Ex-NYTimes, author (How to Cook Everything, Animal Vegetable Junk, VB6 etc), team player @bittmanproject, host of "Food with Mark Bittman," grandpa!
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Articles by Mark Bittman
How Bread Became the Bad Guy — and Why It Deserves Better
Mark Bittman, Food Journalist and Author Updated Thu, August 20, 2026 at 3:31 PM EDT Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Add Yahoo on Google How Bread Became the Bad Guy — and Why It Deserves Better Are you afraid of bread? Maybe you've been convinced that skipping the sandwich will give you more energy, steadier blood sugar, less inflammation, or a smaller waistline.
Food with Mark Bittman: A Conversation with Congressman Jim McGovern | The Bittman Project
The Brain 1 day ago Neurologists Agree—This Common Drink Is Fantastic for Cognitive Health EatingWell - Lauren Manaker M.S., RDN, LD, CLEC • 1d Your cup of joe may be doing more than perking you up.
Green Rice Pilaf
2 tablespoons neutral oil (like grapeseed or corn) 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 ½ cups rice, preferably basmati 2 ½ cups vegetable or chicken stock or water, or more as needed 1 ½ cups chopped fresh parsley 1 ½ cups chopped fresh cilantro ¾ cup chopped fresh chives Add ingredients to Grocery List Ingredient Substitution Guide Nutritional Information Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings) 48 grams carbs; 267 calories; 3 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram...
Date or Apricot Squares
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, more for greasing pan 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour ½ pound pitted dates or dried apricots Add ingredients to Grocery List Ingredient Substitution Guide Nutritional Information Nutritional analysis per serving 29 grams carbs; 35 milligrams cholesterol; 177 calories; 2 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 6 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 22 milligrams sodium; 2 grams protein; 20 grams sugar Note: The information shown is Edamam’s...
Southern Buttermilk Salad Dressing
2 scallions, white and green parts minced 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt and black pepper to taste Add ingredients to Grocery List Ingredient Substitution Guide Nutritional Information Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings) 2 grams carbs; 3 milligrams cholesterol; 70 calories; 2 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 6 grams fat; 120 milligrams sodium; 1 gram...
Creamy Polenta With Parmesan and Sausage
4 good-quality sweet Italian sausages 1 cup medium-to-coarse cornmeal ½ to 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste Freshly ground black pepper Add ingredients to Grocery List Ingredient Substitution Guide Nutritional Information Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings) 36 grams carbs; 112 milligrams cholesterol; 694 calories; 21 grams monosaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 18 grams saturated fat; 48 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 969 milligrams sodium; 29 grams protein; 2...
Bonjour, Trieste | The Bittman Project
After spending a few days in and around Chioggia, places in the Venetian lagoon that are almost nothing like Venice (Chioggia is sometimes called "Little Venice," but it's not, not by a long shot), I met Kathleen in Trieste. I'd been here just about 20 years ago, en route to meeting Lidia Bastianich in Istria, where her family's roots are.
Chicken Kebabs With Turmeric and Chile
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 ½-inch chunks ½ teaspoon crushed red chile powder Add ingredients to Grocery List Ingredient Substitution Guide Nutritional Information Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings) 5 grams carbs; 213 milligrams cholesterol; 416 calories; 13 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 23 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 672 milligrams sodium; 45 grams protein; 2 grams sugar Note: The information shown is Edamam’s...
No-Knead Bread, Flatbread Style | The Bittman Project
As the years have gone by, I've come to appreciate Bob's Red Mill more and more for many reasons, but especially these two: One, they're getting what were once difficult-to-find whole grains, legumes, and other ingredients (, for example), into mainstream American markets. The other has been their willingness to respond to trends in food and to create or find new and innovative products, like well-performing gluten-free flours, high-protein oats, or chickpea flour.
