Kate Bittman

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Question Mark: It’s a Wild, Wild Rice

We love hearing from our community, and there’s nothing better than sparking real conversations around your questions. This week: replacing nonstick with cast iron (really?!), the actual wildness of wild rice, and clever ways to use popcorn.

By Mark Bittman Published December 12, 2025

Food with Mark Bittman: Leslie Soble

Impact/Justice’s Leslie Soble, an internationally recognized voice on the carceral eating experience, talks to Kate and Mark about what eating in prison is really like. The three discuss food as an active form of punishment, the deep connection between the critical problems of hunger and food waste, creative things incarcerated people do to stay nourished, and the good work that select organizations are doing to bring better food to prisons.

By Kate Bittman Published December 12, 2025

Things We Like: A Few More Cookbooks, From Kate

Welcome to our biweekly roundup of our favorite things. We’ll only ever recommend things that we personally have tried and enjoyed. This week, Kate shares three cookbooks that she deems particularly giftworthy.

By Kate Bittman Published December 5, 2025

Food with Mark Bittman: Pyet DeSpain

The chef and host of PBS’s Spirit Plate talks to Kate and Mark about the moment she realized she didn’t feel connected to the food she was cooking—and what she did to fix that, a dinner party that changed everything, why and how her conversations about food and culture with Native American youth around the country are so important, and one of her favorite Indigenous food traditions—cooking with rocks.

By Kate Bittman Published December 3, 2025

This Is Why You Think I’m a Good Cook

I’m a good cook, I’ll give myself that, but I’m not extraordinary. I think my food is good because I know how to salt, and believe me or not, I also think that many people just aren’t used to salting their food as they cook. Here’s a brief explainer of some of my favorite salts—along with recipes that’ll put each type to good use.

By Kate Bittman Published November 25, 2025

Food with Mark Bittman: Nick Hartanto

The director—and the first Indonesian-American filmmaker to qualify for an Oscar!—chats with Kate and Mark about his new autobiographical short film, Daly City. Nick talks about what his parents thought about the film, why the biggest challenge of making the film was finding the actors, and the themes within—notably the internal conflict of the model minority and the bittersweet nature of the American dream.

By Kate Bittman Published November 19, 2025

The Bittman Project 2025 Holiday Gift Guide

Today’s list of holiday picks is small but mighty, and anything on it is sure to be much loved by anyone who likes to get in the kitchen and get down to business. (Except for a few outliers, which are just all around excellent in any room.)

By Kate Bittman Published November 19, 2025

Food with Mark Bittman: Paul Schiefer and Ken Cook

Paul Schiefer, President of Amy’s Kitchen, and Ken Cook, President and Co-Founder of Environmental Working Group, talk to Kate and Mark about scaled organic as a sustainability solution; what, specifically, makes Amy’s cooking stand out; how conventional agriculture weakens prices; and making organic easier and more accessible to all.

By Kate Bittman Published October 23, 2025

Food with Mark Bittman: Michael Twitty

The writer and food historian talks to Kate and Mark about the “secret” language that belongs to Southern people, the problem with fantasizing about your Bubby’s recipes, the two-sidedness of Southern cooking, and where to find the best food in the South.

By Kate Bittman Published October 15, 2025

Maureen Abood Loves Lebanese Baking—And You Should, Too

Maureen Abood’s new book, Lebanese Baking, which includes both sweet and savory treats, reads very much, and very much in a good way, like an old-school cookbook. Kate talked to the author about phyllo—both store bought and homemade (yes, you can do it!)—baklawa and knafeh, and the dish that most evokes memories of her mom.

By Kate Bittman Published October 8, 2025

Food with Mark Bittman: Nicole Dawes

The founder of Late July Snacks and Nixie talks to Mark and Kate about why it’s so important to create brands that stand for something meaningful; why she walked away from so many sales opportunities; how her parents’ (her father founded Cape Cod Potato Chips and her mother owned a natural food store) beliefs and morals are deeply ingrained in her brands; and being the kid who went on a macrobiotic summer retreat with her mom.

By Kate Bittman Published October 1, 2025

Food with Mark Bittman: Adam Shriver, Richard Deming, and Diane Rosenberg

The state of Iowa has the second-highest rate of cancer in the US; it’s also one of only two states where cancer rates are increasing. This alarming rise in disease is the crux of a new initiative that is pinpointing agricultural chemicals as a key suspect in this uptick. Mark talked to Adam Shriver, Director of Wellness and Nutrition at the Harkin Institute (and head of the initiative); Richard Deming, who has been a cancer doctor in Iowa for almost 40 years; and factory farm expert Diane Rosenberg.

By Kate Bittman Published September 25, 2025

The Best Pancakes You’ve Ever Had—and Other Thoughts

If you know me and eat meals with me often, chances are you’ve been to Loring Place. The menu at Loring Place is one of the best encapsulations of how I like to eat as I’ve ever encountered—and when you have a restaurant you keep going back to, surprises arise.

By Kate Bittman Published September 4, 2025

Food with Mark Bittman: Paul Rice

The founder of Fair Trade USA talks to Mark about why he consciously chose the world of commerce as his vehicle for change—and why it’s relatively easy to move companies in the right direction; why the glimpses of future behavior being showcased by Millennials and Gen Zers should be viewed positively; how to dissect conscious capitalism; and how, without being too Pollyanna-ish, we should be taking the long view when it comes to companies making responsible decisions.

By Kate Bittman Published August 20, 2025

Five Questions for Keith McNally

What was most striking for me, when I read McNally’s recent memoir, was how self aware he is. So we were thrilled when he agreed to be the inaugural interviewee for our new column, “Five Questions for.” We talked controversies, favorite dishes and restaurants, and brutal honesty.

By Kate Bittman Published July 30, 2025

Food with Mark Bittman: Erik Piepenburg

The journalist talks to Mark and Kate about his book, DINING OUT, which is the first book dedicated to the history of gay restaurants and how they’ve shaped our culture; why he was reluctant to include his own personal stories—and what convinced him to do so; how the culture has changed over the years, and why; and Mark’s gay restaurant tour of 1970s New York City.

By Kate Bittman Published June 25, 2025

Food with Mark Bittman: Ted Genoways

Journalist Ted Genoways talks to Mark about his book, Tequila Wars: José Cuervo and the Bloody Struggle for the Spirit of Mexico, which is the first biography of Cuervo; about how Cuervo was responsible for the first cartel—and what it was like when cartels were simply business collectives; about how Cuervo saw the future of Mexico; and about why tequila is at the nexus of food and power.

By Kate Bittman Published June 18, 2025

Food with Mark Bittman: Ari Kolender

The chef and author of How to Cook the Finest Things in the Sea talks to Mark and Kate about what to look for when you walk into a fish market—and what to avoid; the myth of “sushi grade” fish; the importance of fish farming; and how to get the crispiest, most delicious fish skin.

By Kate Bittman Published June 11, 2025

Three* Things We Like, Round Five: Father’s Day Edition

Our biweekly roundup of our favorite things. This week, we’ve got a couple extras, just in case you’re celebrating Father’s Day: a custom mug that will keep your coffee warm forever, a serious knife sharpener, FASHION, and two good books.

By Kate Bittman Published June 6, 2025

Food with Mark Bittman: Daniela Oancea

The Corporate Beverage Manager for Regent and Oceania talks to Mark and Kate about how growing up in Transylvania prepared her for hospitality life; how trends have changed on cruise ships, from sobriety to liquor preferences; the rise of solo travelers; and where in the world some of her favorite bars are.

By Kate Bittman Published June 4, 2025