Saveur Cover Jan/Feb 2012

Blogger Michelle Ryan offers up the five simplest pleasures found in Saveur magazine’s Saveur 100.

If you’re thinking Saveur magazine’s annual all-encompassing best-of list of 100 trends, tips, techniques and other foodie faves is packed with impossible ingredients and exotic locales, you’re right. But there are some simple (or simpler) pleasures that made the rundown too.

So don’t get discouraged if you read that Zurich’s wine bars are on the rise or that Stockholm cuisine is all the rage. These five little gems will make you feel like a part of the foodie forward crowd—without breaking the bank or putting your passport to use.

James’ Salt Water Taffy: Enjoy a taste of the oldest business on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. Choose from seasonal tins, souvenir boxes or buckets of taffy starting at $8.99. Indecisive or curious shoppers can opt for an assortment of the salt water treats, or finicky eaters can pick their own. Whatever you do, at least try James’ popular flavors like banana, molasses mint, licorice and chocolate.

Glazing Vegetables: Even if you didn’t resolve to eat more veggies this year, here’s a technique to try in the kitchen to at least help up your intake. Ideal for root vegetables like beets and carrots, glazing requires placing the chopped veggie of your choice, a little butter, salt, pepper and sugar into a sauté pan. Add water to cover vegetables, cover with parchment paper and simmer. The process creates a rich glaze, not to mention tender, sweet and delicious sides.

Old Gourmets: Magazines, that is. Saveur editors agree that foodies lost an institution when the iconic publication was shuttered in 2009. But that doesn’t mean we have to go without. With 68 years of back issues out there, they recommend adding those oldies but goodies to your collection whenever you see them at flea markets or their online equivalent, ebay, where there are more than 1,000 back issues and cookbooks to be had at reasonable prices.

50mm Lens: Here’s a tip for cooks and bakers with a purpose: Whether you’re capturing your work for personal posterity or sharing it in an online blog, you’d do yourself—and your food—a favor by using a 50mm lens. That’s because this camera attachment makes even the tiniest details pop with stunning clarity. So taken are the editors with this lens that they call it the key to “foolproof food photography.”

Liberté Coconut Yogurt: This decadent treat—that also happens to be part of the Greek yogurt craze—is so tasty it could be a dessert, according to editors. They compare it to a coconut custard pie, complete with fine shreds of fresh coconut. Greek yogurts pack more protein than other yogurts, and that, along with Liberté Coconut’s to-die-for taste, makes it good and good for you.