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Food Trends March 20, 2018

Top 10 barbecue products of 2013

A poor workman blames his tools, but a grillmaster appreciates his...or hers! It's time to dust off the barbecue and spend a few dollars on products that will help you make better steaks, burgers, dogs, veggies, kabobs and even pizza on the grill. We've compiled a list of the Top 10 Barbecue Products that are effective despite their low prices, which start at just six bucks.

Beach March 20, 2018

Rules for eating at the beach

Ah, the beach, probably the most rewarding part of summer— nothing feels better than hearing the roll of the waves and feeling the heat on your skin.. Here’s the thing about the beach, though — you’re not really going to get the whole experience (as in a tan and a nice relaxing afternoon) if you don’t stay there for a couple of hours. And during that time, you’re likely to eat something, especially if you’re with your family. When heading to the beach with kids, it’s important to be mindful of how to pack a cooler full of snacks and treats and even more important, how to enjoy it properly without a seagull claiming your sandwich for itself. We’re doling out a few guidelines on how to enjoy a meal on the beach solo, with your pals, or with your family. A beach day is supposed to be a great day, so follow these and you’ll be all set.And don't forget to wear sunblock — no one likes looking like a lobster.

Beach March 20, 2018

10 best boardwalks for food in America

The Drifters had it right when they sang "Under the boardwalk, down by the sea, on a blanket with my baby is where I'll be." Boardwalks are where it’s at. Spending a day at a boardwalk is the ultimate summer experience — they're home to amusement park rides, play lands, arcades, shopping, and, most importantly, delicious food. Boardwalks are so beloved, they have inspired songs, been featured in films like Beaches, and provided a backdrop for TV shows like Jersey Shore. The first boardwalk in the U.S. was built in Atlantic City, N.J., in 1870. Today, at least 60 towns nationwide boast a boardwalk. These layman’s landmarks have survived wear, tear, and nasty weather, and continue to be gathering places that appeal to every generation. Visiting a boardwalk isn’t just a great hot weather diversion — it’s a way to support the local economy. Several boardwalks recently reopened after being damaged and then rebuilt, due to devastating hurricanes. Patronizing these venues now ensures they’ll be around for many generations to enjoy. We chose the top boardwalks around the country based on reflection of region, price, and quality of ingredients. Expect plenty of fried delights, cavity-inducing confections, and foods on a stick. Whether you're taking a daylong retreat from the rigors of the working world or a weeklong vacation with the kids, these boardwalks are the places to indulge with abandon. We wouldn’t blame you if you planned an entire road trip dedicated to sampling from every eatery on our list!

Consumerism March 20, 2018

Top 10 cheap eats in the U.S.

Stuck on a budget, but want to eat like a big spender? These Top 10 Cheap Eats Restaurants in the United States offer meals with plenty of flavor and creativity for not much dough. Enjoy everything from Chinese food prepared by a James Beard Award-winner to chocolate bacon brownies without a lot of wear and tear on the wallet.

Celebrity Chefs March 20, 2018

15 essential barbecue ingredients

Summer is here and barbecuing is in full effect. To make sure you’re getting the most out of your grill this summer, we want to make sure you’re well prepared. Cuts of meat have expiration dates and buns will go stale, but there are a handful of ingredients that you can keep in your kitchen that will last you through the summer and add a punch of flavor to your barbecue. To compile this list for you, we consulted editor-in-chief of Grilling.com, Clint Cantwell, to learn some of his essential ingredients that he has on hand that help him with any kind of barbecue he’s getting into. Whether he’s winning state-held barbecue competitions or writing about doing so, Cantwell constantly has to think on his feet, and he’s shared some of best-kept secrets that help him do so. From making sure your spice cabinet is well-stocked to providing shortcuts for the "perfect barbecue sauce," Cantwell has put together a list of ingredients that’ll help you not only master the barbecue but impress your guests, as well. Even a barbecue-guru like Cantwell resorts to store-bought sauces sometimes, but he has a few tips and suggestions for how he makes them his own. Before this list, you may have thought that mayonnaise and mustard were only condiments for post-grilling, but Cantwell shares a few reasons why you might want to bust them out before lighting the grill. No matter what kind of barbecuing you’re getting into this summer, there are a few flavorful sidekicks that you can keep in your kitchen. Use this expertly composed barbecue shopping list to stock up at the store and be well prepared for your outdoor summer cooking.

Food Trends March 20, 2018

7 grill tools you will never need

It's easy to get excited about grilling season, just don't get so excited you do something stupid like buy ridiculous grilling gear. Trust us, if you want to keep your credibility behind the grill, stick with the basic utensils. Here is a list of the top 10 tools you will never need. 

