a nice fat burger. While I have had good burgers made with thin, flat patties–which necessitates at least two patties per burger–they just don’t have the same level of juiciness and taste compared to a well-made thick patty.

Filed under Features | Tagged Burgers, Chubby Hubby, sous-vide |

Don a mask and get ready to meet your pig

Posted by Sarah on Tuesday, 1st March 2011

» Prague Post Food Blog

This pig slaughtering Bacchus sounds fabulous fun for all the family. The cheese rollers of Stilton and gravy wrestlers of Lancashire surely need to take notes. Perhaps some new events like… Cheese Or Death?

If you notice a smell of blood in the air, don’t be alarmed. Unless, of course, you’re a pig. It’s Masopust, the local traditional incarnation of Carnivale dating back centuries, and cities, towns and villages across the country are putting together one hell of a party before “saying goodbye to meat” and hello to penitence come Ash Wednesday.

Filed under Features | Tagged festival, pig, prague, Prague Post Food Blog |

Get our country’s alcohol problems away from the milk

Found by Sarah on Tuesday, 1st March 2011

» BBC News

I think we should keep it in an electrified cage – guarded by drunk leopards – so only the truly worthy will receive their reward.

Alcohol should be kept away from food and soft drinks in supermarkets, according to a campaign group. Alcohol Concern wants shops in England and Wales to keep beer and wine in a separate section. It has found that big retailers place beer and wine near the doors and the tills, as well as on food aisles.

Filed under Features | Tagged alcohol, BBC News |

“Freshly churned from the Isle of Carte D’or”, says one in five restaurants

Found by Sarah on Monday, 28th February 2011

» Big Hospitality

Sometimes you just feel like giving up. Are you actually supposed to interrogate the waiter and then sneak into the kitchen to find the wrapper your food might have come in, just to make sure your restaurant doesn’t lie to you?

Council food enforcement officers investigated around 300 restaurants, retail outlets and food manufacturing premises, and found that one in five restaurant descriptions were misleading people. For example, New Zealand lamb was passed off as Welsh, Scottish butter and French brie were sold as Somerset products, ‘local’ ice-cream was found to be Carte D’Or brand, and local Devon ham was actually Danish.

Filed under Features | Tagged Big Hospitality, Local food |

Has Heston Had His Chips?

Found by Sarah on Sunday, 27th February 2011

» Wired

Just goes to show how much better the world would be if everyone at Microsoft quit.

The perfect french fry—golden brown, surpassingly crispy on the outside, with a light and fluffy interior that tastes intensely of potato—is not easy to cook. Here’s how most people do it at home: Cut some potatoes into fry shapes—classic 3/8-inch batons—and toss them into 375-degree oil until they’re golden brown. This is a mediocre fry. The center will be raw. Here’s how most restaurants do it: Dunk the potatoes in oil twice, once at 325 degrees for about four minutes until they’re cooked through and then again at 375 degrees to brown them. This is a pretty great fry.

Filed under Features | Tagged Heston, molecular gastronomy, Nathan Myhrvold, Wired |

The Sweetest Way to Choose An Oscar Winner

Found by Sarah on Sunday, 27th February 2011

» Buzzfeed

Tragically, this chart lead me straight to the very morbid sounding Winter's Bone. I hope others have more luck.

Filed under Features | Tagged Buzzfeed, chart, Oscar |

Food prices are now higher than their 2008 peak

Found by Sarah on Friday, 25th February 2011

» New York Times

Unless America stands strong, expect more riots, food rotting in storage and agricultural export bans.

Food prices are soaring to record levels, threatening many developing countries with mass hunger and political instability. Finance ministers of the Group of 20 leading economies discussed the problem at a meeting in Paris last week, but for all of their expressed concern, most are already breaking their promises to help.

Filed under Features | Tagged food prices, food riots, New York Times |

Garlic Bread That’s Sooo Good… it’s Rude

Found by Sarah on Friday, 25th February 2011

» gastronony domine

Making an effing amazing meal and then not swearing is surely something only Bree Van de Kamp could do…

I was tempted to title this post “F***ing fantastic garlic bread”, because when people taste it, they tend to say something along the lines of: “Cripes. This is f***ing fantastic garlic bread.” But my Mum reads this blog and has a habit of looking horrified and exclaiming: “Elizabeth!” if I so much as say “Damn” in her presence, so plain old “Garlic bread” it’ll have to be. Sorry, Mum.

Filed under Features | Tagged garlic bread, gastronony domine, swearing |