Antarctica, Part Two: Patagonia
All photos courtesy Mark Bittman From Puerto Madryn, hugging the green, hilly coast more closely, we sailed something like a thousand miles south to Punta Arenas. Somewhere in there was New Year’s Eve, which seemed even more artificial than usual, what with the different hemisphere, different time zone, and seagoing-ness of it all.
The Protein Myth
Gemini One of the most maddening things about the government’s new Dietary Guidelines—which the physician David Katz unpacked for us earlier this year—is the increased emphasis on animal proteins. The confusion and fallout about this extreme recommendation brought me back to the following discussion from my 2013 book, VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00.
Why Cooking Is the Best: Part Nine
Talking about cooking in Kate’s high school class in the 90s. (From the New Haven Register.) When we imagine the ways that cooking is (or has the potential to become) a meaningful part of our lives, we aren’t considering energy use or comparative costs. Cooking, whether we’re new to it or not, is about bringing people together. Pick your cliché: gather round the table, break bread together, the hearth is the center of the house, the party’s always in the kitchen, whatever.
Why Cooking Is the Best: Part Eight
Fastest Chicken Parm. Photo: Jim Henkens Highly processed foods are only necessary if you don’t cook. As I’ve said, the overarching appeal of fast food, frozen dinners, and meals in a can is their convenience. Some people would say it’s their taste. There’s no accounting for that, though these tastes are learned; we’re not born craving Ho Hos. But when you start cooking, you stop relying on these foods.
Food with Mark Bittman: Dylan Alverson and Jason Finder
Dylan Alverson is the owner of the diner Modern Times—recently renamed Post Modern Times—in Minneapolis. In January, the diner made an announcement: Food would be free moving forward—unless you’re a federal agent—and the restaurant would run on donations. Jason Finder is the Executive Director of Good Food Works and Salad Days, which offers free grab & go salads to public spaces and high-need constituencies throughout New York City.
Why Cooking Is the Best: Part Seven
Making dinner with Kate. The environmental costs of the standard American diet are astronomical, especially compared with how simple food production and preparation were in the past, when we grew it ourselves, or our neighbors or local farmers grew it for us, and then we cooked it or preserved it in our own kitchens.
It Was a Dark and Toasty Oat
Kerri Conan As the years have gone by, I’ve come to appreciate Bob’s Red Mill more and more for many reasons, but especially these two: One, they’re getting what were once difficult-to-find whole grains, legumes, and other ingredients (chia seeds, for example), into mainstream American markets. The other has been their willingness to respond to trends in food and to create or find new and innovative products, like well-performing gluten-free flours, high-protein oats, or chickpea flour.
Why Cooking Is the Best: Part Six
Getty Images Eating is like voting three times a day. Because food production and consumption overlap with virtually every major political issue facing our society, eating is like voting three times a day.
Antarctica: Part One
GetBetterFasterHealthierSmarterTastier Through our (more than a thousand, and growing) highly vetted recipes from the How to Cook Everything series, original food essays and reporting, thoughtful podcast conversations and introductions to new and responsible food products, we aim to showcase what’s possible, from farm to fork, and power a growing movement that encourages people to think about food not as a commodity, but as central to our health and happiness.
Question Mark: Long Pasta Stresses Me Out
You asked, and we answered. We love hearing from our community, and there’s nothing better than sparking real conversations around your questions. Got something on your mind? Send it our way. You might just be featured in an upcoming “Question Mark” email. Let’s keep the dialogue going—we’re listening. Q: I’m a new cook and I love artichokes but have a couple questions about preparing them. When I want to steam one, should I cut off the entire stem?
Why Cooking Is the Best: Part Five
Making latkes with Holden. Photo: Holly Haines Anyone who prepares meals and snacks as opposed to buying them is one less person fueling the industrialized food complex. Cooks choose a different food chain. Instead of trying to decipher the information on labels, cooks peek in cartons of eggs, thump melons, and squeeze tomatoes. Then they bring home what they think looks good and turn it into dinner. And it often has just a few ingredients.
