Chef's Diary | Grist

Grist — A Beacon in the Smog

Food anecdotes and healthy recipes from a restaurant kitchen

The cheapskate’s dilemma

Lessons on the food system from the ammonia-hamburger fiasco 25
Posted 5 Jan 2010 12:04 PM by Tom Philpott
The New York Times reported last week that school cafeterias and fast-food joints have been adding a cheap, ammonia-ridden beef product known in some quarters as "pink slime" to hamburger mixes. Tom Philpott mulls that revelation in light of a food system that profits from cheapness. Read More
Stirring the pot

Nationwide “eat-ins” show way to a revived National School Lunch Program 2
Posted 10 Sep 2009 9:00 AM by Kurt Michael Friese
Across the nation on Labor Day, more than 20,000 people turned up at picnics to rally support for healthy school lunches. Read More
Shell game

UPDATED: The cruelty of industrial egg-riculture—plus a tasty recipe for your local pastured eggs 10
Posted 1 Sep 2009 3:36 PM by Kurt Michael Friese
Kurt Michael Friese cooks in Iowa, the state that produces more eggs than any other in the nation. So believe him when he says to avoid flavorless, ecologically troubling industrially produced eggs--and listen to his ideas for cooking with pastured eggs from small farmers. Read More

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Fork in the road

Let’s (re)do school lunch 18
Posted 17 Aug 2009 4:00 AM By Kurt Michael Friese
It's time to get active in the campaign to improve school lunches, says Chef Kurt Michael Friese. Read More
Andalucia in a bowl

From southern Spain, the king of summer soups 2
Posted 3 Aug 2009 6:05 AM By Kurt Michael Friese
When high summer comes, it's time to turn off the oven and reach for the blender. Kurt Michael Friese delivers the goods on gazpacho, a recipe imported from Spain but best made with your local summer bounty. Read More
Catch my drift?

With a gust of wind, an Iowa crop duster can squash an organic farm 18
Posted 16 Jul 2009 11:40 AM By Kurt Michael Friese
Usually, small-scale organic farmers avoid interacting with GMO seed giant Monsanto simply by avoiding its seeds. But one such grower in Iowa got a nasty blast of Monsanto's power anyway, literally from the sky. Read More
Lunch-hour follies

As GOP politicians take the school-lunch debate to new lows, perk up with berry ice cream 2
Posted 2 Jul 2009 7:40 AM By Kurt Michael Friese
School lunches are notoriously dismal--warmed over processed dreck. How depressing that state-level GOP politicians are rallying round the lunch-room status quo. Kurt Michael Friese cheers up with homemade berry ice cream. Read More
Slicing and dicing reality

From “local” Lays to Oprah’s KFC promo, hypocrisy abounds in the food world 2
Posted 29 May 2009 7:03 AM By Kurt Michael Friese
Everyone's a little bit of a hypocrite, but the food industry takes the cake, says Kurt Michael Friese. The recent declaration that megabrand Lay's potato chips are "local" send him to his kitchen to whip up some real local chips--plus an easy recipe. Read More
Farm team

In the lush dirt of Iowa, community grows alongside veggies 4
Posted 7 May 2009 6:10 AM By Kurt Michael Friese
Think of Iowa farms, and most folks get images of vast cornfields devoid of people. Things couldn't be more different at ZJ Farms, near Iowa City. Read More
Sorrel of the story

From a zingy spring herb, a soup for sipping on the porch 2
Posted 23 Apr 2009 4:30 AM By Kurt Michael Friese
Gardeners and gastronomes fawn over sorrel -- and almost everyone else ignores it. That's a shame; it's is a powerful addition to soups and sauces, and tasty in salads when picked young. Read More
Ramp it up

Stalking the wild leeks of spring 3
Posted 8 Apr 2009 6:23 PM By Kurt Michael Friese
What could improve a forest walk in early spring? Spotting a bunch of that delicious wild relative of the leek known as the ramp. Read More
Think Outside the Lunchbox

For a quick fix to school-lunch woes, pack an appealing salad and dip 5
Posted 19 Feb 2009 11:21 AM
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A Chicken in Every Plot

Cheap-chicken ad from KFC hides true cost of food; here’s a tastier, low-cost alternative 18
Posted 5 Feb 2009 3:34 PM
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Menu for a New Day

Ruminations on the Obama era, with a side of spicy peanut sauce 3
Posted 22 Jan 2009 1:13 PM
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Recycles of Life

When you get fed up with separating trash, make a quick-and-easy Spanish-style tortilla 11
Posted 8 Jan 2009 12:19 PM
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For some families, the holidays are all about the grub 1
Posted 11 Dec 2008 10:02 AM By Kurt Michael Friese
Reclaiming the beauty of Thanksgiving 2
Posted 25 Nov 2008 3:12 PM By Kurt Michael Friese
To make the Thanksgiving centerpiece a sure triumph, go heritage—and reach for the deep-fryer 5
Posted 13 Nov 2008 3:23 PM By Kurt Michael Friese
How I beat KFC’s ‘family meal’ challenge 46
Posted 30 Oct 2008 3:04 PM By Kurt Michael Friese
From Iowa’s apple orchards, a delicious heirloom and a recipe for stuffing 3
Posted 16 Oct 2008 11:16 AM By Kurt Michael Friese
How to turn black walnuts into a delicious dish 2
Posted 2 Oct 2008 3:36 PM By Kurt Michael Friese
When the basil plants get out of control, reach for the mortar and pestle 4
Posted 18 Sep 2008 3:02 PM By Kurt Michael Friese
A few thoughts on an amazing event—and a recipe for a delectably slow-cooked pasta sauce 6
Posted 4 Sep 2008 2:53 PM By Kurt Michael Friese
When the tomato harvest gets out of hand, the tough get canning 2
Posted 21 Aug 2008 9:07 AM By Kurt Michael Friese
The dog days of summer mean bountiful farm stands and spicy salsas 4
Posted 7 Aug 2008 3:25 PM By Kurt Michael Friese

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