"food magazine" news and stories

A new quarterly magazine and website for kids (aged 5 to 12) has just been launched. Called ChopChop, it aims to teach children how to cook and eat healthy food. Its founder and president Sally Sampson is the author of 20 cookbooks and she also has a daughter who suffers a chronic illness.

The genesis of the magazine started from her conversations with various doctors about childrens' diets.

"Pediatricians told me that healthy eating is all they talk about with patients," Sampson told Slashfood. "ChopChop very quickly morphed from a pamphlet that doctors could hand out during well-care visits into a magazine."

150,000 copies of the first issue have been distributed to doctor's offices, supermarkets and boys and girls clubs in 32 states.

Hey, y'all, listen up! There's a new food magazine just for you fellas, created by none other than Paula Deen's boys.

The frosted blond TV chef's two sons, Jamie and Bobby, have launched their own quarterly magazine called Deen Bros. Good Cooking. Target audience? Men.

Hoffman Media, which already puts out the bimonthly Cooking with Paula Deen, will be the publisher for the 63-year-old Food Network host's boys, too. President and CEO Phyllis Hoffman tells Slashfood that Deen Bros. will aim to attract a "dual audience" of male and female readers, but will offer "light, easy recipes" that will likely "have strong appeal with men."

Bobby and Jamie Deen, who are 39 and 42, have made appearances on their mother's various Food Network shows over the years and hosted one themselves in 2006 called Road Tasted. When they're not in the public eye, the Deen brothers are in Savannah, Ga., running their mom's now-famous restaurant, The Lady and Sons.

There has been talk in the past few months that several staff members of Every Day with Rachael Ray were being hired by another company to fill up slots for a competing magazine. Now it looks like those rumors might be true.

Portfolio is reporting that Hearst and Scripps are going to team up with Food Network to create a new food and lifestyle magazine based on the network. This is still in the planning stages, so it's not clear what TV personalities (if any) will be involved and what format/frequency the magazine would take, though obviously Rachael Ray won't be involved.

So...would you read a Food Network magazine, or do you think the network has changed so much that it wouldn't have anything you'd be interested in?

Meatpaper is the self-proclaimed "journal of meat culture," and judging from what's up at their site, they're correct.

The site is filled with several articles on the "arts and ideas about meat," including pieces about the dry-aging room at New York's Master Purveyors, pig slaughter in Italy, why Filipinos eat Spam, and getting over the guilt of eating meat. There are also links to various food blogs.

The site itself says that they "like metaphors more than marinating tips," which I take as an indication that they're going to be talking about the world of food and not recipes and kitchen advice. They're taking subscriptions now, so you might want to check it out.

This month's Everyday Food magazine has an article about the five essential pots and pans that should be in every kitchen. They definitely picked out the right things, too. If you are missing one of these, or perhaps haven't gotten around to breaking in your kitchen after moving out of the dorms, you will be able to cook most things if you pick up all five items. On the list are:

• 10-inch nonstick skillet - Nonsticks are great because they don't requite much cleanup, but stick to anodized aluminum brands, like Analon and Calphalon, if you want to avoid potentially toxic PFOAs. Use it for scrambling eggs and searing delicate meats, like seafood.
• 12-inch skillet - The best choice for sauteing because you'll have lots of room to work, large skillets will allow for higher surface heat and better searing. Make sure that it balances well on your stove and isn't off balance by a too-heavy handle.
• Large saucepan - A 3 or 4-quart saucepan is the most versatile kitchen pot because it can be used for sauces, small batches of soups or pasta for one for a quick  lunch. Don't get an aluminum one (unless its anodized) because its reactivity with utensils and metal cooking implements can quickly lend an unwelcome taste to your sauces.
• Large pot - Stocks, soups and stews can all be made in a big 8 or 10-quart pot, but the most common use for a pot like this is to make pasta. Lots of pasta.
• Dutch oven - These can work both in the oven and on the stove top. They retain heat better than most other cookware, too, so they're ideal for slow cooking and making soups or chili. Look for enameled cast iron, anodized aluminum or stainless steel with a copper/aluminum base.