Food

Chefs’ Favorite Knives, Celebrity Diets in Still Lifes, and the Rise of $8 Ice Cubes: Eating & Reading

Ten of the tastiest food stories we’re reading this week.

Would you pay $8 for one of these ice cubes? Photograph via Shutterstock.

New York chefs reveal their favorite knives for a bevy of uses—from a $788 Korin blade for chopping octopus to the good old Wusthof chef’s knife for, well, everything else. [Grub Street] —Ann Limpert

Photographer Dan Bannino captures the ridiculous diets of Gwyneth, Beyonce, and other celebs in a series of sumptuous, gorgeously shot still lifes. [Artnet] —AL

Coravin, considered a revolutionary wine device that allows bartenders to pour glasses without removing the cork, halts sales due to exploding bottles. Better watch out; there are plenty of these systems around town. [Eater National] —Anna Spiegel

A culinary tribute to Maya Angelou. [New York Times] —AS

Late night in a Denver hotel room. Green corduroy jeans. A marijuana-laced candy bar. It’s Maureen Dowd in . . . New York Times Op-Ed Reefer Madness! [New York Times]Benjamin Freed

This Week in Millennial Food Trends: Yes, this headline actually happened: “How millennials upended America’s wine scene, one taquería at a time” [The M̶i̶l̶l̶e̶n̶n̶i̶a̶l̶ Washington Post] —BF

Water poured into a jar labeled “I hate you,” “Fear,” or “This water is a stupid jerkface” will degrade and fail to crystallize upon freezing, says noted molecular physicist Gwyneth Paltrow. What happens to water if you put it in a jar that says “Seven is a great move”? [Goop] —BF

The Salt untangles one of the enduring mysteries of the universe: What makes bacon smell so damn good? [The Salt] —Tanya Pai

For the oil baron with a truly discerning palate: “The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube.” [Priceonomics] —TP

After decades of creating travesties of American and Mexican foods, Yum!—the parent company that owns Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC—has set its sights on Vietnamese cuisine with a new banh mi shop in Dallas. The only good thing to come out of this would be if Das Racist decides to turn it into a song. [Business Insider] —TP