Famous Flavors

The Competition Gets Fierce The Competition Gets Fierce (Image Credits: MISSING SOURCE) Americans spend over $80 billion a year on burgers, with or without toppings – more than double what they spend at pizza restaurants. This massive market has intensified competition between chains, pushing them to improve both taste and ingredient quality. After surveying approximately 96,000 readers about their experiences at 65 chains, our readers told us that quality of the food has become more important in their dining decisions, and convenience of location is less so than in our 2011 report. The shift reveals that customers are willing to … Read more

Sweet Potatoes From Okinawa Sweet Potatoes From Okinawa (image credits: pixabay) In the traditional Okinawan diet, the staple carbohydrate is the antioxidant-rich sweet potato rather than rice, and the sweet potato is a high-quality carb so it doesn’t whack out your blood sugar levels. This vibrant root vegetable forms the cornerstone of what researchers call one of the healthiest diets on Earth. The traditional Okinawan diet was based on vegetables and beans, with the most calories coming from purple and orange sweet potatoes. These aren’t your typical orange varieties either – Okinawans consume purple and white sweet potatoes packed with … Read more

The Truth About “Fresh” Eggs The Truth About “Fresh” Eggs (image credits: unsplash) Not all eggs are created equal in fast-food restaurants, especially at McDonald’s. The round eggs on the McMuffin come from fresh-cracked eggs, but his least favorite is the folded egg, which is stocked as a frozen, fully cooked egg square and heated up before it’s placed on the chain’s biscuit and bagel sandwiches. Workers reveal that there’s a clear hierarchy of egg quality within the same restaurant. The round eggs used in breakfast sandwiches are genuinely fresh and cracked on-site, giving customers the best quality product. Meanwhile, … Read more

Baked Alaska: The Theatrical Dessert That Lost Its Stage Baked Alaska: The Theatrical Dessert That Lost Its Stage (image credits: Baked Alaska Uploaded by Willscrlt, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28575136) Baked Alaska used to show up on restaurant menus as a special shared dessert but not so much anymore – except for old-school restaurants like Delmonico’s in NYC, which is said to have invented the dish to celebrate the US acquisition of Alaska in 1867. It showed up on restaurant menus, reportedly to celebrate the United States acquisition of Alaska from Russia. Sadly, you won’t find it on many menus now, … Read more

Not Using a Thermometer for Oil Temperature Not Using a Thermometer for Oil Temperature (image credits: flickr) Many of the experts we spoke to recommended keeping a close eye on oil temperature to achieve perfectly fried breaded chicken. One of the biggest mistakes home cooks make is guessing the oil temperature rather than measuring it precisely. One of the most common mistakes people make when cooking fried chicken is not letting the oil heat up enough. This can result in chicken that is greasy, soggy, and not as crispy as it should be. The key to perfect fried chicken is … Read more

Brown Derby – The $93,000 Can That Shocked Everyone Brown Derby – The $93,000 Can That Shocked Everyone (image credits: unsplash) Vintage beer cans, including rare Brown Derby examples from the 1930s, have become highly sought-after collectibles, with some reportedly commanding significant prices in the collector’s market. Brown Derby was first produced after Prohibition in 1933 for West Coast Grocery, but by the 1950s, it was being exclusively sold in Safeway stores. Despite its success, changes in ownership and market dynamics led to the discontinuation of Brown Derby Lager in the late 1980s, when it was discontinued after Safeway sold … Read more

McDonald’s Revamped Their Entire Burger Assembly Process McDonald’s Revamped Their Entire Burger Assembly Process (image credits: unsplash) McDonald’s announced in May 2023 that they were making “small but tasty improvements” to their most iconic burgers, including the Big Mac, McDouble, cheeseburger, double cheeseburger and hamburger. Though the ingredients largely remain the same, changes to the preparation of the sandwiches would improve the quality of the finished product. The modifications weren’t just cosmetic tweaks either. McDonald’s promises that its buns will be “softer” and more “pillowy” than existing offerings. The grilling process is being modified to get a better sear on … Read more

Starting with Cold Eggs Straight from the Fridge Starting with Cold Eggs Straight from the Fridge (image credits: unsplash) According to expert Grace Vallo, founder, chef, and recipe creator for the food blog Tastefully Grace, using cold eggs is a mistake because they cook unevenly. Most people grab eggs directly from the refrigerator without thinking twice, but this creates uneven cooking that results in streaky, inconsistent textures. Bringing eggs to room temperature can take time if you do it naturally, simply leaving them on the counter. After about 10 minutes, they should be ready to crack, stir, and then scramble … Read more

Creme Savers Makes Their Sweet Return Creme Savers Makes Their Sweet Return (image credits: pixabay) Creme Savers, the fruit-and-cream swirled hard candies that were discontinued in 2011, returned in recent years. Creme Savers were discontinued in 2011. Still, these suckers held a special place in the hearts of those who lived in the 1990s. A tweet by educator and national speaker Jon Paul in August 2021 told folks that if you remember the candy, “your knee pops when you stand up,” garnering over 31,000 likes. Two months later, Creme Savers triumphantly returned, under the new stewardship of confectionary revival company … Read more

Carnation Breakfast Bars Carnation Breakfast Bars (image credits: By Evan-Amos, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16942986) Carnation Breakfast Bars were introduced around 1975 and remained popular clear through the 1980s and into the early 1990s as well, before they were officially discontinued in 1997. These weren’t just any ordinary granola bars – they were marketed as “the instant breakfast you can get your teeth into” and featured crunchy centers and granola with a sweet, smooth chocolate layer on the outside. The bars enjoyed success in the ’70s & ’80s and were particularly popular with kids and teens, but as those kids got older, sales … Read more