This week, a new edition of the Canada Food Guide was released by the Health Canada. The small booklet has been produced since 1940, with new editions being released every few years. The last one was in 1992. The Food Guide gives recommendations on portion sizes and the average daily amount of physical activity a person should get. It is one of the most requested publications of the Canadian government, second only to income tax forms.

This year's edition includes, for the first time, a warning that advises people to limit their intake of "foods and beverages high in calories, fat, sugar or salt," as well as recommendations to increase vegetable consumption and to consider taking nutritional supplements. In fact, vegetables have replaced grains as the largest component of the food "rainbow." Some former critics are pleased with the change, but many are still very skeptical about the value of the guide. Critics say that it isn't doing enough and that, as one of the most referenced food and health resources in the country, it should include more detail on calories, whole grains and on ways to make good food choices.

The USDA has some comprehensive food safety guidelines to help you cook your Thanksgiving turkey. While some cookbooks, and probably some chefs, might tell you that cooking times and temperatures should be changed to produce a moister bird, at least you'll get a safe bird from using the USDA's guide. First things first, you need to completely defrost your turkey before beginning. Keep the turkey in its original wrapper as it thaws and try to keep it as cool as possible. It should either be defrosted by being submerged in cold water or on a tray in the refrigerator.

Frozen turkey thawing timetable
Weight In refrigerator In cold water
4 to 12 pounds 1 to 3 days 2 to 6 hours
12 to 16 pounds 3 to 4 days 6 to 8 hours
16 to 20 pounds 4 to 5 days 8 to 10 hours
20 to 24 pounds 5 to 6 days 10 to 12 hours

The Zagat Survey recently released some stats from its new 2007 edition of America's Top Restaurants. According to Zagat, the citizens of Houston, Austin and Dallas/Ft. Worth dined out the most, all about four times per week. (Houston also frequently tops the Men's Fitness list of America's fattest cities.) The average meal is also a little cheaper in Houston ($27.04), compared with some of the more expensive dining cities on the survey, such as New York City ($39.43) and Palm Beach, FL ($38.56). Also, west coast diners apparently tip a percentage point or so less than East Coast diners, according to Zagat. Average tips out west hovered around 18 percent, while averages on the other side of the country were around 19 percent. There are still plenty of chowhounds out there too, apparently; 63 percent of those surveyed said they would drive 45 minutes each way for a good meal. Restaurant News Resource has the full Zagat press release with lots more info.

No one would question the fact that the French Laundry deserves all three of its Michelin stars, but what about the rest of the ratings? Michael Bauer, restaurant critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, described the French Laundry as a ringer, a restaurant so good that no other establishment - on either coast - can really stand up to it. Bauer wonders whether the other area restaurants are being handicapped by the fact that the French Laundry sets an impossibly high standard for comparison that the 3-star restaurants in New York could not live up to, either.

He says "the list lacks many of the places that go to the heart of Bay Area dining and define who we are" and considering that the restaurant scene in the area has more high-quality restaurants than just about anywhere in the country, if not the world, it would seem that he has a point. While a great honor for Thomas Keller, the Guide's ratings do not seem sufficient for Bay Area restaurant scene. Does Chez Panisse only deserve 1 star? Does Manresa only deserve two? And how many were left off entirely?

Sell by, best by, and use by are all labels that we commonly see on foods in the grocery store. They are on just about anything that is packaged, from milk and bagged produce to cookies and soda. Is there really a difference between the terms, and if so, what is it?

BusinessWeek actually has some of the answers for us. A "sell by" date is one that indicates to a store how long the product should be offered for sale, although such a product will almost always be good for at least a few days beyond that date. A "best by" date means that the flavor or texture of a food will begin to decline at that point. The "use by" date is the real expiration date. Beyond it, there is no guarantee that the food will be fresh and tasty or that it will retain all of the nutrients that it started out with. The overall quality of the product can begin to decrease and you're probably better of just starting again with a fresh bottle/can/bag.

The best strategy is to buy foods in small batches so you don't have to worry about expiration dates of any sort coming on too quickly, but keep the dates in mind as you shop for reference points, and choose products with further dates if you know you're not going to be consuming everything you buy in a short period of time.

Keeping track of what foods are in season at different times of the year can be difficult. For those who live in the San Francisco Bay Area, finding in-season, locally grown foods just god a little bit easier. The Local Foods Wheel is a bright, 12-inch wheel that rotates, revealing all the foods that are seasonally available. The front of the wheel indicates the produce that is available year round. The back of the wheel has a full seasonality reference, including a listing of the precise seasons a given product is available and a list of some of the more obscure foods that don't have icons on the wheel itself. Take the wheel shopping with you, or just use it as a reference when you're making your grocery list at home.

The wheel is $11.95 and can be purchased online, as well as at the Berkeley farmer's market and several other Bay Area locations.

The August 7 edition of New York magazine features a guide to 101 of Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld's favorite cheap eats destinations in NYC. Unlike most cheap eats guides, all of the restaurants in the list are ranked on a scale of one to five stars. The authors are also careful to note that the term "cheap" is used in a New York context. Don't be surprised then, when you see things like Lupa, Room for Dessert and Bouchon Bakery. It looks to be a great, if a little overwhelming, list. There also listings for top pizza places and prix fixe menus, although I'm still not sure if a two-hot-dog-and-drink combo qualifies as prix fixe.

I recently came across a review of The Essential Reference of Domestic Brewers and Their Bottled Brands, 2nd Edition (right), a nearly 350-page guide to American breweries and the beers they produce. Conveniently known as the DBBB, the book offers an alphabetical list, a guide to beer styles, state-by-state availability, brewer profiles and product lists. There's also an online companion, provided via the DBBB's publisher, MC Basset. A .pdf sample of the book is also available on the site. The DBBB doesn't rate the beers, and actually, much of the individual brewery information is provided by the brewers themselves. According to the aforementioned review, the DBBB isn't widely available in stores. It sells for around $50 on its website.

I recently set up my home espresso machine. I am not an espresso novice, but this is the first machine I’ve had in my own kitchen. Based upon careful research, I selected the best machine I could find. And by “careful research”, I mean to say that I got a good deal on a good-looking machine. Fortunately for me, it is also an excellent machine that offers great performance, especially for a countertop model. It has a 15-BAR pressure pump and high quality brass hadware inside. The sleek, retro styling and small size are nice bonuses, in my opinon.  I have a Francis!Francis! X3.

I'll start by saying that I've never eaten or vacationed on a cruise ship. I've never even had the urge. However, a pair of articles, both by Eric Noland, on InsideBayArea.com make the food sound slightly more appealing than I'd imagined. I guess if you're paying top dollar to be pent up on a ship, the food had better be good.

The main article is a narrative review of Noland's experiences dining on Princess Cruises' trip to Alaska. Apparently one of the new trends is being able to get meals in the ships restaurants whenever you want, and not just at appointed meal times. Other new additions to some lines include interactive cooking classes and kitchens with chefs that have been head-hunted from well-known restaurants.

The accompanying article gives a rundown of about a dozen cruise lines and what each has to offer in the way of dining.

Asian instant noodle soups is a German blog that reviews various instant noodle products. If you've ever searched through an Asian supermarket in a quest to find instant noodles, you know it's simply ridiculous to try to wade through the insane multitude of the different products. Although the Google translation is a bit weak at times, you can browse through looking at the various scores to find out which noodles might be worth a try. Seriously, I haven't even heard of half of these brands, let alone know what they taste like (and trust me, there are a lot of disappointing noodles out there).