The hottest Food & Drink Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Food & Drink Topics

scientific progress goes "boink"

let them eat cake • 99 implied HN points • 19 Jul 19
🍲 Food & Drink Food Systems
  1. Some startups are automating restaurant services using machines, raising questions about the future of human roles in the industry.
  2. The automation in restaurants may reflect a broader cultural ambivalence towards the value of restaurant work and a shift in profit margins within the industry.
  3. There's a contrast in the vision of the future of dining out, with some advocating for robot-made food while others emphasize the human touch and hospitality in traditional restaurants.

home cooking

let them eat cake • 59 implied HN points • 01 Oct 20
🍲 Food & Drink Home Cooking Food Industry Food culture
  1. Riverside County in California implemented a new bill allowing microenterprise home kitchen operations, potentially changing the food scene for self-employment and equitable employment.
  2. The bill aims to provide economic opportunities for groups like women, immigrants, and people of color by enabling home cooks to benefit independently from their labor.
  3. This bill shifts power away from large restaurant groups by empowering individual cooks to work for themselves and gain direct support from diners.

#28: Ambient uncertainty, Part 2

The Uncertainty Mindset (soon to become tbd) • 79 implied HN points • 13 May 20
🍲 Food & Drink Cooking Culinary Arts Baking Food Science Home Cooking
  1. Pizza making can help you understand and manage uncertainty in everyday life. When you try different flours or toppings, the results can be unpredictable, teaching you to adapt.
  2. Choosing the right flour affects the outcome of your pizza. Using high-quality, less processed flour can lead to unique and flavorful results, embracing unpredictability.
  3. Creating a habit of facing small uncertainties, like making your own pizza, can build your confidence in dealing with bigger uncertainties later on. It turns low-stake situations into learning opportunities.

Food Safety News and Resources | November

The Rotten Apple • 10 implied HN points • 04 Nov 24
🍲 Food & Drink Food Safety Food Fraud Nutrition Public Health
  1. There has been a deadly outbreak linked to McDonald's raw onions, resulting in many cases of illness. This highlights the importance of safe food handling practices.
  2. New studies found harmful substances in bottled and tap water, especially in the UK and China. This raises concerns about water safety for consumers.
  3. Recent research links peanut allergies in children to air pollution exposure. This suggests that environmental factors can play a role in food allergies.
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Meat and Fish

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 19 implied HN points • 14 Jun 22
🍲 Food & Drink Meat
  1. Exclusive discounts on quality meat and fish are available through Masterpass.
  2. Certain farms and companies focus on regenerative agriculture and sustainable practices in producing meat and fish.
  3. Personal recommendations for consuming organ meats and seafood from trusted suppliers are shared.

With bread all sorrows are less

let them eat cake • 99 implied HN points • 17 Apr 19
🍲 Food & Drink Bread Baking Food culture Sourdough
  1. Bread holds a deep significance in our culture and is often underrated in the food industry.
  2. Artisanal bakers have a unique optimism and passion for their craft, creating a different dynamic compared to elite chefs.
  3. The rise of artisanal bread baking reflects broader changes in American food culture, posing questions about human involvement in food production and the balance between tradition and innovation.

Baking has no definite end point

let them eat cake • 99 implied HN points • 17 Apr 19
🍲 Food & Drink Baking Bakery Scale
  1. Baking is a continuous learning process without a fixed endpoint, allowing for ongoing growth and development in the craft.
  2. The evolution in baking has led to the United States excelling in various traditional bread types, while also exploring new creative avenues, like working with ancient grains.
  3. The relationship between bakers and flour has shifted towards more local milling and distribution, creating connections between farmers, bakers, and consumers, while highlighting the challenges faced by small bakeries in dealing with market fluctuations.

Well being - Cattle and Beef

Who is Robert Malone • 19 implied HN points • 29 Feb 24
🍲 Food & Drink Food Industry Health Effects Regulations
  1. In the past, the USA faced a beef shortage resulting in high prices, leading to marketing campaigns like 'Beef, it's what's for dinner'.
  2. Currently, the US is experiencing another beef shortage, with factors like reduced cattle herds, farmer loss, and regulatory burdens influencing prices.
  3. Switching to a plant-based diet might not always be as healthy as it seems, as processed plant-based foods dominate the market and can contribute to health issues like obesity.

