1. Pat’s King of Steaks Versus Rick’s Original Philly Steaks. It’s good to be the king, so it follows that it’s worth fighting to be the king of Cheez Whiz–covered steak on a hoagie roll. Thus we have the cheese-soaked battle between the grandchildren of Pat Olivieri, the purported inventor (and king) of the cheesesteak. In 2006, Frank, who had taken over the family business Pat’s King of Steaks, filed a lawsuit against his cousin Rick, of Rick’s Original Philly Steaks, claiming that Rick was infringing on trademarks such as a crown logo.
Choice quote: “I don’t know, I just figured that Pat was the king and my father was the prince, and then when he passed on, I was the king,” Rick told the Philadelphia Inquirer.

2. Scanwiches Versus Scanwich. In February 2009, Jon Chonko started greasing up his scanner with sandwiches containing things like chicken cutlet, bacon, Muenster cheese, and mayo, and banh mi with grilled pork, sliced pork roll, and Vietnamese salami, then posting the resulting scans to his blog Scanwiches. A month later, as recapped by Endless Simmer, a blog called Scanwich came forward to claim it was the “original” site to encourage ruining the office scanner with greasy lunch food.
Choice quote: “I think there’s enough room here for both of us to scan our lunch. I’m not a fraud or a rip-off. I’m just a guy who scans sandwiches. It seems like we have something in common,” Endless Simmer reported Chonko posting in his defense.

3. Yelp Versus the East Bay Express. In February 2009, the East Bay Express, a weekly paper based in Berkeley, California, published a story titled “Yelp and the Business of Extortion 2.0.” Writer Kathleen Richards alleged that Yelp was engaging in some dodgy business practices, including moving negative reviews for advertisers. Yelp posted a response to its official blog saying nope, it don’t do that, then proceeded to lambast Richards’s use of anonymous sources. Richards then wrote another story with lots of on-the-record allegations but an oddly juvenile explanation for using secret sources in the first story: Yelp posters are anonymous too.
Choice quote: From the original East Bay Express story, “Many business owners, like John, feel so threatened by Yelp’s power to harm their business that they declined to be interviewed unless their identities were concealed. (John is not the restaurant owner’s real name.)”

4. Cindy McCain Versus the Food Network. The Huffington Post blew the whistle on “recipegate” during the most recent presidential campaign, posting about “an eagle-eyed attorney” who had noticed that recipes on John McCain’s website posted as “Cindy’s Recipes” were plagiarized from the Food Network. The hot-button campaign issues: ahi tuna with napa cabbage slaw; passion fruit mousse; and farfalle pasta with turkey sausage, peas, and mushrooms. The snafu was later blamed on a campaign intern.
Choice quote: From the New York Times, “‘The intern has been dealt with,’ said Tucker Bounds, a campaign spokesman, who declined to provide details. Nonetheless, Mr. Bounds said, ‘we took away his zero pay.’”

5. Missy Chase Lapine Versus Jessica Seinfeld. Apparently the world is not big enough for two cookbooks about sneaking vegetables into kids’ food. After Jerry Seinfeld’s wife, Jessica, published her book Deceptively Delicious (and it became a bestseller), Sneaky Chef author Missy Chase Lapine filed a lawsuit that said Jessica had “brazenly plagiarized” her book. In the court documents Lapine alleged that Seinfeld’s book was criticized online by people saying that Seinfeld had lifted the idea and recipes from Lapine’s work. Jerry Seinfeld then tried to defray the backlash on Letterman with alleged “malicious defamation.” Last week, a judge dismissed all claims against Jessica Seinfeld, but left open the defamation claims against Jerry Seinfeld.
Choice quote: “She says, ‘You stole my mushed-up carrots. You can’t put mushed-up carrots in a casserole. I put mushed-up carrots in a casserole. It’s vegetable plagiarism,’” Jerry Seinfeld joked on the Late Show with David Letterman.

6. St-Germain Liqueur Versus Domaine de Canton Liqueur. John and Robert Cooper are brothers, born into a fancy liqueur family (their dad, Sky Cooper, introduced Chambord to the United States), so it’s not that far-fetched that they would be responsible for the two trendiest and arguably tastiest liqueurs to hit shelves in the past few years: Domaine de Canton (ginger) and St-Germain (elderflower). What is a little surprising is what Eric Felten reported in the Wall Street Journal: Instead of working in the family business together, the brothers started two new, rival companies. But it looks like Dad might not be letting it slide: At the time of Felten’s article, Sky Cooper told the writer he was “planning to convene a family meeting to see if there is a way to reunite the enterprises.”
Choice quote: “‘I wish my brother well,’ [John told Felten], before giving a simple explanation of why a partnership wouldn’t have worked: ‘We don’t get along.’”

7. Bill Niman Versus Niman Ranch. Earlier this year, sustainable meat man and Niman Ranch founder Bill Niman told the San Francisco Chronicle that he now refused to eat the meat produced by his former company, after the near-bankrupt Niman Ranch merged with its primary investor, Chicago’s Natural Food Holdings LLC, and Niman sold his share. The Chronicle noted that Niman had previously clashed with the company board over stuff like finishing Niman Ranch cattle in commercial feedlots instead of a private feedlot, and using antimicrobials (similar to antibiotics) on the cattle. Niman Ranch CEO Jeff Swain defended the company’s policies by saying … not much of anything: “We believe that our protocols are stronger, the auditing of the protocols more rigorous, and the current business model is more financially viable,” he blathered.
Choice quote: “I think idealism can pay,” Swain told the Chronicle. “But it has to be couched with practicality.”

