Imagine if you ordered fried chicken at a restaurant, were so excited and confident you had ordered the right thing, could almost taste its deliciousness, and when the dish arrived it was poached scrod. And you had no one to blame but yourself. This great disappointment is akin to my recent experience of trying to…

I make really great fried rice. Before you silently judge me for this arrogance, know this: Behind this hubris lies the wisdom of my Chinese in-laws. When first dating my now-husband, I would fly to Seattle to visit his parents, and our family time would be spent with me taking copious notes on an iPad while they…

Japanese Western-influenced cuisine known as “yoshoku” reimagines popular Western ingredients with Japanese staples. A particularly popular dish called omurice—a contraction of ‘omelet’ and ‘rice’—is a perfect example. A stalwart of children’s menus, omurice is also a popular dish amongst Japanese home cooks and in…

Umami Issues is The Takeout’s exploration of cooking food with the rich, savory, mysterious taste sensation known as umami. 

In How Do You Take Yours?, The Takeout solicits staff and outside expertise for secret tips on improving one dish.

Mountains of boiled potatoes have rolled blandly across my dinner plate throughout my life. I was never thrilled by their presence, tolerating them but never truly enjoying them. It wasn’t until later in life when I began studying the food of my Irish heritage that I began to realize their worth. I treat them with…