Trends

Appliances That Talk Back, Even to Jane Lynch

by Bill Sertl, Posted Jan 11th 2011 @ 2:00PM

LG smart fridge from CES 2011 Photo: Robyn Beck / Getty Images, AFP

"I smell awful; would U clean my crisper and wipe me down ASAP?" Are we ready for a refrigerator that tweets its most intimate thoughts? How about, "Does my butt look big since I gained 20 lbs.?" That's right, a bathroom scale with WiFi, so you can tweet to friends about life's ups and downs.

The Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas this year was all about smart technology in the home, reports CNN. And just to make sure everyone got the message, Jane Lynch, who plays Sue Sylvester on the hit Fox show, Glee, was hired as the LG spokesperson to sing the praises of its washing machines that send text messages ("R U trying to put me through the wringer?") and ovens that download recipes and can even teach you to cook ("Add a pinch of salt and whip it. Whip it good.") The new LG fridge even keeps tabs on how fresh your food is. (Shades of Lost in Space? "Danger, danger, Will Robinson. Spoiled milk on Shelf 2!")

Filed under: Trends, Food News, Celebrities, News

Truffles Worth Dying For?

COMMENTS 1

by Jessie Cacciola, Posted Jan 10th 2011 @ 12:00PM

Photo: Claude Paris, FILE / AP Photo

How much is a black truffle worth? At $30 an ounce, a slim shaving can make decadent a dish as simple as scrambled eggs or plain old linguine. Right about now, a kilo of the fungi that looks like coal could soon land a muck-digger a cold 800 Euros at France's biggest market, Richerenches -- that's more than $1,000, twice what it was worth a decade ago. But word is that stocks are low and prices are inching ever higher. And to one Frenchman, a good truffle is worth a life.

Just before Christmas, farmer Laurent Rambaud was charged with shooting down a would-be truffle thief. "Black diamond" bandits are so often expected that one hunter sleeps with a rifle across his legs and another considered implanting GPS chips into his stock, reports the Global Post. The paper notes that climate affects truffle accessibility (ideal conditions call for light summer rains), as does construction, which "paves over rare hunting grounds." And "few young people take the time to learn the skills of unearthing truffles."

The trick is getting a good pig or canine to sniff out the goods from underneath oak trees as they mature from November to March, but it can take time to properly train your sniffers and longer to find the right oaks. And so goes high-class pick-pocketing. But, ye have been warned.

Filed under: Business, Trends, Food News, Ingredients

Year of the Goat: The Universal High-Flavor, Low-Fat Meat

COMMENTS 3

by Jessie Cacciola, Posted Jan 7th 2011 @ 1:00PM

goat roll, shoulder, and wrapped in prosciutto Photo: avlxyz, Flickr

Goat meat, also known as chevon or cabrito, is prized all over Africa, India and the Middle East for its lean, low-cholesterol meat which breaks down like lamb and tastes like a cross between lamb, venison and beef -- with about half the fat. That's because, unlike most livestock, they won't overeat.

The Vancouver Sun, which predicts 2011 will be the year of the goat on our side of the Atlantic, spoke with Chef Nico Schuermans, who says it's very flavorful. "[Goats] don't eat a lot, like sheep, which is why it's hard to fatten them up," he told the paper. "It's been hard to find but butchers are looking for it. It's getting more and more popular in New York and Montreal but we'll get it sooner or later."

Would you (or have you) tried a bite of goat? We already hold their creamy cheese, or chèvre, high on the scale of decadent dairy, and if this week's episode of Chopped, where chef contestants found goat brains in their baskets, is any indication of its acceptance into mainstream America, we could find it in our butcher shops and staple dining menus sooner than we think.

But trust, we won't be the first ones after the offal. Goat can easily be swapped for any dishes that use lamb: in stews, curries or slow-roasted with herbs to eat off the bone or slice into tacos.