8. Pearl Oyster Bar Versus Ed’s Lobster Bar. Rebecca Charles, the owner of Pearl Oyster Bar in New York, filed a lawsuit in 2007 against one-time Pearl sous-chef Ed McFarland, alleging that he stole the décor, business model, and menu from her restaurant for his own seafood joint, Ed’s Lobster Bar. The most egregious aspect of McFarland’s supposed intellectual property theft, as noted by the New York Times, was the Ed’s Caesar appetizer, which Charles alleged was her signature dish, made with English muffin croutons and a coddled egg from a recipe passed down by her mother. In April 2008, Eater reported that the suit had been settled out of court. The Caesar salad, however, still stands on Ed’s menu.
Choice quote: “Mr. McFarland called the allegation that he was a Caesar salad thief ‘a pretty ridiculous claim,’” reported the New York Times.

9. Wolfgang Puck Versus Wolfgang Zwiener. Is only one Wolfgang allowed to open restaurants in LA? It seems the Puckster was so displeased by Wolfgang Zwiener opening Wolfgang’s Steakhouse near his own Spago restaurant and Cut steakhouse that he filed an unfair competition and trademark infringement suit against the owners in 2008. Eater LA was on the case, quoting from a Puck camp press release that said: “People have come to me and asked why I was opening another steakhouse in Beverly Hills and whether I am going to close CUT. ... In over thirty two years, I have never encountered such confusion expressed by my patrons and in the media.” Eater then followed up with Zwiener’s side of the story: “My father has been universally known in the steakhouse business as Wolfgang for decades, long before Mr. Puck entered the restaurant business,” said co-owner Peter Zwiener. The court ruled that Zweiner had the right to name his restaurant Wolfgang’s.
Choice quote: “We can just hear the who’s-on-first now,” joked Eater LA. “‘Let’s go to Wolfgang’s Steakhouse in Bev Hills.’ ‘You mean Cut?’ ‘No, Wolfgang’s Steakhouse not Wolfgang’s steakhouse.’ ‘Right, Cut.’ ‘Oh fuck it. Let’s go to In-n-Out.’”

10. Street Sweets Food Truck Versus Other Street Vendors. At 7 a.m. on June 27, 2009, the Street Sweets truck parked in front of New York’s Museum of Modern Art. By 2 p.m., police were on the scene after other street vendors had “traded hostilities” with its owners, Grant Di Mille and Samira Mahboubian, reported the New York Times. The rub? An old-school-versus-new-school street vendor “turf war,” says the Times, wherein the big, fancy haute cuisine trucks are converging on the spots where other vendors have been working for years.
Choice quote: “I want to be a good neighbor,” Di Mille told the Times. “But I am nobody’s fool, and nobody’s pushover, and I should not have to carry a baseball bat on my truck in order to sell cupcakes.”

Image sources: Lobster by Flickr member law_keven under Creative Commons. Oysters by Flickr member Allerina & Glen MacLarty under Creative Commons. Cindy McCain by Flickr member ChiMoose under Creative Commons.

1. Savory Porridge. In many other countries, hot cereal isn’t eaten with a bunch of brown sugar dumped on it. Anita Lo, chef/owner of Rickshaw Dumpling Bar and Annisa in New York City, suggests making an easy Chinese rice porridge by boiling leftover cooked rice in some stock until it falls apart and has a porridgelike consistency. For toppings, she says to just use up whatever leftovers you’ve got handy, like chopped-up chicken or duck, then add soy sauce, a fried egg, and scallions. She usually throws in some Chinese specialties like 1,000-year-old egg bits, pork floss (a.k.a. rousong, a savory pork cotton candy), or Chinese sausage. If you’re an oatmeal person, try Jeremy Oldfield’s holy trinity of savory oatmeal: tahini, miso, and a tiny bit of honey for balance.

2. Dumplings. “For a quick breakfast I often fry up frozen dumplings from Chinatown,” says Lo, “and I keep a quart of chili sauce/vinegar/soy sauce mixed up in the fridge.”

3. Rice Cakes and More. Leftover rice can morph into many quick breakfast dishes. Try forming it into cakes and topping with lop chong (Chinese dried sausage) or making an easy fried rice with egg and Canadian bacon. Or you can make rice soup out of it, says Joycelyn Lee, owner of B Star Bar and Burma Superstar in San Francisco. She says that ochazuke, a Japanese dish traditionally eaten after a night of hard drinking, also makes a good quick breakfast. Pour green tea or hot broth over rice and add whatever leftovers you’ve got on hand. She likes to put in bits of grilled salmon and some mustard greens, and to poach an egg directly in the hot liquid.

4. Fry Leftovers into Patties. Other things besides rice can be shaped into patties and fried for breakfast. Lo says one of the highlights of a trip she took with some other chefs was making a breakfast out of leftover pasta, beans, and bacon that they fried into cakes and topped with eggs. Try different combos of leftover beans and grains, or check out CHOW’s Black Bean Cakes.

5. Try Cooking Eggs Differently. Dennis Leary, chef/owner of the Sentinel and Canteen in San Francisco, says he serves a lot of egg sandwiches, which are really fast and easy to make if you cook the eggs in a small sheet pan in advance. Whip up eggs with whatever you like (one combo Leary suggests is artichokes, spinach, and pecorino cheese), pour the mixture into a well-greased rimmed baking sheet, bake until it sets, then cut it into squares and plop onto bread (or rice, leftover grains, etc.) with anything else you want for a quick breakfast.

6. Bacon Is Not the Only Breakfast Meat. Really. “There is so much Spanish, Italian, and Chinese salumi out there,” says Lo. “You could switch out bacon for any number of pork products.” Try crisping pancetta, picking up Chinese sausages, or skipping pork altogether by adding fish to your breakfast menu. Leary says he likes to serve smoked haddock with rice, green tomatoes, raisins, cilantro, chile flakes, and a few poached eggs.

7. Hash Things Out. Corned beef and potatoes are the most familiar things you’ll find in hash, but any of your leftover vegetables and/or meats can be finely chopped and cooked together for a breakfast stir-fry. Roasted chicken meat and mixed root vegetables are good, and Lo says she’s made hash with leftover artichokes and shrimp, then thrown an egg on top. Our Red Flannel Hash is a vegetarian option that adds beets to the mix.

