At Serious Eats, we’re a team of self-proclaimed food nerds who are ever-curious about the “why” behind cooking. The staff has worked in restaurants, test kitchens, bakeries, and other notable publications, bringing extensive culinary and editorial expertise to the table.
Serious Eats may not have a crystal ball to see into the future, but you know what we do have? Opinions, and a lot of them. So naturally, as this time of year on the internet begets, we reflected on the food trends we witnessed not just online, but in restaurants, grocery stores, and even our besties' kitchens. We’re certainly not the first to put together a list of what’s “in” and what’s “out” for the coming year, but we thought we’d give it a shot. Below, find a totally silly, not at all serious* list of what food trends the SE staff predicts will be “in” and “out” in 2024.
* Well, maybe some of them are at least half serious.
Out
In
Girl Dinner
Not gendering our eating
Artificial Flavors
Artificially intelligent flavors
Wacky martinis (lookin' at you, burrata and pasta water martinis!)
Snacky martinis (drink the classic, keep the snacks on the side)
Out
In
Paleo
Neolithic
The Cavendish banana
A distinct longing for naturally occurring H1 hybrid varieties of bananas that are only found in wild tropical climates
Ravioli sheets
Ravioli roll-ups
Spending two days filming a 14-step espresso shot-pulling process for a social media reel
Drinking espresso
Pricey tinned sardines
Inexpensive tinned sardines: they're just as good, minus the artsy packaging
Thinking daily about the Roman Empire
Thinking daily about Roman pasta
Out
In
Alternative milks
Emoooooo milks
Baked feta
Literally anything else. This is so dead. Let it die.
Intermittent fasting
Burrito naps
Picklebacks
Just straight chugging distilled vinegar from a gallon jug