Cooks Illustrated
Cook’s Illustrated is the best cooking magazine on the market. Not only is there no advertising, but each issue contains a wealth of information. Rather than add glossy, full color photography, Cook’s Illustrated keeps everything black and white, with beautiful, detailed illustrations of each technique they demonstrate. There are also tons of recipes, all of which are kitchen tested, and guides to buying the perfect kitchen goods - for instance, what to look for when buying kitchen knives or a rated comparison of saute pans. I never walk away from an issue without having learned something interesting.
Saveur Magazine
Saveur Magazine is one of my favorite food/travel magazines. Like Gourmet and Food and Wine, Saveur focuses on culture and travel, but does so in a much less pretentious way. The photography is beautiful, and many of the stories focus on what the featured food means to the people in the stories. If you’re a foodie who likes learning about the history of food, this is a must read magazine.
Categories: Magazines |
It seems that a new study comes out every month praising some health benefit of drinking red wine. Recently, a group of scientists led by biochemist Alan Crozier of the University of Glasgow has pinpointed the compound in red wine responsible for contributing to cardiovascular health. (Keep reading →)
According to the Interactive BYOB Restaurant Map of Philadelphia, there are currently over 200 BYOBs (that is, Bring Your Own Bottle). Just select your neighborhood and it will display all BYOBs as well as the closest PA Liquor Store - just in case you don’t have a bottle of wine on hand.
Now, Philly - or rather, the state of PA - just needs to make it legal to ship wine from out of state! Although, you can get some incredible wine deals at the online PA Wine and Spirits shop if you know what you’re looking for.
Categories: Wine, Philadelphia |
A $19.50 Riesling from the Finger Lakes region was voted New York’s best wine after New York’s 2-day annual Wine & Food Classic contest. Of the 702 wines made by 102 wineries, the 2005 Dry Riesling from Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyards won the Gov.’s Cup silver chalice. Wiemer’s a native of Germany’s Mosel wine country and has been growing Riesling grapes in NY since the 1970s.
Categories: Wine |
A new study reported in the September issue of Epidemiology says that coffee can trigger a heart attack within an hour of consumption for some people. The study is based on 503 cases of nonfatal heart attacks in Costa Rica in which researchers asked participants about their coffee consumption prior to their heart attack. (Keep reading →)
Businesses live by the mantra “if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” Now, Napa Valley wineries are jumping on the metrics bandwagon by installing all sorts of high-tech gadgetry to measure the wine making process.
According to Fortune (Aug 21, 2006), here are 3 tools they’re implementing
Categories: Wine, Technology |
Last year, the Supreme Court made it easier to buy wine online. (Unfortunately, some states still haven’t clarified their state laws like PA. If your state is one of them, check out activist site, FreeTheGrapes.com.) Since then, lots of people have been expecting the number of teens who try to purchase wine online to rise dramatically. According to a recent survey by Teenage Research Unlimited (TRU) in Northbrook, Ill. that hasn’t happened. (Keep reading →)
Techies love woot.com for its one deal per day on high tech gadgets. Since May 2006, Woot has been experimenting with wine.
Woot has teamed with WineCountryConnect.com to offer Wine.Woot.com, a wine site offering a new wine deal each Sunday at midnight. The discounts are often 25-50% off of retail.
While they don’t ship to all states yet - unfortunately, PA isn’t on the list, so I can’t partake of their fantastic offers - they have a fairly extensive list that they are shipping to. Check out their FAQ for details.
Categories: Wine |
A San Francisco startup has found a way to remove the caffeine from coffee using a stirring stick, according to BusinessWeek. Seven years ago, Anna Leone was on a trans-Atlantic flight when she got a caffeine craving. Not wanting to get the jitters, she ordered a cup of decaf, only to learn the plane had just run out. She opted for a cup of regular, and that’s when inspiration struck.
The subject of her reading material -those molecular polymers -can recognize certain molecules, “grab” them, and pull them out of a mixed substance. What if those very polymers, called MIPs, could pull caffeine out of regular coffee without affecting its taste or smell?
Building on her original idea, DeCaf Co has created a stirring stick that pulls caffeine molecules out of the liquid. The more you stir, the more caffeine comes out. Two stirs and you’ve effectively removed 70% of the caffeine without affecting the taste.
According to the National Coffee Association, 82% of Americans drink coffee. Decaf drinkers make up 21% of the market. Traditional methods to remove caffeine from coffee end up altering its make up.
beans are typically soaked in chemicals to dissolve the caffeine molecules. Then the beans are resoaked in decaffeinated water to reabsorb the flavor compounds, according to the Coffee Research Institute. “The chemical composition of decaffeinated coffee is altered, and therefore the flavor and aroma are changed,” according to research by the group.
In theory, DeCaf Co.’s method lets you go unleaded without giving up flavor. There’s also the convenience factor. Restaurants could toss out those ubiquitous orange-capped pots and just brew regular coffee. Need decaf? Just keep a few sticks in your purse or pocket in case a dinner party host or flight crew has only the hard stuff on hand.
Right now, the company is too small to mass market its product so it’s seeking to partner with a larger beverage company. It’s currently in the process of getting the stirring sticks approved by the FDA, so right now, there’s no word on when this may end up in stores.
Categories: Beverages, Technology |
According to BusinessWeek (Aug 7, 2006), although Coca Cola still is the top brand in the world, its value has declined 20% since 1999, to $67 million. Now, their marketing overlord, Mary Minnick, is trying to reverse the trend.
In an attempt to compete with PepsiCo, which sells the Frappuccino coffee drink line in a joint venture with Starbucks, Coca Cola has partnered with Godiva to create a line of mochas and lattes that will be out this year. This is Coke’s second attempt to get into the bottled coffee market. Previously, they had partnered with Nestle to create Planet Java, but that flopped. (Keep reading →)
Categories: Beverages |
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