http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

(Image credit: Mimi Thorisson)

Enabled by images of two-hour lunch breaks, picture-perfect farmers markets, Julia Child-approved hearty stews, baskets of bread, and pastry shops dotting every city block, it’s easy to reduce French eating habits to caricature. While some of those things are prevalent (not the two-hour lunch break — that’s fading fast), culinary predilections among French people today go well beyond romanticized cultural narratives.

Here, five Instagramming food lovers lend a glimpse into how the French really eat (spoiler: Veggies prevail, but so do pastries).

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

(Image credit: shutter stock/Shutterstock)

This is the time of year when we all love to get away — from work, from school, from paying the electric bill. We don’t really care where we go, as long as we’re away. And if you’re escaping the heat en famille — whatever family may mean to you — a rental house can’t be beat. It allows you to sprawl out, have personal space, and not have to endure a 30-minute wait for the bathroom. It’s great for making big family-style meals, a chance to gather after being scattered throughout the day.

And it provides all the comforts of home — well, most of them. I always bring this trusty, slightly bizarre kitchen tool with me to make my vacation rental feel more like home. Can you guess what it is?

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

The World’s Easiest Cookies Just Happen to Be Paleo, Vegan, and Gluten-Free

(Image credit: Samantha Bolton)

As a word, Paleo has become a catch-all for a dietary protocol informed by evolutionary nutrition. The term alone may raise some eyebrows, as this practice is still so often associated with cavemen and, lets be honest, lots of meat. But a reductive definition robs us of the nuance that makes something like the Paleo diet so interesting — and oftentimes very helpful when it comes to the eternal question of what should I eat? In conversation with some of my friends who have eating habits informed by some of these principles, I’ve discovered a few snacking principles that have made their way into my daily routine with much success.

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

(Image credit: Lauren Volo)

Let’s talk fancy cheese — specifically French cheese, or fromage, if you will. While you might find a couple of the basics at you local grocery store, maybe a brie or a camembert, it’ll take some more work to get a slew of the other great cheeses France has to offer. So when you’re finally presented with an array of different cheeses from France at a great cheese shop, what do you reach for? Close your eyes and follow your heart and don’t think about all the money you’re about to spend. Your choice can say a lot about who you are.

We want to know: What’s your favorite French cheese? Got it? Now let us tell you what that says about you as a person.

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

(Image credit: Liz Clayman)

Love, cheese, bread, tying scarves, protesting — the French seem to have it all down to an enticing and enviable science. Now add day-drinking to that list. Having a drink en terrasse or outside at a café or bar is a near daily activity in France (no matter the weather), and the secret to doing so in daylight hours without stumbling home before the sun sets and the dinner bell rings lies in the aperitif.

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

(Image credit: Jerrelle Guy)

This sandwich, a classic of southern France, is perfect picnic fare. It’s a Niçoise salad in a sandwich that wants — nay, needs — to be made in advance, so the bread soaks up the delicious flavors.

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

(Image credit: Mike Flippo/Shutterstock)

Pan bagna is a beloved sandwich in Provence. The warm breezes of the Côte d’Azur, the delicate sand, the crispy baguettes — a gentle rosé and a pan bagna are the makings of a magical picnic. I won’t be strolling at Cannes anytime soon, but here are four reasons why pan bagna is at the top of my always-ready-for-a-picnic list.

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

(Image credit: Elvetica/Shutterstock)

It’s the eighth hour of your road trip and you’re famished. What do you do? Fast food feels like the easy answer, but wait! There’s another way.

Before you pull up to that window and order a cheeseburger and fries, consider the surprising yet obvious alternative: the grocery store. Grocery stores are usually easy to spot, just off the highway, and nearly as quick, yet so much better than a greasy paper bag of fast food. Here are five strategies to turn a grocery stop into a smarter road trip meal.

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

(Image credit: Brittany Keats Cerullo)

Okay, I know what you’re thinking: You want me to carry heavy stone jugs with me when I camp? Hauling beer steins when you have to hike for miles to a campsite may prove to be an additional challenge you don’t want to conquer, but if you’re only walking a short distance to a campsite or if you’re car camping (or picnicking or eating al fresco in your backyard — you get the idea), you may want to consider bringing a few of these go-to German souvenirs along. Here’s why the beer stein is the MVP of outdoor drinking.

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

(Image credit: GE Lighting)

France seems like a food lover’s paradise, filled with open markets brimming with the season’s freshest fruits and vegetables. But when I moved to Paris in 2008, everyone was whispering about another place to shop for food. “It really makes my life easier,” my friend Jérôme tells me. “It’s my secret to a stress-free dinner party,” says another friend, Pierre. It’s called Picard — and almost everything they sell is frozen.

From green beans to blueberries to foie gras-filled filo pastry pockets, Picard’s products are known as the French home cook’s best-kept secret. But how did a country that celebrates seasonal produce fall in love with a frozen food chain? Today, we look at Picard Surgelés — how it started, why people love it, and whether it might ever come stateside.

READ MORE »