Hana Washington
Editorial byline
Hana Washington is an editorial byline for Favorite Foods & Drinks, with a focus on Kitchen & Gear, Recipes. Biographical credentials and external profiles are published only after verification.
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Coverage Areas
Latest Articles
Dutch Oven or Open Steam: How to Choose Your Sourdough Crust
Achieve your desired sourdough crust by choosing between covered Dutch oven baking for a thick, artisan loaf or open baking with added steam for a thinner, softer, or custom crispy crust. Understanding the role of steam in early baking is key to controlling oven spring and final crust development.
Oct 21, 2026 · 4 min read
LED, Strobe, or Window Light: Choosing the Right Source for Your Food Photography Style
Choosing the right lighting source for food photography depends on your desired aesthetic. This guide compares natural window light, continuous LED, and strobe lighting to help you select the best option for your style.
Oct 18, 2026 · 5 min read
How to Compose and Light Your Food Photos: A Beginner's Framework for Better Shots at Home
Master food photography at home with a beginner's framework focusing on composition and lighting. Learn practical techniques for arranging shots and choosing light to make your dishes look appealing.
Oct 17, 2026 · 5 min read
Butter, Temperature, and Fold Geometry: The Science of Flaky Laminated Dough
Achieving flaky laminated dough relies on creating thin, continuous layers of butter between dough sheets. Mastering this technique requires precise control over butter quality, temperature, and folding geometry to build the desired architecture.
Oct 17, 2026 · 7 min read
The Science of Knife Sharpening: How Grit, Angle, and Abrasion Decide Your Edge
Knife sharpening is a science governed by three core variables: abrasive grit size, sharpening angle, and effective heat and debris management. Understanding these principles allows for choosing the right method and achieving a superior, durable edge.
Oct 16, 2026 · 5 min read
Glutenin Builds the Strength, Gliadin Builds the Stretch: How Sourdough Techniques Shape Your Rise
Understand the distinct roles of glutenin for strength and gliadin for stretch in sourdough gluten development. Learn how techniques like hydration, autolyse, and folding intentionally build these protein networks to shape your dough and achieve the perfect loaf.
Oct 15, 2026 · 5 min read
How Michelin Stars Are Really Awarded: The Five Official Criteria
Michelin Stars are awarded exclusively for the quality of food, evaluated against five core criteria: ingredients, flavor mastery, chef's personality, harmony of flavors, and consistency. Factors like decor and service are assessed separately and do not influence star ratings.
Oct 8, 2026 · 5 min read
How Sourdough Hydration Shapes Your Loaf's Crumb and Crust
Sourdough hydration, the percentage of water in a recipe, is the most influential variable for controlling a loaf's crumb and crust texture. Understanding how water interacts with flour and yeast allows bakers to intentionally design their desired bread characteristics, from dense sandwich loaves to airy, open-crumbed crusty breads.
Oct 2, 2026 · 4 min read
Choosing the Right Specialized Butchery Knife for Your Home Kitchen
For home cooks, specialized butchery knives like boning, filleting, breaking, and cleaver knives offer precision and power beyond a general chef's knife. Understanding their distinct designs helps you choose the right tool for deboning, filleting, or breaking down meat.
Sep 30, 2026 · 5 min read
What's the Best Coffee Maker for You in 2026?
The difference between a mediocre morning brew and a truly excellent cup often comes down to just ten degrees Fahrenheit, a precision many popular coffee makers fail to achieve.
Sep 20, 2026 · 4 min read
Top 8 Vintage Dinner Recipes for Home Cooks
Forget the casseroles: a 1965 calendar featured Quiche Lorraine, while other mid-century cookbooks offered Teriyaki Beef in Bacon and Sauteed Chicken Livers in Spanish Rice, revealing a surprisingly g
Sep 14, 2026 · 4 min read
Top 3 Most Booked Restaurants in Stanislaus County Revealed
In the heart of California's Central Valley, a steakhouse in Modesto consistently outbooks Nashville's famed hot chicken joints on OpenTable, revealing a surprising commonality in American dining habi
Sep 10, 2026 · 5 min read
Sustainable Kitchen Gadgets for Waste Reduction
A Smithey slotted spatula costs $30, but its durability prevents countless disposable plastic items from ending up in landfills, ultimately saving money and reducing waste.
Sep 9, 2026 · 5 min read
How to Make Frozen Pizza Taste Better with a Baking Steel
Steel transfers heat so quickly that pizza can be fully baked in a home oven in about 5 minutes, dramatically cutting down cook time while delivering a crispier crust than standard methods, according
Sep 5, 2026 · 3 min read
What are the best cookware materials for your cooking techniques?
Nonstick cookware, a kitchen staple for many, typically lasts only three to five years before needing replacement, according to Stanford Magazine .
Aug 29, 2026 · 4 min read
Bristol restaurants vie for British Restaurant Awards glory
Two Michelin-starred restaurants, Bulrush and Wilsons, are among eight Bristol establishments vying for national recognition at the eighth annual British Restaurant Awards.
Aug 17, 2026 · 3 min read
Social media's tradwife kitchen trend is making home cooking unattainable.
To cook like tradwife influencer Nara Smith, who boasts 12.
Aug 14, 2026 · 3 min read
How to Maintain Stainless Steel Cookware
Even a premium stainless steel pan can face permanent damage from everyday kitchen habits, often within its first year of use.
Aug 10, 2026 · 6 min read
Restaurant ratings are unreliable, and the digital age is eroding local flavor.
A $38 Wagyu basturma brisket sandwich from Yerord Mas became the flashpoint for an online debate so intense its chef-owner initially pulled it from the menu.
Aug 8, 2026 · 4 min read
Easy Ketogenic Diet Meal Plan Recipes Revolutionize Home Cooking
A recent 'Home Cook Trends' survey found 60% of new ketogenic diet adopters cite 'easy home recipes' as their primary reason for starting and sticking with the plan.
Aug 5, 2026 · 4 min read