Did you know that for some time in their history both Devil’s food cake and red velvet cake shared a similar red hue? They were both baked with a combination of natural cocoa powder and “red” aka brown sugar. These cousin cocoa cakes share a surprisingly similar history with a charming difference.
(Image credit: Cluny)
Vacation Rental: Beautiful Family Home in Rockridge, Oakland, California
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests
Price: From $275 per night; five-night minimum
Why We Wanna Cook Here: We’re suckers for a breakfast bar. And this one is eight feet!
This spacious house was recently redone, but still has plenty of rustic charm. Just look at that breakfast bar (did we mention it’s eight feet?), the farmhouse sink, the painted window trim, and that Wolf oven! There’s just so much to love about this kitchen.
For 30 days this month we’re exploring Whole30, the 30-day reset and refocus on whole foods. Whole30 isn’t a diet or a judgment of foods as “good and bad.” It’s actually a short-term reset that has helped many of our readers cook more and figure out the foods that make them feel their best. Read more about our coverage here.
The first time my husband, Chaz, and I did Whole30 we went into it with tepid excitement. We were excited because It Starts with Food, the Whole30 book that combines program guidelines with science, was the first time my super-crunchy side and my husband’s medical knowledge finally collided!
But we were also nervous because, even though we understood the reasoning behind the Whole30, it still felt impossible. We had so many questions: Will we be totally miserable? Can we seriously do this? Will we be empowered to eat better once we’ve done the program? Will this really change our lives?
We’ve now done it five times — and we learn something new each time. Here are the 10 biggest things we’ve learned. They’re all lessons that would have been good to know ahead of time, so I hope they’ll help you before you get started!
If you are a food-lover, chances are you are familiar, at least in passing, with Oakland, California. Perhaps you’ve flagged the East Bay city as a day trip, a single-day diversion from the main attraction, San Francisco, which is rightly renowned as a mecca for food-lovers. But you’d be wrong to relegate Oakland to the sidelines.
That’s not to say that if you hop on the BART, hitch a ride on the ferry, or drive over the Bay Bridge, you’ll be disappointed in your short-lived foray. No, the opposite is true. This East Bay charmer will have you wishing you’d allowed more time to explore its multi-faceted (and seriously delicious) dimensions.
Here, five Oakland locals share their very best bites in their hometown.
Vacation Rental: Modern Zen Studio Cottage in Temescal, Oakland, California
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
Price: From $95 per night
Why We Wanna Cook Here: Cozy morning vibes.
Okay, so you can’t really cook much in this tiny kitchen, but it has a mini fridge and a microwave, which means you can make bacon and eggs. And it’s a five-minute walk from shops, cafes, and restaurants in the Temescal neighborhood, making takeout a totally feasible option.
Ever notice how some arguments have had the same opposing sides for what seems like all of time? We’re exploring the discourse around common kitchen arguments in our series on ancient debates and food rivalries. There are always two sides to a story, and sometimes everyone’s right.
Have you ever gotten into a good-natured screaming match with someone you’ve only known for two-and-a-half days? We did. It was about pizza.
It won’t be surprising that we met at a program dedicated to food writing. Predictably conversations centered on food, and on the 4th of July, the topic wandered into pizza. We were off.
At the heart of a cheese ball is, of course, the cheese, so it’s important that the cheese used is a great one if you want stellar results. Almost any cheese can be transformed into a party-friendly ball, but we have a few favorites that we always turn to when building our creation. Here are our top five picks.
After marching down every aisle at the Winter Fancy Food Show this week, I realized that some of my favorite bites were decidedly cheesy and savory, helping to counteract the endless booths of cookies and chocolates.
If you also love cheese snacks, check out these new ways to devour them all day long. And look for them to start popping up in grocery and specialty stores soon.
Planning a first birthday for your own little one? Attending a first birthday party as a semi-enthusiastic guest and helpful cake-maker? You’ll want to read these stories before that wonderful 365th day.
When it comes to our favorite Chinese foods, the path from China to our plates isn’t as straightforward as you’d think. Several books that have come out in recent years — such as Chop Suey, Chop Suey USA, and Chow Chop Suey (no joke!) — tell the story of a uniquely American cuisine that was born out of a complex relationship between Chinese immigrants and their host country. (There is currently an excellent exhibit on this very topic at the Museum of Food and Drink in New York City.)
Turns out, going into the restaurant business was one way that Chinese transplants established themselves in a country that, through racial discrimination and harsh immigration policies, made it extremely difficult to do so.
