Food Network Magazine January/February 2021

Vitamin D for All Here’s a good reason to get some vitamin D: A new study found that people who were deficient in the vitamin were almost twice as likely to test positive for Covid-19. More research is needed to see if the vitamin can prevent or treat the virus, but filling up on vitamin D–rich foods can’t hurt! Fatty fish like the roasted salmon on page 52 is a good place to start. SOURCE: JAMA NETWORK OPEN Cheers to This Light to moderate drinking may actually be good for your brain. According to a recent study from the University of Georgia, women who drank fewer than eight glasses of alcohol per week and men who had fewer than 15 glasses performed better on cognitive tests compared with those who didn’t drink at…

We asked the stars: What would you write on a conversation heart? Anne Burrell Worst Cooks in America pg. 73 Michael Castellon pg. 79 Vera Chan-Waller Owner, Yank Sing pg. 74 Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa: Cook Like a Pro pg. 60 Alex Guarnaschelli Supermarket Stakeout; Chopped; Fix Me a Plate (on foodnetwork.com) pg. 79 Lasheeda Perry Food Network Kitchen app pg. 84 Sandy Shi Chef, Wynn Las Vegas pg. 75 Michael Solomonov Food Network Kitchen app pg. 70 Wilson Tang Owner, Nom Wah Tea Parlor pg. 75 Brooke Williamson Tournament of Champions pg. 26 Time to Escape… We could all use a getaway right about now, and Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis are going to take us on one: Just before Covid-19 struck, the duo paired up for a monthlong trip through Rome and Tuscany, and their dreamy adventures were captured…

We’ve all lost our minds a bit during the past year, but if you’re lucky, you’ve gone bonkers in a good way. Maybe you’ve become a fanatical bread baker or latte artist, or you’ve made a record number of Instant Pot meals in a single month. My husband’s pandemic compulsion has been pizza making—and while this sounds like a quarantine dream, it has become something else entirely. Wylie is consumed by pizza (note his gallery of photos here). He watches pizza videos until 3 a.m. and obsesses over the protein content of assorted flours. He orders pizza peels and cutters and dough-proofing boxes on the off chance that they’re better than the ones he ordered last week. Our refrigerator has been given over to dough research, a pizza steel is…

January 1 Celebrate 2021 with a waffle cake for brunch: Layer chocolatehazelnut spread and strawberries between waffles. Dust with cocoa powder. 2 Resolve to drink less soda and try this healthier version: Simmer 2 cups apricot nectar with ¾ cup sugar until syrupy. Stir a little into seltzer. 4 Sir Isaac Newton was born on this day in 1643. Use physics to see if your eggs are fresh: If they sink in a glass of water, they’re still good! 6 Happy birthday, Ree Drummond! Try her crostini: Spread fig jam on toasted baguette slices; top with blue cheese and basil. 9 The iPhone was introduced on this day in 2007. Make a dish from this issue, post a photo of it on Instagram and tag us @foodnetworkmag. 10 Bake chocolate cupcakes this weekend—and make them taste…

A Foggy Idea If you’ve been using the extra time at home to step up your barista skills, consider trying a tea latte. The London Fog—a combination of Earl Grey tea, steamed milk, vanilla and sometimes lavender—is showing up on café menus around the country, and it’s simple to re-create. Try this version from our test kitchen, and keep an eye out for new grocery products like Rise Brewing Co.’s canned London Fog and Tazo’s London Fog latte concentrate. HOW TO MAKE A LONDON FOG Bring ⅔ cup water to a boil, remove from the heat and add 1 Earl Grey tea bag and ½ teaspoon dried lavender (optional). Cover and steep 5 to 8 minutes. Combine 1 ½ teaspoons sugar and ¼ teaspoon vanilla in a mug; strain the tea into the…

Salad bars aren’t dead after all! The pandemic threatened to put an end to the salad bar as we know it, but a promising alternative is on the way. Sally, a glorified vending machine invented by a startup called Chowbotics, contains airtight refrigerated cylinders of foods like spinach, tomatoes and chicken so you can customize your own salads. It’s now being tested in college dining halls, hospitals and grocery stores. Baby food is all grown up. Some babies are getting an early start as gastronomes. The creators of Tiny Organics baby food teamed up with a Michelin-starred chef to create meals like Valencian paella and coconut curry for kids as young as 8 months old. And a startup called Serenity Kids sells savory paleo purees and bone broth blends for toddlers. They’ll cost…