Trendspotting: Fireplace Cooking Makes a Comeback

by Susannah Chen 4

The first time I saw Alice Waters lovingly coddle an egg in her roaring kitchen fireplace, I thought she was crazy. But lo and behold, fireplace cooking is actually making a comeback, as witnessed by cooking equipment retailers, best-selling open-flame cookbooks, and a growing number of restaurants with live fires. I don't doubt the deliciousness of a flame-licked lamb chop or a charred slice of artisan bread, but growing up in humid Houston, TX, we mostly used our fireplace as decoration and storage. What about you — have you cooked out of a fireplace?