Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com/media/feedlogo.gif Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com en-us Copyright 2009 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Mezzetta Jarred Pasta Sauceshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/06/mezzetta-jarred-pasta-sauces/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/06/mezzetta-jarred-pasta-sauces/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/06/mezzetta-jarred-pasta-sauces/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,

mezzetta saucesJust in time for your next Saturday night pasta party, a new jarred sauce that's worth a first taste and second helping has appeared on store shelves. Mezzetta, the company famous for such glass-jarred wonders as snappy peperoncini and an addictive giardiniera, has launched Napa Valley Bistro, a line of pasta sauces prepared with Napa Valley wines. We were glad to cook up a sample sent our way and toss it with some noodles. Hey, anything for our readers - especially if it involves eating spaghetti.

We tried two versions: basic marinara and the creamy version. The saucy results are after the jump.

Continue reading Mezzetta Jarred Pasta Sauces

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]]>Eric Diesel2009-05-06T17:00:00+00:00Queso Blanco: The Joy of Latin American Cheesehttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/19/queso-blanco-the-joy-of-latin-american-cheese/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/19/queso-blanco-the-joy-of-latin-american-cheese/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/19/queso-blanco-the-joy-of-latin-american-cheese/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Before I moved to New York, I generally thought that the proper cheese for most Latin American foods was Monterey Jack. While my local Mexican restaurant occasionally sprinkled a feta-like concoction on top of my beans, I assumed that it was some sort of seasoning, more or less used in the same way that a sprinkle of parmesan, romano or peccorino is the traditional accent for Italian food.

I quickly realized that things are a bit different in Latin American communities. Outside Super Mundo, my local department store, the "Sabor de Mexico" taco truck is more or less permanently parked. While not as good as the "Miraveles de Mexico" restaurant a few blocks up, the taco truck serves some of the best burritos, tacos and flautas I've ever had. As I became a regular customer, I noticed that every dish had a nice smattering of crumbled cheese on top.

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]]>Mexican cheeseMexicanCheesequeso blancoqueso frescoQuesoBlancoQuesoFrescoBruce Watson2009-03-19T11:00:00+00:00More Grocery Savings Tips From Food Maven http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/13/more-grocery-savings-tips/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/13/more-grocery-savings-tips/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/13/more-grocery-savings-tips/#commentsFiled under:

piggy bankRachel, of the wonderful Coconut & Lime blog, has a new entry on cost-saving tips on her Food Maven blog, which is dedicated entirely to food tips. We've written about how to save on the food bill before here at Slashfood, but there are a few entries on Rachel's list we hadnt thought of. Here are two of my favorite tips:

I pay attention to cycles in sales, baking stuff goes on sale in December, yogurt about once a month, roasting chickens in the winter etc and stock up the best I can.

I plan meals around what is on sale rather than rushing out and buying (full price) ingredients for a specific dish.

Check out the blog for the full list of ten tips.

What are your favorite grocery cost-saving tips?
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]]>budgetcostgroceriesrecessionsavingsEmily Matchar2009-03-13T11:00:00+00:00Rebecca Currie's Experiment - Living on $1 a Dayhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/27/rebecca-curries-experiment-living-on-1-a-day/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/27/rebecca-curries-experiment-living-on-1-a-day/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/27/rebecca-curries-experiment-living-on-1-a-day/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

For a foodie, thrift is all well and good, but the primary concern usually is quality. After all, there is something of the sybarite in a true food lover and, as nice as it may be to save a buck or two, the most important thing is that food be delicious and enjoyable.

Even so, there is something interesting about trying to eat for only pennies a day. Jeffrey Steingarten tried it in The Man Who Ate Everything, where he spent a chapter exploring subsistence cooking, even going so far as to try MFK Fisher's recipe for "Sludge," a ground beef-based Depression era meatloaf. For that matter, urban locavores and "freegans" have explored the wonders of harvesting free, if somewhat wilted, produce from backlots and dumpsters.

Even so, attempts at extremely low-cost eating have usually been characterized by an impressive lack of culinary savoir faire. For example, in One Dollar Diet Project, a blog in which two California high school teachers documented their month-long attempt to eat for only $1 a day, the focus was on subsistence living, with oatmeal and PB & J's occupying center stage.