Filed under: Trends

2010 Recap: Wine Trends

COMMENTS 2

by Kristine Hansen, Posted Jan 2nd 2011 @ 11:30AM

tetra pak boxed wines Photo: niallkennedy, Flickr

How did 2010 stack up in terms of wine? Despite the economic recession, winemakers, wineries and wine bars came up with more than a few innovations -- making sure we keep our consumption up and our interest high. Here, our picks for notable wine trends.

1. Improvement in the quality of box wines
It used to be that boxed wines were just that -- boxed wines. End of story. Now, however, we are seeing wineries that formerly bottled only in glass switching to Tetra Pak. One such example is Big House Red and Big House White, both from California. [See our post "Boxed Wines for the Holidays."]

Packaging in a box is also an eco-friendly move for many reasons, including that the wine lasts up to 3-4 weeks (as opposed to 3-4 days in the bottle) and it costs less to ship paper than it does glass (bringing the cost savings to you). Some steller examples of vino-in-a-box include Black Box Wines (Wine Spectator gave the Chardonnay 87 points) and Bota Box Old Vine Zinfandel earned 95 points and a gold medal at this year's California State Fair.

2. Innovative bottle enclosures
R. Stuart & Co., a winery in Oregon, is one of the few wineries that has gone crystal. What, you say? Basically, no cork and no synthetic cork either. Instead, a crystal stopper, much like the ones used for cooking oils, is snug inside the bottle. Classy.

3. Upmarketing from some wine labels
Now before you flash back into your college years where you probably drank a lot of Yellow Tail, Alice White and Gallo (in a jug), hear us out. The famed budget label from the Casella family in Australia (we're talking about Yellow Tail) unveiled a reserve line this year. It costs a few bucks more but it's worth it. We tried the Shiraz and liked it. Due to increasing economic concerns on behalf of consumers -- coupled with more and more sophisticated palates -- it is very likely that we will see more budget wineries going upper-end with a few of their wines.

Filed under: Trends, Drinks

Extreme Couponing, or Do You Need 1,000 Boxes of Cereal?

COMMENTS 9

by Jason Best, Posted Dec 30th 2010 @ 1:00PM

extreme couponing Photo: sdc2007, Flickr

At first glance, it hardly seems like Joanie Dener, an attractive, 27-year-old suburban mom from California belongs among the likes of those who populate cable TV's 24-hour freak-fest of bizarre human behavior (animal hoarders, toddlers in tiaras, Snooki, etc.).

Then you see her rifling through a dumpster searching for, of all things, coupons...with her toddler in tow.

Welcome to the world of Extreme Couponing, which debuted last night on Discovery's TLC channel. In the premiere episode, just as you're trying to wrap your mind around not only the fact that "coupon" can be a verb, a bona fide activity, but that it can be "extreme" (on par with heli-skiing and class V whitewater kayaking?), here comes a view of Dener in her garage, which looks kind of like a family-sized version of Costco.

"I could basically stop grocery shopping and be fine for a year," she says with the same sort of self-satisfied domestic pride with which Martha Stewart might finish off the perfect apple tart.

The fact that Dener's "hobby" ("addiction"?) leads her to collect 500 coupons a week makes it seem unlikely that she'll really stop shopping anytime soon, which of course begs the question: Are you really "saving" any money when you buy more toilet paper than you could ever use in a lifetime? And do you really feel safe by the fact that, like another couponer, Nathan, you have more than a thousand boxes of cereal that is so packed with preservatives that it won't give you food poisoning by the time you use it?

Filed under: Television/Film, Trends

Aged Cocktails and the "It" Pig: The New York Times In 60 Seconds

COMMENTS 0

by Naomi Shulman, Posted Dec 29th 2010 @ 11:00AM

Photo: vovchychko, Flickr

Believe it or not, it's still possible to make New Year's Eve reservations in Manhattan. You just have to know where to go.
Speaking of dining out, were you wondering which of 2010's fine restaurants were a cut above? Wonder no more.
Lots of great casual restaurants opened this year, too.
Orwell called it: Some animals are more equal than others -- especially pigs. Meet the Mangalitsa!
Barrel-aged cocktails? Say what? "Shaken, not stirred -- and aged for six weeks."