8. Eggs Don’t Have to Be Seasoned with Salt and Pepper. Joycelyn Lee says that there are all sorts of good things you can put on your eggs if you want to add some alternative flavors. She suggests soy sauce, furikake (a Japanese condiment made with seaweed), and ponzu sauce.

9. Work in Noodles. Noodle soups are a favorite of Lee’s because they are really easy and fast to pull off in the morning. “Just boil the broth, throw in noodles [and] any leftovers, drop a raw egg in to poach it; it will just cook in the soup … use whatever you ate for dinner and just slice it into your noodles. Any kind of Chinese condiments too are great; you can make some pickles or kimchee and throw that in.” Or try breakfast noodles Italian style: Prune in New York offers spaghetti alla carbonara on its brunch menu for a different way to eat bacon, eggs, and cheese in the morning.

10. Polenta. Like rice, polenta can be incredibly versatile on the breakfast table. Chill leftover polenta in a loaf pan so you can slice it neatly in the morning. Broil with some cheese, then top with sautéed vegetables, meats, or eggs. Or cook it soft and top it with some fresh fruit and cream if you want to go sweet.

1. Start a Work for Food Project. In February, Valerie Gates from eastern Massachusetts decided to post an ad in a local agricultural newsletter offering her marketing services to farms in exchange for homegrown food for her family. She received about 15 responses almost immediately and set up bartering deals for stuff like produce, meat, and prepared meals delivered to her door. Her advice to people looking to barter their skills for food is to approach it “very grass-roots. Go to the farmers’ market and ask around.” She also says that, bottom line, you have to offer a service that people need.

2. Craigslist Barter Board. There’s quite a bit of food swapping going down in the bartering section of Craigslist. Dan Holman, a songwriter living in Highland Park, California, recently posted an ad on the Los Angeles site that said: “I have tomatoes, you have … ?” He says that his motive for trying out bartering was “to eat yummy food and spread good vibes with fellow neighbors.” Recently he has bartered about 50 pounds of his surplus garden tomatoes for grapefruit, lemons, figs, mint plants, empty pots, many types of herbs, cucumbers, radishes, cactus, kabocha squash, and Kombucha. If you are bartering on Craigslist, Holman advises good communication: “If I find that something doesn’t add up, or that the vibe from the email isn’t aligned with me, then I don’t go any further with the barter.”

3. Start a Soup Swap. Soup Swap is a simple idea: A bunch of people each make a pot of soup, freeze it in individual containers, get together, and trade. Knox Gardner says it came about when he “grew bored with yet another giant pot of soup.” His website offers advice on how to organize your own swap, a listing of user-submitted Soup Swaps all over the world, as well as recaps and photos. Gardner suggests that people start small and “have an open mind and palate, some humor, and just to relax with all the loveliness that is sharing food.”

4. Veggie Trader. This website is set up to let backyard gardeners swap their extra produce, so if you get stuck with a million plums, you can trade some with another gardener who might have a bumper crop of peas. The site also allows buying and selling of produce. Rob Anderson, one of the site’s cofounders, says Veggie Trader has been growing rapidly since its launch four months ago and now has more than 6,000 members. Participants are 100 percent responsible for knowing the legal aspects of trading produce, which includes quarantine zones (the San Francisco Bay Area is currently under one, so no trading there), tax liability, and licensing. Anderson says that people should check with their state and county departments of agriculture to find out what the requirements are in their area.

5. Barter for Beer. An interesting trend we want to see come to the United States is the Marksman Pub’s bartering night in London: You offer something the pub wants, you get beer. The bar posts a list of stuff it’s looking for (currently needed: a baby seat for a bike, black Sharpies, and CDs for the jukebox). The site explains: “Barter relies on demand and perceived value on both parts, as well as trust. It is an experience that transcends money exchange as we know it. Above all, we think nice people are cool.”

6. Go to a Barter Faire. Barter faires are often crossovers with other hippie fests, with stuff like drum circles, camping, live music, and people trading and selling their homegrown and handmade wares. Megan Prusynski runs a website that lists the barter faires in the Pacific Northwest. She says for the most part bartering and trading is highly encouraged at festivals. “I’ve seen organic farmers and gardeners selling/bartering fresh produce, dried herbs, or seeds at their booths at faires. … I have traded soap for meals at the food booths at several faires.” Lesson: Know what sort of commodities are going to be in demand when you set out to barter.

7. Neighborhood Fruit. More of a sharing tool than a formal bartering site, Neighborhood Fruit is a fledgling website that lets people with fruit trees give away their crop. It currently has 7,000 registered trees, the majority of which are in the San Francisco Bay Area, but the site is expanding nationally. If you want to find fruit, you can look for stuff offered from backyards, or pinpoint fruit on public trees. To contact someone about his fruit or to offer up your own, you need to register on the site and then follow the easy directions. To help with liability issues, the site provides waivers for people to sign so that fruit sharers don’t have to worry about someone falling off a ladder and suing them. Like with Veggie Trader, you’ll still have to do your own research about local agricultural quarantines and laws, but cofounder Kaytea Petro says that info about these regulations is added to the site’s Gardening Tips forum whenever possible.

8. Work at a Farm Booth. Sometimes farms take volunteers to help them at their farmers’ market booths in exchange for food. Jessica Lynn-Lato, a food blogger and Chowhound, says she’s volunteered a few times at a booth that pays volunteers in organic pork. “It kind of grew out of my regularly buying pork from them at market. … They mentioned that they occasionally take volunteers to help out at the various markets.” She advises people to get to know their farm community at the market and then simply ask if people take volunteers. “I think many farmers would welcome an extra hand in exchange for a bag of vegetables.”

9. Turn on the Tradio. Many local AM radio stations still do an old-school swap meet hour (a.k.a. tradio or swap shop) every week, or even every day. People can call in and say what items they want to sell, trade, or get ahold of. It’s like a radio classified ad, but free. People try to hawk all sorts of stuff, from green beans and live chickens to cooking magazine collections and cookware, so it’s worth a shot to try to arrange a trade.