With that in mind, Rebecca Currie's attempt at thrift, documented in her blog, Less Is Enough, is particularly interesting. Normally a frugal shopper (she spends an average of $80 a month at the grocery store), Currie has only spent an average of $1 per day on food for the last few weeks.

Currie's blog is interesting reading, and it demonstrates that a $1 a day diet doesn't necessarily have to translate into uninspired or unhealthy food choices. Over the last sixteen days, Currie has prepared a broad selection of meals, including pasta with spinach and marinara, chicken fried rice, and black beans with rice and jalapeno. While her diet has skewed heavily toward high-protein legumes, whole grains, and eggs, it has also displayed a reasonable amount of flavor, a tendency toward fresh, healthy ingredients, and a pretty impressive amount of flavor. In short, while it may not be an ideal diet for everyone, Currie has shown that most of us probably have a lot of room to reduce our food expenditures!
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]]>1 a day1ADayCharles MansonCharlesMansonChristopher GreenslateChristopherGreenslatedollar a dayDollarADayJeffrey SteingartenJeffreySteingartenKerri LeonardKerriLeonardRebecca CurrieRebeccaCurrieBruce Watson2009-02-27T18:00:00+00:00Fried Bologna - The West Virginia State Sandwichhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/25/fried-bologna-the-west-virginia-state-sandwich/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/25/fried-bologna-the-west-virginia-state-sandwich/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/25/fried-bologna-the-west-virginia-state-sandwich/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

In a recent marketing campaign, Oscar Meyer proclaimed that its "Deli Creations" flatbread sandwiches were "blogworthy."

I beg to differ.

Nobody likes to be manipulated, and I would argue that bloggers like it less than most. There's something about spending a few lonesome hours a day cranking out content that really ups the curmudgeon quotient and makes us a mite persnickety about our production process. While other blogs, including Gawker, might not be too picky about where they get their tips, I tend to get mighty cranky when multimillion dollar corporations tell me what is and is not blogworthy.

With that in mind, here's something that really is blogworthy: fried bologna sandwiches. For anybody who hasn't tried this backwoods delicacy, the concept may sound a little questionable. However, the combination of bologna and heat produces a dish that is incredibly delicious and startlingly different from a basic bologna sandwich.

Continue reading Fried Bologna - The West Virginia State Sandwich

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]]>featuredFried Bologna sandwichFriedBolognaSandwichOscar Meyer deli creationsOscarMeyerDeliCreationsWest VirginiaWestVirginiaBruce Watson2009-02-25T11:00:00+00:00Recession Ramenhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/18/recession-ramen/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/18/recession-ramen/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/18/recession-ramen/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,


For about 3.7 seconds today, I was asking myself if I have, perchance, been spending a tad too much time on Twitter lately. But, seeing as how said dallying then led to a deftly jazzed-up ramen recipe, courtesy of the author of one of my favorite food memoirs of the recent past, I don't see how any of us could afford not to. Kathleen Flinn is no stranger to the tireless, if sometimes penniless, pursuit of the delicious; The Sharper Your Knife The Less You Cry chronicles her loss of a lucrative corporate lifestyle and subsequent savings investment in a degree program at Le Cordon Bleu. While the the corner shops of Gay Paree may not have been chock-a-block with student budget-friendly ramen bricks, Flinn picked up a flavor trick or ten between puff pastry and boning lessons and shares her method for infusing the noodles with the brightness of miso, green onions, fresh herbs, Sriracha and citrus, as well as other light-wallet recipes.

Clearly, at-home ramen can be a reward rather than a last resort. How are you gussying them up, or are you hooked on the packet? Please share with the rest of the (broke...oh, so painfully broke) class, why don'tcha?

Kathleen Flinn's Quick Miso Ramen with Shrimp, Chicken or Tofu
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]]>frugal foodFrugalFoodkat kinsmankathleen flinnKathleenFlinnKatKinsmanramenramen noodlesRamenNoodlesrecessionrecession dietrecession foodRecessionDietRecessionFoodthe sharper your knifeTheSharperYourKnifetwitterKat Kinsman2009-02-18T12:00:00+00:00Could You Live On A Food Stamp Budget? http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/09/could-you-live-on-a-food-stamp-budget/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/09/could-you-live-on-a-food-stamp-budget/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/09/could-you-live-on-a-food-stamp-budget/#commentsFiled under:

food coupon
We talked earlier this month about whether we could live on a $15 a week grocery budget. Many of us thought we could, though it would be hard, time-consuming and rather boring. Now, CNN reporter Sean Callebs is attempting to see what it's like to eat for $176 a month, the most a single food stamp recipient can get in a month. The economic stimulus bill is calling for raising food stamp payments by 13 percent, a sign that the current payments are not enough, Callebs says.

