Blog Posts by The Daily Meal

A collection of outrageous frozen treats sure to surprise youWhen summer approaches and the weather starts to get a bit balmy, the go-to cool-down treat is ice cream. And while ice cream will certainly do the trick, there's something about an ice-cold pop that seems even cooler.




Ice Pop Flavors You Never Knew Existed

The food-loving world seems to be catching onto the virtues of frozen pops, as more and more shops and trucks are dedicating their entire menus to them. But this list is not about recognizing the everyday ice pop - it's about noting those spots that are serving up the most outrageous and uniquely flavored ones in the country.

19 Ice Creams You've Never Tried

Surely, rice pudding with raisins or persimmon pudding seem like fairly pedestrian (though extremely delicious) desserts, but when frozen and served on a stick they seem exotic and innovative. And some ice pop-makers are pushing the envelope by experimenting with combinations of flavors that are interesting and exciting, like Thai tea and sweet potato, or strawberries and goat

A collection of the finest fried spuds in the countryEven though their name sounds very international, french fries are about as American as any food can be - they're deep-fried, they're the quintessential vehicle for ketchup (America's favorite condiment, hands down), and they're made from one of the country's most bountiful crops, potatoes. However, while french fries are so popular in the U.S. that they can be found on most menus, those who know fries know that the standard, mediocre orders stand worlds apart from the outstanding examples.

Check out America's Best French Fries

So what makes a perfect fry? There's the crunchiness element for sure - that crisp exterior texture that holds up against the impending threat of sogginess. Then, the soft, fluffy interior, filled with potato that's cooked through but not dried out or raw-tasting. The color also comes into play - the best fries have that undeniable golden-brown hue. When all of these elements come together, they create the perfect fry that needs no condiments.

America's 35 Best

Just when you thought you had figured out what to make for dinner, you suddenly realize that you forgot to plan a side dish recipe to use. No sweat. Instead of turning to the usual boring potato recipes, rice recipes, or vegetable side dishes, try our inspired takes instead. This week, The Daily Meal staff and members of the Culinary Content Network created eight original, interesting side dish recipes for you to try at home. Check out the highlights below.

All of the recipes featured here can be made at home for about $17 or less, excluding the cost of small amounts of basic ingredients such as butter, oil, flour, sugar, salt, pepper, and other dried herbs and spices.

Jane BruceCouscous with Roasted Vegetables and Feta

This side dish can also serve as a meal on its own, but it's great as an accompaniment to a protein like grilled chicken or fresh fish…

- Carly Goldsmith

Click here to see the Couscous with Roasted Vegetables and Feta Recipe.



Arthur BovinoGrilled Potato, Onion, and Arugula Salad

Sweet

Who makes The Daily Meal's list of the country's top wings? Buffalo wings are such an ingrained part of American culture that, if you didn't already know, you'd assume that their origin dates back further than to 1964, when Teressa Bellissimo prepared the first batch for a voracious group of her son's friends in the kitchen of Anchor Bar in Buffalo, N.Y.

America's Best Buffalo Wings

It's hard to imagine life without such a culinary creation that's so versatile that it can be created in hundreds of styles, served boneless or bone-in, taste great with dozens of dips, and served as either an appetizer or a meal. Wings are now on the menu at virtually every bar that serves food, at pizza chains, and even at upscale restaurants. Just 47 years after being introduced to the world, most Americans have several wing options just a phone call away.

America's Best Ribs

When the NFL and its players association were negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement, many feared that a lockout would have a disastrous effect on the chicken-wing industry. "It

While making new friends, settling in, and paying attention in class are important pursuits, locating - and experiencing - the dining hall should be a top priority. And discovering which schools have the best ones has been ours.

The Worst College Food in America

The Daily Meal went big, setting out to determine the best in campus dining across the nation - from small liberal arts colleges to Big Ten mega-universities. In an epic study that spanned many months, we examined the dining programs at every four-year college in America - more than 2,000 of them. What we found was both frightening and impressive.

From blind taste tests to ensure the highest-quality products and locally sourced tofu to a schedule of rotating pan-Asian cuisine, when it comes to food at least, colleges are providing students with plenty to write home about. Many are even giving local restaurants a run for their money.

10 College Towns with the Best Food

After connecting with surprisingly candid - and

We're going beyond the grilled cheese sandwich and inspiring you with different recipesIf the words "melt sandwich" only bring to mind turkey and tuna, then you're missing out on a whole world of meats, cheeses, and vegetable mash-ups.

A melt can be more than just cheese and turkey, and here is an introduction, with a compilation of melts ranging from sweet to savory, all with gooey melted cheese in common. Let these recipes be your inspiration to any kind of melt you desire.

10 Great Sandwich Melts

The key to making the perfect melt is twofold. First, you have to choose the right cheese. Selecting a cheese with superior "melt capacity" is crucial. Your best bets include: American, Cheddar, Gouda, provolone, Swiss, asiago, mozzarella, and Gruyère. Once you've decided what cheese you're going to use to glue the sandwich together, all you have to do is melt your sandwich.

There's no need to run out and buy a panini press to cater to all of your melt sandwich needs, and we'll show you why. There are several ways to ensure crisp, but not burnt, bread - with warm insides

Iconic and popular fast-food recipes you can try at homeAdmit it - you love a good cheeseburger. Or a steaming cinnamon bun drizzled in frosting. Or a miniature breakfast sandwich. Or all three. But maybe you feel a little shy about walking into a McDonald's or a Burger King or a Denny's because the market today is flooded with so many sustainably harvested, seasonal, macrobiotic food options, and everyone's on board with the trend. Or maybe you don't feel that way, but the craving for something stacked, juicy, and, chances are, overwhelmingly cheesy, strikes at the most inconvenient of times - say, when you're in your pajamas cuddled up on the couch and about to turn in for the evening. Suddenly, fast food doesn't seem so fast.

Whichever camp you belong to, we have the answer. To sate your appetite, we spoke with the experts - some of the major fast-food chains as well as those who are replicating (and occasionally putting a twist on) their recipes - about how to interpret the meals that have worked their way into our country's collective

The Daily Meal celebrates the most exemplary epicurean endeavors in AsiaFirst came The Daily Meal's 101 Best Restaurants in America, then 101 Best Hotel Restaurants Around the World and 101 Best Restaurants in Europe. Now, The Daily Meal continues its culinary tour of the world with its first-ever roster of the 101 Best Restaurants in Asia.

It would have been easy to name 101 excellent restaurants in China alone, or in Japan, or Hong Kong, but we wanted to represent as wide a geographical area as possible, discovering lesser-known gems in other corners of Asia as well as recognizing the best establishments in more familiar places. Thus, our list includes restaurants in 11 countries - Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam - plus Hong Kong and Macau. China has the most entries, 28 in all.

Click here to see the 101 Best Restaurants in Asia

We offer choices in 25 cities - not just capitals like Beijing, Seoul, Taipei, and Tokyo, but smaller municipalities, too, among them Danang (Vietnam),