Feast for the Eyes: The Story of Food in Photography

From the first appearance of photographs in the early 1900s, food has always been an interesting subject for professional photographers who have captured it in advertisements, cookbooks, photojournalism and art. But what was Food Photography like before the arrival of Instagram, Pinterest and Social Media in general? 

The answer can be found in Feast for the Eyes: The Story of Food in Photography, a new book published by Aperture Foundation. Susan Bright, the author and art writer, has collected a chronological selection of 200 pictures, which show how food photography has evolved since the early 20th century.

Feast for the Eyes explores 100 years of food photography, from commercial advertising to fine art, showing how food consumption has changed and how culinary delights have been plated, presented and documented over the years.

Susan Bright explores important figures and movements of food photography: Martin Parr, Edward Weston, Roger Fenton, Cindy Sherman, Victor Keppler, Irving Penn, Nickolas Muray, Stephen Shore, Wolfgang Tillmans, Nobuyoshi Araki and Sophie Calle are just some of the famous photographers featured in the book.

We have selected some amazing pictures from the book, enjoy the gallery at the top of the page!

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Feast for the Eyes: The Story of Food in Photography

Watch Goose Barnacles Being Harvested

Goose barnacales are a delicous delicacy, a great big whack of the sea in the mouth that will transport you to a rugged wave-licked coast in an instant. In the hands of the right chef, these rock clinging molluscs are transformed into something extraordinary.

If you've ever wondered why they're so expensive, then the video below from Great Big Story should help to explain. It follows four sisters who are percebeiras, or goose barnacle ('percebes' in Spanish) hunters on the Galician coast in Northern Spain – where the most prized goose barnacles are found. The barnacles grow in areas that endure a constant battering from the Atlantic waves, which makes it a very dangerous job. Percebeiras can easily be dragged out to sea or smashed on the rocks.

But the four sisters are passionate about what they do and the product, and see the risks as part of the job. So next time you're tucking into a delicous goose barnacle, picture them out on the rocks hacking away – you'll appreciate this delicious delicacy even more.

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Watch Goose Barnacles Being Harvested

This Woman Wants to Collect Every Recipe in the World

An 85-year-old Harvard food historian has spent over half her life collecting recipes in an attempt to catologue every recipe ever written down.

Barbara Ketcham-Wheaton has been collecting recipes since the 1960s and as of a year ago has collected some 130,000, which she enters into computer software. She calls her database 'The Sifter.'

She does it not in an attempt to resurrect long lost dishes, but to try and understand the evolution of food and patterns linked to migration and changing tastes.

"I'm fascinated by the patterns that emerge," she told the BBC, "It's easy to see six things and one is peculiar, but when you look at 60, you see patterns you hadn't seen. Every time you add a zero it gets more interesting."

One of her favourite recipes is that for a roasted peacock served with skin and plummage on, a dish she once served to horrified Harvard undergraduates at a recreation of a 15th century Burgundian banquet.

Though it's a project that's unlikely ever to be completed, as it stands it offers a fascinating glimpse into how humans have defined themselves through food over the centuries – read more about the project here. 

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This Woman Wants to Collect Every Recipe in the World

Fit for a Monarch: Madrid’s Royal Palace Kitchens

The kitchens of Madrid’s Royal Palace are unique amongst those in European capitals. London may have Hampton Court Palace’s sixteenth century kitchens from the time of Henry VIII and Versailles elegant eighteenth century versions, but neither come close to Madrid’s which have preserved practically every bit of equipment used over the centuries until 1931.

Their uniqueness is partly because the kitchens are out of bounds to visitors. We had the chance of being part of a handful of journalists exclusively allowed in as part of the Madrid Fusion gastronomic event earlier in the year.

Welcome to the Royal Palace

Although today the Royal family spend most of their time at the much more modest Palacio de Zarzuela, at the official Royal residence in Madrid there are extensive security checks to get through, before crossing the vast, elegant courtyards of the palace.

The site has held fortresses since the 9th century era of Muslim rule, but today’s enormous white palace was built between 1738 and 1755. Down stone stairways sit the vast kitchens, notably cooler than upstairs. The kitchens originally came under the ‘oficios de boca’ and included a bakehouse, cellar, fruitery, confectionery, pastry, saucery, potagerie for vegetables and guardamangier. There were then three distinct kitchens for the household, ladies and the King (or Queen) themselves.

Incredible Royal Stoves

A doorman control everything – and everyone – who goes in or out. The wooden shelves and dressers, as well as two large coal-fired stoves connected to ‘hot cupboards’, date from the reign of Isabel II in the mid 19th century, while the extraordinary collection of copper pots and pans – made in France – came from Alfonso XIII. They were coated inside in silver to protect diners from potential poisoning. A beautiful decorated hot plate heater also dated from this era.

Royal paella pans show the historic popularity of an iconic Spanish dish, while there are also rooms full of moulds, piping and decoration tools for elaborate chocolate, desserts and pastry that would have graced royal tables at banquets.

