The traditional cognac houses have had to overcome grape plagues, the rising popularity of Scotch whisky, counterfeiting and war
Augier, the first modern cognac house, was organized in 1643. Today the brand is owned by French spirits giant Pernod Ricard. It recently relaunched the brand with a line of cognacs said to reflect the early style of the product. Over the two centuries following 1643, many of the leading cognac houses, including the big…
What is the difference between cognac and other types of brandy?
Cognac is a type of brandy produced in the Charente region of France, centred around the towns of Cognac and Jarnac, and stretching from the Île de Ré to the Gironde Estuary on the Atlantic coast, to Angoulême and the foothills of the Mastiff Central. The Cognac Delimited Region, the exclusive area where cognac can…
The ONE in the name refers to the speed of a reading – one second – with accuracy within 0.3°C (0.5°F)
Even after years of preparing steak, fish and chicken, do you still cut into your protein to make sure it’s cooked just right? I’ve used a typical thermometer, but I keep cutting meat on the grill due to a combination of concern about inaccuracy and my cooking ineptness. A good solution is Thermapen ONE by…
No more standing over your stove or grill; you can monitor what’s cooking from your phone
Whether you’re tracking the time or simply gauging by touch, some people just have the knack for knowing when their meat has been cooked to perfection. For others – like me – it’s always been about constantly hovering over the hot stove or grill, poking your chicken, steak or fish with a thermometer or cutting…
Recognizes that manufacturing - including farmers - are the anchor to the entire food supply chain
A new coalition led by the Retail Council of Canada (RCC) has presented a roadmap to peace within the food industry. It’s a positive step forward for the food production industry and consumers. For years, grocers have unilaterally imposed fees on their suppliers, with questionable excuses. While grocers maintained a hard line to protect margins,…
Suggesting humanity got it wrong by eating meat is unsupported by scientific evidence
Protein wars have taken a back seat to the COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020. Most of the attention was obviously given to the virus, variants, vaccines and how to keep safe. That makes sense. But since we’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, proteins appear to be back in the spotlight. Just…
It's played an essential role in offering edible, safe and nutritious foods to all Canadians, yet food processing remains misunderstood
Processed foods exist so we can save time, money and energy. They’ve made our food systems more efficient over the years. It’s all about convenience. But in recent years, the health attributes of processed foods have increasingly come under scrutiny for a variety of reasons, biased and unbiased. Many reports by professional organizations and interest…
Canada’s food service industry has suffered. But the pandemic may be exactly what it has been waiting for to make things better
It was certainly a year to be forgotten for the food service industry. Statistics Canada numbers told us this week that food service sales dropped a whopping 32 per cent from the fourth quarter of 2019 to the same period in 2020. The food retail/service ratio, a key metric to assess how important food service…
The increased use of energy supplements is leading to harder butter that doesn’t soften at room temperature
For months, thousands of Canadians have taken to social media saying that they’ve noticed that butter sold in Canada is harder and doesn’t get softer at room temperature. Not all butter is harder but most is. Some people blame winter and the colder weather. The truth is more troubling than that. Disturbing reports now point…
Recalls and plant shutdowns due to COVID-19 couldn’t keep Canadians away from the meat counter. But prices did reach the sticker-shock point
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone on Earth one way or another, which is why the moment we are in is so unique. The way we consume food has also changed: how and where we buy it, and where we consume it have seen tremendous changes over the last 11 months. Proteins play a significant…