10. Talk to Your Neighbors, Family, and Friends. The low-tech approach may be the best place to start. Plus, getting to know your neighbors is one of the greatest reasons to start bartering in the first place—because, let’s face it, you’re unlikely to be able to barter so many goods and services that you can give up your job and survive without cash. But you might end up with some lemons from your neighbor and a way better sense of community on your block.

1. Reissdorf Kölsch. An example of a classic regional German beer from Cologne, this light-bodied brew (an ale, not a lager) was the CHOW team’s favorite. We found it easy to drink yet strong on flavor. Kölsch doesn’t whomp you over the head: Its power is in understatement. Tasters called it “refreshing” and “bright,” and hailed it as “subtle and classy” and “the best of the bunch for a hot-weather summer beer.” One taster added, “You could serve this to your townie buds and get away with it.”

2. Anderson Valley Summer Solstice Cerveza Crema. You might expect this California offering, with its medium-brown color and nutty aroma, to be on the heavier side, but it’s full of surprises. Featuring hints of caramel and vanilla, it’s pleasant and easy on the palate (one taster wrote: “I have a crush on this beer”), and definitely light enough for summer drinking. A group favorite.

3. Shipyard Summer Ale. This Maine brewery’s summer offering is actually a wheat beer, though with its pronounced malty character you won’t mistake it for a hefeweizen. It’s slightly sweet—even borderline chocolaty—compared to the others in the bunch, but it’s also well balanced, with no hard corners. Tasters called it “clean,” with a “round finish,” and definitely “easy to drink.”

4. Sierra Nevada Summerfest Lager. Sierra Nevada’s signature Pale Ale is known for its hoppiness. The hops are present in the brewery’s Summerfest Lager, too, but here they’re kept on a tight leash. Summerfest is a simple, invigorating beer done well, “like the wealthier cousin of PBR.” Its body is smooth and “sparkly”—“I’d just drink this instead of water,” said one taster—and its flavor is nicely balanced: “It tastes like good times with an old friend.”

5. Hoegaarden. Pierre Celis founded Hoegaarden Brewery in 1966, though this popular Belgian witbier (a pale, wheat-based beer spiced with coriander and dried Curaçao orange peel) has such a firm, confident flavor you’d think it had been around for centuries. Despite its spices, this kicky brew remains magically “light” and “lovely,” and our tasters would gladly spend the day “drinking it on a sunny stoop.”

6. Speakeasy White Lightning American Wheat Beer. This take on Belgian witbier has the typical spicing (coriander and orange peel) but remains American in both name and character (for starters, it uses no Belgian yeast). The spices give it a fruity, herbal undertone (“Like Hoegaarden but with more balls,” as one taster put it), and it’s designed for extended backyard quaffing (“I could drink a lot of this”). Another bonus: “It doesn’t hit you over the head with hops.”

7. Hacker-Pschorr Weisse. Hefeweizen is another classic German style perfectly suited to warm weather. Hacker-Pschorr’s version is a bit less sweet than others, or “kind of a stern, unsmiling wheat beer,” as one taster called it. It’s dry, with a slight yeasty bite that adds a bracing edge. True, it’s a little heavier in body and flavor than the Kölsch, but so is everything on this list.

8. Tomos Watkins Cwrw Haf. Here’s one you don’t see every day. According to the Hurns Brewing Company, the Tomos Watkins ales are “brewed with the Welsh drinker’s palate in mind,” which means (according to Hurns) “slightly sweet, clean finishing without going overboard on bitterness.” That description holds true for the Cwrw Haf summer ale, which perhaps has cool Welsh summers in mind given its pronounced malty character—different from all the other beers we tasted. Still, it’s plenty balanced, not too strong, and likely good with food. One taster explained: “I’d have it with a burger.”

9. Lagunitas Sirius. We went out on a limb with this one. This “Hi-Gravity Cream Ale” isn’t billed as a summer beer (though it’s only available from June to August), and it’s a bit weightier in flavor, body, and alcohol content than most of our choices. But heck if we didn’t dig it nonetheless. It boasts a slight sweetness that’s balanced by bright hops and hints of “lavender tea,” according to one taster. It may be pretty rich for hot weather, but even in summer you sometimes need a little warmth.

10. Big Sky IPA. IPAs tend to be hop bombs and are not normally considered hot-weather bets, but maybe the cold San Francisco summer inspired us to include this one. The body of this Montana offering isn’t terribly heavy, though the hop profile is in your face. Not everyone would call it refreshing, but its vividness does allude to long, light-filled days. Bottom line: If you like hops, you’ll dig it.

1. Sierra Nevada Kellerweis. The latest release from craft beer leader Sierra is a Bavarian-style hefeweizen (a German wheat beer) that’s light-bodied but bright and satisfying, with hints of clove and citrus. It would be perfect with hot dogs. (Another beer we liked that’s similar but harder to find is Royal Weisse from Pennsylvania brewery Sly Fox. It’s good for camping because it’s sold in cans.)

2. Bell’s Oberon. A favorite among Midwestern Chowhounds, this wheat beer from Kalamazoo, Michigan, is effervescent, golden, and crisp, but with a little hoppy bitterness that gives it an invigorating finish.

3. Dogfish Head Festina Pêche. The summer release from experimental Delaware craft brewer Dogfish Head is fashioned after a somewhat obscure style of German wheat beer called a Berliner Weisse. Dogfish Head’s version is brewed with peach juice, in a nod to how Germans traditionally serve it (they sometimes add fruit syrup to counteract the beer’s aggressive tartness). Yet it’s not at all sweet; it’s like classy, sour spiked lemonade. Dave thinks its acidity is begging to cut through the fat of a bacon burger.

4. Russian River Brewing Company Blind Pig IPA. Beers containing massive amounts of grapefruity-tasting, West Coast–grown hops have become wildly popular. Once you acquire the taste, it becomes difficult not to want more—a condition Russian River Brewing Company’s Vinnie Cilurzo calls the “lupulin threshold shift.” Contrary to what you might think, extra-bitter IPAs like Blind Pig are great for summer, the same way plunging into a very cold stream is good for summer: clears out your senses.

5. Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils. This is the type of light, crisp pilsner you’re used to from Budweiser and Tecate, but classed up with a malty backbone and low-key spice from the hops. Dave calls this Colorado offering: “What Americans think of as ‘lawn mower beer,’ only good.” In other words, serve this to random in-laws and they will not think you’re weird. Bonus points for the fact that it comes in a can!

6. The Bruery Trade Winds Tripel Ale. Pounding Belgian tripels on a hot summer day might sound all wrong because of their high alcohol content, full body, and often very intense and sweet flavors. However, Orange County’s Bruery makes the style work for the season by keeping the sweetness and heavy body in check. The resulting beer is refreshing, crisp, and light, with lots of carbonation. But don’t worry, summer partyers, the Bruery retained the 8 percent alcohol by volume.

7. Nøgne ∅ Saison. Norwegian microbrewer Nøgne ∅ makes its saison with wheat and lager malt and two types of hops. The beer pours light and frothy, with a hazy golden color and a good amount of carbonation. No surprises here: It tastes wheaty with a good kick of hops, but also has spice, citrus, and fruit flavors hanging out, which gives it a fresh smell. A taster said she really wanted to drink some with grilled corn on the cob.

8. Brouwerij Kerkom Bink Blond. Overall an easy, light-bodied drinker, but still flavorful and interesting enough to bring as a hostess gift for your beer nerd friends. Bink is considered one of the hoppiest Belgian beers, but it still maintains some of the malty fruitiness of a golden ale. If you were picking up one beer for a summer bash, this would be a safe bet.

9. Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca. Michigan’s Jolly Pumpkin brews this witbier year-round, but we think it’s particularly good in the summer because it falls on the tart end of the witbier spectrum, as opposed to the baking-spice-flavored versions that abound. It’s very light-bodied, dry, and refreshing.

10. Cantillon Rosé de Gambrinus. If you’re scared to try a raspberry beer because you think it’s going to taste like candy or resemble last summer’s horrific raspberry-pomegranate-flavored Michelob Ultra, it’s time to face your fears and pick up this beer by the venerable Belgian lambic brewery Cantillon. It’s made by fermenting lambic in wooden casks with fresh raspberries (no artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners are added), which results in a beer with an incredibly true raspberry smell, a mouth-puckering tartness, a superdry finish, and a beautiful reddish-coppery color.

1. Sriracha Deviled Eggs. The spiciness of Sriracha is balanced by a hint of sweet-sour from the garnish of pickled carrots or daikon.

2. Horseradish Deviled Eggs with Seared Steak and Blue Cheese. These manly deviled eggs are topped with flavors more common to a steakhouse. Though a bit unwieldy to eat, they’re worth the effort.

3. Wasabi Deviled Eggs with Roe and Crispy Nori. The Asian fusion egg. With exotic ingredients like roe (salmon or uni is great) and deep-fried seaweed, this one’s for adventurous eaters.

4. Pistou Deviled Eggs with Ratatouille. Take your deviled eggs on a trip to Provence. Pistou (the French version of pesto) and ratatouille are the hallmarks of French Mediterranean cooking.

5. Green Chile Deviled Eggs. With Hatch green chiles, lime, and cilantro, these deviled eggs have a definite Southwestern slant. Prensky tops them with a roasted corn salsa, but you could use our Texas Caviar or any other salsa you like.

6. Bacon and Cheddar Deviled Eggs. In an ode to breakfast, Prensky tops these eggs with crumbled bacon and Fiscalini bandage-wrapped cheddar.

7. Truffled Deviled Eggs. Truffles show up in everything from mashed potatoes to burgers, so why not use them to top deviled eggs? Even Paula Wolfert agrees that truffles are especially well suited to eggs.

8. Vadouvan-Spiced Deviled Eggs with Roasted Cauliflower and Mint. These taste like curried egg salad but with an even more distinct Indian flair thanks to the roasted cauliflower and fresh mint.

9. Beet Deviled Eggs with Smoked Blue Cheese. Folding in puréed beets gives these eggs a pink hue—and makes them sweet, earthy, and tangy. Rogue Creamery’s Smokey Blue Cheese is the perfect topper, but if you can’t find it, any top-notch blue cheese will do.

10. Chèvre Deviled Eggs with Asparagus. Flavored with asparagus, goat cheese, and herbs, these eggs sing of a Frenchy springtime dish.

1. Old Overholt Straight Rye Whiskey (about $13). Adam Lantheaume, the owner of the Boston Shaker store, says this rye is excellent, even in a spirit-forward drink like a Manhattan. He knows many mixologists who use it as their default for rye-based cocktails. Try it in a classic Manhattan.

2. Rain Organics Vodka (about $15). Rain has silly packaging, but A. J. Rathbun, author of Good Spirits, says the vodka “is clear and has a good, clean taste,” although he also says to avoid the flavored versions. Try it in the Sophisticate or our adaptation of Blue Hill at Stone Barns’ Oat and Honey Vodka.

3. Flor de Caña Black Label Rum (about $18). For nearly the same price as a bottle of Bacardi, you can pick up a bottle of aged Nicaraguan rum with much more complex flavors. This five-year-old spirit won Best in Class and Gold Medal awards at last year’s International Wine and Spirits Competition. Try it in the Passionista, our not-too-sweet riff on an umbrella drink.

4. Wild Turkey Bourbon (about $20). Daniel Hyatt, the bar manager of the Alembic in San Francisco, says this bourbon has always been a great product for the price. He says it’s “exceptionally balanced” and a “great expression of grain whiskey.” Try it in our Bourbon Sour.

5. Milagro Silver Tequila (about $20). It can be hard to find a good bargain among 100 percent agave tequilas, but Charles Joly, chief mixologist at the Drawing Room in Chicago, says that prices are dropping. He recommends this tequila from Milagro because it’s “authentic, versatile, and delicious.” Try it in a pitcher of Perfect Margaritas or a bubbly Mexican 75.

