The plastic veggies dilemma: Growing out of a bad idea by JoVona Taylor When is a healthy vegetable not a healthy vegetable? When it’s in a can.   Simple dishes with a side of memory By Kailyn Lamb As disease slowly claims the mind of a loved one, cooking her recipes may be the only way […]

New York City falls 241 million meals short in a year — that’s the gap between what the city’s residents need and what they can afford. In our annual “New York Sits Down to Dinner” report, NYTable staffers tell the stories of people who don’t have enough to eat, and of the army of volunteers and advocates trying to put more and better food on their plates.

Free food, of course, isn’t: It takes much more than a village to feed New York’s hungry.

Sara Jenkins is chef-owner of Porchetta and Porsena in the East Village, and a cookbook author. JJ Johnson is executive chef at The Cecil, in Harlem. She wonders if “woman chef” is a useful label — because it draws attention to how few there are — or an indication that women still don’t have equal […]

Hunger activist Lori Silverbush says that we’re on the brink of a new advocacy movement — a drive to define food as a public policy issue. The producer of the documentary “A Place at the Table” talks about shifting the focus from food distribution to social change.

Chef/partner Nick Anderer and managing partner Terry Coughlin, of Maialino and Marta, talk about kitchen life — not kitchen TV, but kitchen life — and why Union Square Hospitality Group spearheaded the no-tipping trend.

Sometimes, one’s self-respect requires a home-cooked meal, even if there’s barely enough time.

Josh Beckerman ate at the Mission Chinese pop-up restaurant in Brooklyn, and for $40, before the tip, ordered Kung Pau Pastrami (recipe follows), West Lake Rice Porridge, Chicken Wings Chongqing Style, Salt Fish Fried Rice, Mapo Tofu,Tennessee Bacon and Rice Cake, and Bok Choy Chinese.

Model Zach Pricer, who strives to maintain a single-digit body-fat percentage, aims for main courses like this veggie burger, except for the rare day when he allows himself a Southern feast.

Anthony’s Thirty-minute Stir-fry for Two Private chef and caterer Anthony Cacase builds a week’s meals on homemade stock, and prides himself on economical shopping and cooking habits. Read Anthony’s story here. 2 servings 7 small bell peppers sliced into thin strips half an onion, thinly sliced 3 cloves preserved garlic 4 bunches bok choy, leaves […]