The Feed: January 30, 2013

The Feed is my weekly round up of interesting food-related stories from newspapers, magazines, blogs and websites.

Bon Appétit: “A Beginner’s Guide to Ramen,” by Andrew Knowlton. Ramen is all the rage these days. Bon Appétit has a useful introduction to the Japanese noodle soup, including an overview of the four main styles. Online, there’s also a good video with Chef Ivan Orkin talking about various ways to enjoy the dish.

The Boys Club: “Mixology 101: Stirring Vs. Shaking,” by Russell van Kraayenburg. I generally shake my cocktails, but this primer from the smart cocktails blog The Boys Club has me seeing the light of stirring. While it may be obvious why you wouldn’t want to shake a drink that contains tonic or prosecco, van Kraayenburg explains why stirring is appropriate for other drinks and gives detailed instructions—complete with cool animation—on optimal shaking and stirring methods.

Wall Street Journal: “The Pressure Cooker Is On,” by Kathy McLaughlin. I don’t own a pressure cooker. But after reading many times in the last year about its virtues, I’m ready to buy one. This WSJ piece does a nice job explaining why it’s so valuable and useful for so much more than just canning.

Washington Post: “Super Bowl Smackdown VII: Pizza,” by Tim Carman and Joe Yonan. Carman and Yonan go head-to-head in the Food section’s annual Super Bowl smackdown. This year it’s pizza. Carman gets a little help from 2 Amys to make Papa Peter's Super Bowl Pizza, while Yonan gets his inspiration for Sicilian Slab from Stephen Lanzalotta at Micucci Grocery in Portland, Me.

Mother Jones: “Quinoa: Good, Evil, or Just Really Complicated?” by Tom Philpott. Following in the footsteps of the recent story by The Guardian, Philpott also examines the issue for Mother Jones, taking perhaps a more nuanced look at the issue.