The global grilling flavors Americans are only now catching up to

July 22, 2026

The global barbecue seasoning market will surge past $9 billion this year, fueled by a massive consumer appetite for international flavors. Home cooks are rapidly shifting away from predictable salt-and-pepper rubs, favoring complex, globally inspired profiles. While exciting flavors represent a thrilling new frontier for Western backyards, most of them are ancient, time-tested foundations of open-flame cooking in cultures around the world. North America dominated the barbecue seasoning market in 2025 with a value of $3.8 billion, with the United States driving much of the growth. ...

A plate is now optional for a generation that hates meal planning

July 22, 2026

More than half of Americans now combine prepared foods with ingredients from their own kitchens to create hybrid meals, according to The Food Industry Association. For a growing number of younger consumers, dinner has become an act of assembly rather than cooking. Rather than cooking an entire recipe from scratch, shoppers purchase individual components and combine them into a complete meal in minutes. Dinner might look like frozen rice topped with rotisserie chicken and a bagged salad, a plate of frozen dumplings paired with edamame and packaged slaw or pre-cooked grains mixed with ...

Enjoy some light, delicious summer pasta

July 15, 2026

If you are looking for recipes for light fresh-tasting summer meals look no further than your own garden. Add a box of pasta and enjoy summer pasta dishes, the perfect way to use that abundance of zucchini, tomatoes and herbs. The sauces are light, made with olive oil or butter, pasta ...

Take advantage of okra’s slime to make pillowy Summer Vegetable Scallion Pancakes

July 15, 2026

If the South had a mascot, it would be okra. You love, hate or have an unfounded fear of okra — and the same is true of the South. There’s no vegetable more polarizing than this poor little pod. And it’s only one part of okra that tends to bother people: the slimy seeds. Now I seek ...

Knock out summer meal-planning with a nutritious, make-ahead solution

July 15, 2026

FEATURE IMPACT — If your summer schedule is already crammed with cross-country trips, social events and activities for the kids, the last thing you likely want to think about is meal-planning. Fueling up for all those fun moments that summer can bring requires a little extra energy, ...

A guide to eating oysters

July 15, 2026

METRO — Eating oysters can be a unique culinary experience. Generally speaking, oysters are served raw on the halfshell. Oysters can take on the specific flavor characteristics of the water they grow in, something known as “merroir,” which is derived from “mer,” the French word for “sea.” Currents, runoff from land and other elements all affect the flavor of the shellfish, says Merroir.me, an informative forum for home cooks. There is a certain etiquette and even some safety rules when enjoying oysters. Here are some tips to follow. — Keep oysters cold. When ...