History

Up until now, the discoveries showcased within this series have highlighted achievements made during the 19th century. Not by design, I promise you. All of these food science breakthroughs were hand-picked on merit alone, as is today’s: genetically modified crops. But genetically modified crops come with some baggage. Unlike canning, fermentation, or milk pasteurization So, for the record, I will state my bias right now: I am not a fan of GM crops.

You've probably wondered, too. Here's the answer (plus our favorite recipe!).

As bread bakers, the differences between these four breads has been a real source of confusion for us. They often seem to be used interchangeably in restaurants, bakeries, and even some cookbooks. It’s quite distressing to expect one kind of bread and wind up with something completely different, we think! So is there a difference?We would argue that, yes, there is definitely a difference. Or at least there should be!

It's what's on the inside that counts.

Whether dry-aged or wet-aged beef is better has actually become quite a debate in certain foodie circles. Dry-aging has centuries of tradition on its side, while wet-aging is really the new kid on the block. Is one really better than the other? You decide.All meat benefits from some amount of aging before being sold and consumed. In the days after slaughter, enzymes go to work on the muscle tissue, breaking it down and making it tender. Chicken needs a few days, while pork and lamb needs a week.

If you’ve ever flown into or out of the San Francisco airport, you have probably looked out the window and wondered about those weird red ponds scattered along the edge of the Bay. Wonder no more: they’re sea salt harvesting ponds!I was recently invited along on Diamond Crystal Salt’s annual sea salt harvest right here in the San Francisco Bay. Let me tell you, it was a fascinating trip from Bay to box. Oh, and why the startling red color in those ponds?

Al Dente; adjective, Italian: Literally, “to the tooth.” In practice, this means cooked just enough to still be firm, where the center still remains a bit under-cooked and the pasta still offers resistance when chewed.In medieval times, pasta was cooked for an hour or more until it was soft, mushy, and offered no resistance. This was typical of all cooking at the time (ie, cooking food to death!

These days, shoppers have the option of choosing heritage or heirloom foods. But what do these words mean and how do they affect you? You may be surprised to learn it isn’t just a frivolous fad; our food supply depends on them.Through the history of civilization, humans have raised a variety of livestock and agriculture. However, today’s large-scale industrial farming methods only use a few specialized breeds that have been developed to meet certain requirements.

Clabber, noun: soured milkBack before there was baking powder to use as a quick leavener in baking, there was clabber. This was something that every farm wife or person with access to fresh milk could make, no additional ingredients necessary!To make clabbered milk, the fresh, raw milk was simply left out at room temperature. Bacteria in the milk would start converting the lactose (sugars) into an acid, causing the milk to thicken and sour while also keeping it from actually spoiling.

Ever fall in love with a beer, only to discover that it’s a “seasonal” not to be seen again for another year?It can seem cruel for a brewery to hook us on a delicious beer and then snatch it away again, but they have some good reasons for doing so.Back before refrigeration and shipping made it possible to lager beers in the hot summer months and save fresh hops through the winter, some beers were seasonal by virtue of what was available.