Food & drink

Food & drink

Protein has been stealing the spotlight lately when it comes to nutrients we should be getting from our food. But there's another nutrient that's equally important and beneficial: fiber. Fiber aids with bowel health because it passes through the body rather than being absorbed by it; it helps lower cholesterol by preventing the body from absorbing amounts of that, too, from certain foods; and it behaves similarly with blocking sugar absorption and therefore helps maintain healthier blood sugar levels.

But how nutritious it is compared to fresh fruit depends on a few factors. Freeze-drying is actually pretty awesome at preserving the fruits' nutrients, such that research in Plants Journal described freeze-dried fruits as "a concentrated source of nutrients and phytochemicals." Aside from water, you're not missing out on much of the vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial compounds present in the fresh version. In fact, up to 90% of nutrients can be retained.

When we think of canned food, we often envision the recognizable offerings on supermarket shelves. But there exists another world of tins that never reach, or ever plan to reach, that stage. They are products of small companies, family businesses, and craftsmen who value quality rather than quantity. There are those who venture into hand-catching and hand-packaging tinned fish, while others trade in full-bodied meats canned by Mennonite farmers using techniques passed down over centuries.

At the age of forty, after achieving considerable success cooking in the French technique, he turned away from the European culinary model to become an apostle of fire and primitivism. Drawing upon childhood memories and indigenous South American techniques, he began cooking over (and beneath, and within) open flames, building iron domes from which to suspend matrices of chickens and root vegetables above smoldering bonfires, affixing whole cows to metal crucifixes to slow-cook for days.

One thing about me? I love to eat and drink. It's honestly the only thing that can pull me out of the occasional existential crisis. And while I'm busy inhaling my favorite snacks, I often catch myself wondering, "Who thought of this?" Well, turns out, a lot of our beloved foods weren't invented by culinary geniuses; instead, they were happy accidents. Researching one origin story sent me spiraling into a rabbit hole of delicious mistakes that turned into global favorites. Here's a list of them.

Unlike other regional cuisines spanning the landscape of Deep South states, fried chicken is universal to all, with only slight variations based on flouring techniques, type of frying oil (bacon grease, by many accounts), and what kind of pan to use. As a native Southerner since birth, I'd surely tried them all - yet had somehow, until recently on a trip to Memphis, missed the granddaddy of the best fried chicken chains: Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken.

"There's no harm in using it," Sarda says. "It's the same principle behind why a pinch of salt is essential in baking - it does not make the cake taste salty; rather it makes it taste richer with chocolate or vanilla." Just as in baking, adding a pinch of salt to other foods, such as watermelon, often enhances the sweetness of that food. Science has proven that the receptor cells on our taste buds react favorably to the marriage of salt and sweet.

According to the Egg Safety Center, when kept cold at about 45 degrees Fahrenheit or below ( which most refrigerators are), fresh eggs stay safe for up to five weeks past the carton's "Julian date," which is the date it was packed. The "expiration" label marks peak quality rather than safety. Inside the shell, a natural protective layer and steady refrigeration keep bacteria at bay far longer than most people realize.

Shoppers have recently spotted a new bakery find that they can't get their hands on fast enough: Mini Beignets Filled With Chocolate Hazelnut. The mini beignets are stuffed with chocolate hazelnut spread and coated in a dusting of sugar. Each pack comes with 22, so you can feed your entire family (and then some) for $9.99 - an absolute steal!

Step into the always-buzzy Hop Alley in Five Points, Denver, and you'll be hit with the hubbub of lively table conversation and sizzling woks in the kitchen. Most tables have a plate of la zi ji, a signature dish in which chicken thighs are battered and fried to an almost shattering crispiness, and arrive covered in dried, crushed Chinese chilis, Sichuan pepper, and Ichimi Togarashi.

While famous fast food chains may have started as burger joints and fried chicken stands to satisfy lunch and dinner crowds, most now offer a full breakfast menu. McDonald's egg McMuffin and crispy hash browns won American hearts and tummies early on but Sonic is a fast food chain with a seriously underrated breakfast menu worth exploring. We tasted and ranked 12 Sonic breakfast items and found that the SuperSonic breakfast burrito is the item worth ordering every single time.

Forget chives and butter. What your baked potatoes really need is a Philly cheesesteak twist. Born on a street corner in Philadelphia, the next-level sandwich has long encapsulated the city's vivacious essence with its bold, intense flavors. Now, just imagine that same greatness crowning steaming hot, fresh-off-the-oven potatoes. No longer is the starchy base just predictably creamy and boring. The dish's overflow of cheese-smothered meat and veggies ensures that it arrives at your table dressed in the finest flavors.

On a Friday night in Ottawa's Hintonburg neighbourhood, Sophia Marco scans the drink menu at her local bar. Around her, friends laugh over cocktails and beer, but she's eyeing the mocktail section where prices hover around $14 or $15 a glass. Since she switched to non-alcoholic options, what surprises her most is that mocktails tend to be around the same price as the cocktails.

If there's one invention I'm the most grateful for, it's bread. Oh my god, YESSS give me gluten. Because let's be real, bread has seen us through it all: heartbreak, deadlines, and that one unread email we keep ignoring.

Offal, once relegated to the fringes of the British table, is enjoying a quiet renaissance From neighbourhood restaurants to pop-ups, chefs are rediscovering the richness and versatility of ingredients like liver, heart and sweetbreads. This revival speaks to a growing commitment to sustainability and nose-to-tail cooking - a philosophy that values the entire animal and reduces food waste. Beyond the environmental benefits, offal brings depth, heritage, and character to modern British dining, reconnecting eaters with a more conscious way of cooking.

Somehow it's already time to start thinking about giftinggood thing there's plenty of holiday markets on offer this weekend. DIYers can try a Champagne and ceramics class or some block printing, while festive spirits are uplifted at the Glide Holiday Jam. For those not quite ready to dive into the frenzy, there's Sunnyvale Restaurant Week, Oakland Cocktail Week, and plenty of collaborative dinner and drink sessions.

I've avoided chain restaurants for years, but I've become more familiar with them since my teenagers started requesting to visit spots like Chili's and Applebee's. My 17-year-old son and his girlfriend often hit their favorite ones on date nights, and have long been singing their praises for BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse - a chain my husband and I had yet to visit.

Gertie - the Williamsburg Jewish diner and deli that closed in June - is coming back in full force in a new Brooklyn neighborhood this month. Gertie 2.0 will open in Prospect Heights at 602 Vanderbilt Avenue, near St. Marks Avenue, on Friday, November 21.

In the 1990s, the diminutive burrito shop Tacos Villa Corona in Atwater Village had an eat-in counter, a bulletproof partition, and Rage Against the Machine's Zack de la Rocha and I were regular customers (usually not together). By the time Anthony Bourdain blew up the spot on The Layover in 2012, the inside seating was long gone, the neighborhood had largely gentrified, and TVC had become beloved by locals, celebrated for its comforting, affordable burritos and a smoky chile de arbol salsa.

Being immigrants, they knew what it's like to have the struggle, right?

Since its launch in January 2022, Graza's dark green squeeze bottles have become a favorite among influencers, chefs, food writers and InsideHook editors. While the brand still innovates in the olive oil space with releases like Frizzle - an EVOO for high-heat cooking - it has expanded its offerings beyond a little drizzle and sizzle with bags of olive oil-infused popcorn and potato chips.