So far he seems to be doing OK, eating basic but healthful meals like chicken stir fry and grilled cheese sandwiches with salads. He's also eating a lot of peanut butter sandwiches and a lot of pasta with tomato sauce. But, Callebs points out, he has time to cook and is well-educated on which cheap foodstuffs are also healthy. He also has energy to run three or four miles a day, making his carb-heavy diet less of a weight gain risk. The average food stamp recipient may be working two jobs, with little time to spend in the kitchen chopping and stir-frying lean cuts of chicken.

Callebs is also getting a lot of interesting comments, ranging from budget and shopping tips to admonishments to "stop whining" to thank-yous for raising awareness about consumer food spending.
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]]>budgeteconomyfood stampsFoodStampsEmily Matchar2009-02-09T16:00:00+00:00German Cuisine: Using Simple Ingredients to Create Complex Tasteshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/07/german-cuisine-using-simple-ingredients-to-create-complex-taste/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/07/german-cuisine-using-simple-ingredients-to-create-complex-taste/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/07/german-cuisine-using-simple-ingredients-to-create-complex-taste/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Before writing this piece, I checked the Slashfood archives to make sure that I wasn't repeating something that had recently been covered. I needn't have worried; while we've had a few posts on German food over the years, our coverage has tended to focus on chocolate cake, beer, and potato salad, in that order.

While unfortunate, this is totally understandable. Although once a respected cuisine, German food has fallen on hard times. Rich in flavor, it is also rich in fat and salt, and lacks the exuberant seasoning of Italian food or the light freshness of nouvelle cuisine. It is a warming cuisine for a cold climate and, with its emphasis on preserved vegetables and cheap cuts of meat, it seems out-of-place in our fast-paced, refrigerator-dependent world.

The thing is, German food is attractive, cheap, and flavorful. Easy to prepare and a pleasure to eat, it is home cooking in the most meaningful sense of the word. What's more, by reducing serving sizes, playing with accompaniments and adjusting ingredients, it is possible to enjoy the reassuring warmth of German seasoning without breaking our increasingly health-conscious American diets.


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]]>German cuisineGerman foodGermanCuisineGermanFoodInside Park at St. BartsInsideParkAtSt.BartsLuchows German CookbookLuchowsGermanCookbookmarinated mushroomsMarinatedMushroomsMatthew WeingartenMatthewWeingartenSauerkrautBruce Watson2009-02-07T13:00:00+00:00How Can Fine Dining Survive the Recession? Inside Park Shows the Way!http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/06/how-can-fine-dining-survive-the-recession-inside-park-shows-th/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/06/how-can-fine-dining-survive-the-recession-inside-park-shows-th/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/06/how-can-fine-dining-survive-the-recession-inside-park-shows-th/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,



In many ways, New York's Inside Park restaurant could not have found a worse time to open. Located in a prime spot on Park Avenue, its first week was overshadowed by the excitement of the United Nations' General Assembly meeting. Moreover, the extensive security surrounding the delegates, many of whom were staying across the street at the Waldorf-Astoria, made it next to impossible for interested patrons to find their way to the restaurant's door. Over the following months, further events, ranging from the Jewish holidays to the downfall of the economy, conspired to tank the fledgling restaurant. Still, Inside Park soldiered on, determined to succeed in a falling market and a newly-restrained city, where a night on the town had started to seem like a luxury, instead of a birthright.

Luckily, Inside Park has a lot going for it. Located in the former community center of New York's St. Bartholomew's Church, the restaurant has undergone a multi-million dollar restoration that tranformed the old, battle-scarred institutional space into an elegant yet intimate venue. From the rafters painted in folk art-inspired designs to the the whitewashed walls that look like they belong in a monastery, to the dramatic stage that dominates the dining room, the restaurant exudes a kind of grandeur that seems a product of the twentieth, not the 21st century. The addition of a crisp, friendly-yet-efficient wait staff and a thoughtfully-prepared and innovative menu complete the picture.

