12 Food Trends That Need to Die

Sadly, it's not as exciting as it sounds

(NEWSER) - Just in case KFC’s Double Down isn’t sufficiently artery-clogging for you, Carl’s Jr. has the solution: A footlong cheeseburger. Creatively dubbed the “Footlong Cheeseburger,” the $4 sandwich is being tested in at least one California restaurant, the Orange County Register reports. The good news: The sandwich actually sticks out of the to-go bag. The bad news: Rather than crafting an actual footlong burger, Carl's Jr. employs three normal-size patties. More»

64-ounce takeaway bottles offer cheaper alternative to bar-hopping

(NEWSER) - Looking to host your Super Bowl party with beer that’s a bit more interesting than Coors Light? Look no further than the current beer trend sweeping New York: Growlers. The 64-ounce glass containers allow for fresher, cheaper, more interesting beer in the comfort of your own living room—and everyone, including parents with kids in tow, is jumping on the bandwagon, reports the New York Times . More»

Don't just cook with it; mix a drink with it

(NEWSER) - After decades relegated to a spot in the cooking aisle, sherry is making a comeback. The Spanish fortified wine is becoming a trendy cocktail ingredient, especially in Los Angeles, the Times reports. The drinks can get pretty swanky—one involves gold dust; another, reportedly loved by Frank Sinatra, flamed orange oil. “You see a lot of going back to classic cocktail ingredients,” says one restaurateur whose establishment aims to recapture “Old Hollywood swell-egance.” More»

One new highbrow bottle, with 27% alcohol, costs $150

(NEWSER) - Beer with a high alcohol content is in the spotlight after two breweries announced supercharged creations—Boston Beer Company's Utopias, with 27% alcohol, and BrewDog's Tactical Nuclear Penguin, with 32%. Are they good for the average guzzler? Salon gets details from expert Brooks Hamaker:

• They don’t come cheap: Utopias will set you back $150 a bottle.
• Yes, it is beer: Regardless of alcohol content, it’s made from barley, malt, hops, water, and yeast—but it’s not carbonated, "or at least not very well," because of its high sugar content.

A good cocktail is timeless; this trend is not

(NEWSER) - Not even a month after one mag wished for the speakeasy trend to die, Gossip Girl (yes, a show about high school and college kids, but that’s another topic) is pounding another nail in the cocktail conceit, Derek Brown writes. With one of the show’s characters opening a Prohibition-style joint—“an authentic trend … co-opted by teenie-boppers and dumbed-down programming”—the trend has clearly “jumped the shark.” More»