Ephemera

The FOOD52 "52"

January 27, 2012

Inspired by the Saveur 100 list, pierino started a lively discussion on the FOOD52 Hotline about your favorite food-related finds of 2011. We had a lengthy staff email chain that was pretty similar. So we took the highlights from both, tallied things up and put together a list of our own.

We didn't end up with exactly 100 items but we have a lucky number around here (can you guess what it is?), so we went with it. And here it is: The FOOD52 "52"

Blood Bones and Butter  California Olive Ranch

Shop the Story

1. Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton

2. California Olive Ranch Olive Oil

3. Evernote: If I adapt or use a recipe in a cookbook that I like well enough to make again - it goes straight into Evernote with my notes attached. Digital cooking has changed the way I cook, and the way I eat in many respects. -BurntOfferings

The Belly of Paris Canal House And Everlasting Meal

4. Mark Kurlansky's Translation of The Belly of Paris

5. Canal House: The books, the daily emails (Canal House Cooks Lunch), we love everything these ladies do.

6. An Everlasting Meal by Tamar AdlerShe set out to write a modern day How to Cook a Wolf and she did a fantastic job. Nothing has inspired me to cook more. - Linzarella

7. Foodily

8. The MeadowA specialty shop in Portland and New York which carries all manner of salts, bitters, and chocolate. -hardlikearmour

9. Patrick Roger's ChocolateThe BARS, folks! Not sure they're available outside Paris, but they're unbelievably wonderful (and I am not a chocoholic). -ChefJune

Craft Coffee Weck JarsLucky Peach

10. Craft CoffeeA subscription coffee service. They do an excellent job all around -- interesting sources, thoughtfully assembled -- and I really enjoy the element of surprise every month. -amanda

11. Weck Canning Jars

12. Lucky Peach

13. Michael Ruhlman Books: Started with "Twenty" and worked backwards - they are all amazing! -cookshootblog

14. Warren Pears from Frog Hollow FarmThey're very dear at almost $4/pound, but totally worth the splurge. I can't imagine eating them any way but straight up. They're perfect. -vvvanessa

15. Nespresso Machines 

 

Molecular Gastronomy Great Food Series Remedy Quarterly

16. Modernist Cuisine: The ultimate food geek's treasure. If you've gotten your hands on a copy, you know why. 

17. Penguin's Great Food Series: Classic food writing in exciting little packages. The book designs make you want to buy them all, and why shouldn't you? 

18. Remedy Quarterly: A small and sweet quarterly filled with lively writing and "recipes for feeling good."

19. Eataly: Yes, we're fans. The chocolate hazelnut truffles are a daily indulgence at our office. And lunch wouldn't be the same without Eataly nearby. 

20. Carciofini Selvatici Torre Saracena from Zingerman's

21. Pasta di Gragnano: The dried pasta from Italy's first dried-pasta factory is pressed through rough bronze forms and dried in the cool mountain air of Graganano outside Naples. The result: homey, toothsome pasta primed to cling to any kind of sauce. 

22. Bulleit's Rye

Gotham GreensEat Your BooksFive Acre Farms

23. Gotham Greens: We love local produce, and these delicate lettuces and beautiful herbs are grown right in Brooklyn.

24. Eat Your BooksNo more rifling through 300 cookbooks looking for that recipe you vaguely recall loving. -peartart

25. Five Acre Farms Local Milk: Positively local. We're happy to be within this farm-to-table company's 275-mile radius. 

26. Green Wind Farms Maple Syrup

27. Sustainable Kosher Meat: Thanks to sources like EcoGlatt, KOL Foods, and Grow and Behold sustainlable meat is more accessible to all households. 

28. Red quinoa 

29. American Cheesemongers: Something exciting is going on in the domestic cheese world. Artisanal raw milk cheeses are being produced right under our noses, and while we love a great import, we're thrilled to support the cheesemakers next door. 

30. Domestic Bean-to-Bar Chocolatiers: From the Mast Brothers in New York to Dandelion Chocolate in San Francisco, we can't get enough of the domestic chocolate that's being produced. 

31. Benton's Bacon: Everything you wished bacon could be: thick, porky, and oh-so-smoky. It's the favorite of many chefs, and you can get it sent to your door.

32. Freekeh

33. Popped Sorghum: It looks like mouse popcorn! -amanda

NOMAFOOD52 Cookbook Home Made

34. NOMA: There's no denying that the restaurant, the chef, and the book were all major talking points in 2011.

35. The FOOD52 Cookbook: Cheers to our community for making this happen!

36. Home Made by Yvette Van Boven: We love the idea here -- make more things at home -- and we're doing our best to take on more DIY projects in our kitchens. 