Still, for all the ambiance of its space and skill of its staff, Inside Park has fought an uphill battle to find customers, particularly with a falling economy dictating that many New Yorkers are more inclined to eat in than go out. Over the past few months, the high prices and expensive delicacies that have so long fueled New York's fine dining scene have not been an easy sell. With that in mind, the restaurant has organized a series of "Heritage Cuisine Dinners." Priced at $35 per person, the three course dinners each focus on a distinctive regional food, offering a perfectly prepared meal at a price that is slightly less than that of a standard entree. Although the dinners, including cassoulet, paella, and bouillabase, have humble origins, Chef Matthew Weingarten's emphasis on local ingredients and thoughtful, respectful preparation elevates them to the level of fine dining.

Continue reading How Can Fine Dining Survive the Recession? Inside Park Shows the Way!

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]]>Heritage dinnersHeritageDinnersInside Park at St. BartsInsideParkAtSt.BartsMatthew WeingartenMatthewWeingartenBruce Watson2009-02-06T14:30:00+00:00Eat For $15 a Week http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/06/eat-for-15-a-week/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/06/eat-for-15-a-week/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/06/eat-for-15-a-week/#commentsFiled under:

piggy bankI stumbled across this old post on How to Feed Yourself For $15 a Week from Get Rich Slowly, and it seems particularly apropos for the current financial climate. Tips range from the obvious - don't allow leftovers to go bad, don't eat out - to the thought-provoking. Who would have really considered, for example, that a single small item of pre-packaged snack or junk food, like a candy bar, bag of chips or pack of gum, can cost more than a full homemade meal? Other tips include filling up on oatmeal, buying seasonal produce in bulk, and using powdered milk (that would have to be a true desperation measure, IMHO). Be sure to check out the comments section as well - lots of valuable ideas.

If you don't mind my asking, I'd love to hear how much you spend on groceries. How little do you think you could get by on if you had to? I've spent as little as $20-30 a week, but that when I was living alone and eating a lot of free pizza at work.
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]]>budgeteconomyEmily Matchar2009-02-06T10:00:00+00:00Epicurious's Top 10 Money-Saving Ingredients http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/23/epicuriouss-top-10-money-saving-ingredients/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/23/epicuriouss-top-10-money-saving-ingredients/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/23/epicuriouss-top-10-money-saving-ingredients/#commentsFiled under: , ,

budget ingredients
As you've no doubt noticed, food mags and websites are dropping the references to expensive sea salts and pricey, hard-to-find spices in favor of extolling the virtues of the simple potato and the joys of buying lentils in bulk. Epicurious has a new "Top 10 Money-Saving Ingredients" article online now, which is quite useful as it calculates price-per-pound and links to various different recipes which utilize the ingredients.

Potatoes, unsurprisingly, are number one. We probably all could have figured that out on our own. But would you have thought to put those 73 cent a pound potatoes in a New England-style potato and cod cake? Not me. But it sure sounds like a good idea. Rice, pasta, chicken, beans, apples, canned tuna, eggs, cheese and flank steak round out the list, each with three or four recipe links. I'm particularly keen to try the spinach and carrot stuffed flank steak and the scrambled egg, potato and bacon tostada (double score for two cheapie ingredients).
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]]>budgetpotatoesrecipessavingEmily Matchar2009-01-23T15:00:00+00:00Brunswick Stew - Chicken Soup With an Extra Helping of Soulhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/09/brunswick-stew-chicken-soup-with-an-extra-helping-of-soul/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/09/brunswick-stew-chicken-soup-with-an-extra-helping-of-soul/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/09/brunswick-stew-chicken-soup-with-an-extra-helping-of-soul/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Perhaps its the lingering after-effects of my mother's Jewish heritage, but every winter I get an uncontrollable urge to make chicken soup. However, having been raised in the South, this seasonal instinct is channeled into the production of a thicker, richer, and generally more transcendent food: Brunswick stew.

Virginia and Georgia both lay claim to the ubiquitous stew; personally, I favor Virginia's claim, but that's only because I grew up there. In both areas, it is a standard accompaniment to barbecue, although it often finds its way to the table as a stand-alone meal.