The ‘lys’ flower emblem on many of them show that they were the Royal Family’s property.

The enormous wooden ‘frescaria’ or ice boxes, a forerunner to modern refrigeration, show how the kitchens were cutting edge. They would have been used partly to hold ice creams and ice deserts made in elegant churns with a wheel.

Rooms full of beautiful trays were the final prep rooms for last touches before dishes were carried upstairs.

The Largest Royal Household in Europe

Huge amounts of food were produced by the kitchens. Privileged people were able to eat what wasn't consumed by the royal household that, numbering more than 3,400 rooms, was the largest in Europe. All of which meant that very little went to waste - but rather sadly, at least in the 18th Century, the monarch would eat alone.

Of course, no meal would be complete without wine, labels and remainders of the cellar show what was consumed. Maybe a 1905 Lafite or the 1878 Latour?

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Fit for a Monarch: Madrid’s Royal Palace Kitchens

7 Best Bistronomy Addresses in France

Have you always wanted to try the dishes of some of France's most famous chefs but been put off by the price tag? The good news is now you can with bistronomy!

Several renowned French chefs have opened bistro style restaurants around the country where the know-how and quality of the products is worthy of a star-studded restaurant, but the attached bill won't make your eyes water.

Discover seven addresses of some of the best examples of French bistronomy, from Paris to Marseille, where booking a table won't break the bank.

1. Le Papillon by Christophe Saintagne 

Christophe Saintagne, former three-star chef of Le Meurice, opened his first restaurant, Le Papillon, in February 2016. The menu is simple, clear and brilliantly executed, served in a friendly and comfortable atmosphere. The hardest thing will be choosing between the tempting array of dishes.

Where? Papillon, 8 rue Meissonier, 17e arrondissement, Paris
Menu Between 28 and 36 euros for lunch
Web

2. La Table by Gérald Passedat

Another three-star chef, Gérald Passedat, has also given in to the temptation of the bistro by opening La Table, where lovers of Mediterranean cuisine can enjoy a fish broth or an octopus carpaccio ... Dishes offer a change from the ordinary in this warm neo-bistro in Marseille.

Where? La Table, Le Mole Passedat, 1 esplanade on the 4th district, 2nd arrondissement, Marseille
Menu from 55 to 75 euros
Web

3. Le Terroir Parisien of  Yannick Alléno

Three Michelin star chef Yannick Alléno is never short of ideas. Here the chef of the Ledoyen Pavilion offers up bistro style cuisine highlighting the agriculture and flavors of Île-de-France. You will find traditional and perfectly realized dishes on the menu like the Veau-hot gribiche sauce, Black Boudin and its mellow purée or terrine of chicken liver.

Where? Terroir Parisien, 20 rue Saint-Victor, 5e arrondissement, Paris. 28 place de la Bourse, 2e arrondissement, Paris
Menu from 24 to 32 euros
Web

4. Flocoons Village by Emmanuel Renaut

Emmanuel Renaut is not satisfied with simply owning his three-star restaurant Flocons de Sel in Megève. For a few years now, the place has also offered a bistro where tables are prized! Nems de reblochon, filet of beef, roasted scallops ... Think of reserving your table in the hope of tasting all these delights!

Where? Flocons Village, 75 rue Saint-François, Megeve
Menu from 20 to 31 euros
Web

5. Le Chardenoux of Cyril Lignac 

Cyril Lignac is one of the few starred chefs to master both sweet and savory. Besides his many pastries and the opening of his chocolate factory, the #croquantgourmand chef proposes his vision of the Parisian bistro at Chardenoux, a bistronomic address in the 11th arrondissement. Croque-monsieur, organic burger, mellow chocolate grand cru ... Everything may look simple yet the experience is unique.

Where? Le Chardenoux, 1 rue Jules Valles, 11e arrondissement, Paris
Menu from 22 to 39 euros
Web

6. La Brasserie des Haras by Marc Haeberlin

Strasbourg's most famous chef likes to vary pleasures. In addition to his star-studded Auberge de l'Ill, Marc Haeberlin also offers a more affordable menu at La Brasserie des Haras. This two-storey bistro offers traditional French cuisine as well as international, in a chic and cozy atmosphere.

Where ? La Brasserie des Haras, 23 rue des Glacières, Strasbourg
Menu from 25 to 31 euros
Web

7. L'Embarcadère of Georges Blanc

To try Georges Blanc's cuisine at a reduced cost, head in the direction L'Embarcadère, on the edge of the Saône. The three-star chef has installed a chic and contemporary gourmet restaurant in an old nautical base which was also rewarded with a gourmet Bib in 2014.

Where? L'Embarcadère, 15 avenue de la Plage, Jassans-Riottier
Menu from 22 to 64 euros
Web

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7 Best Bistronomy Addresses in France

How to Make Watermelon Juice the Alton Brown Way

We've already talked about how to pick the best watermelonand how to cut up a watermelon, but if you simply want a bucket load of delicous refreshing watermelon juice, you'll needAlton Brown's easy mess free hack to making watermelon juice.

