Sorry To Interrupt, But I Think I Just Found The Prettiest Candles In The UK

Posted on 03/10/2024 by Boris Clair

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As autumn creeps in, I’ve been enjoying a lot more “Tavern food”-style evenings in. And in an attempt to romanticise my at-home dinners, I’ve had my eye out for some really, really pretty dinner candles.

Turns out I didn’t need to look further than my own city, though.

Pygmalion London’s hand-poured candles, which are made using vegetable wax, natural dyes and 100% cotton wicks, were first made on Rosanna Philpott’s kitchen table in 2021.

Three years later, the brand (and its offerings) have expanded ― and much as I hate to give up my best-kept decor secret, I reckon you deserve to see what’s on the table (teehee) here.

The candles, which stand at 29cm tall, burn for roughly 10 hours.

And while it seems like a cardinal sin to light, say, this pair of black and white Twiglet candles, even their stumps are gorgeous.

That’s because the waves on candles like the Twiglet and Botanist designs (pictured below) go all the way through the candle, so you won’t lose that gorgeous finish after the first (or second, or eighth) burn.

Whereas some other brands simply paint their candles’ designs onto their surfaces, Pygmalion’s candlemakers create their works of art by hand-pouring naturally dyed vegetable waxes into a candle shape.

That means you won’t be catfished by, say, the stripes in this pair of Humbug candles ― they’ll look as good during your first course as they do hours into your post-dinner DMCs.

Even the more intricate designs of these Terracotta candles should be able to withstand the heat (literally and figuratively).

Like all Pygmalion candles, they come packaged in creamy recycled Italian paper.

Speaking of that packaging ― it’s so luxe-looking I’ve considered sending a box to a friend in lieu of flowers before.

You can get pairs like this Highbury set sent to their home, maybe even with a text about grabbing dinner together soon (far better than a wilting carnation, if you ask us).

So if you’re after a present that looks like you found it in a gorgeous, out-of-the-way boutique or just want to be the “I found that brand first!” person in your friend group, I recommend browsing through Pygmalion’s stock.

We’ll never tell…

The Best Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Only Takes 8 Minutes To Cook

Posted on 24/09/2024 by Boris Clair

With the Great British Bake Off set to return today, most of us (ie. me) have grand ideas of baking alongside the show.

Inevitably, though, life gets in the way ― after all, the show does air on a school night.

Luckily, though, Philips’ in-house air fryer chef Martin Senders has a delicious cookie recipe that takes a measly eight minutes to cook in everyone’s favourite time-saving appliance.

“We can’t all be born ‘Star Baker’, so any technology that makes baking more of a breeze is always welcome ― and that’s exactly what the Airfryer does,” Senders told HuffPost UK over email.

“An Airfryer works by circulating hot air, making it perfect for golden, perfectly risen bakes with no soggy bottom’ in sight,” he added.

Cookies in particular do well in the devices, as it’s really easy to achieve that drool-worthy soft inside and crips exterior.

What’s the recipe?

Senders’ recipe serves eight, he says.

The ingredients are:

60g milk chocolate
60g dark chocolate
160g plain flour
2 pinches of salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
100g softened unsalted butter
70g white sugar
2 tablespoons of milk
40g almond flakes.

To make the cookies, he says, you should follow these steps:

Coarsely chop both types of chocolate, and combine then combine the flour, salt, baking powder and cocoa powder in a bowl and mix until incorporated.
Add the softened butter and sugar to a bowl and beat until fluffy. Add the milk and continue mixing. Gradually add the flour mixture while continuing to mix until evenly combined. Add the chopped chocolate and mix until just incorporated.
Shape the dough into about eight balls and let them rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Flatten them into a cookie shape.
Dip the bottom of your cookies in flaked almonds, before placing four of them into the Airfryer basket and cooking for 8 minutes at 160 degrees. Repeat this step for the remaining cookies.
Let cookies sit for around five minutes to cool before serving.

Cookie dough balls can be wrapped in baking paper and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.

If you still haven’t used up all the biccies by then, you can store them in the freezer for up to three months by placing the individually-wrapped cookies in a freezer bag ― just pop them in the air fryer for a little longer than you would when fresh when you fancy one.