Recipes for Brunswick stew tend to be somewhat idiosyncratic. For example, many chefs use potatoes, and others use barbecue sauce to increase the richness of the broth. By that standard, my Brunswick stew (recipe below) will strike some people as blasphemous. I go heavy on the tomatoes, keep out the potatoes, use light olive oil and skinned chicken to keep the fat down, and hold off on the barbecue. Still, regardless of your personal tastes, this should be a pretty good starting point for your own recipe!

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]]>Brunswick StewBrunswickStewGeorgiaTony ChacheresTonyChacheresVirginiaBruce Watson2009-01-09T17:00:00+00:00The Magical, Mystical World of SPAMhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/08/the-magical-mystical-world-of-spam/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/08/the-magical-mystical-world-of-spam/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/08/the-magical-mystical-world-of-spam/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,



When it comes to food, I rarely turn down a dare. Whether the food in question is haggis or headcheese, tongue tacos or tortoise soup, I'm usually up for a challenge. Even so, there is one food that I have studiously avoided for my entire life.

Spam.

It's not that I'm opposed to processed meat. I've eaten more than my fair share of scrapple, pate, pon hoss, sausage, blood pudding, and other ground goodies. However, there's something about Spam that always turned me off. Maybe it was the 1950's-style ads on the old-fashioned can, or maybe it's the fact that the meat was just a little too pink. Regardless, I could never bring myself to give it a try.

Recently, however, amid reports of the growing popularity of the canned meat, I felt like the time had come to give it a try. After all, with some of America's top chefs using Spam in their cooking, my detachment started to seem a little provincial. Besides, the ingredients (pork shoulder, ham, water, sugar, salt, sodium nitrite, and potato starch) are a lot more natural than I might have thought, and the price is certainly attractive.

Continue reading The Magical, Mystical World of SPAM

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]]>Christopher MooreChristopherMoorefeaturedHawaiiIsland of the Sequined Love nunIslandOfTheSequinedLoveNunlong porkLongPorkMusubiSpamTime magazineTimeMagazineBruce Watson2009-01-08T13:00:00+00:00Time for Offalhttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/12/15/time-for-offal/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/12/15/time-for-offal/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/12/15/time-for-offal/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

tongue

Time Magazine reports, with a soupçon of punny glee, that sales of offal in Great Britain have surged as of late, likely in response to the international economic downturn. Quoth London's Liz Logan:
"Tough economic times have Britons eating their hearts out and swallowing their tongues. Not literally, of course. But offal - or "variety meats," as the food category is euphemistically called in the U.K. - is experiencing a surge in popularity, with sales up 67% over the past five years."
Thing is, even in advance of the pound sterling's plunge, the nose-to-tail herd, helmed by offal stalwarts like Fergus Henderson and River Cottage's Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, had been squealing 'bout the culinary benefits of tripe, kidneys, brains, tail, giblets and trotters. Come for the savings, stay for the savoring -- the message seems to have come home to roost.

I posted a while back about my love of grilled chicken hearts, and I'm no stranger to whisking up a batch of giblet gravy, or a neckbone ragout, but I'm hungry for your favorite takes on organ meats. Post 'em in the comments below.

[via: Time]

Thank you to Flickr user vvvanessa for uploading this drool-inducing image to the Slashfood pool.

Giblet gravy recipe after the jump.

Continue reading Time for Offal

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]]>brainbritish foodBritishFoodchitterlingsFergus HendersonFergusHendersonhead to tailHeadToTailheartkat kinsmanKatKinKatKinsmankidneylivernose to tailNoseToTailoffalorgan meatsOrganMeatstime magazineTimeMagazinetonguetrotterKat Kinsman2008-12-15T10:00:00+00:00Refilling the Liquor Cabinet: Scotch Bargainshttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/11/25/christmas-spirits-iii-cheap-er-scotch-whisky/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/11/25/christmas-spirits-iii-cheap-er-scotch-whisky/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/11/25/christmas-spirits-iii-cheap-er-scotch-whisky/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

When I was a kid, my family went on a trip to Scotland. Given my mother's deep appreciation for single malt scotch, a fair amount of my time in Edinburgh was spent wandering around with my sisters while my parents tried out some of the local tipples. Years later, when I went back on my own, my shallow financial resources kept me from following in my parents' footsteps, but I was able to try out some of the blended scotches. In addition to helping me make friends, the experience gave me a deep respect for Bell's blended scotch; unfortunately, I've never seen it for sale in the states.

