When Lynne Rossetto Kasper, host of public radio show The Splendid Table, gives advice, I listen. This goes double if the owner of that mellifluous voice is standing right next to you, doling out knowledge with so much enthusiasm you’d be daft not to start taking notes.

This past week, I attended a farm-to-table event hosted by Muir Glen Organics with Lynne and a handful of other food writers and tomato lovers from around the country. Amidst the tastings, the harvest tours, and all the other activities, Lynne dropped this little bombshell of tomato advice that I felt needed to be shared immediately: guys, we don’t always have to peel and seed our tomatoes.

READ MORE »

If you only drink tomato juice while at 30,000 feet, you’re not alone. Turns out there’s a scientific reason why tomato juice tastes better on a plane.

READ MORE »

Sweet, blistered tomatoes and fresh basil are, without a doubt, the stars of this budget-friendly dinner! But the chicken doesn’t hurt either. With just five ingredients and about half an hour, you can be feasting on crispy-skinned, tender chicken piled high with beautiful tomatoes and herbs. This is a simple summer dinner, the best kind.

READ MORE »

Tomatoes grow all over the world, and they play important roles in the cuisines of many cultures (Italia, anyone?). But down in Dixie, we do summer’s favorite fruit right (yep, tomatoes are a fruit). In fact, I’m gonna argue that we do them better than most. Proving this point was a mere few swift keystrokes for my food-writer friend and big time food-appreciator, Jennifer Kornegay. This Alabama gal means it, folks. Here’s her case for the American South’s dominance of delicious tomato dishes. From the humble to the hearty, consider the evidence.

READ MORE »

Who knew that brewing beer at a commercial facility could look so magical and kind of disgusting?

A “breathing sludge monster” is what this is. Want a peek?

READ MORE »

Day 3 Task: Clean and Organize the Refrigerator

Yesterday I threw out all the expired, questionable, or otherwise unappetizing things in my fridge. Today I got down into the dirty, dark side of the two-day fridge task for The Kitchn Cure: the actual cleaning and organizing. With a few cleaning supplies on hand, an easy cleaning guide, and the will to succeed, this task went a lot faster than I anticipated.

There was only one small, gross snag that I encountered in my quest: what exactly is that weird “cheese-like” substance at the bottom of my fridge?

READ MORE »

Yep, you read that right, Tomato Soup Cupcakes. I’m going retro today with these old-school cupcakes. But the tomato soup isn’t a gimmick; it’s the secret ingredient for tender spiced cupcakes with a little air of mystery.

READ MORE »

Last week, I had a serious realization at my work desk. After fishing a crumb of overly crisped bacon out of my keyboard, I stopped mid-bite to stare at the mediocre egg sandwich from a coffee chain in my hand. Why am I eating the saddest breakfast at my desk every morning? Is this even made of real eggs?

While I almost never eat fast food, somehow breakfast had slipped into another territory where it was okay to give in to the one-stop-shop quick meal that was neither fulfilling nor cheap when you added it up. This week, things changed.

READ MORE »

The Kitchn Cure Day 2: Tuesday, August 12
Assignment: Clear out the refrigerator. (See all the assignments so far here.)
Sign Up: Sign up here for The Kitchn Cure

How did Day 1 of The Kitchn Cure go for you? We started off light, but now the real work begins. Today is the first day of our two-day refrigerator task! Instead of tackling both a fridge clearing and deep clean in one day, we’re splitting the project into two parts. Today you’ll simply go through your fridge and toss anything that’s old or expired, and tomorrow you’ll spray, scrub, and deep clean the whole thing.

That doesn’t sound so bad, does it? We’ve also got a few posts to help you decide what to keep and what to toss.

READ MORE »

Late summer tomatoes finally turning red and orange, check. Basil plants still producing loads of leaves, check. Garlic cloves and fruity extra virgin olive oil, check and check. These are the only ingredients you need for the easiest and tastiest 5-ingredient tomato sauce of all time. The results are simple and spectacular.

READ MORE »