The American TV personality loves applying some simple logic to kitchen tasks, and his next one, captured in a one minute video below, is no exception. With a knife, a three inch cookie cutter and a hand held blender you should be just a few minutes away from slurping on fresh juice.

How to Make Watermelon Juice

Alton Brown's kitchen hack on how to make watermelon juice is too easy:

1. Cut a hole in one end of a watermelon - use a cookie cutter to set the shape in the rind and cut out circle of rind with sharp knife.

2. Insert a stick blender into the watermelon and get blending, being sure to move the blender around sufficiently to liquefy all the interior flesh, which should only take a couple of minutes. 

3. Once liquefied strain the liquid to remove the seeds and pulp into a large vessel, and enjoy. If you can't wait, just get extra long straws at the ready and slurp away direct from the watermelon.

Brown turns his watermelon juice into campari ice cubes, but you could always make a refreshing summer drink by try turning it into a watermelon smoothie, get the recipe here.

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How to Make Watermelon Juice the Alton Brown Way

Michelin Guide to Singapore 2017: the Full List

The Michelin Guide to Singapore 2017 has been released, with a total of 11 new one star restaurants and one new two star, but no new three star. 

Waku Ghin at Marina Bay Sands from chef Tetsuya Wakuda jumps from one star to two, joining the likes of Amber and Odette on a two star list that otherwise remains identical from 2016, while Joël Robuchon Restaurant retains its status as Singapore's only three Michelin star restaurant. 

The big news from last year's list was the awarding of a Michelin star to two hawker stalls: Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle and Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle. Both retain their stars this year. 

Two restaurants – Forest and Terra – lost their stars. In total, Singapore now has 38 Michelin-starred restaurants, nine more than in the insugural guide in 2016. 

See the full list below.

 

Three Stars

Joël Robuchon Restaurant

 

Two Star

Andre

L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon

Les Amis

Odette

Waku Ghin (new entry)

Shisen Hanten

Shoukouwa

 

One Star

Alma

Beni

Braci (new entry)

Candlenut

Cheek by Jowl (new entry)

Chef Kang's (new entry)

Corner House

Crystal Jade Golden Palace

Cut

Garibaldi (new entry)

Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle

Imperial Treasure Fine Teochew Cuisine

Iggy's (new entry)

Jaan

Labrynth (new entry)

Lei Garden

Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle

Meta (new entry)

Osia

Putien (Kitchener Rd)

Rhubarb

Saint Pierre (new entry)

Shinji (Bras Basah Road)

Shinji (Tanglin Road)

Summer Palace (new entry)

Summer Pavilion

Sushi Ichi

The Kitchen at Bacchanalia

Song of India

Whitegrass (new entry)

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Michelin Guide to Singapore 2017: the Full List

23 Sauces You Need to Know

Having a solid repertoire of sauces in your cook’s arsenal means you can create a great meal at the drop of a toque blanche. But how many sauce recipes do you actually know?

Here, we’ve compiled a guide to 23 different sauces that you should know how to make, from the French mother sauces to Thai dipping sauce, currywurst sauce to a vegan béchamel that more than stands its ground with the original. And if you want to delve further, read-up on the science of sauces and sauce reduction. 

First up are Auguste Escoffier’s five mother sauces of French cuisine, namely hollandaise, béchamel, sauce tomate, sauce Espagnole and velouté. Of course, from these, literally hundreds of daughter sauces can be made. Click through to find out how to make the five mother sauces.

Here’s a great infographic detailing 12 basic sauces (including three of the mothers) and how to make them. Find out how to make bread sauce, BBQ sauce, or chimichurri for example.

The link below will lead you to six more sauce-making videos from ChefSteps, including a recipe for Romesco sauce and how to whip up a quick pan sauce.

And here's a further collection of must-know recipes for your sauce repertoire.

And how about chamoy?

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23 Sauces You Need to Know

5 Epic Chicken Recipes For The Grill

What are the best chicken recipes for the grill? That would depend on what you are in the mood for. Do you prefer chicken wings? Grilled breast? Or is dark meat your favorite? Oh, and don't forget other options like chicken burger or kebabs.

Whatever your chicken cravings are we've got the perfect recipes for the grill. You'll want to keep these recipes handy for the next time you want to cook to impress. Take a look! 

Grilled Chicken Wings with Mango Dip

Bring a taste of the tropics to your next BBQ with these delectable grilled chicken wings. They are marinaded in a blend of honey and chilies then served with a sweet and sour mango dip.

Get this chicken recipe for the grill now.

Spicy Grilled Chicken Thighs

It may seem unusual to wrap chicken thighs in lemon leaves but this provides a wonderful aroma and extra juiciness. Hints of ginger and garlic make this recipe irresistible.

Learn how to make this grilled chicken recipe.

Lemongrass Grilled Chicken Breast

This phenomenal recipe from Thailand features chicken marinated in lemongrass, fish sauce, ginger, garlic and scallions. One hour later you'll pop in on the grill and cook to perfection.