I Just Learned The Worst Place To Store Garlic, And I’ve Always Kept Mine There

Posted on 19/09/2024 by Boris Clair

We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about how the spot beside your hob is the worst area to store your olive oil (tough news to hear, considering it’s one of the most common places to put it).

And now it seems food science is coming for my garlic storage too.

The bulbs fare best in mesh bags at temperatures around 15.5-18°C, Cornell University says.

I know I should keep the allium out, but my kitchen is so tiny that I just end up bunging it in the fridge.

That’s a mistake, Cornell University says: “Storing fresh garlic in the fridge is generally not a good idea.”

What’s wrong with putting garlic in the fridge?

Gardeners may already know that cool temps can cause garlic to sprout.

Sur La Table chef Richard Temples shared on Martha Stewart’s site: “The cold temperature in the fridge mimics autumn to garlic, and causes it to sprout within a couple [of] weeks.”

“Sprouts are edible but can have a bitter flavour”, the chef added.

And if you’ve made garlic oil or garlic confit, storing it in the fridge can be outright dangerous, Cornell University warns.

“This is because garlic bulbs are low-acidity, making them prone to Clostridium botulinum, better known as the culprit behind botulism”, they write.

Store-bought garlic oil usually has a preservative like citric acid in it, and/or is kept at lower temperatures than your fridge could ever manage, Cornell University says.

So where should I store garlic?

It doesn’t need to be anything too fancy, Temples said.

A wire basket, a paper bag, a mesh container, and anything that lets your garlic “breathe” is good.

“You always want to keep your garlic cool and dry—cool, but not cold, and with some airflow” he shared.

Countertops and cupboards can be good options, though countertops may be better as they offer more airflow.

Just make sure you keep it away from sunlight, Stephen Chavez, chef-instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education, said on Martha Stewart’s site.

“Like any other plant/bulb, it will sprout much quicker with the sunlight.”

I Just Learned What Flavour Haribo Fried Eggs Actually Are, And It’s Way Fancier Than I Thought

Posted on 19/09/2024 by Boris Clair

Haribo’s brand name has a secret meaning ― it stands for HAns RIegel BOnn, the founder of the company’s name.

The sweets brand is known for its jelly inventions, including its adorable axolotls and more classic Goldbear gummies.

But perhaps one of its most iconic (and divisive) creations is the Haribo Starmix Fried Egg.

While some had previously thought the white and yellow treat was supposed to be a UFO, Haribo’s site confirms our sunny-side-up instincts.

Reading its ingredients, though, I realised that the surprisingly sophisticated flavour profile of the gummy reads a lot more like a fancy cordial than it does the orange extract and vanilla mix I’d expected.

What flavours are in Haribo’s Fried Eggs?

The ingredients listed in an online entry for a Fried Egg-only Haribo bag includes items most of us would expect, including sugar, gelatine and citric acid.

Even some of the fruit and plant concentrates are as we’d imagine – lemon and orange make an appearance.

But I was surprised by the presence of elderberry, safflower, mango, and passion fruit in the flavourful fray.

Elderberries, which are deep purple berries that ripen between July and October, are often used for wines, syrups, and in baking (if you can get your hands on some this autumn, do).

Meanwhile safflower, which I’d never heard of before, is sometimes used in place of saffron.

Huh! Anything else?

Yes ― it turns out that new Haribo designs have to be hand-drawn.

It’s not quite Willy Wonka, but that means it’s someone’s job to pen the sketches that’ll become real sweets.

“This template is then used to create a 3D sample drawing for a high-tech milling machine, which produces a plaster prototype,” Haribo adds.

Once they’re happy with the shape, they use that prototype as the basis for “several hundred stamps” which help to form the sweets in production.

This Is The Simple Reason Why Sourdough Bread Is Much Healthier

Posted on 17/09/2024 by Boris Clair

If you’ve ever gone through a breadmaking phase, you’ve likely dabbled in creating your own sourdough using either a starter of your own or one given to you.