6. Beefeater London Dry Gin (about $18). The Alembic’s Daniel Hyatt says this is a classically flavored, well-made London dry gin: “They’ve been in the game a long time.” Try it in our Bramble, made with fresh summer blackberries.

7. Rittenhouse 100 Proof Rye (about $14). As well as being the star of our Perfect Sazerac video with Jonny Raglin of Absinthe, this whiskey, according to the Drawing Room’s Charles Joly, “stacks up against brands two to three times the cost.” Make sure you get the 100 proof (not the 80) because “the extra proof makes sure the flavor doesn’t get washed out,” says Joly. Try it in a Sazerac, of course.

8. W. L. Weller Special Reserve (about $16). Good Spirits author A. J. Rathbun says this seven-year-old bourbon has a smooth, full taste and is great for cocktails. The distiller swaps the rye out for wheat, which is what lends the smoothness, says Wine Enthusiast, which called it a “truly outstanding buy.” Try it in the Angel’s Share, an easy, two-ingredient cocktail.

9. Famous Grouse Finest (about $20). Hyatt calls this classic blended whisky a great Scotch that’s easy to drink on its own but “has enough malt and strength to mix a cocktail with, should you desire.” Try it in the Bobby Burns.

10. Lunazul Tequila (about $18). This 100 percent agave tequila is what Toby Malone of Chicago’s Violet Hour says he’s using at his new Nashville haunt, the Patterson House. Malone says both the blanco and reposado are good, and “for the price point I’ve never found better.” It’s a lighter tequila that works well in cocktails and isn’t too agave-forward. Try it in a refreshing summer Paloma.

1. Devil in an Apron Organic Caramels ($11 to $13 for 20). These caramels are soft, buttery, and made by hand using organic dairy products. The bananas Foster flavor that’s included in the Caribbean package (with Mojito) was our favorite.

2. Recchiuti Asphalt Jungle Mix ($12). New from Recchiuti Confections, this mix of chocolate-covered burnt caramel hazelnuts and almonds, dried tart cherries, candied wild Italian cherries, and tiny peanut butter pearls is addictive. We think it just might make the ultimate trail mix when combined with a few assorted nuts.

3. Tait Farm Foods Fruit Shrubs (from $5.50 for 5 ounces). These shrubs are sort of like the Colonial-era version of Torani syrups, but less sweet because they’re made with vinegar in addition to fruit and sugar. Mix with sparkling water for a spritzer, or add them to cocktails.

4. The Teaspoon Box from La Cocina ($23). An assortment of treats made at San Francisco’s excellent nonprofit community kitchen La Cocina. Worth getting just for a taste of the crumbly, dulce de leche–filled alfajores from Sabores del Sur, but the other stuff in the box—like dark-chocolate-covered caramelized graham crackers from Kika’s Treats—makes it an even better score.

5. Russian River Consecration ($22). Russian River Brewing Company ages dark ale with currants in old Cabernet Sauvignon barrels for six months to make this unique funky beer. While it’s not sweet, it’s a perfect treat for beer-lovers.

6. Orange Marmalade with Lemons by Quince & Apple ($5.99). This preserves producer based out of Madison, Wisconsin, makes its brightly flavored marmalade from only sugar, oranges, lemons, ginger, and pectin.

7. Choclatique Moon Rocks Collection ($30). This 15-piece box has flavors like Mission Control Fig and Galactic Grape—gimmicky, yes, but good. A clever departure from run-of-the-mill truffles that’s attractive both for the novelty factor and for sheer deliciousness.

8. Cookies from Baked (from $21). Red Hook’s Baked sells its cookies in boxes of 6 or 12. Order a single flavor—chocolate chip, ginger molasses, oatmeal, “chocolate cloud,” or “monster” (peanut butter, oatmeal, and chocolate)—or choose an assortment, and they’ll ship in a cute signature box.

9. Domaine de Canton (from $23). This trendy ginger liqueur is good for spiking summer lemonade.

10. Bee Raw 4 Fruit Varietal Honey Flight ($45). A beautifully packaged set of four single-varietal raw honeys made by bees living among blueberry, cranberry, raspberry, or orange blossoms.

1. Egg White Mask. You can either save your leftover egg whites for an omelet or angel food cake, or use them for your next facial. Just one white, beaten until smooth, is enough to cover your face. As with other masks, let it dry completely, then rinse off. It will leave you feeling refreshed, and your skin will be noticeably more taut.

2. Oatmeal Face Wash. Oatmeal has calming properties that soothe the skin and help reduce redness. It can be used in a variety of ways, from a body wash to a mask, but the most basic is this simple face wash: Mix together equal parts warm honey and lemon juice, then stir in three parts instant oatmeal until it turns into a paste. Apply to your face, then wash off with warm water.

3. Vinegar Hair Cleaner. Swap your conditioner for vinegar twice a month and you’ll get rid of any nasty buildup, as well as improve your hair’s silkiness and shine. Seriously. Don’t use dark or expensive vinegars; stick to cider or white wine vinegar for less strain on the wallet and better results. But don’t do this more than a few times a month or you’ll risk drying out your hair.

4. Honey and Brown Sugar Scrub. Fill a jar about two-thirds full with honey, add a scoop of brown sugar and one halved vanilla bean, and mix. Keep this in the shower and use it as a body scrub that will leave you smelling nice and feeling smooth.

5. Lemon Juice Lightener. Beach-goers have been doing this for years to lighten their locks. Just combine the juice of half a lemon with a handful of leave-in conditioner (which is less goopy than regular conditioner), spread on your hair, and comb through, then wash out. (Note: Highlighted or color-treated hair should be spared this homemade remedy, which could make your hair look brassy.) Many people also apply lemon juice directly to age spots to bleach them out, though this should be avoided on sensitive skin because lemon juice is highly acidic.