Try this chicken recipe for the grill now.

Grilled Chicken Kebabs

Eating meat on a stick is always fun and this recipe is a big crowd pleaser. A lime-infused barbecuesauce makes these chicken kebabs a winner.

Get this chicken recipe for the grill now.

Chicken-Prawn Burger

Not in the mood for a beef burger? Check out this lighter version made with chicken, prawns, chilies and cumin. A bed of fresh mint and chard is the perfect way to serve it.

Try this chicken burger recipe now.

Still hungry?

Take a look at these 10 recipes that are perfect for the grill - there's everything from burgers and corn to lamb chops and grilled pineapple.

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5 Epic Chicken Recipes For The Grill

Zaiyu Hasegawa: Championing Hospitality in the Cooking

Debuted as World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ “One to Watch” in 2016 and named the winner of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants’ “Art of Hospitality” award this year, DEN by chef Zaiyu Hasegawa has not only quickly cemented its worldwide fame for taste-focused, joy-filled kaiseki but also become much loved for playful and unique hospitality.

Together with other three Japan-based chefs - Luca Fantin, Yoshiaki Takazawaand Thomas Angerer – he is member of the jury for the S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2018 Japanese local competition. He will select one young finalist from 10 shortlisted regional contestants to represent the region at the Grand Finale in Milan in 2018.

Hasegawa’s playful kaiseki

Hasegawa’s cooking is a creative spin on Japanese multi-course haute cuisine, known as kaiseki. In a traditional kaiseki meal, chefs prepare around 10-or-more small dishes, which are served to diners one at a time. Ingredients used in kaiseki cooking are hyper-seasonal, of a premium quality and a specific provenance. Kaiseki chefs are also responsible for carefully selecting vessels in which they present their cooking. The cooking, the ingredients and the vessels together form an unmistakably Japanese narrative, capturing the aesthetics and philosophy of changing time through food. Therefore, kaiseki is sometimes considered an edible art form that ordinary people in the modern, ever-changing world may find distant and hard to understand.

Born and bred in Shinjuku, Hasegawa is more exposed to Tokyo’s cosmopolitan influences than what the austere culinary tradition of kaiseki claims itself to be. “I want to make kaiseki but I also want my food to talk to those eating it”, explains Hasegawa. “Around 2011, we started getting more bookings from non-Japanese customers. My English at that time was not good enough to communicate with them or to make them feel relaxed. So, I started making kaiseki dishes more playful and kawaii”.

Hasegawa’s very simple goal – to “talk” to his diners through his cooking – has evolved into an edible fun-filled mimicry that is contrary to the high art of kaiseki. “Our fried chicken wing is served as an Oshinogi course. Traditionally, Oshinogi is a small dish with rice that aims at making diners less hungry at the beginning of a kaiseki meal. We debone and stuff chicken wings with seasonally themed sticky rice”, says Hasegawa. He also shuns the use of expensive pottery and opts for a mock KFC box, which features an image of him in place of Colonel Sander. The box is suitably renamed DEN-tucky.

Kawaii is a big part of Japanese pop culture. It stereotypes all things cute and playful. Hasegawa continues, “We use fun elements to break many cultural barriers. I want our guests to feel that kaiseki is approachable and understandable and be able to relate to kaiseki”. Hasegawa, though, admits that chefs who come from far and wide to stage at DEN are sometimes puzzled when sent to a station dedicated to burning faces on broad beans and gingko nuts, or making grinning faces on root vegetables using Japanese cookie cutters.

The Art of Hospitality

Food and hospitality at DEN has become somewhat inseparable. While Hasegawa cooks with a purpose to communicate and make his customers happy, DEN’s front of house team, led by Hasegawa’s wife Emi and his restaurant manager Noriko Yamaguchi, work to close the gap between food and hospitality. “The most important thing is to make our guests warm to us and feel special. We are a small team, so we can deliver a restaurant experience that is more than a transaction of food and service”, says Emi.

Emi continues, “When Zaiyu comes up with ideas, we personalise them. For example, Zaiyu makes DEN-tucky boxes because they are very recognisable. Everyone knows KFC and smiles when the fake KFC boxes are being served. We personalise the box with some more surprises. It is our way of sending personal messages to our guests. We will try to communicate in many ways apart from the language to each of our guests. If we have 100 guests, we will have 100 different ways to serve. This is how much personalisation means to us”.

“Over the year, we learn that Japanese and foreign guests do not have different expectations when they come to DEN”, says Yamaguchi, who acts as restaurant manager and also translates for Hasegawa. “Now that we are known overseas, we have many foreign customers every night. A lot of foreign customers who come to DEN for the first time tend to be nervous. When they find out that we can speak English, they become a lot more relaxed”.

Yamaguchi further adds: “Being able to speak enough English is important to how we approach hospitality. This is a big challenge because most Japanese are not used to speaking English. We do not employ too many new staffs because they change the dynamics of our hospitality. Everyday our staff has to study English”.