37. Food + Tech Connect

38. Baking competitions at Omnivore Books in San Francisco: Lucky you, if you live in San Francisco!

39. Oaxaca al Gusto by Diana Kennedy

40. Artisan Cheese Making at Home by Mary Karlin

41. Rye Flour from Anson MillsBe sure to stick your nose in the bag right when it arrives. Smells nutty, complex, and so fresh. -Rivka

42. Eagle Rare BourbonIn fact, any bourbon; personally I'd never tried it before 2011. (thanks f52!). -creamtea

Emile Henry Flameware Kaufman Mercantile Hario Ceramic Skerton

43. Emile Henry Flameware

44. Kaufmann Mercantile 

45. Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill Skerton

46. Tableware from CB2: Don't be surprized if you see a few pieces from here in upcoming FOOD52 photos. 

47. Bellocq Teas’ The White Duke: We're smitten with Bellocq's packaging. So far their 'The White Duke' blend is our favorite. 

48. ZiteIt's a magazine that you customize to your interests, and it has a food and cooking section... Food news, recipes, articles all in one space. -drbabs

49. Soda Stream: Remember when Amanda got one? These things are life-changing.  

50. Fuzzy Logic Rice MakerI had no idea that I was living like a wild animal. Thought that dried out or soggy rice with a burnt bottom was the only option. -Niknud

51. L.A. Burdick's almond madeleines & Milk Hot Chocolate Mix 

52. Saveur's Garlic Peeling Video (see below): This video (and the method) has already become a classic.

 

See what other Food52 readers are saying.

  • orlenda
    orlenda
  • ntt2
    ntt2
  • garlic&lemon
    garlic&lemon
  • ChefJune
    ChefJune
  • HeatherM
    HeatherM
I'm a freelance food and prop stylist, writer/editor, and video producer.

34 Comments

orlenda February 12, 2012
wow-love number 52-totally awesome!
 
ntt2 February 8, 2012
This is an amazing list -- and already a life changer for me! For the last 15 years I have tried to figure out a way to list all the recipes I want to try, where are the ones I've tried and loved, and avoid all the little pieces of paper stuck in magazines and cookbooks. I tried scanning indexes, using an excel spread sheet -- all to no avail. I am so in love with Eat Your Books -- it is heaven!!! thanks, nt
 
ntt2 February 8, 2012
This is an amazing list -- and already a life changer for me! For the last 15 years I have tried to figure out a way to list all the recipes I want to try, where are the ones I've tried and loved, and avoid all the little pieces of paper stuck in magazines and cookbooks. I tried scanning indexes, using an excel spread sheet -- all to no avail. I am so in love with Eat Your Books -- it is heaven!!! thanks, nt
 
garlic&lemon February 1, 2012
This is a great list! I am more excited about this one than about the Saveur 100 because most of the list is accessible! Evernote may change my over-stuffed 3-ring binder method of keeping track of recipes (currently bursting out of 3 binders). Thanks!
 
ChefJune January 31, 2012
I LOVE this list! Now I have to go find that olive oil. It sounds fabulous.
 
HeatherM January 31, 2012
Thanks for publishing this! So fun. How super fantastic is the Hamilton family? Love Blood, Bones & Butter, Canal House, and of course Prune.

I happened to purchase the Hario coffee mill for my boyfriend for Christmas, and I wouldn't dare go back to my "coffee grinder" (more like coffee destroyer) now.

Must go find Belly of Paris now.
 
pierino January 31, 2012
I bought the Hario myself, but I actually use it for grinding spices; cumin seed, fennel seed etc. Be sure to grind in the clockwise direction only or you can damage the ceramic burrs.

The great thing about the Kurlansky translation of Belly of Paris is that his annotations give you the historical back drop to France during the Second Empire. If you like this you want to read his own non-fiction works; COD and A BASQUE HISTORY OF THE WORLD.
 
Kristen E. January 30, 2012
SodaStream is a settlement product. It is illegal and should not be on your list. Please remove SodaStream from this list, not my comments. www.codepink.org/boycottsodastream
 
Amanda H. January 30, 2012
Kristen, this is not the appropriate place for you to express your political views. There are plenty of other places online where you can express these views -- and we will continue to remove any inappropriate comments. You just joined food52 today, and the only participation you've had in our community is to make politically-charged comments. That's not how this community works.
 