However, if you weren’t familiar, BBC Good Food has a pretty explanation of what it is: “Sourdough is naturally leavened bread, which means it doesn’t use commercial yeast to rise. Instead, it uses a ‘starter’ – a fermented flour and water mixture that contains wild yeast and good bacteria – to rise.

“This also produces the tangy flavour and slightly chewy texture you’ll find in sourdough.”

It’s also delicious. Perfect for sandwiches, toasting, dipping in soup, on the side of salads… you name it, sourdough is the perfect accompaniment.

However, the hidden benefit of sourdough isn’t its taste or how easy it is to create. It turns out that sourdough is actually very good for your health, too.

The health benefits of sourdough

According to Web MD, sourdough is rich in nutrients that make the bread overall good for our bodies, disease prevention and lowering blood sugar.

However, it’s our gut health that sees the most benefits, especially in comparison with other breads.

The health experts said: “Sourdough bread may be easier to digest than white bread for some people.

“According to some studies, sourdough bread acts as a prebiotic, which means that the fibre in the bread helps feed the “good” bacteria in your intestines. These bacteria are important for maintaining a stable, healthy digestive system.”

How to make a sourdough starter

If you want to try your hand at making sourdough, you’ll first need to make a starter.

For a starter, according to Jamie Oliver, you’ll need 100g strong white bread flour, 100g dark rye flour, 200ml of water and a container that can be sealed — around 1L is ideal.

View Jamie’s recipe full here, and good luck!

I Just Learned Why We Say ‘Spill The Beans’ And I Would Never Have Guessed

Posted on 16/09/2024 by Boris Clair

We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about why we say “o’clock” and “pardon my French.”

We’ve debunked common misconceptions around why we say “night night, sleep tight” too.

But “spilling the beans” ― a phrase the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines as relating “sometimes questionable or secret information of a personal nature” ― is a mystery to us.

After all, “spilling the tea,” which has its origins in Black drag culture, refers to the “tee,” “tea,” or “T” of the first letter in “truth”, so that makes sense.

But what have beans got to do with anything, and why spill them?

It likely goes back to Ancient Greece

According to the Scholastic Dictionary Of Idioms, it had to do with an old-school voting system.

In ancient Greece, societies would place either a black or a white bean into a jar.

Black beans meant “no,” while white beans meant “yes.”

“The beans were supposed to be counted in secret, but if somebody accidentally (or purposefully) knocked over the jar and spilled the beans, the secret vote would be revealed,” the book reads.

Some fraternal clubs still use a black and white ball voting system; that’s why we have the term “blackballed” (per Dictionary.com).

Reader’s Digest says that the Ancient Greek origin may have inspired the use of the phrase in 1900s America, which is how it’s stuck around ’til today.

“He just walked off the reservation, taking enough insurgent Republicans with him to spill the beans for the big five,” a 1908 entry into American publication The Seven Points Journal reads.

This definition, close to meaning “upset the apple cart”, is the same as the current one.

Why are “beans” in so many sayings?

To my disappointment, neither the Greek nor the American origin seems to have anything to do with the disparaging term “bean counter” sometimes used to refer to accountants.

As for using the word “bean” to mean “head” or “brain”, arts and culture publication The Smithsonian says that’s a little harder to track down.

It’s been traced back to the late 1800s and might have something to do with the fact that beans are a bit brain-shaped (sophisticated).

The Scholastic Dictionary Of Idioms adds that 1200s slang saw “bean” mean “information.”

Here’s How Much Of Cinemas’ Income Comes From Popcorn, And I’m Aghast

Posted on 06/09/2024 by Boris Clair

I take issue with how some Boomers talk about housing; “Just give up brunch and Netflix and you’ll have a home in five years,” they (wrongly) advise younger people.

Well, I stand by my objection, but it seems I’ve become a little out-of-touch on another topic myself.

Maybe it’s because I grew up near one of Ireland’s absolute cheapest cinemas, but I hadn’t quite realised how pricey the five-pound-plus snack has become until I took a rare trip to the big screen recently.

While I followed the scent of freshly popped corn to the counter like a cartoon elephant drawn to a bun, my friend stood aghast ― “There’s no way we’re buying popcorn,” she said.

