Slashfood

• Poverty brings out the best in consumers...and cuisine!
  

  Filed under: Frugal Food, Vegetables, Recipes, Fruit, Pork, How To, Did you know?, Comfort Food, Retro cookery, Meat

  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...
  



• Hebrew University study shows that red wine can increase your longevity!
  

  Filed under: Wine, Science, Beef, Poultry, Did you know?, France, Health & Medical, Food News

  Over the past few years, as wine has undergone repeated studies, it has started to seem like the modern-day fountain of youth. According to its various supporters, it can fight off streptococcus bacteria, reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease, and flush one's system with antioxidants. Still, all of these pale beside wine's greatest claim to fame: the so-called French paradox.
  
  For years, scientists have wondered how the French, who have one of the most saturated-fat rich diets in the world, manage to have such...
  



• Fun with guinea pigs: Dressed for dinner!
  

  Filed under: South America, Food Oddities, Did you know?, Holidays, Local Eating, Head to Tail

  Warning: this post may offend people who like cute little furry guinea pigs.
  
  A few days ago, I wrote a post about chicha morada, the amazing Peruvian blue corn drink. Thinking on it further, I am becoming increasingly convinced that Peru produces some of the best dishes in the world; with that in mind, I plan on writing a fair bit more about the wonders of lomo saltado, papas a la huancaina, and other treats. However, in the interests of total honesty, I also have to acknowledge the...
  



• Extreme Grilling: Go whole hog
  

  Filed under: Asia, Pork, Caribbean, Did you know?, Islands, America, Italy, Slow cooking, Head to Tail

  
  As I wrote several weeks ago, a pig pickin' is a North Carolina tradition involving a pig, a converted petroleum drum cooker, a bunch of charcoal and a whole lot of time. But a pig pickin' is not the only way to cook a whole hog - cultures across the world have been spit roasting, grilling and burying pigs in hot ash for thousands of years. In many places, pork is the cheapest meal available, making pig roasts an affordable way...
  



• Rooibos 101 - South Africa's red tea
  

  Filed under: Teas, South Africa, Did you know?

  
  
  

  There are a lot of ways that tea blenders use rooibos (sometimes called "red tea") these days, whether it's in a straight herbal tea (tisane) or blended with real teas to add flavor to the blend. A quick glance at Wikipedia shows that one common way to describe its flavor is "sweet (without sugar added) and slightly nutty" and I find this to be true. Sometimes I find myself mistaking a rooibos flavor for adding vanilla in a blend, only slightest earthier.
  
  What is rooibos? When I started



• My top three favorite plum jams from France: Reines Claudes, mirabelles, and questches
  

  Filed under: British Isles, Fruit, Did you know?, Condiments, America, France

  
  Berry jams are probably the most popular in the U.S. When it comes to jams, we rarely consider plums. I love plum jams because they have a unique candy-like sweetness that is tempered by a little acidity and a smooth texture. Below are three types of plums that produce exceptionally one-of-a-kind jams:
  
  Mirabelles: If you have even the slightest sweet tooth, these plums are seriously addictive. Mirabelle jam has dark yellow colored chunks of juicy sweet mirabelle plums. Don't be surprised if you start...
  



• The difference between herbs and spices
  

  Filed under: Did you know?, Spices

  

  I've used herbs and spices my entire life without ever stopping to think about what the difference is between them. I was excited to find a blog post on the subject at the Supreme Spice Blog. It's always fun to find the answer to a question you didn't know you had.

  "The leaf of a plant which is used in cooking is referred to as a herb and any other part of the plant that is used to flavor food is termed as a spice."

  The blog gives some examples of spices and what plant part they are from: "Cloves (bud), ginger & turmeric (roots), fennel,...
  




• Tip of the Day: How to clean a microwave oven with lemons
  

  Filed under: Fruit, How To, Did you know?, Tip of the Day

  Lemons + a dirty microwave oven = clean microwave oven!

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• Tip of the Day: Use pickle juice to clean copper pans
  

  Filed under: How To, Did you know?, Spring Cleaning, Tip of the Day

  Tired of seeing the bottoms of your copper pans looking all black and discolored? Here's how to clean them.

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• Tip of the Day: How to thicken pasta sauce
  

  Filed under: How To, Did you know?, Tip of the Day

  Have you ever stood at your stove cooking pasta sauce and you realize it's too watery, and you don't have any tomato paste, flour, or corn starch? Here's how to thicken it.

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