Japanese cuisine isn't all raw fish and seaweed. Southern comfort food such as chicken karaage and buttery fish-roe pasta are becoming popular.

From cake and crme brle to falafel and laksa, bloggers and chefs are using the slow cooker for all sorts of unexpected dishes. What do you use yours for?

A deliciously crisp and lacy pancake from Vietnam, served with a sharp dipping sauce.

A simple, stovetop rice pudding made with coconut milk, studded with pistachios and gorgeously fragrant with rose and cardamom.

A marinade of garlic, spices and a dairy-free buttermilk give the tenderness of fried chicken without all the deep-fried grease.

When I was diagnosed with lactose intolerance, I wondered how on earth Id be able to give up dairy. But these new staples prove there is life after cheese.

Rich food, after-hours booze, 3am kebabs a chefs lifestyle can be full of unhealthy ingredients. Three top professional cooks tell their stories of illness and recovery.

News that sales of brown sauce have fallen provoked a huge reaction from Guardian readers, but its not the only once-loved condiment to now be banished to the back of the cupboard.

Given their simplicity and spartan ingredients, it is unsurprising that pancakes are present in almost every food culture, from Russian blinis to Vietnamese banh xeo. So which are the best?Pancake Day is big business. Waitrose is forecasting a 500% rise...

The prized Malaysian musang king durian has reached British shores for the first time. Are you tempted to try the pungent, custardy fruit?Nose pegs at the ready ... musang king durians are now on sale in the UK. The infamous durian - regarded the king...

Why are supplies of chèvre running so low, and whatever will vegetarians eat until the situation is resolved?Stockpile the chèvre and bulk-buy the rosary ash: there's a goat's cheese shortage. Warnings have been circulating for months, but now restaurants...

We've had fancy burgers - now brace yourself for artisanal toast. How much are you prepared to pay for a piece?Toast is trendy. Yes, you read that right: toast. Obviously we're not talking marge on Mighty White, but rather the artisanal slices served...

Rising prices and a hot summer have seen sales of frozen chips fall. But don't discount the ultimate comfort food just yet ...Having chips for tea tonight? According to a current McCain ad set in a sunny, shiny, alternate-universe Britain, you're one...

Deb Perelman writes one of the world's biggest food blogs from a galley-style New York kitchen. How would she cope on a boat?"I am staunchly opposed to single-use kitchen objects," says Deb Perelman in The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. Yet Perelman, one...

Plans to reduce the minimum sugar content of jam have provoked a national outcry. Is this really 'the end of breakfast as we know it' - or just a storm in a jam jar?When is a jam not a jam? When it's a "fruit spread", ...

Juice made from green leafy vegetables is the latest health-food trend. Is it really good for you, or just an expensive fad?Move over flat whites. A drink with the colour and consistency of Labyrinth's Bog of Eternal Stench is stealthily emerging as...

Bye-bye pineapple and hotdog crusts. Indie restaurants and mini chains now serve the authentic Neapolitan deal with sourdough bases, Italian tomatoes and fresh authentic ingredients.• Below, our testers try eight of the best pizzeriasThere's a pizza...

Whether kofta in India or köttbullar in Sweden, it seems that everyone, everywhere loves meatballs. What gives them their all-round appeal, and how easy is it to make your own?Everyone loves meatballs. Almost every food culture has its own version -...

Sales of margarine are in decline, due to a combination of reformulated recipes, price, health and taste. Do you defend marge, or is butter simply better?Butter v marg: it's a fight that has gone on for decades. On one side, there's butter - rich, creamy,...

These blends between croissants and doughnuts are all the rage in New York, but have yet to make it to the UK. So can you replicate them in your own kitchen?What do you get when you cross a croissant with a doughnut? Introducing: the Cronut, ...