Fact: The European Union has banned 7 industrial food-related substances and practices that are still fine and dandy in the US. That's the subject of a recent article by Tom Philpott for Mother Jones — an enlightening, sobering look at the what the EPA deems important when it comes to food safety.

It may come as a surprise to some, but buying foods labeled cage-free or grass-fed does not necessarily mean that those items are what they say they are, or what we assume they mean.  This can be really frustrating if you are trying to do your best to purchase humane and sustainable food, not to mention that foods labeled with these claims are often more expensive.  Do you pay extra for organic, or non-GMO, or hormone-free foods?  Do you know which labels are reliable?  Read on for more information and sources for identifying which labels you can trust. 

You don't have to be a farmer or a food scientist to know that genetically-modified food is a heated, divisive issue. Everyone has an opinion on whether it's safe or dangerous, harmful or helpful. But as with most issues that elicit strong reactions on both sides, it can be difficult to cut through the drama and just look at the facts. 

This week Nature, one of the premiere weekly journals of scientific research, devotes their entire issue to discussing GMOs to illuminate what's true, what's false, and what's still unknown about genetically-modified food. If you're new to the GMO debate, this is a great place to start:

We're no strangers to sriracha. In fact, we like it in our beer, our mayo, and sprinkled on everything from roasted vegetables to grilled meats. While it seems ubiquitous now, sriracha as we know it didn't come around until 1980...

Have you heard that brown rice has been found to contain trace amounts of arsenic? As a brown rice lover, all of the varying reports have been a bit confusing and tough to unpack. Some news sources are saying to avoid it at all costs while others are saying it's not a serious situation. Last week, The New York Times came up with the perfect description: "the arsenic conundrum." So how serious of an issue is it, really? 

There are cocktails. And there's green juice. Ne'er the twain shall meet... or so we thought. From what we're reading, the latest wave in cocktails could be a move to using greens in lieu of the traditional herbs. 

I was a fan of Mark Bittman's long-time Minimalist column in The New York Times, and bummed when he retired it a few years ago. He's continued to write op-ed pieces for the paper — mostly on food politics, issues, and health — but I've missed his eating-focused thoughts and recipes. But... he's back! This week the Times launched a brand-new monthly Bittman column called "The Flexitarian," and I'm sensing it's right in line with how we here at The Kitchn see things.

For his New York Times column this week, Mark Bittman sat down with Michael Pollan to talk about this new book Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation, out Tuesday. The book (I can't wait to read it!) is largely about the importance of cooking...

The great minds behind Modernist Cuisine are expanding into kitchenware for the first time ever. They've released a trademarked baking steel (not stone, mind you) they say will forever change the way you make pizzas.

A good knife is any cook's most important tool. We've shared our favorites, but it's always cool to see what the pros use. Six rockstar chefs recently shared their top knife picks with Details magazine, and interestingly enough, they all had one thing in common: