Allison Aubrey

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Allison Aubrey is a correspondent for NPR News. She contributes to The Salt, NPR's James Beard award-winning food blog. And her stories can be heard on Morning Edition and All Things Considered. She's host of the NPR video series Tiny Desk Kitchen and has contributed to Shots, NPR's health blog.

Through her reporting Aubrey can focus on her curiosities about food and culture. She has investigated the nutritional, and taste, differences between grass fed and corn feed beef. Aubrey looked into the hype behind the claims of antioxidants in berries and the claim that honey is a cure-all for allergies.

In 2009, Aubrey was awarded both the American Society for Nutrition's Media Award for her reporting on food and nutrition. She was honored with the 2006 National Press Club Award for Consumer Journalism in radio and earned a 2005 Medical Evidence Fellowship by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Knight Foundation. She was a 2009 Kaiser Media Fellow in focusing on health.

Joining NPR in 1998 as a general assignment reporter Aubrey spent five years covering environmental policy, as well as contributing to coverage of Washington, D.C., for NPR's National Desk.

Before coming to NPR, Aubrey was a reporter for PBS' NewsHour. She has worked in a variety of positions throughout the television industry.

Aubrey received her bachelor's of arts degree from Denison University in Granville, OH, and a master's of arts degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

USDA To Give Schools More Ground Beef Choices After Outcry Over 'Pink Slime'

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it will give schools alternatives to ground beef made with what critics have called "pink slime."

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Boneless lean beef trimmings are shown before packaging. The debate over pink slime in chopped beef is hitting critical mass.

By Allison Aubrey

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture has weighed in on the use of so-called pink slime in beef served in the government's free and reduced-price school lunch program.

11:01 pm

Sun March 11, 2012

To Cut The Risk Of A High-Fat Meal, Add Spice

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Research from Penn State finds heavily spiced meals — think chicken curry with lots of turmeric, or desserts rich in cinnamon and cloves — may do the heart good.

By Allison Aubrey

Originally published on Mon March 12, 2012 12:34 pm

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No need to be stingy with spices. Research from Penn State finds heavily spiced meals — think chicken curry with lots of turmeric, or desserts rich in cinnamon and cloves — may do the heart good.

"Elevated triglycerides are a risk factor for heart disease," explains researcher Sheila West.

Her study found that a spicy meal helps cut levels of triglycerides, a type of fat, in the blood — even when the meal is rich in oily sauces and high in fat.

3:35 pm

Wed March 7, 2012

Inhalable Caffeine Maker Gets Warning Letter From FDA

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A woman holds an AeroShot inhalable caffeine device in Boston.

By Allison Aubrey

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has sent a warning letter to the maker of a caffeine inhaler that's marketed around college campuses. The agency says it's concerned about misleading claims about the product and its safety.

1:56 am

Tue March 6, 2012

Most Of Us Just Can't Taste The Nuances In High-Priced Wines

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Research suggests that most of us don't or can't taste the subtleties of fine wines.

By Allison Aubrey

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Have you ever splurged on a highly rated bottle of Burgundy or pinot noir, only to wonder whether a $10 or $15 bottle of red would have been just as good? The answer may depend on your biology.

A new study by researchers at Penn State finds that when it comes to appreciating the subtleties of wine, experts can taste things many of us can't. "What we found is that the fundamental taste ability of an expert is different," says John Hayes of Penn State.

4:01 pm

Wed February 29, 2012

Hey Locavores, Are You Creating Jobs?

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The Know Your Farmer interactive map shows USDA-supported projects and programs related to local and regional food systems for the years 2009-2011.

By Allison Aubrey

When we think of the farmers we know, we can count a lot of locally-produced food we've reported on, from unusual greens to pawpaws.

And when the Obama Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture promotes their Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative, what do they count? Jobs.

7:00 am

Mon February 20, 2012

George Washington's Ice Cream Recipe: First, Cut Ice From River

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Actress portraying Martha Washington

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These large iron pots from the Mount Vernon kitchen were probably used to cook large cuts of meat like ham, beef and fowl. The metal hooks were used to pull the giant pots out of the fire.

Credit John Rose / NPR

Like other 18th-century housewives, Martha Washington would have used a still to extract essences of mint or rose petals. The essences flavored cakes and puddings.

