September 28, 2010
Foodie Site Dedicated to Gourmet Rescues of
“Perfectly Good Food that Just Isn't Perfect Anymore”
Home chefs Nancy Gershman and Marlene Samuels have completed a major updating to ExpendableEdibles.com – the only community cookbook of gourmet recipes and treatments for “expendable edibles”: six categories of foods traditionally tapped for taste, texture and nutrition only by restaurant chefs and culinary schools.
Chicago, IL-- Foodies who love brilliantly simple gourmet rescues of “perfectly good food that just isn’t perfect anymore” will rejoice at the newly updated www.ExpendableEdibles.com. The brain-child of home chefs Nancy Gershman and Marlene Samuels, Expendable Edibles now boasts a treasure trove of gourmet recipes and treatments for foods that have “lost their beauty pageant looks”.
Observing the “use it or lose it” philosophy espoused in Larousse’s Gastronomique, Expendable Edibles’ includes recipes and treatments ranging from Jam Martinis and Brandy Coffee Bomb to Chermoula Sauce (from limp cilantro and parsley) andImpressionable Avocado Vichysoisse. “Some foods, such as overripe mango or wrinkly tomatoes,” says Samuels, “demand your immediate attention. Others, such as Chinese take-out rice, can take a number. And pretty much anything in brine” she adds, “will die sometime in our lifetime.” Visitors to this online recipe site have two options for searching recipes by ingredient: 1) a recipe index organized into six expendable edible categories followed by food type (from Anchovies to Watermelon), and 2) a search box displaying all recipe titles and descriptions which include your desired ingredient. Chef Samuels also provides innumerable tips on prepping, cookware, cooking, presentation, and storage. Recipes and treatments are drawn from Samuels’s and Gershman’s own kitchens and travels, as well as celebrity chefs from around the country such as Todd Stein of mk (Chicago) and Donatella Arpaia of Mia Dona (NYC). “Once they see how much we respect their ingenuity,” says Gershman, “it’s like a confessional. Out it pours.” Content is intended to grow as the creators travel the globe, engaging with restaurateurs and fans from Facebook and Twitter, encouraging chefs to share family recipes or to challenge Samuels and Gershman with the query, “what should I do with ….?”
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