Things We Like: Let's Make Some Tsukemono
Welcome to our biweekly roundup of our favorite things. We’ll only ever recommend things that we personally have tried and enjoyed. Because we’re committed to transparency, we want to let you know that we receive compensation through affiliate links contained in this newsletter. We try to be thoughtful about how we make money, and so we only partner with brands and organizations that we know well and believe in.
Question Mark: I'm Confused About Cooking With Butter
You asked, and we answered. We love hearing from our community, and there’s nothing better than sparking real conversations around your questions. Got something on your mind? Send it our way. You might just be featured in an upcoming “Question Mark” email. Let’s keep the dialogue going—we’re listening. Q: When you’re using butter as your fat in a pan on the stove, at what point are you supposed to add the food? I always see “when the foaming subsides,” but the foaming never really subsides.
My Week of Eating Solo
I’m in Bermuda, for a week alone; not planned, just happened. Kathleen will join in precisely eight days. Meanwhile, I’m cooking for myself. The restaurants here are mostly bad, expensive, and far away, to boot. (There is a very local place in walking distance that I keep meaning to try. But later.) On the way from the airport to the house, I stop and buy supplies; tomorrow I’ll go to Wadson’s (“Tommy’s” because Kat knows Tommy Wadson), the local farm and market that is quite good.
Why Cooking Is the Best: Part Four
Kate, with homemade pizza. Photo: Nick Traverse From the kinds of food we put into our bodies to the amount we serve ourselves, eating home-cooked food at our own tables is hands-down healthier than eating from packages or at restaurants. Studies have shown that eating ultra-processed food—regardless of where you get it—increases the risk of obesity. And though there has been a teeny bit of improvement over the last 15 years or so, in this country we are still primarily fueled by junk.
Question Mark: I Need That Recipe
You asked, and we answered. We love hearing from our community, and there’s nothing better than sparking real conversations around your questions. Got something on your mind? Send it our way. You might just be featured in an upcoming “Question Mark” email. Let’s keep the dialogue going—we’re listening.
Food with Mark Bittman: Tom Colicchio
Photo courtesy Tom Colicchio Back in the day, I was friends with a number of chefs, and one relationship that has lasted is that with Tom Colicchio. This isn’t only because he’s a great chef—in the sense of cook and restaurateur—although he is, and Craft (which we talk about on this episode, and which is now celebrating its 25th anniversary) was, and remains, important and influential.
Food with Mark Bittman: Marion Nestle
Photo: Peter Menzel Marion Nestle is a friend of mine, and has been a mentor to me; she’s someone I’ve admired for almost as long as I’ve been writing about food. Marion studied and has a doctorate in molecular biology, but an interest in food led her to become probably the single most respected, important, and intelligent voice in food and nutrition and the policy around it in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. You can’t overestimate Marion’s importance in this field.
Mark’s New Favorite Breakfast
Mark Bittman I have played with oatmeal forever. I am sure I wasn’t the first person to combine it with cherry tomatoes and soy sauce, but I am equally sure I was the first to write about that, and it’s as winning a ‘recipe’ as I know. This is just as good, and even better in the winter, when there are no (real) cherry tomatoes. Oats (I’m using Bob’s Red Mill ‘high protein’ oats, which are good), a dropped egg, some sambar spice mix.
Why Cooking Is The Best: Part Three
Making risotto with one of my dearest friends, Andrea. Most Americans think of themselves as self-determined people. They talk about bootstraps and comebacks, minimized government and maximized freedom. Not all of us talk this way, but most of us have, hidden deep inside, at least a touch of American exceptionalism. Yet we routinely let other people—faceless schemers in skyscrapers or industrial parks—determine what we eat.
Question Mark: It's So Shocking
You asked, and we answered. We love hearing from our community, and there’s nothing better than sparking real conversations around your questions. Got something on your mind? Send it our way. You might just be featured in an upcoming “Question Mark” email. Let’s keep the dialogue going—we’re listening. Q: I’m trying to include more vegetables in my diet these days.