What's included?

let them eat cake • 99 implied HN points • 20 Mar 19
🍲 Food & Drink Restaurants Hospitality Pricing Food Systems
  1. Tipping in restaurants impacts the professionalization of the hospitality industry by altering how servers view themselves and their work.
  2. Tipping causes restaurants to underprice their products, erasing the true cost and undervaluing the work of the staff.
  3. Implementing all-inclusive pricing can lead to challenges in balancing wages between front-of-house and back-of-house staff, emphasizing the need for major changes in restaurant pricing expectations.

Issue #95 | 3 Cases of Document Fraud | How to be a Good Auditor | How Bakers Yeast is Made |

The Rotten Apple • 31 implied HN points • 03 Jul 23
🍲 Food & Drink Food Fraud Food Safety Food production Food news Auditing
  1. Food document fraud comes in different categories and can have serious consequences for food safety.
  2. Key attributes of a good food safety auditor include appropriate training, experience, and a detail-oriented mindset.
  3. Commercial bakeries, wineries, and breweries rely on specialized yeast suppliers to provide pure yeast products for their production processes.

The fast food of the future

let them eat cake • 99 implied HN points • 13 Mar 19
🍲 Food & Drink Cookbooks Food Systems
  1. There is a strong scientific consensus that our current food habits are not good for our health or the environment, but changing them poses a challenge due to habits and taste preferences.
  2. Creating a shift towards a diet less reliant on mass-produced meat and sugar requires innovation in cooking and new culinary approaches, beyond what is currently offered by food corporations.
  3. Innovative cookbooks like the 'Superiority Burger Cookbook' are paving the way for a new kind of fast food that focuses on taste, simplicity, and changing the food system one step at a time.

Make it hot

let them eat cake • 99 implied HN points • 06 Mar 19
🍲 Food & Drink Cuisine Ingredients Beverages Food culture Recipes
  1. Hot sauces like Tabasco have interesting cultural and historical backgrounds, often reflecting imperialism and globalization.
  2. Chili sauces in Southeast Asia serve as both condiments and staples, providing pleasure and balance through complex flavors.
  3. Differentiating between cultures that eat chilies versus those that eat hot sauce reveals diverse approaches to spiciness and flavors.

Case-study: sharing home-cooked dinners

Andrei’s Substack • 2 HN points • 04 Mar 24
🍲 Food & Drink
  1. The initial idea of a home-dining experience platform evolved from restaurant recommendations to offering food experiences as a way for users to discover new cultures through home-cooked meals.
  2. The concept of hosting dinner parties with home-cooked meals allowed for genuine human connections and a cozy atmosphere, attracting tourists, new city residents, and people seeking to meet others in real life.
  3. Challenges in making the home-dining concept successful included regulatory limitations, safety concerns, low repeatability for participants, low margins for hosts and the platform, and the need for alternative approaches like selling home-made dishes or focusing on networking aspects.

7 Info-Snacks From My Foraging This Year

The Pamplet • 21 implied HN points • 31 Dec 23
🍲 Food & Drink
  1. The author shares 7 info-snacks from their foraging experiences this year.
  2. The post reflects on a deep curiosity for knowledge beyond just food.
  3. Readers are invited to subscribe for a 7-day free trial to access the full post archives.

Jacket potatoes - a humbling story

The ZIPster • 17 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
🍲 Food & Drink Food history Food culture Recipes Food Industry Food Trends
  1. The author rediscovered the joy of a simple jacket potato meal and its history, showcasing how food preferences can change over time.
  2. Recipe boxes with step-by-step instructions can offer variety and reduce food waste, making meal preparation easier for those not fond of cooking.
  3. The story also touches on the evolution of food trends, from the humble jacket potato shops to modern gourmet takes on this classic dish, reflecting changing consumer preferences.

