Salon has an article today talking about an oven-mitt showdown between the Brighton, Mass., test kitchen that produces Cook’s Illustrated and Food52.com, produced by New York Times food columnist Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubs.
At issue: Is a test kitchen better than an army of blogging home cooks? A recipe contest will decide the winner.
My favorite points the article brings out:
1. “home cooks are the original ‘old guard’ of cooking”
2. “with blogged recipes … it’s hard to know whether they come from a talented or trained chef, or are simply the musings of someone who is a disaster in the kitchen.”
It seems chefs, professional cooks, and test kitchens are starting the feel the same competitive heat that journalists have been feeling for years. And now it has come to this: A blogger who wears an apron over her pajamas while taking pictures of her food is someone to reckon with.
May the best recipe win!
To listen to my conversation with Amanda Hesser about her book, “Eat, Memory” click here.
Kitchen Report 
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