Why Cooking Is The Best: Part Two
Instagram/@markbittman Missed “Why Cooking Is the Best: Part One”? Find it right here. Americans, I’m sad to report, spend less time cooking than anyone. We do not, however, spend the most time working, so that’s not the reason. (Koreans, Mexicans, Japanese, Chinese, and even Canadians punch more hours on a clock than we do.) How do we spend our time?
Why Cooking Is the Best: Part One
Mark, cooking, some years ago. Photo courtesy Kate Bittman There is an argument—and I made it 15 years ago—that Cooking Solves Everything (that was the original title of this rather long piece).
The Play-By-Play: 2025
I (Kate) woke up today and miraculously remembered that we wanted to send one final note to you, our beloved subscribers, in 2025.
Things We Like: BREAD
Thank you to everyone who has already ordered Bittman’s bread. We’ve been genuinely overwhelmed by the enthusiasm—and by the thoughtful feedback coming in. Please keep sharing your experiences; we’re taking careful notes as we plan the next round. And if you haven’t ordered yet, don’t worry—we still have a few loaves left. Orders placed by Sunday, 12/21 will arrive in time for New Year’s Day.
Cookie Crisis: Averted
All photos: Kerri Conan As the years have gone by, I’ve come to appreciate Bob’s Red Mill more and more for many reasons, but especially these two: One, they’re getting what were once difficult-to-find whole grains, legumes, and other ingredients (unsweetened coconut, for example), into mainstream American markets.
Question Mark: It's a Wild, Wild Rice
You asked, and we answered. We love hearing from our community, and there’s nothing better than sparking real conversations around your questions. Got something on your mind? Send it our way. You might just be featured in an upcoming “Question Mark” email. Let’s keep the dialogue going—we’re listening.
Eating Behind Bars
Getty Images Today, Kate and I had Leslie Soble on the podcast. Leslie is a Senior Program Manager at Impact/Justice and an internationally recognized voice on the carceral eating experience, a topic that Kate and I both take a lot of interest in—and one that we’re hoping to continue to cover.
Soup, but Make It a Full-Blown Meal
All photos: Kerri Conan This is the time of year when I make the case that soups from scratch can be as fast and easy as a big salad—and can even more easily be turned into a full, satisfying meal: Just add eggs. Here are six ideas for using eggs in soup, followed by three recipes to demonstrate some of those hacks, all of them for soups that are ready to eat in less than 45 minutes.
Here Are the Books I Deem Giftworthy
Mark Bittman Let’s get this out of the way right up front: Eating Behind Bars, which we’re featuring on our podcast soon, is obviously is not a cookbook, but it would win “most interesting food book of the year” for me. Kate Bittman And now for the cookbooks.
Charred Whole Cauliflower with Mustard Seeds
Charred whole cauliflower has become a vegetarian phenomenon, with good reason. My technique delivers maximum flavour with minimal fuss, keeping all the drama in a single pan while transforming a simple head of cauliflower into an impressive dish. Makes 4 servings in about 90 minutes INGREDIENTS 1 large head cauliflower (about 2 pounds) 8 Tbsp. coconut oil Salt 2 Tbsp. chopped garlic 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh ginger 1/4 cup yellow mustard seeds 1 Tbsp. paprika 1/2 tsp.
The Best Gifts for Grill Masters and BBQ Lovers in 2025
For avid barbecuers, the aroma and flavor of grilled or smoked meat is almost unparalleled, and nothing says tasty food is coming one’s way better than a slow-smoked brisket or rack of ribs. Grilling has increased in popularity across the country, so there is no shortage of gift ideas for grilling enthusiasts. Whether you’re looking to buy a new smoker, grill, accessories, recipe books, or even meat subscriptions, we’ve put together a comprehensive list of the best grilling gifts.
If You Love Popcorn So Much, Why Don’t You Cook With It?
