The Feed: December 4, 2013

Fan of sriracha? Better stock up. Read the CNN story below to find out why.

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

San Francisco Chronicle: “Judy Rodgers of Zuni Cafe dies,” by Paolo Lucchesi.
Years ago, Chris and I visited San Francisco’s Zuni Café hoping to try its burger that we’d heard was one of the best in the country. Disappointed that they didn’t serve it at dinner, we opted instead for the roast chicken with bread salad, which at the time we didn’t realize was the one dish the restaurant is most known for. It was amazing, and I’ve made it periodically ever since. So I was sad to hear that Zuni’s chef-owner Judy Rodgers died of cancer yesterday. In addition to this story, the San Francisco Chronicle also published eight of the restaurant’s classic recipes, including the burger and the roast chicken with bread salad.

New York Times: “Stand-Alone Food Section Faces Demise in Bay Area,” by Leslie Kaufman and Kim Severson.
This story is a little older, but I wanted to include it, in case you hadn’t heard that the San Francisco Chronicle has planned to discontinue its food section early next year. Food coverage will continue, but be integrated into the paper’s lifestyle section. This is sad news for food section fans like me. I devoted a weekly feature last year to the coverage of the Washington Post Food and New York Times Dining sections. I am thankful they continue to be great sources of food stories.

CNN: “Sriracha factory ordered to put a lid on smell after locals pepper city with complaints,” by James O’Toole.
Heads up sriracha heads: better stock up. Huy Fong Foods, the California-based producer of the most popular brand of sriracha hot sauce in the United States was ordered to shutdown operations until it makes changes to address complaints from neighbors that the plant’s odors cause watery eyes and headaches. If this isn’t resolved soon, the popular condiment could become quite scarce or possibly very expensive.

Washington Post: “25 chocolate and fruit-filled Christmas cookie recipes,” by Food section.
Enough with the bad news. This is The Washington Post Food section’s annual holiday cookie issue! They’ve gathered 25 delectable recipes with an emphasis on chocolate and fruit, including honey maple pecan bars (which I’m pretty sure I’ll have to make), salt caramel millionaire’s shortbread (wow, that looks good too) and spicy peanut and coconut no bakes (which appeared on yesterday’s Kid’s Post page). Oh, and there’s pine nut shortbread with goat cheese and balsamic glaze. I could go on and on.

NPR: “Coffee Maker Cooking: Brew Up Your Next Dinner,” by Michaeleen Doucleff
It steams, poaches and even grills (maybe). It’s lightweight, doesn’t make a mess and chances are you already have one in your kitchen. Doucleff investigates cooking a meal of salmon, couscous and vegetables using nothing other than a common drip coffeemaker.

New York Times: “The Ceramic Canvas,” by Jeff Gordinier.
Gordinier examines the art of plating: how chefs arrange the food on your plate. There are a surprising number of ways dishes may be plated, and chefs have their own styles for how they do it. Gordinier talked to 11 different New York chefs about their unique visual styles for plating. Be sure to check out the slide show.

Vulture: “How Food Network Created and Lost Foodies,” by Jesse David Fox.
Fox traces the 20-year programming history of the Food Network, and his relationship with it over most of those years, which has gone from devoted to uninterested and then to reacquainted. During that time, he discusses how the network’s emphasis has changed from chefs to home cooks to reality and competition shows.

The Modern Farmer: “The Modern Farmer Pie Chart of Pies,” by Molly Birnbaum.
I had to share this super cute infographic on what pie you can make seasonally each month of the year. Of course, it’s arrayed in a pie chart.