6. Coffee: Scrub and Shine-Maker. Your leftover coffee grounds can clog your drain or, if you’re feeling adventurous, be used as an invigorating scrub. For more details, check out this CHOW Tip. Needless to say, avoid doing this if you have sensitive skin. Leftover brewed coffee can also be mixed with some coffee grounds and conditioner to help increase shine in dark hair.

7. Tea Bag Eye Rejuvenator. The quintessential home cosmetic remedy is using cucumber slices on the eyes to reduce puffiness. While that certainly works, brewed black tea bags are even more effective. Place them on your eyes (which should be closed, of course) and let the tannins work their magic—about five minutes should do the trick.

8. Baking Soda Teeth Cleaner. Mix one teaspoon of baking soda with a quarter teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide for one of the most basic forms of tooth care that exists. It’ll clean your teeth (some would argue better than store-bought toothpaste), but you’ll be missing out on the minty freshness. Of course, you could just go totally au naturel and gnaw a bit of spearmint for that.

9. Oil Moisturizer. Take a page from many a Mediterranean grandmother: Olive oil works fabulously as a lotion. Use too much and you’ll smell like pasta, but in small doses it works wonders as a daily lotion or massage oil. If olive oil isn’t your thing, sesame oil (regular not toasted), peanut oil, almond oil, and argan oil work too.

10. Cornstarch Bath Powder. Superabsorbent and extremely fine, cornstarch is the kitchen equivalent of baby powder and can be used in the same way. Combine it with a few leaves of a nice-smelling dried herb (rosemary, lavender, or sage, for instance) and pulse it in the food processor until evenly mixed. Sift out any large stray leaf bits, transfer to a container with a shake top (like an old baby powder bottle), and use to freshen up anything from your body to your sneakers.

1. The WineRack. Soft flasks hidden in a bra seem like an incredibly uncomfortable idea. A nozzle discreetly attaches on the side and then, we guess, dangles down under your shirt—unless you’re wearing just the bra like the model on the website, and then it’s not that stealth anymore.

2. The Hammer Flask. A combo bottle opener, ice crusher, flask, and—as the website brags—functional hammer. Let’s get hammered!

3. Dear Diary Flask. Book safes made from hollowed-out pages are the stuff of spy movie legend. But the manufacturers of this one have screwed it up with a suspiciously innocent bunny rabbit diary motif.

4. The Beerbelly. It’s hard to decide if this is more or less gross than the WineRack. You fill the “belly” with 80 ounces of drink and wear it under your shirt like a sling. Seems like your stomach would make whatever beverage you put in there really hot and nasty.

5. Stadium Sippin’ Seat. This cushion houses a floppy flask with a drinking tube attached to the side. At least this item is somewhat practical, but we’d still rather buy a nice cold beer from a vendor than drink something we’ve sat on all day.

6. Crystal Swarovski Phone Flask. A hundred bucks gets you a bling-encrusted “cell phone” that’s really a six-ounce flask. Too bad Valentine’s Day has come and gone.

7. Sneaky Shorts. You’re supposed to wear these flexible flasks under your regular shorts and hang the dispensing tube out the bottom. The blurb claims that the “patent pending ‘Stay Thin’ technology ensures that the shorts do not bulge when filled with liquid,” but this seems dubious. Also, if you’re caught by security, you may have to claim to be drinking your own urine—and it’s not going to be pretty if the flasks leak.

8. Reef Dram Sandal. Dude, these sandals totally house a microflask in the footbed, bro. They are also poorly reviewed on Amazon due to their limited capacity and a tendency to leak. Perhaps Reef should stick to opening beers.

9. Deluxe Electronic Golf Club Kooler Caddie. Slip the insulated cooler into your golf bag, attach the “golf club” dispenser to the top, and you can have cold refreshments at the push of a button. It’s unlikely to improve your game, but it might make it more enjoyable.

10. Pewter Binocular Flask. You’d think at nearly 70 bucks that these shiny pewter binoculars that hold booze in the eyepieces would double as real binoculars. But they don’t.

1. Tomato Paste. Cans or tubes, both are good. It’s useful as the base for anything from pot roast to bisque. And if those cans are too big, just freeze the leftovers.

2. Tomatoes. In-season tomatoes are a breed apart, perfect for no-cook preparations like salads. Any other time of year, we turn to canned tomatoes—whole, diced, crushed, or puréed—for soups, sauces, and slow-cooked meals.

3. Beans. Many types of beans survive canning well, and opening a can is much quicker than soaking and cooking dried beans. Of all the legumes, cannellini, garbanzos, pintos, and kidneys do the best. Sadly, we have yet to find a good canned black bean.

4. Hearts of Palm. We’ve never seen hearts of palm sold any other way, and that’s likely because they’re very hard to prepare. Drain, rinse, and slice for a quick addition to a salad.

5. Water Chestnuts. It’s hard to find whole fresh water chestnuts outside of Asian markets, but canned versions are readily available. We like the crunch and subtle nutty flavor they lend to dishes.

6. Artichoke Hearts. All the flavor of artichokes without the hassle of preparation. Try them in dips, casseroles, or pretty much any other cooked preparation.

7. Lychees. Depending on where you live, lychees can be pretty hard to come by. And even if you do come across them, it can be a pain to get them out of their pesky shells. But the real reason we’re into canned lychees is that they come packed in a delicious syrup that’s particularly useful in cocktails.

8. Pickled Jalapeños. Some spice-lovers wouldn’t bother to eat a taco without a handful of pickled jalapeños. Though making them yourself is supereasy, there’s no shame in picking up a can at the supermarket.

9. Coconut Milk. Its rich, creamy flavor is a necessity in Thai soups, but it also adds a comforting note to breakfast dishes like this porridge. Look for lower-fat versions for a healthier alternative.

10. Tuna. Oil-packed tuna is an affordable indulgence that adds instant flavor and complexity to almost any recipe. Our favorite is the Ortiz brand from Spain; it has superior texture and taste without any fishiness.

1. Pocky. More a snack than a candy, but a classic. There are other flavored coatings (the strawberry is good), but the simple combination of chocolate and sweet biscuit makes the original the best.