Omotenashi

Emi and Yamaguchi also use deduction skills to aid with hospitality: “We pay attention to our guests from the moment they make the reservation. When they arrive, we observe their facial expressions, listen to their conversations, and consider what their expectations, personality, prior experiences, and try to personalise our service as much and as simultaneously as possible. If they are repeat customers, we nearly always offer something different”.

The goal tomake diners happy dictates the approach to cooking and hospitality at DEN. Hasegawa, who is recently appointed a juror for the S. Pellegrino Young Chef 2018 local competition in Japan, advocates that one should not be afraid to do what one believes in: “Young people need to recognise what is important to them and hold on to it. If they decide to do one thing, they need to persevere. If it happens that this is not the right thing for them, there is always time to change their focus”. For Hasegawa, DEN is a commitment to Omotenashi – that is, the spirit of self-less hospitality that forms the ideal of Japanese hospitality. This has become the unyielding charm of his cooking, himself and his team.

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Zaiyu Hasegawa: Championing Hospitality in the Cooking

These Plates Wobble and Bounce As you Eat From Them

Bowls that pop inside out, trembling dishes, foldable saucers and bouncing dome shaped dishes ... 

This all might sound like tableware befitting a circus convention, but they are infact the result of some serious applied science in a research project by Royal College of Art graduate Lina Saleh.

The plates are made from flexible silicone and form part of an exploration into how the perception of taste is influenced before we even take a bite, in the project aptly entitled "Living Plates."

Designed in collaboration with a chef the flexible plates aim to allow chefs extra scope in plating creativity whilst also adding an element of surprise and excitement to the diner's experience. Afterall, a trembling, folding, pop up or pop open dish don't often form the ordinary and everday tableware of most households.  

Saleh also hopes that the project will encourage diners to engage more consciously with what's on their plate:  "The process of eating dessert is slowed down, as with each force instigated on the cake, the plate moves as the weight distribution shifts" she explains on her website.

Take a look at the living plates in action below:

via Dezeen

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These Plates Wobble and Bounce As you Eat From Them

Enrique Olvera Wins the Global Gastronomy Award 2017

The White Guide has named pioneering Mexican chef Enrique Olveraas the recipient of the 11th edition of their Global Gastronomy Award.

Olvera Unlocking Culinary Secrets

The revolutionary chef was chosen for “having elevated Mexican classics and beloved street food to new heights, bridging modesty and sophistication, hindsight and modernity – and for bringing the rich spectrum of regional fare into the limelight, including indigenous and ancient delicacies, whose secrets he has successfully unlocked” they report.

Olvera's Mexico City restaurant Pujol, recognised in the World's 50 Best Restaurants champions the very heart of Mexican cuisine with street snacks at its core. Olvera's commitment to "unlocking the secrets of regional Mexican" or “grandma cooking” through to restaurant's best known dish, Mole Madre (which has been reheated for more than 1,200 days) are just a couple of details that highlight his attention to detail care for local delicacies.

The White Guide Award

The distinguished Swedish restaurant guide awards the annual accolade to a chef or leading figure in gastronomy that has not only influenced the evolution of gastronomy but who also has the capacity to drive it forward. Previous recipients of the Global Gastronomy Award include Ferran Adrià, René Redzepi, Alain Passard, David Chang, Gastón Acurio, Massimo Bottura, Magnus Nilsson and Dan Barber.

The White Guide also recently announced its list of the 341 best restaurants in the Nordic countries.  Click here to find out the top 30.

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Enrique Olvera Wins the Global Gastronomy Award 2017

René Redzepi Launches New Foraging App

René Redzepi and the team at MAD have released a foraging app, as part of their three-pronged Vild Mad initiative to teach the people of Denmark how to forage, a skill the Noma chef says is as important as maths, reading and writing.

Announcing the launch at yesterday’s special #50BestTalks event in Barcelona to mark the 15th anniversary of the World's 50 Best Restaurants list, Redzepi made light of his reputation as the foraging poster boy, but revealed how foraging had not only helped propel Noma to the top of said list on four separate occasions, but as an immigrant to Denmark from Macedonia, had helped him feel a "connection to place."

Vild Mad, meaning ‘Wild Food’ in English, has been in the pipeline for three years and is something we reported on in its early stages. The app part, which is available in both English and Danish, will instruct you on how and when to forage and which plants to look out for and avoid, “a resource for reading and understanding the [Danish] landscapes, how to find wild food, and an inspiration for using wild edibles in the kitchen,” they say. 

This sits alongside a specially designed curriculum for Danish school children and a programme of workshops across Denmark staffed by “foraging rangers,’ to encourage everyone to get out there and start exploring. There will also be a special free Vild Mad foraging festival in Denmark in late August it's been announced. Redzepi hopes the initiative will serve as a model to others all over the world.

