Growing up, who didn’t have Velveeta cheese in the pantry? It was crucial for making queso, the ideal ingredient for quick mac and cheese, and melted perfectly into omelets. But now that you've gotten more conscious about your food choices, you have to wonder… what is Velveeta ...read more
An ever-growing topic of discussion when it comes to climate change is its relationship to the food that we eat. We don't just need to eat to keep ourselves healthy, we need to eat in a way that keeps the planet healthy as well. With its huge carbon emissions, the meat industry ...read more
When it comes to recipe ideas, there are those that think ahead. Yes, some people are diligent about recipe planning. When they go grocery shopping, they only buy the ingredients that they need for the week. Every night they know exactly what they are going to make, and by the ...read more
Visited a farmers market lately? Chances are, you have. Between 2002 and 2007, there were so many farmers markets popping up all over the country, that they were growing at an annual rate of 17 percent. But now, that rate has slowed to 5.5 percent per year. From 2013 to 2014, ...read more
We're often pitting the plant-based diet versus the non-plant-based diets against each other, forgetting that things are never as simple as "this is better than that." While it would be nice to be able to easily choose one thing over another, we don't live in a world of black ...read more
Don't lie: you've been drooling over photos of vertical gardens for ages, haven't you? I always get so excited when I see a picture of a vertical garden because I think, "Yes! A garden for a small space!" And then I remember that I live in a fourth floor apartment with no ...read more
Even if you aren't vegetarian, I am sure we can all agree on the fact that our meat industry is broken. Seriously broken. Our consumption of meat has grown, and as such, so has the meat industry, having to evolve to satisfy ever increasing demands. While meat consumption has ...read more
Berkeley. Even without adding on "California" or "University" the mere word inspires visions of counterculture, activism and social justice. This was after all a hotbed of activism through the 1960s and beyond, the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement as well as the new type ...read more
There are many reasons to choose a vegetarian diet, and not every vegetarian has the same ones. Often people cite the question of animal rights as a reason to go vegetarian. There are many arguments to be made on this front, but the unfortunate truth is that this argument ...read more
A wine cellar in Napa, a wine cellar in France, a wine cellar in Israel? While Israel and the rest of the Middle East certainly aren't on our modern day wine maps, they used to be. A recent discovery by a team of researchers highlights the importance that wine once had in the ...read more
In the United States we waste up to 40 percent of our food. But food waste isn't just a problem reserved for North America, it's a global issue. Worldwide, 68 percent of food gets eaten, leaving the other 32 percent going to waste. Popular Science made this great infographic ...read more
With the onset of fall comes one thing: pumpkin spice season. Don't get me wrong, I love pumpkins and I love a good pumpkin pie, but let's be honest, the pumpkin spice flavor that makes it into absolutely everything this time of year has absolutely nothing to do with real ...read more
You hear "naked sushi" and you think of that one "Sex and the City" movie scene, but it's actually a real thing. In Japanese the ritual of using a naked female body as a sushi serving platter is called nyotaimori. (Sidenote: you'll get some weird things if you Google image ...read more
Ever wonder what's really in a Twinkie? In the ongoing battle of big food versus transparency, there's an ever growing awareness of how broken the system for oversight of food additives really is. There are so many new food additives being included in processed foods that the ...read more
Given the rate of child obesity it would seem that a mother's first and foremost concern would be that of her child and ensuring a healthy diet at home. It's not. In a study of 1,000 women, 36 percent of them said that they are regularly concerned about childhood obesity in ...read more
Even if you have never been to the State Fair of Texas, you probably have an idea of what kind of food is served there. Yes, this is the land of funnel cakes and triple deep fried anything. This is of course why the State Fair of Texas is hailed the "Fried Food Capital of ...read more
While the locavore movement has certainly begun to grow, these days we're still mostly being fed by big food companies. Unless you grow your own food, only buy whole grains and go to farmers market, chances are at one point or another you come into contact with one of these big ...read more
In the day and age of food blogging, it's quite common for food brands and restaurants to host events. Even McDonald's. Last fall, the number one fast food chain hosted an event for reporters and bloggers, and not an evening full of your average Big Macs and McFlurries. No, ...read more
When you think of drinks and Mexico, tequila is probably the first thing to come to mind, not wine. But yes, Mexico does have its own wine route, in Baja California, and it's getting so much exposure, some are calling it the next Napa Valley. Wine has been made in the northern ...read more
When it comes to healthy eating, we're often concerned about the "what." What ingredients and what products we're putting on our plate to ensure that we're eating well and enjoying it in the process. But maybe it's not the "what" that's so important as the "how much." We're ...read more
There was a time when the family meal was a holy time. Nowadays it often gets shortened, or even eliminated, in the name of overly busy schedules. Yet while getting everyone around the table at the same time might seem like a energy consuming task, it's an essential one, not ...read more
Food waste is a serious issue. In the U.S. alone we waste up to 40 percent of our food. But that's not all because of people buying too many vegetables and having to toss them out at the end of the week. The food waste problem exists across the supply chain, from farms to ...read more
Newsflash: if you don't drop the hamburger, Oreo milkshakes and pantry full of potato chips, no amount of carrots and celery sticks will hep you lose weight. Junk food diets trump healthy food, even if you think you're eating a balance between the two. That's the finding of ...read more
Oh chicken McNuggets. Those things that we're not really sure if there's real chicken in them or not. Ok, so there is "white boneless chicken" in them, but with the amount of ingredients added to that, you are hard pressed to say that you're eating chicken. In Hong Kong ...read more
The assumption that if you travel to France, your eating experiences will blow your mind, is not an uncommon one. This is, after all, a country that for a long time has been a powerhouse of not only cuisine, but regional products and specialties. French food gained a reputation ...read more