Credit John Rose / NPR

This plate heater was filled with hot water to warm dinnerware.

Credit John Rose / NPR

One of Martha Washington's favorite desserts was ice cream, but she could make it only if the Potomac River had frozen enough to provide ice. The ice would have to be stored until spring, when the cows gave milk. Once made, the ice cream would be kept cold in this dish by putting ice on top.

Credit John Rose / NPR

After the labor of preparation, the ice cream would be served in small dishes resembling teacups with handles to keep the delicacy from melting from hands around the dish.

Credit John Rose / NPR

A plate warmer with an open back would be set in front of the fireplace at Mount Vernon and filled with plates for the evening's guests.

Credit John Rose / NPR

A French cocotte, purchased by George Washington from the French Minister in 1790, would be used to serve warm sauces and ragouts.

Credit John Rose / NPR

This ledger displays the meticulous documentation of every product at Mount Vernon, including ham, geese, ducks, butter and oysters.

Credit John Rose / NPR

Brewing coffee meant toasting the beans in front of the fire. George Washington clearly loved his joe, ordering hundreds of pounds of beans.

Credit John Rose / NPR

Fancy fruit cakes were a typical dessert served at Mount Vernon.

Credit John Rose / NPR

Martha Washington, portrayed by actor Mary Wiseman, serves modern-day guests the same dishes the First Couple enjoyed.

Credit John Rose / NPR

One of the uniforms made from fine wool, known as a livery, worn by the male slaves, along with a variety of kitchenware found in the home of George and Martha Washington as a new exhibition at Mount Vernon.

By Allison Aubrey

Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 10:01 am

This year would not be a good year for ice cream. In fact, there would be none at all if we relied on the technique George Washington used at Mount Vernon, his Virginia estate that's perched on the banks of the Potomac River.

His source of ice was the frozen river. Given the warm winter we've had here in D.C. , there's no chance. Seems the weather is nothing like it was on Jan. 26, 1786, when Washington wrote in his journal:

"Renewed my Ice operation to day, employing as many hands as I conveniently could in getting it from the Maryland shore, carting and pounding it."

11:04 am

Wed January 25, 2012

USDA To Require Healthier Meals In Schools With Updated Nutrition Standards

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The new nutrition standards will replace school lunch dishes like pizza sticks with salad.

By Allison Aubrey

Less salt and fat. More whole grains, fruit, veggies and low-fat dairy. This is what kids can expect in the school lunchroom soon, according to new nutrition standards for school meals announced today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and first lady Michelle Obama.

11:01 pm

Sun January 8, 2012

For Kids With ADHD, The Elimination Diet Falls Short Of Success

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Eliminating junk food from a child's diet is usually not enough to effectively treat attention deficit disorders, a paper shows.

By Allison Aubrey

Originally published on Mon January 9, 2012 2:55 pm

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You may remember the controversial studies linking food coloring and additives to hyperactivity in kids. Or you may know parents who have pinned their hopes on an elimination diet to improve their kids' rowdy behavior.

10:19 am

Mon December 19, 2011

Why Are We More Hungry In The Winter?

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Our drive to eat more in the winter may be a product of less sunlight — or more temptation around us.

By Allison Aubrey

Originally published on Mon December 19, 2011 10:24 am

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If you feel hungrier as winter draws near, you're not alone. Even though most of us spend our days in climate-controlled offices and homes, our appetites seem to change when the days grow shorter. Some researchers say it's our primitive impulses promting us to stockpile calories for the winter ahead.

4:20 pm

Fri December 16, 2011

With Alternative Giving, A Nudge Out Of Poverty For The Poor

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Credit Courtesy of Juleen Lapporte

A man with a cow in Dong Thap Province in southern Vietnam. The man received his cow from Heifer - as well as training and resources to care for it.

Credit Courtesy of Juleen Lapporte

Lydia Lapporte on a Heifer International study tour in Vietnam in 2009. Lapporte helped raise about $20,000 this year for Heifer from her family and friends.

By Allison Aubrey

Jim Eckhardt says there was a time he'd fill his holiday shopping cart with toys for his 6 grandchildren. But 7 years ago, he had an epiphany: The kids had too much stuff.

"You look at all the things we throw away and that money could be put to better use," Eckhardt says.

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2:37 pm

Thu March 15, 2012