This reminds me of the Seinfeld bit about maximum strength aspirin. “Figure out what will kill me, and then back it off a little bit.” Death Wish Coffee is the only common household food product that I’ve seen promote a skull and cross bones warning. It claims “highly addictive.” Thanks to Howard Schultz for exploiting what a bunch of Italian guys do in a “bar” every morning and afternoon, we’re a strong coffee obsessed nation. Death Wish takes that to the max by combining the strongest beans with what they call a perfect roasting process. We imagine blow torches and heat shields are involved. They even dropped this juice in vodka for a limited Death Wish Coffee Vodka run. Apparently only available in Albany New York though.
More Food Stuff
Six Foods Chirps Chips
We love our chips here in America. The ladies of Six Foods wanted to make something better than the potato chip that was also sustainable. Chirps Chips were born from cricket flour saving 1999 gallons of water compared to what it takes to make a cow. it used to be have your cake and eat it too. In this healthful thinking food climate it’s turned into have your chips and protein too. The Six Foods team has launched with three flavors, BBQ, cheddar and (the classic) sea salt. I couldn’t find much on their process just yet but I’m sure there’s more knowledge to be dropped soon as Chirps hit the shelves. For now dig into a combo pack.
Impossible Burger
Impossible Foods has been on our radar ever since they announced that they were attempting to make meat from plants. After a 4 hour Google rabbit hole session, we emerged with an understanding that “hem” is a cell structure found in both traditional protein and plants. The part we love most about this endeavor is that it’s not about adding another tofurkey into the world to give vegetarians faux meat on their tastebuds. It’s about the opposite. Supplying the ever growing meat eating world population with something that satiates our salivation for umami while the supply of cows fails to meet demand, is now possible. Getting an Impossible Burger of the limited supply at Momofuku Nishi (the only place they are currently available) may still prove impossible.
Top 5 Canned Tomatoes for Sunday Sauce
This story will end your hunt for the perfect tomato. Here’s my slightly quirky yet educated guide on these famed fruits. While San Marzano tomatoes may be hyped up, the best canned tomatoes are the ones that you can easily find in your neighborhood. This guide features my top 5 canned tomato selections, all plum tomatoes, with a focus on use in Italian recipes.
Top 5 Canned Tomatoes
Caluccio
This Italian plum tomato comes from the San Marzano area near Salerno and has the official D.O.P. designation. The ingredients are simply Italian plum peeled tomatoes, tomato puree, citric acid, and salt.
Marco LaBella San Marzano
Also from the San Marzano area, these plum tomatoes have been grown by the Visconti family since 1957. The label is charming, and the lack of added salt is a plus.
Mutti
Although not grown in the San Marzano area, these plum tomatoes from Parma are a go-to for me because they have the least amount of ingredients. It’s just plum tomatoes and a little tomato juice.
San Marzano Brand
Despite the confusing branding, this canned tomato produced and packaged in America is a delicious option. Ingredients include citric acid and sodium chloride but no basil leaf, which can be added separately.
Bianco de Napoli
Canned by chef Chris Bianco in California, these plum tomatoes are my new obsession due to their intense, rich flavor.
Watch this video to dive a little deeper and hear my favorite.
These top 5 canned tomatoes have got you covered, whether you’re making sauce, gravy, pizzas, lasagnas, and more. Don’t let the hype of San Marzano tomatoes fool you. The best canned tomatoes are the ones you can easily find in your local grocery with the least added ingredients.
World Salt Tower
The first thing they placed on our cloud white, spotless, linen clade table at Per Se in NYC was a lidded porcelain bowl shaped like a flower. With dramatic flare, the cover was lifted to reveal six different salts. A second waiter began explaining the different flavors, regions and usages for the white gold as I fell into reverie about the efficiency of the container. My spice closet is incredibly organized and uniform but I often am hunting for all my finishing salts in order to decide which to use. The World Salt Tower both remedies this problem and reloads my stash of salts for all culinary occasions. Now I can decide between my volcanic black, Himalayan pink, Malden or French coast grey sea without freaking out that my halibut is getting cold and my guests are getting restless.