Looking at its price, I realised why. But how come it’s so dear to begin with?

There is a method to the madness

Researchers at Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) and the University of California (UC) wrote a paper stating that, though it’s painful, the prices do make sense.

That’s because, while only 20% of cinemas’ revenue comes from concessions (food, drink, and other non-ticket products), it accounts for a whopping 40% of their revenue.

Confused? I was too ― but it turns out that not all of the ticket revenue goes to the cinema. Instead, they share it with movie distributors.

The Stanford GSB and UC study also found that “die-hard” movie fans, who simply love going to the cinema, proportionally pay more for concessions ― low-traffic weeks, where bums were not hitting theatres’ seats, saw a higher proportion of snack profits than higher-traffic weeks.

That means ticket prices can stay lower, as people other than cinema-or-nothing movie-watchers will be put off by a high upfront fee.

“The argument that pricing secondary goods higher than primary goods can benefit consumers has been circulating for decades, but until now, no one has looked at hard data to see whether it’s true or not,” Wesley Hartmann, associate professor of marketing at Stanford GSB and co-author of the paper, said.

Essentially, your gut instinct is right; food profits bulk up what can be quite meagre ticket profits, especially during low-traffic weeks.

Any other insights?

Yep ― unsurprisingly, people who went to the theatre in groups tended to buy more concessions, as did those who bought their tickets online.

“The fact that the people who show up only for good or popular movies consume a lot less popcorn means that the total they pay is substantially less than that of people who will come to see anything,” Wesley Hartmann said.

“If you want to bring more consumers into the market, you need to keep ticket prices lower to attract them.”

Given that “The average price for a standard UK cinema ticket in 2023 was £7.92” compared to £6.53 in 2013 (per UK Cinema Association and Statista), that seems to have held true.

Popcorn prices, however? Those are now creeping up to the price of the ticket, though to be fair, they’ve always been proportionally pretty pricey.

Here’s What Flavour ‘Red Velvet’ Really Is, And It’s Not What I Thought

Posted on 03/09/2024 by Boris Clair

We’ve recently written at HuffPost UK about how the secret behind Biscoff’s distinctive flavour is most likely… sugar (no, really).

Which got me thinking; what’s the actual taste of red velvet cake? After all, neither “red” nor “velvet” are ingredients; at least “lemon meringue” and “chocolate” cakes are clear about what they are.

I wondered if the deep red hue and moist texture could come from something like beetroot; the sort-of earthy flavour and vibrant purple-red colour.

But no; its actual flavour is shockingly simple (at least to me).

What flavour is it?

It’s (drumroll please)… vanilla and chocolate.

The cake uses cocoa powder rather than actual chocolate, giving the sponge a milder taste than most chocolate versions.

It’s meant to be made with Dutch-processed cocoa, which is ground from cocoa beans washed in an alkaline solution of potassium carbonate. This is darker than its other counterparts.

Traditionally, there are also acidic elements (like vinegar and buttermilk) in the mix that help to give the cake its signature tenderness and tang, Better Homes & Gardens writes.

The red colour was originally created by the reaction of the acidic buttermilk and vinegar to the raw cocoa powder, which contains an antioxidant called anthocyanins which turns red when it comes into contact with acids.

Nowadays, though, most red velvet cakes contain crimson food dye.

“Velvet cakes” were a trend

The only velvet cake we hear about these days tends to be red velvet cake.

But “velvet cakes” were a Victorian trend before cake flour became available, often containing ingredients like almond flour, corn starch, and cocoa flour that helped to produce a smooth, fluffy, “velvety” texture.

This coincided with the invention of “mahogany cake”; cakes which included the same Dutch-process cocoa and acidic ingedient combination.

In the Great Depression, red velvet cakes were cheaper to make (thanks to the omission of “real” chocolate” than others, leading to its popularity across America and now the rest of the world.

The more you know, right?

I Just Learned What Bisto Actually Stands For, And It’s Pretty Clever

Posted on 02/09/2024 by Boris Clair

We’ve already shared the adorable meaning behind LEGO’s name, as well as the surprisingly posh origin of KitKat’s branding.