Recent Noma pop-up ventures have seen Redzepi exploring the indigenous ingredients of both Australia and Mexico, and the food world awaits to see what’s in store at Noma 2.0, slated to open in Copenhagen later this year. Here's what's happening at the old site. 

Watch a video introducing Vild Mad below.

All images: Vil Mad

Introducing VILD MAD from madfeed.co on Vimeo.

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5 Easy Pasta Salad Recipes For Busy Summer Days

Quick and easy pasta salad recipes are a summertime essential. We'd like to let you in on a little secret: pasta salads don't need to be a soggy mess. That's right, you can prepare a pasta salad that is firm yet flavorful if you follow one simple rule.

The trick lies in cooking the pasta until it's al dente (just until it loses that starchy center when cut in half). Many pasta boxes in America indicate a cooking time of 10-12 minutes (if you cook pasta this long you'll never end up with a firm bite).

Remember that pasta will continue cooking after it's been drained so don't be afraid to cut the cooking time to ensure your pasta is perfectly al dente. We find 8 minutes is just the right amount of cooking time for one pound of pasta. 

Here are four easy pasta salad recipes that will help you get it right:

Cold Spaghetti Salad

While spaghetti is an unconventional shape for a pasta salad, this recipe from Michelin-starred Italian chef Luigi Taglienti really works.

The noodles are paired with carrots and grapefruit for a nice zest.

Learn how to make this easy pasta salad recipe.

Caprese Pasta Salad

Everyone's favorite tomato and mozzarella salad gets a makeover in this easy pasta salad recipe that gets an extra kick from garlic, onion and chili peppers.

Get the recipe here.

By adding chicken to this pasta salad you'll have a hearty lunch or dinner. Peas, parsley, sesame seeds and Parmesan cheese complete this easy recipe.

Get the recipe now.

Pasta Salad with Olives, Walnuts and Tomatoes

Crunchy, colorful and simply irresistible this is the perfect pasta salad recipe to serve at a picnic because it's vegetarian - so it will please veggie lovers and meat eaters alike.

Get the recipe now.

Pasta Salad with Tuna

This easy breezy pasta salad recipe blends all the great flavors of the Mediterranean: tuna, arugula, onions, tomatoes, lemons and plenty of extra virgin olive oil.

Click here for the recipe.

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#50BestTalks Barcelona: Visions of Gastronomy

It started inauspiciously with a power cut and ended on a bed of edible roses. The #50BestTalks Barcelona sponsored by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna featuring five of the world’s best chefs, all previous World’s 50 Best Restaurants winners, was always going to be a rollercoaster of emotion, given the cast of characters. But, if said power cut during Bottura’s opening gambit couldn’t dampen the energy in the room, then nothing could.

The theme, was Food Forward: Visions of Gastronomy and the event, on a a muggy early Barcelona afternoon had the air of a baton passing ceremony, or at least a waiving of it, not only to future generations of cooks and diners, but to the new boys too, that is Daniel Humm and Will Guidara, winners of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2017. They will have left with a profound understanding, if they didn't have already, of the responsibilities of heading the best restaurant in the world: not only to the people they employ and serve, but also to future generations.

There was a sombre tone, given the news of the passing of culinary legend Alain Senderens, one of the stars of French nouvelle cuisine, but the event was all about looking forward, to how to pass on better knowledge, values and ultimately, a better planet through food to the people of tomorrow.

Massimo Bottura: the Potato Revolution

Bottura has honed his public speaking to a series of razor-sharp soundbites, delivered with characteristic jack-in-the box energy. He started with an anecdote about potatoes from Bologna and my word did he make you believe in those potatoes. In the future, he said, “there will be chefs who know more about soil and farmers who no more about taste” – and there will be universities dedicated to it. But where were the farmers at the event, he queried?

Speaking of his Food for Soulproject, he drew attention to the “heroes,” the volunteers that have helped bring his initiative to feed the hungry and fight food waste to life. “We are the revolution,” he said, and, coming back to his potato analogy: “Not all of us can be a truffle, most of us are potatoes, but a potato is a good thing to be” – meaning we all have a part to play.

Ferran Adrià: the Legacy of Knowledge

Adrià sees the legacy of elBullias the passing on of culinary knowledge to future generations. “ElBulli changed the way we look at gastronomy ... we are all elBulli,” he said, addressing the chefs to his left and the room at large. But, “There isn’t one book that that explains cooking techniques correctly,” he said, revealing that he and the elBulli Foundationwere currently working on 25 definitive, 500-page books on the subject. The next generation of cooks would surpass all the achievements of those seated on the panel, he said.

He also reflected on some of the profound changes in food and the world at large that have occured since taking home the first ever World’s 50 Best title, including the impact of the internet and social media, and what he believes is improving gender disparity in kitchens, his prediction being that there will be many more women in professional kitchens over the next 10 to 15 years.

