Feature What Does “Prime Beef” Mean, Exactly? And is it worth the extra cost? Maybe not. Steakhouses and high-end butcher shops love to tout their prime beef, a grade … Story: Max Falkowitz
Feature Why Is the Brigade System Essential in Restaurant Kitchens? How a kitchen organizes itself is essential to its function. “Chef de cuisine” is one of those French terms, like laissez-faire and … Story: Max Falkowitz
Feature How Does a Pressure Cooker Work? And why they don’t explode anymore. The rise of the Instant Pot has us all talking about a kitchen tool once considered … Story: Max Falkowitz
Feature Who Invented the Oreo? A brief history of America’s favorite cookie. Before there was the Oreo, there was the Hydrox. Neither a cleaning product nor a … Story: Max Falkowitz
Feature Who Invented the Martini? This classic cocktail has a muddled history. “I’ve never tasted anything so cool and clean…. They make me feel civilized.” The liquor … Story: Max Falkowitz
Feature What Is a Vampiro Taco? Imagine the three-way lovechild of a taco, a tostada, and a quesadilla. Tacos, tostadas, and quesadillas are all part of one crowded, … Story: Max Falkowitz
Feature Why Do We Add Vodka to Vodka Sauce? A quick guide to the chemistry of alcohol-soluble flavors. Few pastas are as comforting as penne à la vodka, but have you … Story: Max Falkowitz
Feature Who Invented the Frozen Margarita? The original machine is now in the Smithsonian. Most edible inventions are lost to history; we’ll never know for certain who flipped … Story: Max Falkowitz
Feature What Makes Spicy Food Taste Spicy? What you really feel when you feel the burn. The human tongue has 10,000 taste buds programmed to recognize five basic flavors: … Story: Max Falkowitz
Feature What Is Balsamic Vinegar? And why the good stuff costs so much. Few supermarket staples get as abused as balsamic vinegar, although the genuine article has … Story: Max Falkowitz
Feature What Is an Air Fryer? It’s the Internet’s new favorite kitchen appliance. What if you could fry a whole chicken in less than a tablespoon of oil? … Story: Max Falkowitz
Feature What’s the Difference Between Baby Back and St. Louis Ribs? How to pick the perfect rack for your barbecue. Because nothing is easy and simple in this oblique, uncaring universe, the USDA’s … Story: Max Falkowitz
Feature What Is XO Sauce? This Cantonese delicacy doesn’t have any liquor like its namesake, but it’s a vital component of modern Chinese cooking. In France, XO … Story: Max Falkowitz
Feature Who Invented Macaroni Salad? The muddled history of the unavoidable picnic dish. Macaroni, the pasta, may be Italian, but macaroni salad, and really all pasta salads, … Story: Max Falkowitz
Feature Is Blue Raspberry Flavor Totally Made Up? Where your slurpee juice really comes from. There is, in fact, a blue raspberry bush, also called Rubus leucodermis, or more commonly, … Story: Max Falkowitz
Feature What’s a Chicago Hot Dog? It’s the country’s most over-the-top dog. New York may be the first city most Americans imagine when they think of hot dogs, … Story: Max Falkowitz
Feature What Is Poutine? How the essential drunk food of Quebec became a worldwide phenomenon. French fries plus sauce plus melted cheese isn’t rocket science, but … Story: Max Falkowitz
Feature Should I Buy a Digital Scale? Ditch the measuring cups and spoons. It’s time to improve all your baking with one simple step. Here’s an experiment to try … Story: Max Falkowitz
Feature Who Invented the Pumpkin Spice Latte? And why they had to add pumpkin puree to it 12 years later. In 2015, Starbucks announced that after great controversy, it … Story: Max Falkowitz
Feature When Was the First Oktoberfest? There’s nothing better than a beer carnival honoring the king’s marriage to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Munich’s Oktoberfest is the largest beer … Story: Max Falkowitz
Feature Why Do Airlines Always Serve Salted Peanuts? What started as a marketing move also makes scientific sense. Compared to the crammed sardine-can flights of today, the early days of … Story: Max Falkowitz
