All chunks of Parmigiano Reggiano aren’t created equal—but you wouldn’t know that by looking at them. One 80-pound wheel of Parmesan looks pretty much like another. But there can be a world of difference in flavor between Parmesans made by different dairies. They’re all going to be good—but only a few are fantastic.
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Excerpted from the new Zingerman’s Bakehouse Book In order to open Zingerman’s Bakehouse, we had to be able to bake great Jewish Rye Bread for Zingerman’s Delicatessen, which was our first (and at the beginning our only) customer. It’s not possible to have a superb Reuben sandwich without authentic Jewish rye bread. We wanted our […]
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Traditional cooking, the popular cooking of countries passed down through time, is the cooking of the poor because, let’s face it, there have been a lot more poor people than rich people in history. Traditional cooks figured out how to squeeze the last bit of flavor from the ham bone, to find flavor in foods […]
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With every iteration of the speciality coffee world’s evolution come new terms for folks like us to learn. One of the latest is “micro-lot” coffee. It sounds interesting, it even carries a whiff of the scientific, but what does it mean?
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What’s the best rice for risotto? If you ask that question in the US, you’ll probably hear it’s Arborio. But if you ask an Italian expert, odds are they’ll say Carnaroli. Both Arborio and Carnaroli were first grown in Italy in the middle of the 20th century, but Arborio was exported way sooner. By the […]
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It’s a cliché to say that anchovies get a bad rap. Everyone knows they’re polarizing—and most people avoid the pole altogether. The thing is, it’s not anchovies’ fault. It’s ours. Just-caught anchovies are universally delicious. It’s mis-steps taken to cure, prepare, store and serve that cause such ruin.
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Baobab (bay-oh-bab) trees are fairly famous for their giant, bottle-shaped trunks and their odd, spindly branches that look like roots. They look like a tree turned upside down. But baobab fruit is almost unknown. It’s a pity. The fruit is incredible—healthy, with bright, sweet-tart flavor. It makes for amazing jelly.
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If I had to choose a last breakfast, I’d choose a bostock. It’s like French toast you eat out of hand: one that’s rich and nutty, toasty but bright with citrus, and just sweet enough.
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We’ve carried Marash pepper flakes for over twenty years. I can still remember the first time I tried them, and how different they were. The color was deeper, a glowing burgundy. They were moist. The flavor was full, roasted and toasted, evocative of the sun. I kept waiting for a rush of heat to hit […]
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Macroom Irish oatmeal from Walton’s Mill is to Quaker Oats what Parmigiano-Reggiano is to the pre-grated parmesan in the green can. It’s made with really good oats and milled on centuries-old stone mills. The result is nutty, toasty, rich, intense flavor that redefines what oatmeal can be.
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