Top 10 Links of the Week: 6/18/10 – 6/24/10

Man. If the links are any indication, it's gonna be a good weekend. I can feel it, folks. Happy June.

1) stonesoup: the absolute beginners guide to the art of seasoning [5 ingredients | 10 minutes]
Man, this blog just keeps getting better. Today, it’s on seasoning your food well, and what to do if you under- or overdo it.

2) NY Times: Saving Time and Stress with Cooking Co-ops
Oo! I love this. It’s like a potluck, but in take-home Tupperware. Sure, there are drawbacks (one dastardly participant relied too much on Hamburger Helper), but cooking one meal for many, and then getting six meals back, seems like an all-around win. (Photo is from the piece.)

3) Casual Kitchen: On the Benefits of Being a Part-Time Vegetarian
The CK household cut their meat intake by a few meals per week, and the benefits have been totes faboo. Here, Dan explains why, what happened, and how you might embark on the same glorious path.

4) NY Times: Food is the Thrill at Some Bachelor Parties
Move over strippers, here come Bruschetta Chicken Dippers. Or something. Point is, engaged peeps are apparently forgoing traditional bachelor and bachelorette parties for full-on gourmet experiences. Is it because Americans are getting married at more advanced ages, thus reducing the demand for some chick/dude in spangled undies to flash her/his bosoms/pecs? Beats me. I just want some pork belly.

5) Get Rich Slowly: The Battle of the Bulge, and the Battle of the Budget
On the link between debt and fat, and how going cold turkey may not be the best approach for either. You’ve heard the message before, but never in so entertaining and thorough a manner.

6) Salon: The dark side of the farmers' market boom
Are farmers heading to cities to sell their food, leaving their less affluent neighbors to make do with Wal-Mart tomatoes? Sounds nefarious. Salon explores.

7) Consumerist: Restaurants Want You To Spend More, But Won't Stop Selling Cheap Food
Oops. You know all those dollar menus and special deals that fast food joints offered during the recession? Now that our collective money situation isn’t quite so dire, restaurants are having problems weaning customers off the bargains and on to more profitable meals. Not so good for business.

8) CNN: McDonald’s Warned: Drop the Toys or Get Sued
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (or CSPI, presumably) might/is sue/suing over the inclusion of toys in Happy Meals. They claim tiny Buzz Lightyears and Shreks entice kids to choose unhealthy food. As an ex-McDonald’s employee, I can only say … I guess? I don’t recall. It was 1996. Bringing them up from the basement was a big pain in the tuchus, though.

9) Food Politics: Alaska Fishing Politics – Fish Processing
Marion Nestle is doing a blog mini-series on the fishing industry in our northernmost state. It’s more complicated than you think, and an interesting microcosm of our issues in the lower 48.

10) Chow: 9 Cooking Apps Worth Downloading to Your iPhone
Dunno if this applies much for the frugalists out there, but Husband-Elect would become Ex-Husband-Elect if I didn’t link to these apps. (He loves apps. Apps, apps, apps. It’s all I ever hear about. “Hey honey, did you get those apps?”)

HONORABLE MENTION

Eatocracy: 5@5 - Chef Eric Ripert
See? Hot, world class French seafood chefs make mistakes, too. (Photo from site. Also? Humina.)

Epi-Log: Volunteer Options for Food-Loving Teens
Hey kids! How are you spending the summer? Here are four food-type volunteering organizations that could use your free time.

Hillbilly Housewife: Spring Cleaning One Room at a Time – the Oven
I move to a new apartment every year specifically so I don’t have to do this. Then, last month, it caught up with me. The experience was … I don’t remember. I blocked it out.

The Kitchn: 10 Ways to Use Pesto Besides Pasta
You knew “sandwich spread” was gonna be in there, but the rest are pleasant surprises.

Serious Eats: Supreme Court Makes its First Ruling Genetically Engineered Crops
It’s a strike against Monsanto … I think.

Slashfood: Throw That Wrapper Away or Pay
Lawmakers in San Francisco might start taxing fast food customers for garbage disposal. It’s half environmental measure, half fundraiser for the city. But is it right?

AND ALSO

Cracked: The 10 Most Important Things They Didn’t Teach You in School
For MAD's snotty younger brother, Cracked sure has some spectacular web pieces. This one is no different, with #10 and #9 being must-reads. (Due warning: They're profane must-reads, but must-reads nonetheless.)

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