Food News

In March this year, Jim Beam released a versatile, near-clear spirit, Jacob's Ghost White Whiskey ($22), in an attempt to appeal to tequila and vodka drinkers, claiming it's "a whiskey both old fashioned and cosmopolitan" that can be treated like bourbon or mixed in cocktails like a clear spirit. While the label is quick to dispel this white whiskey as a moonshine or an unaged white dog, we couldn't help but scratch our heads and wonder what we were in for. A neutral-tasting spirit? A clear bourbon? A mild whiskey? The label explains it's an aged, 80-proof whiskey that has rested at least a year in charred, white oak barrels, and so us food editors raised our glasses and cheered for the best but prepared for the worst.

See what we thought of the white whiskey.

• 7 rules for grilling the perfect burger — HuffPost Taste
• Chef Danny Bowien teaches Jimmy Fallon how to stir-fry — The Braiser
• From wasabi-spiked to brown-butter-infused: bizarre cocktails — Zagat
• Announcing the finalists for the 2013 Association of Food Journalist Awards — Eater
• McDonald's debuts the McPasta salad to Italian locations — Delish
• Grilling tips to make you look like an expert — Refinery29
• Where celebrities dined this week — Grub Street

• The next installment of Modernist Cuisine showcases its photography — Eater
• The sassiest tweets by anonymous Michelin inspectors — The Braiser
• Should you pay the price for New York City's most expensive cocktails? — Zagat
• Shake Shack's ingenious expansion plan — Grub Street New York
• World Nutella Day lives on — Delish
• Why didn't we think of this to-go burger caddy? — HuffPost Taste
• How to throw an Arrested Development viewing party — BuzzFeed Food

• 10 things that need to go into the Paula Deen museum — Grub Street
• Iron Chef America launches frozen meals — Eater
• World Nutella Day will continue on after all — HuffPost Business
• Chez Panisse isn't just reopening on any old day — The Braiser
• Chef Danny Bowien's headed home to Oklahoma for disaster relief — Zagat
• The latest thing in pork: marijuana-fed pigs — Delish
• A short history of warm goat cheese salad — Blue Apron Blog

Put a box or two of cereal in our office kitchen, and it's rarely long for the world; the latest offering from Barbara's Bakery, Barbara's Snackimals Cereal ($5), was no exception. As soon as we set these adorable animal-shaped breakfast bites out for a taste test, the hungry masses descended like a pack of wolves to see if they were up to snuff, and — spoiler alert — they were, and then some. Keep reading to see which flavor will break you out of a breakfast rut.

When you've written as many books as Martha Stewart has (she's up to a whopping 77 by her own count), finding ways to add something new can be a challenge. But at a recent round table hosted by Stewart to kick off the Macy's American Icon campaign, the doyenne of American entertaining told us that readers can still learn a lot from her cookbook Martha's American Food: A Celebration of Our Nation's Most Treasured Dishes, From Coast to Coast.

In it, Stewart gives a regional overview of what makes American food so special and includes recipes for everything from Indiana succotash to New York cheesecake. "American cooking is really an amalgamation of all the world's cuisines because we're the quintessential melting pot," she told us last week. "This book kind of incorporates by region what all those foods are."

So what sets this book apart from the rest of Stewart's oeuvre? Keep reading to find out.

• The 10 hottest places to drink whiskey in the US — Zagat
• Rachael Ray and Guy Fieri imitate Anchorman — The Braiser
• San Francisco institution Tadich Grill expands to DC — Grub Street San Francisco
• A look at the world's weirdest candies — HuffPost Taste
• Momofuku Milk Bar's Christina Tosi on baking the perfect pie — Eater
• The latest in Chick-fil-A scandals — Delish
• Watch chef Traci Des Jardins make a burrito for space — Inside Scoop SF

To honor 50 years of being in business, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has released its new limited edition Birthday Cake Ice Blended ($4) drink, out starting today and available until Sept. 2. We've seen a slew of cake batter ice creams and frozen yogurts, so we were excited by the prospect of a cake-flavored frozen beverage from the makers of the Original Ice Blended Drink. Keep reading to see our review.

• Why Mario Batali didn't finish culinary school — The Braiser
• Seamless and GrubHub have merged companies — HuffPost Food
• One customer pays a restaurant back, 15 years later, with interest — Zagat
• Gordon Ramsay is teaching Bradley Cooper to cook for a film — Eater
• Rain, drama, and cancellations at this year's GoogaMooga — Grub Street New York
• Behind the scenes at a Rice Krispies treat competition — America's Test Kitchen
• Is it OK to change diapers in public at Starbucks? — Delish