We’ve even explained how Biscoff gets that hard-to-explain flavour into their biscuits.

But what about Bisto, the iconic gravy base?

Well, it turns out that the name is actually an acronym ― each letter of Bisto refers to a property of the granules themselves.

What does it stand for?

Invented in 1908, Bisto was made by Mr Roberts and Mr Patterson, who were two employees of Cerebos salt (per Britshop).

The men were inspired by their wives’ requests to find a way to produce smooth gravy every time, an archived page from Bisto’s site says.

There were certain qualities a good gravy has; thick, tasty, and glossy, with a deep rich colour.

So when Mr Roberts and Mr Patterson came up with a product that managed to hit all the marks with only the addition of hot water, they seem to have used its name to celebrate their success.

According to the same archived Bisto page, “The finished product is named ‘Bisto’ for its unique ability to ‘Brown, Season and Thicken in One.’”

Where did the ‘Aaah, Bisto’ come from?

It might surprise you to learn how long the brand’s instantly recognisable “aah” has been around.

Per Bisto, a 1919 ad, made by cartoonist Wilf Owen only eight years after the launch of the product, featured two kids sniffing a pie.

“Ah! BISTO,” the text of the advert reads ― “nobody knows exactly who came up with the idea for Bill and Maree [the children] but they soon became loved by the nation,” Bisto says.

“Their legacy lives on to this day with their catchphrase ― ‘aah! Bisto.’”

Bill and Maree had a makeover in the ’70s, appearing on packs and in ads until 1995.

Here’s The Only Italian Seasoning Italians Actually Use, And It’s Not The One In Your Cupboard

Posted on 28/08/2024 by Boris Clair

Before you even ask, I’ll come clean. Yes, I do own a tub of “Italian herbs” myself.

To be honest, though, I’m something of a seasonings libertarian ― I’ve never understood how people trusted a stranger to find the perfect mix of flavours for every dish.

So, I’m not surprised food site My Recipes says the invention of the generic “Italian herbs” mix is likely American, adding that you’d be “hard-pressed” to find an equivalent in Italy.

Eva Santaguida, cookbook author and the Italian half of YouTube couple Pasta Grammar, seemed baffled by the concept in a video about the topic. “They put everything together without a defined taste,” she said of the mix.

One version is native to Italy, however; and it sounds delicious.

What is it?

“Salamoia Bolognese, a blend of rosemary, sage, garlic, salt, and black pepper, is popular in Bologna and beyond,” My Recipe says.

Italian restaurateur and celeb chef Massimo Capra seems to confirm that.

In a TikTok, he sniffed a metal container of the stuff ― “smells like a roasted chicken,” he said between whiffs.

“It smells like roast veal,”Capra added, writing in the caption of his video that “it’s something you need in your pantry right now”.

It’s used on grilled meat, fish, vegetables, and (obviously) veal and chicken; Italian food YouTuber Janna’s Cooking Show used it in her chicken marsala recipe.

It also makes soups, stews, and spuds sing (perhaps reassuringly, if inconveniently, most of the recipes I saw for it online were in Italian).

How do I make it?

It’s pretty simple, though as with all seasoning mixes, there’s no one true recipe.

Slow food cooking site Hare & Tortoise suggests mixing equal parts salt and rosemary with one clove of garlic per two teaspoons of salt or rosemary; there’s one teaspoon of black peppercorns per two teaspoons, or one clove, of the rest.

They whizz the lot up in a blender.

Italian cooking site Il Cucchiano D’Argento’s more complex affair puts sage, bay leaves, and lemon zest in their “easy” recipe too.

Their large-scale recipe uses 1kg of salt, the zest of two unwaxed lemons (though they admit these aren’t “traditional”), half a head of garlic, five sage leaves, four bay leaves, three sprigs of rosemary, and 45g (ish) of black peppercorns.

“The [herb’s] oils released are absorbed by the salt, [which is] left to dry… for a couple of days: a process that guarantees its shelf life for a few months,” the cooking site adds.

They say the final product’s texture should be halfway between coarse and fine salt. You can store it in an airtight glass jar when it’s done.

BRB, just taking out my blender…

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