Mark Bittman

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Why Cooking Is the Best: Part Seven

Cooking at home doesn’t mean relying exclusively on local ingredients. But it probably means relying more on local ingredients. It certainly means eating less processed junk, and that is where the environmental benefits of cooking become starkly evident.

By Mark Bittman Published April 8, 2026

It Was a Dark and Toasty Oat

Once you have a batch of gently crisped rolled oats in your pantry, everything you make turns to golden sunshine. A simple toasting technique will unleash all sorts of new flavors and textures to transform your favorite breakfast (or any other meal) into something unique and delicious. 

By Mark Bittman Published March 30, 2026

Toasted Oat Pancakes with Brown-Sugar Apples

Grind some toasted oats to a coarse flour for a hearty—but still fluffy—pancake topped with a quick caramel fruit sauce. The ground oats will remind you of nuts. The batter comes together in a flash and you can keep it refrigerated overnight before firing up the griddle. In summer, try peaches or nectarines in place of the apples; in winter, try citrus segments. Or you can always just go with the usual butter-syrup combo with or without fruit.

By Mark Bittman Published March 30, 2026

Toasted Oatmeal, Sweet or Savory

Wake up your favorite breakfast porridge by using toasted oats to cook up a bowl of oatmeal. The caramel-like flavor can go savory or sweet. And since the results are a lot like rich and creamy risotto, it’s easy to turn a pot into lunch or dinner with hearty stir-ins or toppings from the list that follows.

By Mark Bittman Published March 30, 2026

Toasty and Oaty Homemade Cereal

Somewhere between muesli and granola lies this cold breakfast cereal made with simply toasted rolled oats. You control the texture by keeping them whole (for some chew) or bust them up a bit (for a texture like Grape Nuts, only way better). The variation describes how to turn them into overnight oats. Whichever path you take, use the list of toppings below to inspire what else might go in the bowl.

By Mark Bittman Published March 30, 2026

Toasted Oats

Prepare to turn breakfast upside down. With rolled oats, a rimmed baking sheet, and a spin in the oven, you can instantly change cold cereal, oatmeal, and pancakes to deliver extra crunch, a little chew, and a warm toasty taste. We used Bob’s Red Mill protein oats for this batch but you can use any kind of rolled oats, whether you like quick cooking, thick, or old-fashioned.

By Mark Bittman Published March 30, 2026

Why Cooking Is the Best: Part Six

The problems caused by our current food system hide in plain view; the hurdle is awareness. It takes time, energy, and desire to get up to speed on contemporary food policy: But because food production and consumption overlap with virtually every major political issue facing our society, eating is like voting three times a day.

By Mark Bittman Published March 25, 2026

Antarctica: Part One

Mark traveled, via Regent Seven Seas Cruises, to Antarctica, with his partner, Kathleen. They brought along their friends Mark and Suzie (Mark and Mark have been friends since they were two, according to their mothers), because they thought it would be more fun. (They were right.) Here’s part one of Mark (Bittman)’s travel diary.

By Mark Bittman Published March 18, 2026

Question Mark: Long Pasta Stresses Me Out

We love hearing from our community, and there’s nothing better than sparking real conversations around your questions. This week: making long pasta work for you, the unsung heroes of your pantry, and savoring every bit of your artichoke.

By Mark Bittman Published March 13, 2026

Why Cooking Is the Best: Part Five

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.

By Mark Bittman Published March 11, 2026

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. This week: Mark’s new favorite hobby, making old school OJ, and a baking book that wows.

By Mark Bittman Published March 6, 2026

Question Mark: I’m Confused About Cooking With Butter

We love hearing from our community, and there’s nothing better than sparking real conversations around your questions. This week: a cooking term that sounds like an oxymoron, a book you don’t need, and how to properly cook with butter.

By Mark Bittman Published February 26, 2026

My Week of Eating Solo

During a week alone in Bermuda, Mark learned (or re-learned) many things about cooking for yourself and just yourself every day: The necessity of repetition, the relative effort involved in cooking for one instead of two or four, the role that positive reinforcement plays in a cooking life, and the relationship of alcohol and salt.

By Mark Bittman Published February 25, 2026

Why Cooking Is the Best: Part Four

Of course, there’s nothing morally wrong with going out to eat, and of course it can be fun, but the food that most of us eat when we do go out makes it a dangerous habit. Even with grocery stores nearby, Americans turn to burgers and fries before fruits and vegetables.

By Mark Bittman Published February 18, 2026

Question Mark: I Need That Recipe

We love hearing from our community, and there’s nothing better than sparking real conversations around your questions. This week: a silky smooth chicken liver mousse, pasta quantities, and “protein oats.”

By Mark Bittman Published February 13, 2026

Food with Mark Bittman: Tom Colicchio

The chef and activist talks to Kate and Mark about why, for the first time in 25 years, he’s overhauling the menu at Craft; what makes a restaurant popular (even when it’s not good); where all the good cooks have gone; and why he dislikes sous vide so much. Plus: some great cooking tips.

By Mark Bittman Published February 11, 2026

Mark’s New Favorite Breakfast

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.

By Mark Bittman Published February 9, 2026

Mark’s Sambar Oats

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. (This​ Sourcery sambar​ is beautiful.)

By Mark Bittman Published February 9, 2026

Food with Mark Bittman: Marion Nestle

Food policy expert Marion Nestle chats with Mark about their initial reactions to the new dietary guidelines: what’s good, what’s bad, and what’s disturbing. Plus: Is the current protein craze just a marketing scheme that’s done particularly well for the marketers, or should we all be jumping on the bandwagon?

By Mark Bittman Published February 5, 2026

Why Cooking Is The Best: Part Three

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. Are we lazy?

By Mark Bittman Published February 4, 2026