Over the years, however, I've drank more than my share of single malt scotch and have found a few favorites and a few that I despise. Glen Garioch, for example, is so awful that I wouldn't even use it to clean out a wound.

While blended scotches generally are reasonably priced, I've found that, by and large, they are a little too harsh for my taste. Moreover, by the time you get up into the blends that don't taste like paint thinner, you're probably paying more than you would for a decent single malt. A fine case in point is Johnny Walker Blue, which is outrageous at $175 for a fifth.

Laphroaig is a fairly reasonable single malt. At $30 for a fifth, it is on the low end of the scale, yet still offers a delicious Islay flavor. On a particularly cool note, Laphroaig also has the "Friends of Laphroaig" society; to become a member, one need only send in a piece of the metal foil that surrounds the top of a bottle. In return, one gets a "lease" of one square foot of the island of Islay, rent for which is a dram of scotch, payable if you come to the distillery. Even if you don't show up, they send you a certificate and Christmas cards.

On a cheaper scale, Bowmore is an Islay single malt that costs a mere $17 a bottle. Similarly, Auchentoshan is a lowland single malt that also costs $17. Both are decent, tasty tipples that are almost ridiculously underpriced. Auchentoshan has a mellower, softer flavor, while Bowmore is a little peatier and more intense.

Finally, for those whose tastes tend more toward the Irish end of things, Powers Irish whiskey is nicely priced in the $20 range. It is a smooth, flavorful spirit that makes an outstanding Irish coffee. Of course, Jameson's or Bushmill's addicts will find this a tough sell, but it is definitely worth a try!

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]]>AuchentoshanBowmoreLaphroaigPowers Irish WhiskeyPowersIrishWhiskeyBruce Watson2008-11-25T19:00:00+00:00Top Shelf Vodka, Bottom Shelf Price - Refilling the Liquor Cabinethttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/11/24/top-shelf-vodka-bottom-shelf-price-refilling-the-liquor-cabin/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/11/24/top-shelf-vodka-bottom-shelf-price-refilling-the-liquor-cabin/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/11/24/top-shelf-vodka-bottom-shelf-price-refilling-the-liquor-cabin/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Over the past few years, as premium vodkas have come into vogue, I've heard more and more about the taste of vodka. Suddenly, reviews have been overflowing with comments like "a nice, caramel finish," "a buttery nose," and "an insouciant grin underlying pearly orange tones." Okay, I made the last one up, but am I the only one who sometimes wonders if professional liquor tasters have been dropping acid?

At any rate, the irony of this is that the ideal vodka shouldn't have any flavor at all. In fact, I'd argue that the ultimate mark of a good vodka is that you can pull it out of the freezer, pour yourself a shot, and taste absolutely nothing except for the quick death of a few thousand brain cells. This, by the way, is why a traditional vodka tasting often has savory items like caviar, blini, fresh dill, and preserved herring. Since it doesn't impart flavor, vodka makes a good, inoffensive base for other flavors.

While most of the top vodkas on the market cost upwards of $30, there are a few classic and lesser-known vodkas that offer premium quality and (lack of) flavor for very reasonable prices. For example, Svedka is a first-rate, mild-flavored vodka from Sweden. Like Absolut, it has an great ad campaign; unlike Absolut, however, it is a very tasty, very reasonably priced vodka.

Continue reading Top Shelf Vodka, Bottom Shelf Price - Refilling the Liquor Cabinet

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]]>AbsolutluksusowasmirnoffSvedkavodkaBruce Watson2008-11-24T20:00:00+00:00Recession bites! Gray's Papaya raises the price on its famous specialhttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/10/22/recession-bites-grays-papaya-raises-the-price-on-its-famous-sp/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/10/22/recession-bites-grays-papaya-raises-the-price-on-its-famous-sp/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/10/22/recession-bites-grays-papaya-raises-the-price-on-its-famous-sp/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

image of Gray's PapayaLong before Manhattan eateries started lowering prices to bring in depressed (and recessed) customers, Gray's Papaya was famous for its amazing "Recession Special." Debuting in the 1990's, the special originally cost $1.95, but rose to its current price of $3.50 in the early 2000's. Consisting of a medium tropical beverage and two hot dogs, the combination of two perfectly prepared hot dogs and a medium fruit drink has become a New York institution and one of the city's best bargains.

