Food for Thought Archives

Is Microwaving Food Healthy or Unhealthy?

For years we’ve heard that microwave cooking is unhealthy. The truth might surprise you.

A tribute to Gil Marks – cookbook author, culinary historian, James Beard Award winner and my dear friend.

I’m coming out of the organic closet. How do you feel about organics?

I’ve switched to whole organic milk for my family, based on several recent scientific studies. My thoughts on the subject.

Is engineered meat the way of the future? What does cultured meat mean for the ethics of meat eating, the environment, and the laws of kashrut?

Learn about the history of food fermentation and how the process can be applied to preserve foods in your kitchen today.

Is cheese good for you? Two recent studies suggest that cheese may be healthier for us than previously thought. Are you celebrating, or skeptical?

Proposed legislation in New York & California is aimed at banning certain soda sales due to the rise in obesity. Is it the right move? You decide

Learn the Jewish history of foie gras and the natural alternative to force-feeding geese.

The cultivation of a rare and precious spice – saffron – offers Afghan farmers a legal alternative to illegal opium poppy farming.

A new lawsuit claims that Hebrew National hot dogs, which have been kosher certified for decades, are not kosher.

Do we know the truth about salt? A New York Times article questions the prevailing wisdom on cutting salt to lower blood pressure & stay healthy.

Does animal welfare impact food quality? Learn if free range, cage free, pastured eggs, dairy & grass fed beef are worth the extra expense

Food travel on a budget – can’t afford a Culinary Vacation? Plan a Culinary Staycation featuring the exotic foods and flavors of foreign lands.

Gefilte fish is loved by some, loathed by others. At two new Jewish Manhattan food businesses, Ashkenazi gefilte gets the gourmet treatment.

Truffles are the most expensive food in the world, worth their weight in gold because of their scarcity. Are truffles really worth all this fuss?

Composers and lyricists use dummy lyrics as placeholders. Here are George and Ira Gershwin’s silly food lyrics for their hit song “I Got Rhythm.”

The story behind my love of food, history, and food history.

Thou shalt not fear the schmaltz, and other tidbits of Jewish kitchen wisdom.

Did the Jewish holiday of Sukkot inspire the first Thanksgiving? The Pilgrims may have borrowed the holiday from Sephardic Jews in Holland.

A poem from Emma Lazarus, one of the first successful Jewish American writers.

Learn the difference between chametz and kitniyot. Discover what foods Sephardic, Ashkenazi Jews prohibit and which foods are Kosher for Passover.