Casey Bryce, University of Bristol
24.01.2024 - 21:29 / bhg.com
Kelsey Hansen
Google’s 2023 “Year in Search” reflects the array of food that caught everyone’s attention: There’s sweet and savory, sides and mains, health-focused and indulgent. Some recipes were tied to public figures (like a certain infamous purple something that represents a fast food chain, or the UK’s new king), while others randomly appeared on TikTok For You pages everywhere. But they all have this in common: They brought us all together, as food does.
Our Test Kitchen experts shared their thoughts on the top-10 most-Googled recipes, including tips on cooking and serving them—so the next time you need a crowd-pleasing dish, you know where to look.
Bryce Jones
Created by McDonalds to celebrate the 52nd Birthday of Grimace, the milkshake’s flavors proved to be almost as elusive as the character himself.
“It was only available for about one month, so maybe that is why people searched for it,” says Test Kitchen director Lynn Blanchard. “Perhaps we need to create a recipe for it.”
Whether it was because everyone wanted to know what it tasted like without actually trying it (answer: a non-specific berry) or the chaotic meme that painted it as a “deadly concoction,” the Grimace shake made headlines.
To make a restaurant-quality one yourself—Grimace-themed or not—Blanchard recommends using a high quality ice cream that doesn’t have a lot of air incorporated into it. Add milk to really blend the ice cream, and use low speed as you start out (this also helps to avoid burning out your blender motor). 1 pint of ice cream and 1 cup of milk gets you two milkshakes.
CJ Younger
Blanchard and Sarah Brekke, Test Kitchen brand manager, deem this dish “cheesy, hearty, and quick and easy.” Popularized on TikTok, the viral recipe
Casey Bryce, University of Bristol
For that ‘light bulb moment’ consider the two main species of Iris that will grow from bulbs. Bulbs are generally cheap and easy to grow. The bulbs are often packed in 10’s or 50’s so you can grow a group of Iris together or grow extra for cutting. The main sorts are Iris reticulata and Dutch Iris but there are also some other bulb species to look out for.
Collaborative post
Collaborative post
Peat is an acidic growing medium, which thanks to its excellent water and nutrient retention is traditionally used in garden composts. With a low pH it’s ideal for growing acid-loving plants such as blueberries, heather and Camellia sinensis, and peat-based composts have been widely used in horticulture – most garden composts contain some peat, and most garden centres still sell plants growing in pots of peat-based compost. However, due to its environmentally damaging effects, from late this year, the sale of peat-based composts in gardens and DIY stores will be banned in the UK. Issues with peat-free composts, such as expense, availability and performance have hindered its take up in the past but thankfully, compost manufacturers have responded to these concerns with research and investment and a broad range of high quality, peat-free composts are now widely available, with some even costing less than their peat-based counterparts.
February marks the transition from winter to spring. Although the chill may persist, promising signs of the upcoming new season are scattered throughout. Bulbs cautiously break through the soil, and daylight gradually begins to appear.
Learning these secrets about growing the most fragrant roses will help treat your senses with soothing natural scents. Don’t worry if you are not an expert rosarian; these tips will make you a pro!
Galanthus x hybridus ‘Robin Hood’ at Thenford Arboretum
Cotoneasters are not a well-known group of plants, and these excellent berrying shrubs are often unfairly labelled dull. The culprit responsible for this reputation is Cotoneaster horizontalis (wall spray), which sprawls across front gardens and car parks up and down the country, and is, admittedly, rather dull. But, beyond the ubiquitous blandness of C. horizontalis, there are many wonderful cotoneasters that deserve to be more widely grown.
The All About Plants category debuted in the Great Pavilion at RHS Chelsea 2022. This year, six gardens supported by Project Giving Back and designed in collaboration with a UK charity, will be on display. A grief garden, a skate park with a focus on edible planting, and a vibrant design that champions good gut health are just a snapshot of the gardens putting plants at the forefront of the design and keeping hard landscape at a minimum.
Some people get their kicks from designer labels, others from rummaging through flea shops, or collecting obscure Japanese comics, vintage tractors, handbags, dolls, beer-mats, Star Wars merchandise or whatever else. Me, I get mine from ordering seeds.