Unfortunately, the arrival of a real recession has forced the hot dog retailer to raise the price on its special. In February, seeing the writing on the wall, Gray's founder Nicholas Gray began warning customers that a price increase was on the way. This week, it finally came to pass: the special has now gone up to $4.45.

Even with the increase of $0.95, the special is still a great deal, and a great way to weather economic hard times. Let's just hope that things get better before Gray's has to break $5!
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]]>featuredGrays PapayaGraysPapayahot DogsHotDogsnew YorkNewYorkNicholas GrayNicholasGrayBruce Watson2008-10-22T18:00:00+00:00Delia's Frugal Food, Cookbook of the Dayhttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/09/21/delias-frugal-food-cookbook-of-the-day/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/09/21/delias-frugal-food-cookbook-of-the-day/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/09/21/delias-frugal-food-cookbook-of-the-day/#commentsFiled under: ,

THe covr of delia smith's new re-released cookbook, frugal food, featuring a head of cabbage.We all know that times are getting tough. Food, energy and transportation prices have all gone up substantially. Cookbook's addressing this fact are doing well, or going to do well. That's one reason Delia Smith, the famous British cookbook author, is re-issuing her classic 1970's cookbook, Frugal Food.

This cookbook is chock full of inexpensive recipes and energy saving tips. There's a whole chapter dedicated to 'Pauper's Puddings" and includes the "cheap charter", which talks about how to use leftovers creatively among other things. There is also advice about using offal, unfashionable cuts of meat or kinds of fish, and also how to "conjure up the maximum flavour from the most frugal of ingredients".

The re-issued cookbook is coming out on October 30 for £17.99 ($36-ish in Us dollars). Some have suggested, though, just getting a copy of the original printing of the cookbook for half that amount. I found it on Amazon.com for $15.

[via The Guardian]
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]]>cookbook of the dayCookbookOfTheDayDelia SmithDeliaSmithFrugal FoodFrugalFoodShayna Glick2008-09-21T15:00:00+00:00Poverty brings out the best in consumers...and cuisine!http://www.slashfood.com/2008/08/19/poverty-brings-out-the-best-in-consumers-and-cuisine/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/08/19/poverty-brings-out-the-best-in-consumers-and-cuisine/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/08/19/poverty-brings-out-the-best-in-consumers-and-cuisine/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,

As the ongoing recession/inflation/credit crunch drives the cost of food higher and higher, British chain Sainsbury's has begun working to minimize food wastage. Meanwhile, ever-increasing numbers of consumers are cooking from scratch in an attempt to stretch their food budgets. Clearly, thrift is back!

As you rush around in your search for cheap things to eat, it's worth remembering that, in the kitchen at least, poverty can definitely be the mother of invention. Although cheap gas, greenhouse gardening, and factory farming drove down the price of food for most of the last century, the vast majority of human history has been characterized by the desperate search for sustenance. Keeping that in mind, here's a reminder about a few of the techniques that long-gone chefs once developed to preserve the harvest, get their vitamins, and avoid throwing anything away:

Organ meats: In the days before easy canning and greenhouse gardening, it was incredibly difficult to get the necessary daily allowance of vitamins. Lacking access to fresh fruits and vegetables, medieval farmers turned to organ meats. For example, rich in iron and Vitamin A, the liver was a dietary staple for generations. Similarly, kidneys, sweetbreads, and brains are also great sources of necessary vitamins. Much later, immigrants and the lower classes continued to eat these organs, as they were healthy and relatively inexpensive.

Continue reading Poverty brings out the best in consumers...and cuisine!

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]]>italian sausageItalianSausageknockwurstlivermedieval cookeryMedievalCookerypateSainsburyssaucessauerbratensauerkrautscrappleBruce Watson2008-08-19T16:00:00+00:00Proud father shows off son's catchhttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/08/08/im-so-proud/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/08/08/im-so-proud/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/08/08/im-so-proud/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

My son Alec, who frequently tags along with Amy and me on our foraging hikes, is camping this week in upstate New York, with my wife Marti, and his cousin Colten. I received a picture mail message today around lunchtime which is displayed here. The caption in the text message read: Your son's catch. Complete with butter and garnish!

Continue reading Proud father shows off son's catch

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]]>carrotcrayfishwild edibleswild foodwild foodsWildEdiblesWildFoodWildFoodsNeil Goldstein2008-08-08T15:00:00+00:00