Honey beer, coffee beer, cherry beer; there is a whole lot that you can add to beer to switch up the flavor. But what's the latest in craft beer brewing? Seaweed. Leave it to a brewery in Maine to start using the gift of the sea in their beers. Already known for using ...read more
These days, for the equivalent of pocket change (plus some from under the couch) you can get your hands on fast food burgers. An entire fast food menu might run you a little more, but there's no denying that fast food hamburgers are cheap. But "cheap" isn't the right word to ...read more
Any gin and tonic lover is sure to love craft gin, and if you do, take special note, because there's a new craft distillery on the market. And it's run by a group of kids. It's called Sibling Distiller and it's out of Gloucestershire, England. The four siblings aren't new to ...read more
What's in a Slim Jim, you wonder? We thought you'd never ask... Ah the Slim Jim. That creepy sausage looking thing that you see at every rest stop and convenience store known to man. Why anyone buys these I still don't know, but maybe it's because people do really believe that ...read more
We all know the drinking age in the United States (right?). But in some cases, the rules against underage drinking seem just a little odd. For example: if you're a college student enrolled in a winemaking course and you can't taste the wine that you are trying to master the ...read more
Forget country vineyards. The cool kids are all making urban wine in the midst of metropolitan chaos. From Portland to Los Angeles, winemakers are proving that wine doesn't have to be made in the traditional, bucolic vineyard setting. If you have the know-how, can get good ...read more
Athletes have to take their diets seriously; their career depends on it. So when you travel to Brazil for World Cup 2014, what do you pack? Your uniform, your shoes, your shinguards, and your team chef and nutritionist of course. Because your chef and nutritionist know what's ...read more
Some of us love to eat. Some of us just eat because we have to. For that second group, there's nothing more appealing than the sound of a product that could give you all the nutrients that you need, without the hassle of grocery shopping, cooking or putting food on the table. ...read more
As if making coffee with coffee pods weren't bad enough, now, if you don't know how to make tortillas, you can use them to make your own tortillas "from scratch." Ah, the beauty of convenience. Why mix and roll dough when a machine can do it for you? Among the latest kitchen ...read more
While eating insects has a certain gag factor for some, there are many cultures where edible bugs are part of a healthy diet. If you've traveled, you may have at some point or another come across a batch of of insects, like fried locusts or Maguey worms. But in the Western ...read more
Planning on making cocktails this summer? This is the perfect guide to mixed drinks ingredients for you. By now, eating organic might be second nature, but what about drinking? A lot of people down a cocktail without even thinking about what's in it, but if you're putting time ...read more
When it comes to food and wine, reds go with meat and whites go with fish right? While that's a basic rule of thumb, there's plenty more to food and wine pairing. As summer nears, and there are more and more opportunities for warm weather entertaining, it's time we talked ...read more
For many years the only place serving up fast food breakfast was McDonalds. But then everyone got into the breakfast sandwiches and bad coffee game, and what was once a holy meal to be consumed at home, was now being stuffed and guzzled during a quick drive to work. If you can ...read more
When it comes to finding a good pizza crust recipe, many are on a lifelong search. Because let's be honest- there's nothing better than pizza made at home. But what if you can't tolerate traditional flour? Or even any kind of flour at all? Is a good pizza crust recipe then ...read more
If there's anything worse than packaged, processed food, it's single-serving packaged, processed food. In a fast culture, we've come to crave products that maximize our time, so it's no surprise that items like coffee pods are taking over kitchens around the country. But it's ...read more
If the California drought is doing one thing, it's making us aware of how interconnected everything is. For those who live on the other side of the country, or even just a few states away, the effects may not be immediate, but they are certainly noticeable. Food is the big one, ...read more
As if coffee pods weren't bad enough, there's a new player in town when it comes to the "dumb coffee maker" options: the disposable pour over bag. This is exactly what it sounds like. A disposable bag that contains pre-measured coffee. As the coffee drinker, all you have to do ...read more
You may have already been putting hummus on your sandwiches for decades, and now Subway is just now getting on board. Since April, it has been testing the spread as a topping for its Subway sandwiches in several locations, and if it does well, you can expect to find hummus at ...read more
Do you think about what types of wine you buy, or are you more of a "the label looks good" kind of person? Living consciously requires a holistic approach. It's not just about buying organic vegetables. It's about thinking different about all of your choices, and if you care ...read more
With all the talk of GMOs have you ever wondered how far genetic engineering will take us? When it comes to engineering food scientists have done quite a lot (for better or for worse), from salmon that can grow twice as fast as usual to bananas that produce vaccines. Since ...read more
Anyone out there bored with their usual food recipes? Most of us eat three times a day. Which means we need to cook three times a day. Certainly, you can eat out and all that, but I'd wager to guess that more times than not, you're preparing your food at home. And with three ...read more
While you may not see a dairy cow taking in the sunset with a bottle of craft IPA, cows actually do benefit from beer brewing. That's because beer brewing produces a lot of spent grain - the grain that is leftover after the brewing process - and brewers around the country have ...read more
If you want to drink a trashy coffee, make yours with coffee pods. It's true. While they make a quick and easy brew, coffee pods also make a lot of waste. The amount of Keurig's K-Cups alone is enough to wrap around the earth 10.5 times. But people are in love with coffee pod ...read more
Rejoice! Forget all those sodas and soft drinks made with high fructose corn syrup, now you can guzzle your fizzy drinks guilt-free thanks to Pepsi. Finally a reason to feel good about your nasty soda addiction. That's right, this summer Pepsi is rolling out three soft drinks ...read more
Some dinners are farm fresh because you went and picked up the ingredients at the farm that very morning. And other dinners are farm fresh because they are literally hosted at a farm. That's the idea behind Outstanding in the Field, an initiative launched by artist Jim Denevan ...read more