As the years have gone by, I’ve come to appreciate Bob’s Red Mill more and more for many reasons, but especially these two: One, they’re getting what were once difficult-to-find whole grains, legumes, and other ingredients (unsweetened coconut, for example), into mainstream American markets. The other has been their willingness to respond to trends in food and to create or find new and innovative products, like well-performing gluten-free flour, or fava and chickpea flours.
Food with Mark Bittman: Dorie Greenspan
Dorie Greenspan‘s latest book, Dorie’s Anytime Cakes, came out last month, and Dorie, as you’ll hear on today’s episode of Food with Mark Bittman, is an old friend of mine (we do a lot of reminiscing). We’re contemporaries; we started food writing at the same time and we had similar experiences—struggling with the freelance life, eventually finding some stability, and becoming, as my friend Doc used to say, FFWs. Famous Food Writers.
Food with Mark Bittman: Diane Kochilas
I talked today with Diane Kochilas, whose new book isAthens: Food, Stories, Love (you can read an excerpt of it here.) Diane Kochilas and I were early contemporaries—I’ve known her for at least 30 years, and I would never do anything Greece-related without talking to Diane first. She’s a native-born American with deep roots in Greece, and lives there most of the time—these days, in Athens.
Food with Mark Bittman: Alice Waters
We’re happy to welcome back to the podcast the incomparable Alice Waters, whose latest book, A School Lunch Revolution, came out this month. Alice’s profoundly meaningful career has literally affected the way Americans think about food. Here are the two most important things she’s said to me in the 30 or so years we’ve known each other: When Alice started Chez Panisse, she and her crew asked farmers for what the restaurant needed to execute the menu.
Mark's Latest Obsession: Pickles
We had a lot of late cucumbers. Too late, IMO, because I want them the instant I can get them. Mixed with tomatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper, maybe a little onion/shallot—that’s the best breakfast or lunch there is. That’s summer, to me. Our cucumbers are an unusual Japanese variety, quite spiny, not seedy, good even when they’re huge. But, as cucumbers do, they came in in bunches. Like, unless you have dinner parties for twelve every night, you’re not going to eat six or eight cucumbers a day.
Food with Mark Bittman: Julia Belluz and Kevin Hall
On today’s episode, I talked to Julia Belluz and Kevin Hall about their new book, Food Intelligence: The Science of How Food Both Nourishes and Harms Us. To give you a sense of what we talked about, here’s a bit from the book’s introduction; it grabbed me right from the beginning. The wellness industry … an invention of the twentieth century, rose alongside the growing rates of chronic disease, with annual global markets above $6 trillion as of 2023.
Our Love for Chia is Bind
As the years have gone by, I’ve come to appreciate Bob’s Red Mill more and more for many reasons, but especially these two: One, they’re getting what were once difficult-to-find whole grains, legumes, and other ingredients (unsweetened coconut, for example), into mainstream American markets. The other has been their willingness to respond to trends in food and to create or find new and innovative products, like well-performing gluten-free flour, or fava and chickpea flours.
Here’s My Favorite Thing to Do With All Those Greens
Mark Bittman If you spend any time in the country, you will see people of all kinds, gathering greens on hillsides. It doesn’t happen here in the U.S. as much as it does in Italy or Greece or Lebanon or Mexico or dozens of places I’ve never been, but it happens everywhere—including here, where there are people with the heritage or inclination—because a “weed” is just a plant that’s growing in the wild, sometimes in the “wrong” place, and many weeds are in fact edible plants.
On this week’s episode of Zero to Well-Read, we’re turning to a classic that was nearly forgotten. Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God made a modest showing when it was originally published September 18, 1937. It had been out of print for decades by the time Alice Walker discovered Hurston’s grave in 1975 and published an essay in Ms. that kickstarted a Hurston revival. Two years later , Robert E. Hemenway published a biography of Hurston with an introduction written by Alice Walker.
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