Harvard Science and Cooking Lecture Series Available Online

If you’re interested in the science behind cooking, here’s something that’s right up your alley: Harvard University is resuming its popular Science and Cooking lecture series this month. The series is “a collaboration between Harvard researchers and world-class chefs.” To see a list of speakers and dates, head over to Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences website.

The series is open to the public every Monday at 7PM, and seating is first-come, first-seated. Based on last year’s attendance, the series has been moved to a larger auditorium. The lectures, including the archives from last year’s talks, are also available on iTunes and YouTube. (This year’s first lecture from The New York Times food writer Harold McGee is already posted.)

September 13 / 2012
Author Ashley Overstreet
Category Kitchen Tech, Videos
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The Impact of Food Hubs on Communities

…in their best form [food] hubs are more than economic catalysts and efficient truck routes…As much as they pioneer the replacement of lost distribution infrastructure, food hubs are civic leaders, entities that operate educational farms, address food deserts, attend to the socio-economic barriers to going organic, promote philanthropic aims, and provide job training. It’s this civic community-building character of food hubs that truly shows their forward thinking.

via Civil Eats.

Civil Eats writer B.R. Cohen looks at what food hubs offer to their communities. It’s an interesting article not only for what it reveals about food hubs but also for how it posits them as solutions for larger societal problems.

September 11 / 2012
Author Ashley Overstreet
Category Modern Farming, Social and Food Communities, Sustainability
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Next Level Gardening: Seed Saving

Every morsel of food that we eat starts with a seed.

Janisse Ray, author of “The Seed Underground: A Growing Revolution to Save Food,” via Earth Eats

That’s such a simple statement, and yet it’s so profound. Earth Eats interviewed Ray about her experience growing her own food and saving seeds as a way to not only be healthier but also to help preserve our seed supply. The article briefly explains the three methods of pollination and how you can hand pollinate your own plants to avoid cross-pollination.

September 10 / 2012
Author Ashley Overstreet
Category Garden Meets Tech
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  • Modern Kitchen by Pbroks13. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

More Futuristic Kitchen Gadgets

I like staying abreast of kitchen technology. I don’t want gadgets that only do one thing or really don’t serve a purpose, but I do like things that make cooking and prep work more efficient. The Huffington Post has an article on some futuristic kitchen gadgets that will available soon (hopefully). Some of them look useful (a cutting board with a built-in scale, a device that stirs what you’re cooking), but others are interesting purely for the surprise factor. Regardless, it’s cool to see what designers have come up with for your future kitchen.

 

September 09 / 2012
Author Ashley Overstreet
Category Kitchen Tech
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Music, Lighting Change Eating Patterns in Fast Food Restaurant

A new study from Georgia Tech and Cornell University shows that softer lighting and relaxing ambient music in a fast food restaurant affects the eating patterns of customers. The report shows that customers in fancier dining areas will eat up to 18 percent fewer calories than those in typical restaurant conditions.

via Georgia Tech Newsroom.

September 08 / 2012
Author Ashley Overstreet
Category Health and Nutrition
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  • Organic Heirloom Tomatoes by mercedesfromtheeighties. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

The Latest Organic Study Is More Complex than the Headlines

When I read an article in the Kansas City Star on Wednesday about a study showing that organic foods are no healthier than conventional foods, I groaned. I knew (as everyone else probably did…it’s not rocket science) that we were in for a bombardment of articles decrying organics. The Star’s article didn’t run with that headline entirely, including the viewpoints of some locals who will continue to eat organic, but I still wanted to hear what (if anything) the study had left out and if the findings may have been skewed. The study may be accurate, but I’d rather learn more to make that decision. Read more →

September 07 / 2012
Author Ashley Overstreet
Category Health and Nutrition
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  • Corn, Image by Nevit Dilmen licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

In Defense of Corn

Getting corn from the farmers market is one of the highlights of summer for me. Still, I’ll admit that Michael Pollan’s “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” made me look at corn differently, and we continue to see the backlash against high fructose corn syrup in articles and marketing campaigns. But corn itself shouldn’t get the blame. That’s what Nathan Krishnamurthy points out in an article for Culinate that examines the history of corn, its nutritional content and varieties, and even how to buy and cook sweet corn. He concludes that while we are the ones who have complicated our relationship with corn, it “really is a simple food. The challenge is keeping it that way.”

September 06 / 2012
Author Ashley Overstreet
Category Health and Nutrition
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Gojee Releases Mobile Apps for iOS and Android

Today, Gojee launches mobile apps for Android, iPad, and iPhone. (For those unfamiliar with Gojee, check out this article for more information.) Above is the demo video for the Android app. Gojee’s mobile version looks to be as visually impressive as its website.

September 05 / 2012
Author Ashley Overstreet
Category Recipe Aggregators
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Company Is Creating Edible Food Packaging

While the edible casings might sound like a niche, hippie product, if the technology ever became popular it could make a dent in reducing plastic and paper packing for food and drinks. Bioplastic companies — which turn corn, or plant waste into renewable plastics — are going after the same replacement packaging market, but without the edible angle.

via GigaOM.

September 04 / 2012
Author Ashley Overstreet
Category Food Tech
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  • "Emergency - Your help is needed to can the crops." This file was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the National Archives and Records Administration as part of a cooperation project. The National Archives and Records Administration provides images depicting American and global history which are public domain or licensed under a free license.

Home Canning: Then and Now

NPR has a brief article looking at home canning today and during both world wars. Though canning was popular during each of these time periods, it was for very different reasons. During the world wars, canning was a way to rely less on food rations and to prolong the amount of time you could eat from your victory garden. Today, canning is seen as a way to take control over what you eat and to eat more healthily. For those interested in older advertising campaigns (surely I’m not the only one who finds those interesting), the article also contains some of the propaganda images to encourage home canning during wartime.

September 03 / 2012
Author Ashley Overstreet
Category Food Tech, Health and Nutrition
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