Zahra February 7, 2012
I support Kristen because it is the truth, not a political view! The Sodastream problem is a huge human rights situation. You guys are responsible for the products you endorse and should know the full story before endorsing something. When you endorse products made in a war zone, you should know or at least be able to defend your pick. There are plenty of other home carbonation systems out there that are not made with the blood of innocent people. You guys have the privilege of being heard by thousands of people, you need to take the responsibility that comes with that. Please do your research before endorsing a company that is making fraudulent claims.
 
KirstenW January 30, 2012
Wow! Thank you so much for the kind mention of our extra virgin olive oils from California Olive Ranch. We are so very honored to be in such incredible company. Thank you, Food 52 and fans!

Warmly,
Kirsten
 
pierino January 31, 2012
Luckily for me I live in Paso Robles and can buy California Olive Ranch products at my local supermarket. I love the Arbequina.
 
Zahra February 7, 2012
I love your Olive Oil. Yaaaaay for local oil.
Thanks
 
daisybrain January 29, 2012
I took a class with Todd Coleman (Gujerati Vegetarian Cuisine) at ICE. He demonstrated that garlic peeling technique. It's genius and he's a great teacher. That class was so much fun.
 
Julie C. January 29, 2012
Finally made it to Eataly from Chicago, and I'm a believer. Try the gluten-free pasta they have there; it tastes like "real" pasta, not gummy or oddly textured.
 
BoulderFoodie January 29, 2012
Found it! P.O.S.H.!! Love that store! www.poshchicago.com
 
BoulderFoodie January 29, 2012
Anyone remember the name of the store in Chicago that was in the old Food52 shop. They would often have great finds from Paris. I loved "window shopping" on that website.
 
creamtea January 28, 2012
What fun! I'm going to be on the lookout for California Olive Ranch. and thirschfeld, I thought cheddar-bucket water sounded sorta interesting....
 
BoulderFoodie January 28, 2012
Great list! Much to check out! I would add to it French Broad Chocolates. Their truffles are amazing! http://frenchbroadchocolates.com/
 
Beautiful, M. January 28, 2012
This is such a great list with both things I know and love, and things I will need to check out.

-Fuzzy Logic Rice Cooker-- just got one and happy so far
-Lucky Peach-- of course it's fun and interesting, but it also the only food magazine I have to hide from my kids for bad language
-Soda Stream-- I've been tempted for a long time. If Amanda says it's life-changing...
-Freekeh-- need to try it, because I sure like to say it
-Remedy Quarterly-- because it is lovely and I am so excited to be included in the next issue, coming soon!
 
Zahra February 7, 2012
Soda Stream is being made in illegally occupied land in Palestine and fraudulently labeled as "Made in Israel". iSi makes a great home carbonation system without taking stolen land and ruining innocent lives.
 
Panfusine January 28, 2012
Speaking of popped sorghum.. it makes for a wonderful snack coated in caramel and shaped into balls. (look for them under the name Rajgira chikki in India grocery stores)
 
Panfusine January 28, 2012
sorry.. got my cereals wrong...Rajgira is actually popped amaranth.. they make the popped sorghum look like Capybara popcorn!
 
thirschfeld January 28, 2012
The Canal House ladies are my heroes, anything from Anson Mills rocks, try their farro and sea island red peas and their rye flour fortunately they let you buy the stuff by the 10 pound bag. Got a soda stream for Christmas and it is a game changer. I have yet to make soda, probably won't, but the variations you can create on sparkly water are amazing. Try aging you water in a cheddar bucket before carbonating it.
 
thirschfeld January 28, 2012
that should say cedar bucket
 
hardlikearmour January 28, 2012
Great list, and I'm glad to see the Meadow up there! I really love that store, more than I suspect is natural or healthy!
 
feucht22 January 28, 2012
Genius! Particularly love:

Ms. Hamilton
Canal House
Emile Henry
Foodily
Eat Your Books

Would also add Amanda's Essential NYT Cookbook (even though it was 2010)! I used it heavily in 2011.
 
Souzakh January 27, 2012
I can personally endorse!
- Blood, Bones and Butter
- California Olive Range Olive Oil
- Evernote
- Lucky Peach
- Michael Rulhman books
- Bulleit's Rye
- American Cheesemongers
- Nespresso Machines
- Penguin's Great Food Series (except many of these are available from the public domain)
- Zite
- SodaStream

I can't wait to say I can endorse
- Eagle Burbon

and I wish I saw the book
- Mission Street Food
on the list.