Slashfood

• A grocery store scanner than can identify your apple
  

  Filed under: On the Blogs, Food News

  About a year ago, I went shopping at a new grocery store. To my surprise, this store expected you to take your bagged produce over to a scale, select the variety of fruit or veg and print out a label to apply to the bag. This was done in the name of saving the check-out person the work of having to determine what type of apple or lettuce you'd just heaped into your grocery cart and speed things along. I was a little irritated when I first had to do it, and although I've come to enjoy playing with the...
  



• Fresh corn, a little butter and vanilla sea salt
  

  Filed under: Vegetables

  
  In May, I blogged about my discovery of Halen Mon Sea Salt with Taha Vanilla. It was great on fish, but I haven't used it much since. It's been taunting me from my spice drawer for a while, until I realized...
  
  I had exactly one ear of corn sitting in my fridge. (Only one, because I HATE the struggle to de-corn my teeth after.) I threw it into a pot of boiling, salted water while I grabbed the mortar and pestle to grind some of the Halen Mon with some regular sea salt into a nice powder. When the corn was done, I...
  



• The Toronto Star in 60 seconds: Noodles, basil, and wine galore!
  

  Filed under: in sixty seconds

  
  • You know you're set when you're loved by Susur Lee. Two Ossington noodle destinations, The Golden Turtle and Pho Tien Thanh offer superior meals and get patronized by the famous chef.
  • It's basil time! The plant is booming and it's the perfect time to pick up some green and purple leaves from Ted Thorpes 10,000 plants. The basil is available at farmers markets like Riverdale, Brickworks, and Duffering Grove, which I'm definitely heading to tomorrow for a pesto fix.
  • Some tasty wines from around the world: Rodney Strong 2006 Chardonnay, Cathedral Cellar 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Bouchard...
    
  
  
  
  • The deliciousness of rolled steak
    

    Filed under: Beef

    
    Last night, I met up with a friend for sushi and a movie. While I was pouring over the nigiri section, he was scheming up his salmon rolls and something super-tasty that I hadn't had before -- Negima Yaki. It's thinly sliced grilled beef wrapped around green onions and lathered in teriyaki sauce. It's basically small rolls of awesome, making me daydream about cooked rolls of beef all day.
    
    And then I see one of yesterday's posts on Serious Eats. It featured the picture above, for rolled flank steak with chimichurri. You can check out the mouth-watering recipe there, but in the meantime:
    
    Do you...
    
  
  
  
  • Is it rude to bring a laptop to the dinner table?
    

    Filed under: Dinner, Trends

    
    With entertaining and often addictive websites, such as YouTube, it has become common to find computers at the dinner table. It seems that over the past few years, dinners with friends have involved gathering around and looking at videos online. The computer is clearly changing social dynamics around the dinner table. A few weekends ago, while eating at a friend's house, my friend commented that she would not mind if she never saw a computer at the dinner table again. I wondered: is it poor etiquette to bring a laptop to dinner?
    
    Is there something inherently wrong about a group...
    
  
  
  
  • The Baltimore Sun in 60 seconds: Staycations, beer and pickles
    

    Filed under: Newspapers, in sixty seconds

    
    
    • Trading your vacation for a staycation this summer? That's no reason not to indulge in home cooked vacation meals.
    • After being outstripped by wine in 2005, beer is back on top, according to the 2008 Gallup Poll of US consumption habits.
    • The many varieties of pickled tomatoes, beans and beets that used to be on our dining tables have been replaced by the ubiquity of the cucumber pickle. Explore a little and pickle something out of the ordinary (they've got a recipe for pickled grapes).
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    • Review: Bud Light Lime
      

      Filed under: Beer, Raves & Reviews, New Products, Summer

      Going nationwide last July, Miller Chill quickly became ubiquitous at stores. This summer, Anheuser-Busch tried targeting the flourishing lime-flavored beer market as well, launching Bud Light Lime in April with $35 million in advertising. Since then, the macro-brew's been bragging about its success crediting the roll-out for an increase in 2nd quarter profits and summer market share.
      
      Enough jabber-jargon... Do I want to drink it??
      
      Personally, my taste buds sour at the mere thought of giving a Bud Light spin-off the full taster's treatment, but just for kicks, let's...
      
    
    
    
    • Will McDonald's double cheeseburger wind up cheese-less?
      

      Filed under: Business, Fast Food

      
      A few months ago, a lot of McDonald's franchisees were complaining about having to advertise for the dollar menu. When the price of everything started going up, they didn't want to have to pay extra to advertise for items that bring in less revenue.
      
      Well, it turns out that their complaints have worked. McDonald's is considering changing things up, starting with the double cheeseburger. The Consumerist is reporting that McDonald's is considering a couple of options. One option...
      
    
    
    
    • Sprouty Greek salad
      

      Filed under: Soups/Salads, Summer

      
      Another item in my latest organic basket was sprout mix. While I've eaten them out, I had no idea how to prepare them. Do I cook them in something? Keep them raw? Grind them? When in doubt: salad!
      
      The sprout mix was a great addition to the classic Greek salad above. Tomatoes, cucumber, and onion were mixed up with the sprout mix, feta, lemon juice, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil. The sprouts gave a nice crunch to the salad, and made it a nice, filling meal.
      
      But that's only one option. What would you do with a sprout mix? I've got more waiting to...
      
    
    
    
    • Hebrew University study shows that red wine can increase your longevity!
      

      Filed under: Wine, Science, Beef, Poultry, Did you know?, France, Health & Medical, Food News

      Over the past few years, as wine has undergone repeated studies, it has started to seem like the modern-day fountain of youth. According to its various supporters, it can fight off streptococcus bacteria, reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease, and flush one's system with antioxidants. Still, all of these pale beside wine's greatest claim to fame: the so-called French paradox.
      
      For years, scientists have wondered how the French, who have one of the most saturated-fat rich diets in the world, manage to have such...