Just as we do at the end of each month, here's a round-up of items from this month's food magazines that we found of interest but weren't necessarily recipe related.
Martha Stewart Living
You've likely heard of Mark Kurlansky's other books, such as Cod: The Biography of the Fish That Changed the World and Salt: A World History. When we read in MSL about his new book, we were instantly intrigued by the title alone: "The Food of a Younger Land: A Portrait of American Food--Before the National Highway System, Before Chain Restaurants, and Before Frozen Food, When the Nation's Food Was Seasonal." Based on research completed but never published by the WPA prior to World World II, Food of a Younger Land explores regional food cultures in America. Mississippi chitlins and Montana Fried Beaver Tail? We're excited to read this book!
Everyday Food
The magazine's "How to Cut Up a Chicken" feature is among the best and simplest diagrams we've ever seen for a simple step-by-step guide into this process. It's especially good for the novice cook, who may need more instructions and visuals that the typical recipe or cookbook provides. Luckily, Everyday Food has made the feature available online.
Gourmet
Gourmet's "Obsessions" column -- which outlines 5 or 6 products each month that the staff likes -- features one of our favorite products: Dale's Steak Seasoning. Zach's mom uses it religiously back in Tennessee; Clay had never heard of it until Zach brought home a bottle and now we use it occasionally when making steaks. Dale's is an intensively flavored marinade that is popular in the South and sold in supermarkets throughout the Southeast. The flavors are intense (chiefly soy sauce, onion, garlic, sugar, ginger and paprika) and the label says it can be used on almost anything ("Delicious on all meats, fish, fowl and vegetables"). If it's not available in your area, you can also order it through Amazon.
Cook's Illustrated
We love the rating features in Cook's, where they test out a bunch of brands of the same product and then give you their recommended brands. There are two of these excellent features in the May issue: Testing Cookware Sets and Tasting Chocolate Chips. The intros to both features are available on their website, but the results are only available to subscribers. Pick up a copy or try their two week site trial and check it out!
And Now For Some Funny Videos
And finally, we leave with you with Posh Nosh -- a parody online cooking series that our friend Todd recommended. Watch and enjoy!