Filed under: Trends, Newspapers, In Sixty Seconds

A Man Canning, and Other Food Trends for 2011

COMMENTS 12

by Bill Sertl, Posted Dec 28th 2010 @ 4:00PM

Photo: MCT

It looks like horny Baby Boomers and unemployed men with time on their hands will be leading the pack next year when it comes to the "most significant food trends that will drive how people eat throughout 2011." Here they are, in a report from the Food Channel (not to be confused with Food Network) compiled with the cooperation of Culture Waves (a data-collection group), Mintel International (market research firm), and Food Futurists (genetically modified foodies?).

Oh, we thought we'd weigh in, too.

1. The canning comeback. "Something grandma did is gaining popularity for both economy and health."

Hmm. Many Baby Boomers are grandparents now, so whatever Grandma was putting up back in the Sixties was probably a controlled substance.

2. More men cooking because of layoffs.

Good news for women. Sounds like they'll be keeping their jobs.

3. People wanting to get food grown locally.

HONK! Reject: This trend started about 10 years ago. (Please do not replace with "farm-to-table eating will be the next big thing.")

4. Americans are tired of being told what they can eat.

True. But we can't get enough of being told what we will eat.

5. Social media working as a food guide and coupon source.

The Social Network meets the Penny Saver

Filed under: Trends, Online

Robots Replace Waiters in China

COMMENTS 1

by Jessie Cacciola, Posted Dec 22nd 2010 @ 1:00PM

China's robot waiter restuarant Photo: AP Photo

Are we entering the age when the first words we'll hear when we dine out are, "Hello, I'm Anne Droid, and I'll be your waiter"? Could be. A new technology may soon marginalize the need for humans in the restaurant industry. Earlier this month we reported on a questionable robotic butcher in Japan, and now there are robotic waiters in China taking orders with no need for a tip, reports the Associated Press.

We'd like to second Saturday Night Live 'Weekend Update' correspondent Seth Meyers from last Saturday -- "Because that's what the Chinese should be working on, ways to make their ten-trillion people unnecessary." -- and add that every rising actor, writer, artist and second-job-er in America would appreciate if those little electronic workers stayed right where they are.

According to the AP, "More than a dozen robots operate in the restaurant" -- Dalu Robot, billed as the first robot-staffed eatery in the country -- "as entertainers, servers, greeters and receptionists. Each robot has a motion sensor that tells it to stop when someone is in its path so customers can reach for dishes they want."

First-time patron Li Xiaomei told the AP: "They have a better service attitude than humans," who can be "temperamental or impatient, but they don't feel tired, they just keep working and moving round and round the restaurant all night." That may be true, but there's no chip for witty comebacks to the customers. Or flirting back. Not that we do that sort of thing.

Filed under: Business, Trends, Restaurants

The Candy Store, San Francisco — Ask a Shopkeeper

COMMENTS 1

by Chris Dudley, Posted Dec 15th 2010 @ 2:00PM

Photo: The Candy Store

Diane Campbell wore many hats before donning the metaphorical purple stovepipe to become the Willy Wonka of San Francisco's Russian Hill neighborhood: She was a cook, a fundraiser, and a marketer for a dot-com, among other things. Her passion, however, has always been candy. As a little girl growing up on Long Island, she used to buy big sacks of the sweet stuff from the supermarket, carry her haul home on her bike, and repackage the candy into goodie bags for her family and friends. She turned this lifelong love of candy into a career five years ago when she and her husband opened what has since become the city's premier sweet shop, known simply as The Candy Store.

Read more about Diane and The Candy Store after the jump...

Filed under: Trends, Interviews, Features

2010 Food Trends We're Over

COMMENTS 0

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Dec 10th 2010 @ 12:00PM

cupcakes food trends 2010 Photo: averagebetty, Flickr

Our friends over at Food2 pretty much summed up what the Slashfood editors are feeling: There are five food trends from 2010 that we are SO over. The tiny cakes above are just one of the things that make us weary. Vote in Food2's the poll and let them know if you agree.

Filed under: Trends