Issue #87 | Meet the Food Fraud Perpetrators | Good Mould versus Bad Mould | Child Labour in Food | Cotton Candy in the Shower |

The Rotten Apple • 31 implied HN points • 08 May 23
🍲 Food & Drink Food Safety Food Fraud Supply Chain
  1. Some molds are safe to eat and even deliberately added to certain foods for their desirable properties, while others can produce harmful mycotoxins and are considered unsafe for consumption.
  2. Food fraud perpetrators can be categorized as opportunistic or organized, with organized criminals often operating across different industries and committing more complex and long-term frauds with significant impacts.
  3. Child labor violations in the food industry are a major ethical concern, even in developed countries like the USA, where violations have been increasing, and companies within the food industry are found to be the main offenders.

What really drives food cravings

Julia Belluz • 10 implied HN points • 10 Sep 24
🍲 Food & Drink Food culture Nutrition Health Impact Food Industry
  1. Food cravings are mostly due to a subconscious desire rather than just the pleasure of eating. It's about wanting to eat more than enjoying the taste itself.
  2. Cultural eating habits influence our relationship with food. In cultures that celebrate food as a social event, people tend to be healthier and eat less.
  3. Adding vitamins to processed foods could lead to overeating because they make the food seem more nutritious without actually being so. This might contribute to obesity and unhealthy eating patterns.

no. 39: prices paid

let them eat cake • 39 implied HN points • 25 Jan 21
🍲 Food & Drink Southeast Asia Newsletter
  1. The essay discusses the cost of hawker food in Singapore and its relation to fair pricing.
  2. The newsletter emphasizes independent journalism and the importance of supporting it, especially in Southeast Asia.
  3. The author highlights various themes in their newsletter, including the value of food beyond just content and the stories of cooks and bakers.

What I ate for breakfast

Just Enough to Get Me in Trouble • 26 implied HN points • 08 Jul 23
🍲 Food & Drink Cooking Nutrition Healthy living Recipes Food culture
  1. The author's breakfast routine includes cottage cheese with sliced apple, pistachios, and granola leftovers.
  2. He values his morning routine, which includes phone-checking, a staple breakfast, and family interactions.
  3. While he acknowledges room for optimization, he emphasizes the importance of mindful habits and individual choices.

Issue #79 | Botulism: the Putin of pathogens | Cacao or Cocoa - what's the difference | DNA barcoding for food testing |

The Rotten Apple • 31 implied HN points • 13 Mar 23
🍲 Food & Drink Food Safety Food Fraud
  1. Botulism is a deadly foodborne illness caused by toxins, challenging to detect but with severe symptoms and potentially fatal outcomes.
  2. Cacao and cocoa are terms often used interchangeably in the food industry, but have slight differences in meaning and implications.
  3. DNA barcoding is a powerful tool for food safety and fraud investigations, offering a quicker and cost-effective method for species identification and verification.

The local noodle vernacular

let them eat cake • 79 implied HN points • 11 Apr 19
🍲 Food & Drink Food culture Dining Experiences
  1. The author writes about the simplicity and charm of hawker food in Singapore, specifically focusing on the dish 'mee pok tah' that is humble yet delicious.
  2. The evolution of 'mee pok tah' and the choices made by hawkers reflect changing tastes, economic constraints, and a shift in cultural appreciation for traditional ingredients.
  3. Despite changes in hawker food over time, the essence and authenticity of dishes like 'mee pok tah' continue to hold cultural significance and spark discussions about preserving heritage in food culture.

Victims of taxonomy

let them eat cake • 79 implied HN points • 04 Apr 19
🍲 Food & Drink Food Systems Restaurants Food culture
  1. Restaurants often feel the pressure to fit into specific classifications to survive in the industry.
  2. Customer expectations sometimes lead restaurants to prioritize authenticity over flavor or quality.
  3. The American restaurant landscape tends to simplify and categorize eateries, potentially limiting creativity and variety.

Malört Liquidity

Malt Liquidity • 5 implied HN points • 09 Feb 25
🍲 Food & Drink Alcohol Consumption Culture Health Sociology
  1. Many people today drink less or choose non-alcoholic options, which some believe is not a healthy approach to relaxation and socializing. Historically, alcohol has been used as a way to enjoy life and unwind.
  2. Alcohol can help people deal with the stress of social situations and bridge the gap between how we see ourselves and how others perceive us. This balance can create meaningful social interactions.
  3. Younger generations may struggle with drinking due to evolving societal standards and the fear of negative consequences. It's important for people to learn to enjoy life and make mistakes rather than avoiding experiences.

