Ever wondered why fruits and vegetables are wrapped in cellophane? Why cereal comes in cardboard boxes? Why soda bottles are sold in litres, not quarts? As a member of the National Museum of American History's Food and Wine History Team, food historian Cory Bernat spends her time pondering such things in an effort to better understand the connection between supermarkets and food consumption habits in the United States. More

It happens to the best of us. You head to the store, pick up something new and special, and then a week or two later you find it shoved behind the leftover pot pie and orange juice. But this sad, devastating moment could be eliminated with a simple shoe box. More

Winter vegetables can be delightful — squash, bitter greens (see how well they play together in Sara Kate's pasta with loads of yummy winter vegetables, a welcome recipe for winter cooking). But we are curious: Where do you shop for your fruits and vegetables in the cold months? Do you live in California, where you can have oranges and avocados all winter long? Or do you conscientiously eat only rutabaga and ice spinach three months out of the year?

My spice cupboard is a hodgepodge of little unmatched jars, some of them classic supermarket brands, some of them old anchovy jars, well-washed and filled with spices from the bulk department. A very eclectic mishmash of colors, sizes and shapes. Does this sound like your spice cupboard, or do you have a different approach? More

I keep two kinds of extra virgin olive oil in my kitchen: a small bottle of robust, peppery, somewhat expensive oil for finishing dishes and special salads, and a milder, everyday oil for when the flavor of the oil might be overwhelmed by other ingredients or isn't very important. Everyday olive oil, like everyday wine, is a kitchen staple and while I don't reach for the cheapest brand from the bottom shelf, I need to keep the price point fairly low.

What brand do you use as your everyday olive oil? More

The holidays have come and gone, but that doesn't mean the sales at the grocery stores have stopped. They'll be over in a hurry though, so here are ten things to stock up on this week before prices climb once more. More

I discovered something in Momofuku Milk Bar that I thought was pretty surprising. Pastry chef Christina Tosi does not scour New York shops for obscure artisan-made ingredients, nor does she order from a secret top chef catalog. Nope, she shops on Amazon and recommends that we do the same. More

Chicken is not something that I usually go to the meat counter to find. Pork chops, short ribs, and steaks, yes. But not chicken. That is, until a happy coincidence taught me otherwise. More

Cooking, we love. No question. But a trip to buy groceries, now that can be a different matter entirely. Do you see grocery shopping as an enjoyable prelude to a day in the kitchen? Or a necessary evil? More

Grocery shopping tends to be a solitary affair. Even if you're the type who enjoys this weekly task, you're usually doing your meditative meandering without much interaction with other shoppers. Which is why actually getting into a conversation with a fellow customer can feel...startling. I, for one, welcome it. Do you? More