Food Trends March 20, 2018

10 best ribs in America

There are few things in life more delicious and satisfying than a plate of barbecue. And more often than not, the centerpiece of that plate is a rack of ribs. A glistening, smoky, slow-cooked rib, whether pork or beef, has the potential to be one of the most groan-inducingly good foods in existence, especially when enjoyed with a cold, easy-drinking beer. But who makes the best ribs in America? And what exactly makes a perfect rib? We reached out to some of the country’s most renowned food writers and critics, and assembled a list not only of their favorites, but of ribs that are renowned far and wide for their smoky perfection. The only criterion that we provided these panelists was that their picks needed to be bone-in ribs best eaten with your hands and a pile of napkins.  So while we’re certainly fans of Italian-style braised short ribs (famed critic Gael Greene told us that her favorite ribs are the ones at New York City’s Il Buco Alimentari), those didn’t meet our criteria for this list. Renowned food writer and director of the Southern Foodways Alliance John T. Edge, The Washington Post’s Tim Carman, GQ’s Alan Richman, the Los Angeles Times’ Jonathan Gold, and Esquire’s John Mariani all submitted some of their favorites. A couple of panelists also gave us their answer to the question, "What makes the perfect rib?" So what does make for a perfect rib, according to some of the country’s leading experts? Tenderness, sauce-to-meat ratio, smokiness, and good charring. Tim Carman told us, "For me, barbecue spareribs should not fall off the bone like those ubiquitous braised short ribs you find on every chef-driven menu. Your teeth should be engaged in the eating process with spareribs, forced to lock onto the smoky flesh and gently pull it from the bone. The spareribs should also not arrive at your table smothered in tangy/sweet/spicy sauce. I want to taste the meat and smoke and whatever layer of seasonings the pitmaster has applied to the ribs. Sauces can hide defects in seasoning and smoking." And John Mariani said, "For me a great rib is never oversmoked, pink under the skin, with good charring on the outside. The sauce is down my list of virtues, preferring a dry rub to do most of the work. The meat may come off the bone easily but not 'fall off,' and there should be some definite chewiness to the meat." We wholeheartedly agree, so with those parameters in mind, we set off to find the country’s 20 best ribs, building on 2011's list and ranking them according to local renown, critical appraisal, and adherence to the criteria set forth by our panel of experts. A word of warning before reading on: You’ll be hungry by the time you make your way to number one. And if your favorite place isn’t on the list, we also agree with what Alan Richman told us: "In fact, they’re all great."

CUISINES March 20, 2018

10 messiest dishes to make

We all take chances in life, especially with our cooking. Whether it’s using a sharp blade or handling scorching-hot liquids, sometimes we put ourselves at risk when whipping up a great meal. Not only can cooking be dangerous, but it can be messy, too. No matter how many years you went to culinary school or how obsessive-compulsive you are about cleanliness, there are some recipes that are just going to get downright messy. Like breading chicken for example, because no matter how many times you try to remember to use your right hand for dry ingredients and your left for wet, you’ll always end up with sticky and chunky gunk stuck to your fingers.  Or meatballs. How else are you going to mold that ground beef into perfect, neat little balls without diving in hands first into that ground beef and getting it all over your hands and under your finger nails? And don’t get us started on mincing garlic, because the day someone figures out a cure for sticky-minced-garlic-hands syndrome is the day we are happy cooks. Despite all of the whining, this rant isn’t meant to turn you off from cooking, especially cooking these dishes. We couldn’t live without these dishes, not only because of the way they taste when they’re done but because they’re some of the most creative and therapeutic recipes we like to work with. This is meant to celebrate these messy recipes in all of their glory, and to tell you that, hey, it’s OK to get a little messy sometimes.

Gourmet March 20, 2018

Top 10 kitchen tricks from expert cooks

Simplifying strategies, tips, and techniques—from the Real Simple test kitchen to yours.

Food Trends March 20, 2018

Best back-of-the-box recipes

Here at The Daily Meal we value preparing a homemade meal every night, but that’s not often the case for everyone. For some people, the thought of standing over the stove exhausts them, and peeking into the takeout menu drawer seems like a much simpler alternative. Whether it’s a busy lifestyle or the concept of making something "from scratch" is intimidating, there are things that hold some of us back from getting into the kitchen. But a home-cooked meal doesn’t have to be intimidating, and thankfully for us, some of our favorite store-bought food products feature easy, delicious recipes on their packaging that make use of the products we've already purchased. Did you know that you can get homemade gumbo from a Campbell’s Soup can or that you can serve a prize-winning meatloaf with help from Quaker Oats? All of these recipes take minimal time and average skill to execute, and they highlight some of our favorite brand-name foods in ways we never thought of before. Best of all, they’re homemade. From appetizers and main dishes to dessert, these are some of our favorite back-of-the-box recipes that are sitting in your grocery store’s aisles waiting to be put to use. To make these recipes even more unique, we’ve added our own twist to each one so that you can make these recipes your own. So stop letting the kitchen intimidate you and take some help the best back-of-the-box recipes. Before you know it, takeout menus will be a thing of the past.

Food Trends March 20, 2018

Jim Beam's great grandson's guide to tasting bourbon

We met with Fred Noe, Seventh Generation Master Distiller and great grandson of Jim Beam, in Chicago recently, as he shopped his Signature Craft 12-Year at Chicago’s WhiskyFest. Between lunches and general hobnobbing with other whiskey big wigs like Wild Turkey Master Distiller Jimmy Russell, we asked him three things we should be looking for when trying whiskey.