2. Milky. There are many knockoffs of this chewy candy, but none compares to the original, with its delicate malted flavor.

3. Hello Panda. These have all the cuteness of Teddy Grahams and all the unease of biting into little smiling panda heads. But the crisp biscuits with milk chocolate cream inside help you forget the implications, if there are any. Other flavors include strawberry and vanilla.

4. Kiwifruit Gummy Candy. All the flavors of Kasugai gummy candies are great (particularly the muskmelon, lychee, and grape), but the kiwi is exceptional—possibly the perfect blend of sweet and tart.

5. Hi-Chew Grape. This fruit-flavored taffy candy has the best chewiness factor: neither too hard nor too soft. Though there are numerous flavors, the grape is perfectly grapelike without being over the top in that Bubble Yum way.

6. Flower’s Kiss. These hard candies are supposed to make your breath as fresh as a flower to prepare you for kissing, a claim that has yet to be road-tested by us.

7. Botan Rice Candy. With an edible rice-paper wrapper around chewy candy, this sweet is a multifaceted experience. The soft chew has a delicate citrus flavor, and the supercute box comes with a supercute sticker.

8. Ramune Candy. I was hooked on Ramune soda when I was younger partly because of its lemon-lime flavor and partly due to the awesome bottle it comes in. Now the company makes this tongue-tingling candy with the same great flavor.

9. Coffeebeat. The name seems more fitting for a coffee-related zine, and the packaging looks like it hasn’t been updated in 30 years, but that’s part of the charm of these bean-shaped, coffee-flavored candies dipped in chocolate.

10. Ume Fruity & Sweet. We may be crossing the line from candy to chewing gum here, but this product is a delicious treat with a sweet-sour plum flavor that lasts a good long time: Watch out, Juicy Fruit.

1. Buy only what you know you’ll consume in a week, to avoid throwing away stuff you don’t end up using. (Steer clear of the “stockin’ up!” Costco mentality.)

2. Don’t use the plastic bags for fruits and vegetables in grocery stores. Bring your own that you’ve saved at home from when you were less green, or don’t bag at all. Wash and reuse saran wrap—just dry it on the drying rack.

3. Think before you open the oven and fridge so you don’t waste electricity. Don’t stand in front of the open refrigerator eating jam with your fingers. (The first is green; the second is gross.)

4. Don’t ditch beet tops, turnip tops, or radish tops—sauté them and eat them! Save scraps of meat and vegetables in the freezer and make stock when you have enough.

5. Buy stuff from the bulk section to avoid packaging. (Most markets will let you bring any kind of container you want—Mason jar, gym sock, what have you—just weigh it empty first and record the weight somewhere on the container for the checker.)

6. Shop at local, independent grocery stores, bakeries, and other purveyors, as well as at farmers’ markets. Fewer goods will have traveled thousands of miles to get to the shelves.

7. Try some baking soda or coarse salt to remove caked-on food from a pan or oven before you resort to oven cleaner. That stuff is toxic.

8. No bottled water. Ever.

9. Use cold water to wash all but your greasiest of dishes. Hot water heaters use energy.

10. Learn to cook. Eat the Michael Pollan way: mostly plants. Grow your own herbs. Feed your friends—staying in is the new going out.

1. Fedco Seeds. This Maine-based cooperative specializes in cold-hardy plants for the northeast climate. The company will replace anything you’re not satisfied with, or give you a refund for it.

2. Territorial Seed Company. Territorial has a research gardening staff that tests seeds to see how well they’ll do in the Northwest, how tasty the vegetables are, and how well the seeds germinate. It offers a replace-or-refund guarantee and will answer gardening questions via telephone.

3. Pinetree Garden Seeds. Pinetree sells packages of seeds that are smaller than many other companies’, so it’s easy to experiment without being stuck with a bunch of leftovers. In addition to the more common varieties, it offers a selection of seeds for Asian, Middle Eastern, and Latin American vegetables such as Egyptian fava beans, shiso, and Thai peppers. Everything comes with a replace-or-refund guarantee.

4. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Missouri-based Baker Creek sells only “non-hybrid, non-GMO, non-treated, and non-patented” seeds, and specializes in rare and heirloom varieties. Its catalog is full of exotic vegetables: tiny Thai eggplants that look like green peas, Tigger melons with bright red and orange stripes, ugly wart-covered winter squash with amazing bright orange flesh, and pages of tomatoes organized by color.

5. High Altitude Gardens. High Altitude is a 25-year-old family-owned business based out of Arizona that specializes in varieties that do well in the cold, short seasons found in elevated regions (it has test gardens at 6,000 feet). There isn’t a ton of variety in its catalog, but you’ll know you’re buying seeds that work where you live—if you live up high.

6. Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. This company in Virginia carries a smallish selection of heirloom vegetables that do well in the mid-Atlantic region. Interesting varieties include burgundy okra and heirloom peanuts.

7. Hudson Valley Seed Library. A cool project we learned about from the Slow Food USA blog, the Hudson Valley Seed Library aims to create a local seed supply for its area, and to sell exclusively local seeds by 2014. Check out the 16 different seed options in cool packages designed by local artists, or browse the nonlocal heirloom varieties.

8. University of Hawaii Seed Program. The university’s seeds are on the expensive side, but the cost might be worth it to know you’re getting varieties tested for the Hawaiian climate. Hippies look elsewhere: The focus is definitely more scientific than back-to-the-land.

9. Johnny’s Selected Seeds. Johnny’s has a large selection of vegetable seeds, some heirloom, some organic. The company is employee-owned and offers a full refund-or-replace guarantee on its seeds.

10. Seed Savers Exchange. Maybe the most well known of the heritage seed companies, Seed Savers is a nonprofit organization that operates the largest nongovernmental seed bank in the United States. It sells heirloom vegetable seeds to nonmembers, but if you join you gain access to an additional 12,000 varieties. It also provides instructions on how to save your own seeds.