Cooks' Books: Can You Try This at Home?

Charlie Trotter plans 'sabbatical' after 25 years

(NEWSER) - A Chicago landmark will soon be history. Legendary chef Charlie Trotter is closing his restaurant in August, after a quarter-century of service. It's not a financial matter: "We’ve always been profitable, that’s for sure," he tells the Sun-Times . But Trotter is ready "to put the flag in the sand" and achieve some non-culinary goals, including travel and a graduate degree in philosophy and political theory. More»

And to prove it, he's publishing a cookbook

(NEWSER) - Cancer left Roger Ebert unable to eat or speak —but it didn’t rob his ability to cook. The beloved film critic, who often reminisces about the foods he misses (root beer, Steak ‘n Shake) on his blog , doesn’t mind sharing a restaurant meal or a kitchen cooking lesson with a reporter. “Food for me is in the present tense,” he tells the New York Times . And to prove it, he’s publishing a cookbook. More»

Inspectors not charmed by chef's toad-licking video

(NEWSER) - There's no place for toad kissing in restaurant kitchens, health inspectors warned an Iowa chef. The man was fined $335 after inspectors saw a video of him licking and kissing two small toads before putting them in his mouth, then placing them on a prep table, the AP reports. The owner of the Japanese restaurant—which was cited in June for 14 non toad-related violations—says he'll pay the fine. The owner says his head chef is a funny guy who needs to learn a little more about restaurant sanitation. More»

Penguin reprinting 7K cookbooks over 'silly mistake'

(NEWSER) - Some 7,000 copies of an Australian cookbook are being reprinted after readers discovered a recipe calling for "freshly ground black people." Books already on the shelves will not be recalled. Penguin Group Australia spokesman Bob Sessions said he found the misprint "quite forgivable" because "proofreading a cookbook is extremely difficult." If "anyone is small-minded enough to complain about this very silly mistake, then we will happily replace" the book, he added. The bizarre ingredient was called for in a Pasta Bible recipe for tagliatelle with sardines and prosciutto, notes UPI . More»

Focus, routine, exercise...and also just running around a lot

(NEWSER) - Rotund chefs like Mario Batali and Paula Deen have given way to a crop of stick-thin kitchen wizards who clearly know a thing or two about how to stay slim while being surrounded by food. The Daily Beast gets the skinny from the skinny culinary elite, and won't take "high metabolism" for an answer:

• Taste: Chefs taste their food, the operative word being "taste." Anyhow, one says, "it's possible to work an entire shift and not eat anything, since we're running around all the time." Which leads us to:
• Exercise: Whether its just a byproduct of a busy day, or a concerted gym effort, you've got to burn the calories you put in.