  

Daniel Humm and Will Guidara: Back to Basics

The winners of this year’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants for Eleven Madison Parkwere in a reflective mood, given that they’ve just signed a new 20-year-lease at their New York premises. Humm spoke of how the pair was trying to learn from their own and others’ past mistakes by going back to basics, putting the customer experience at the forefront of everything they do. “Deliciousness is the most important thing in the kitchen,” said Humm, “if you don’t want your food to be delicious, become a painter.” Not just in the kitchen: Eleven Madison park is renowned for faultless service.

The Swiss-born Humm went on to pose the question: what exactly is a fine dining restaurant? For him and Guidara, it’s a magical, happy place, not one of reverence. “Fine dining is a conversation,” he said. They also reflected on their experience of winning the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, perhaps slightly mourning that fact that the thrill of the chase was gone.

Joan Roca: Cooking is Caring

The three Michelin star El Celler de Can Roca in Girona is the work of three brothers of course and it’s this family-forward philosophy that we should be passing on to the next generation, said the oldest of the three, Joan. Taking care of your team is paramount, said Roca, “cooking is caring,” but “humanising gastronomy” is a tough challenge. This is a restaurant that, as we reported earlier in the year, now employs its own psychologist. “We need to make the next generation feel comfortable,” he said, “that they’re not sacrificing their lives.”

Gastronomy is moving “from products and techniques to people, from science to awareness and conscience,” he continued. The two time winner also emphasised the responsibility of being number one on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, as Humm and Guidara looked on.

René Redzepi: Foraging Our Future

He may have made light of his reputation for foraging, but Redzepi is deadly serious about the practice, one that he said helped him establish a sense of place as an immigrant to Denmark from Macedonia. He and his team have just launched a foraging app as part of the Vild Mad (‘Wild Food’) project, a three pronged initiative designed to teach children the fundamentals of foraging through technology, a specially designed curriculum and workshops, a skill that Redzepi believes is “as important as math.“ “Why do we waste?” he asked, “We waste things we don’t value.” As he was drawing his speech to a close, baskets of edible roses were shared amongst the audience. The metaphor for a rosy, yet delicate future was not lost on the room.

All images: World's 50 Best Restaurants

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How to Cook Malanga

Malanga, easily confused with yam or taro root, might not be the most dynamic looking of root vegetables, but what it lacks in aesthetic appeal it makes up for in utility and versatility.

If you've never explored how to cook malanga, it makes for a great potato substitute, whilst boasting higher fibre and more nutrients. What's more, with its starchy flesh and unique nutty flavour malanga expresses itself equally well in any number of dishes.

How to Cook Malanga

Malanga can only be eaten cooked but are fortunately very simple to prepare.  Start by cleaning the root with a brush under running water, trim the ends and remove the skin. Rinse each piece after peeling and cover in cold water. 

When it comes to cooking them try them boiled, mashed or deep fried into chips. As the flesh tends to disintegrate when boiled malanga also makes a great thickener in soups and broths. 

Malanga are also commonly found in Cuban and Puerto Rican dishes such as sancocho, mondongo, pasteles and alcapurrias.

Malanga root can also be made into powder or flour, which comes in handy  for those with wheat intolerances.

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How to Cook Malanga

Top 30 Nordic Restaurants Revealed

A total of  341 best restaurants have been listed in the 2018 edition of the White Guide which includes countries, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland.

Geranium in Copenhagen topped the list in this fourth edition. Chef Rasmus Kofoed's three Michelin star restaurant, also in The World's 50 Best Restaurants list, moved up from joint fourth place last year to knock Stockholm's Esparanto, a Nordic/Japanese fusion restaurant, into second position. Magnus Nilsson's Fäviken Magasinet, also in Sweden, took bronze, also slipping down one place on last year.

The restaurant scene in the Nordic countries continues to flourish. This edition of the guide contained 16 more restaurants than the last one, with 61 restaurants in Finland, 65 in Norway (including Svalbard), 104 in Sweden, 95 in Denmark (including 2 in Greenland and 5 in the Faroe Islands) and 16 in Iceland. 

It comes with little surprise that Denmark continues its culinary dominance securing almost half of the entries in the top 30 in the list, while Sweden came in second with 10 restaurants,  and Norway in third position with four restaurants featuring.

See the top 30 below:

