The Feed: April 17, 2013

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

Washington Post: “The Washington Post Cookbook,” by Bonnie S. Benwick.
Three cheers to Bonnie Benwick, who is deservedly pleased to see the publication of the Washington Post Food section’s first cookbook, an effort she oversaw last year while serving as interim Food editor when Joe Yonan was on hiatus (a task she exceled at, as evidenced by the Post’s win in my Food (Section) Fight! last year). Benwick provides a nice preview of the book, out this week, which is comprised of recipes from the Post’s archive chosen by readers.

U.S. News and World Report: “You’ll Gladly Die for Your Children; Why Won’t You Cook for Them?” by Yoni Freedhoff.
Echoing themes from Michael Moss’s Salt Sugar Fat, Freedhoff examines why many parents too often turn to unhealthy convenience and restaurant food for feeding their children and offers some suggestions for how to change this.

Washington Post: “Greek salad days,” by David Hagedorn.
Hagedorn presents an insightful look at the Greek salad, describing its classic form (horiatiki) and some modern twists courtesy of D.C. chefs serving Greek-inspired plates, including Mike Isabella, whose Greek eatery Kapnos is due to open soon. The best part of this article is the revelation that the new chef at Ripple is planning a hybrid panzanella-Greek salad featuring fried bread with garlic and thyme. I’ll definitely be heading there this summer. He includes some great recipes, including his take on the horiatiki and dakos, a Cretan salad similar to panzanella.

New York Times: “Ice Cream’s Identity Crisis,” De Gustibus by Dan Barry.
As a kid, I loved Breyer’s Ice Cream and, even though I didn’t care about ingredient like I do today, I remember being struck by their ads proclaiming the ice cream was made with just milk, cream, sugar and natural flavors. Barry reveals that today’s Breyer’s is a very different product, with many of its newer flavors having strayed from the company’s natural origins to use all sorts of processed ingredients. I found, for example, that Breyer’s Extra Creamy Vanilla contains diglycerides, one of the ingredients the brand thumbed its nose at in this ad from 1983. So processed are some Breyer’s flavors that they can’t even call it “ice cream.”

Salon: “Sustainable pork farming is real,” by Barry Estabrook.
Salon profiles Missouri pig farmer Russ Kremer, whose farm that uses sustainable methods to farm pigs was the inspiration of Chipotle’s recent memorable ad. It’s an interesting story about why Kremer abandoned more industrial methods of raising pigs after it almost killed him.

The Kitchn: “12 Food Writers Share Their Favorite 3-Ingredient Cocktails,” by Faith Durand.
While I have no fear of wild cocktail concoctions, sometimes it’s nice to keep it simple. The Kitchn has assembled a great list of easy classics like the Negroni, Moscow Mule and “Pink” Gin.

The Atlantic: “Look How Quickly the U.S. Got Fat (1985-2010 Animated Map),” by James Hamblin.
It’s clear that obesity is a serious problem in America. This animated infographic shows just how quickly this has spiraled out of control: in the late ‘80s, there were no states with obesity rates above 15 percent; in 2010 there were no states with obesity rates below 20 percent. Yikes.