Issue 12 – Mustard

Unbox Inbox • 2 HN points • 06 Feb 24
🍲 Food & Drink Condiments Cuisine Packaging Shopping Brands
  1. Mustard has a long history dating back to ancient times and some popular mustard brands have been around for centuries.
  2. Mustard packaging often embraces vintage aesthetics, channeling a nostalgic vibe with retro designs.
  3. There are various types of mustard to match different preferences; from classic yellow squeeze bottles to unique packaging like tubes and collectible jars.

Sugar Plum Adjacent

Natural Selections • 6 implied HN points • 24 Dec 24
🍲 Food & Drink Recipes Cooking Baking Holidays Nutrition
  1. Christmas is a time for warmth and family, filled with special memories and traditions from childhood. It can include fun decorations and delicious homemade treats.
  2. Even during the holiday season, there's room in our diets for both nutritious meals and sweet indulgences. Enjoying a tasty ginger cookie or fudge isn't a crime!
  3. The recipes shared, like Brown Sugar Ginger Crisps and Mexican Chocolate Fudge, are simple and bring a delightful sweetness that can be shared during celebrations.

What's For Dinner? 🥗

Are You Okay? • 1 HN point • 08 Apr 24
🍲 Food & Drink Cooking Meal Planning Family Meals Healthy Eating Recipes
  1. Cooking for your family can be overwhelming, but with a proper plan in place, you can reduce the chaos and stress around meal preparation.
  2. Simplify your shopping by planning your meals in advance, utilizing local markets for fresh produce, and being flexible with your grocery choices.
  3. Engage your family in the cooking process, reuse ingredients for multiple meals throughout the week, and prioritize family dinner time as a moment to connect and enjoy each other's company.

How to Make Your Holiday Cooking More Sustainable 🥘🌿

Hothouse // Solutions • 5 implied HN points • 02 Dec 24
🍲 Food & Drink Sustainability Cooking Recipes
  1. Plan ahead for leftovers. Thinking of fun and creative ways to use leftover food can help reduce waste and make your meals even better.
  2. Consider reducing red meat in your meals. Swapping it out for chicken, turkey, or plant-based options can make your holiday cooking more eco-friendly.
  3. Try to include a variety of foods on your plate. This not only boosts flavor but also helps promote biodiversity, which is good for the planet.

128 | Food Safety Roadmap | Insect Proteins: High Risk? |

The Rotten Apple • 10 implied HN points • 04 Mar 24
🍲 Food & Drink Food Safety Food Fraud News Resources
  1. Insect-based foods face high food fraud risks due to complex supply chains, high prices, and potential adulteration with allergenic or non-nutritive substances.
  2. Stay updated and navigate changes in food safety audit standards by following a roadmap that includes gap analysis, action lists, internal audits, and incorporating extra resources if needed.
  3. Attend food safety meetups, like the one on March 14th, to engage with industry professionals, discuss emerging issues, and stay ahead in the food safety field.

Food Safety News and Resources | March

The Rotten Apple • 10 implied HN points • 04 Mar 24
🍲 Food & Drink Food Safety Recalls Guidance Webinars Food Fraud
  1. Probiotic supplements containing Clostridium butyricum should be prescribed carefully especially for hospitalized patients to avoid blood poisoning.
  2. Be cautious of food recalls like meat contaminated with non-food grade mineral oil and consider their implications on public health.
  3. Raw cheese recalls should be taken seriously as they can be linked to severe illnesses like E. coli infections, even if recalls are lifted prematurely.

What's Wrong With This Picture (Team Training Exercise)

The Rotten Apple • 10 implied HN points • 04 Mar 24
🍲 Food & Drink Food Safety Training Hygiene Risk Assessment Team Building
  1. The post discusses a team training exercise for front-line workers in food service to identify food safety issues.
  2. The activity aims to get team members thinking about food safety, engage in a risk assessment, and learn about food safety principles such as hygienic design and hand hygiene.
  3. The exercise involves showing an image of someone slicing bacon and asking team members to identify potential food safety problems, errors, or non-conformities.