30 BEST NORDIC RESTAURANTS 2018

1. GERANIUM Copenhagen, Denmark 

2. ESPERANTO Stockholm, Sweden 

3. FÄVIKEN MAGASINET Järpen, Sweden 

4. MAAEMO Oslo, Norway 

5. SØLLERØD KRO Holte, Denmark 

6. GASTROLOGIK Stockholm, Sweden 

7. MIELCKE & HURTIGKARL Copenhagen, Denmark 

8. RESTAURANT AOC Copenhagen, Denmark 

9. DANIEL BERLIN KROG Skåne Tranås, Sweden 

10. OAXEN KROG Stockholm, Sweden 

11. SLOTSKØKKENET / DRAGSHOLM SLOT Hørve, Denmark  

12. FREDERIKSHØJ Aarhus, Denmark 

13. KOKS Kirkjubøur, Faroe Islands 

14. SABI OMAKASE Stavanger, Norway

15. VOLLMERS Malmö, Sweden  

16. KADEAU Copenhagen Copenhagen, Denmark

17. STUDIO Copenhagen, Denmark 

18. ALCHEMIST Copenhagen, Denmark 

19. PM & VÄNNER Växjö, Sweden 

20. RESTAURANT KOCH Aarhus, Denmark

21. KONTRAST Oslo, Norway 

22. HOTEL FREDERIKSMINDE Præstø, Denmark

23. KOKA Gothenburg, Sweden 

24. KONG HANS KÆLDER Copenhagen, Denmark 

25. EKSTEDT Stockholm, Sweden 

26. AMASS Copenhagen, Denmark 

27. BHOGA Gothenburg, Sweden 

28. KADEAU BORNHOLM Aakirkeby, Denmark 

29. RE-NAA Stavanger, Norway

30. ASK Helsinki, Finland 

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Top 30 Nordic Restaurants Revealed

Italian Delicacies: Mantua Melon PGI

Those who love melon and other cucurbits would do anything to be able to recognise a perfect melon on a market stall. There are a few tricks to do it, but it is of primary importance to look for a typical product with an EU quality label, such as the Mantua melon PGI. This melon variety is protected by the PGI label (Protected Geographical Indication) which means that its production is delimited to an area in northern Italy. A vast area of Lombardy and Emilia, whose epicentre is in the 26 municipalities of Mantua province, has obtained the PGI quality label for the typical character of this product. In 2016, 4,000 tons of certified melons reached the market.

History

There is historical documentary evidence dating back to the 1400s, as well as written accounts in the archives of the Gonzaga family of Mantua, referring to “plots of land for growing the melons of these areas”. This confirms that even then the Mantua melon was highly popular in that particular part of Italy. Whether fact or legend, the death of Alfonso 1 d’Este – Duke of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio Emilia - was supposedly caused by melon indigestion, a fruit the “artillery duke” – as he was called - was particularly fond of.

How it is produced

The Mantua melon PGI belongs to the cucurbit family, like the pumpkin and the water melon. It is planted in the spring and harvested in summer and, if the hot weather holds, its season can even carry on into October. Melons require space and one fruit alone needs at least two square metres of land. It can either be grown in a greenhouse or in an open field. The weight of a fruit can vary from 800 grams to two kilos and its colour is green and yellow. Its average diameter is around 10 centimetres. Ripening must take place naturally without recourse to synthetic chemical products; harvesting is carried out manually every day.

This fruit falls into two main varieties, smooth-skinned or reticulated (net-like). The most common type, which represents 70% of those sold on the European market is the reticulated variety, which has a wrinkly skin, similar to a net – and goes by the name of Supermarket. The smooth-skinnedmelon, the Tamaris, is a prestigious variety highly favoured by chefs for its complex flavour and aroma. Its fragrance is similar to that of water melon flesh, reinforced by grassy notes of linden. The smooth-skinned yellow variety is more fragrant and emanates an aroma of mushroom. It also has a higher sugar content.

How to enjoy melon at its best

Contrary to the general belief held by consumers, it is useless to feel the “belly button” of the melon to test its ripeness, or to smell it to test its flavour. In the case of a reticulated melon, the only quality standard is that of weight: in proportion to its size, a very heavy melon is generally rich in sugar, so that of weighing the fruit is the only empirical way of assessing its quality.

If you are at the market and wish to amaze the owner of your favourite fruit stall, ask him to tell you the Brix indexof his melons. Brix is a unit of measurement indicating the amount of sugar in fruit: 12° is the minimum level contemplated by Consortium regulations to obtain PGI denomination.

The Mantua melon PGI is very versatile in cooking, since it contrasts most effectively with savoury ingredients. It is widely used in summer salads, in fish tartare or puréed in desserts and fruit salads, in gelatine form and in all types of fruit smoothies. Melon is particularly rich in potassium and sodium. Chef Antonino Cannavacciuolo has used it in a most interesting fine dining pairing in one of his dishes: melon gazpacho, gorgonzola foam and prawns. Melon teams up perfectly with Port, the fortified wine from Portugal.

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Italian Delicacies: Mantua Melon PGI

Is It Better to Cook Steak Frozen?

Everyone has their own ‘perfect’ way of cooking a steak, and of course theirs is the best. We’ve highlighted enough methods ourselves over the years on how to cook a perfect steak.

The latest is this nice bit of meaty research from America’s Test Kitchen who have tested the idea of cooking steak from frozen, and the results might surprise some.

Can You Cook Steak Frozen? 

After cooking numerous frozen steaks alongside thawed steaks, the team all seem to agree that frozen offers up a juicier and better cooked piece of meat.

The idea goes against conventional wisdom which suggest cooking meat after it’s thawed, however, for those who like a nice juicy bite, perhaps this is the best method. It does take a little longer to cook but if you go by these results, it’s worth it.

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Is It Better to Cook Steak Frozen?