The stories that stick most in our individual memories aren't always the ones that define a year. A better reflection might lie in the stories that capture most of our collective attention. If these 10 are any indication, it's been a year that's proven difficult to sum up. People are looking for tofu and lasagna; they fill big cups with dirty sodas; and they continue to patronize restaurants. Here, the full list of our most read stories of the year.
Just in time for Easter, Amy McCarthy digs into the history behind the Cadbury Creme Egg, a true star of the spring holiday season (despite our best Easter candy ranking officially said). Who knew there was enough interest in quick attention to push it into our top 10?
As will become clear as this post progresses, everyone loves a ranking. This year, Disfrutar in Barcelona topped the annual World's 50 Best Restaurants list, which ranks fine dining destinations from around the world. Not surprisingly, one-of-a-kind diners are eager to add Disfrutar and 49 other winning restaurants to their bucket lists.
Obviously, home cooks want some help with tofu. This round-up of our staff's favorite tofu recipes includes fried, crumbled, and steamed preparations.
Every year, Eater publishes a list of the best travel places around the world for food (see Where to Eat in 2025 at the start of next year). In 2024, those places include Cairo, Osaka, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia, which we show in this package visually inspired by a jetset era departure board.
In January, a limited edition Stanley x Starbucks tumbler caused a rush of Target customers stomping on each other. Just like the inevitable stampedes is the overwhelming interest in the heat around Stanley cups, and why people are so crazy about them. This was, after all, the year SNL also adopted the big dumb cup.
Salt Lake City has a big year in 2024. The success of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City continued, and in September, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, a reality show chronicling the troubled relationships of a group of Mormon mom influencers living in Salt Lake City, debuted on Hulu. Later, the stars of the show were seen drinking dirty sodas, or sodas laced with syrups and creams. For all those interested in knowing more, we have this explanation ready.
In May, Morgan Spurlock died at 53. When Spurlock premiered I'm Super Big in 2004, a documentary that saw Spurlock eat only McDonald's for 30 days and recorded the health effects, it became a phenomenon. Twenty years later, and after Spurlock's death, Adam Reiner reflects on its influence and the controversy surrounding the documentary and its director.
Who doesn't appreciate a good lasagna? In this episode of Bettina Makalintal's recipe test columnhe tried three internet-famous lasagnas: Alison Roman's A Very Good Lasagna, Samin Nosrat's Big Lasagna, and John Chandler's World's Best Lasagna. There can only be one winner – click to find out.
The James Beard Foundation Awards process takes place in stages: a long list of semifinalists, followed by a short list of finalists, and finally, the list of award winners. This is the middle stage that got the most eyes this year – it is, after all, an honor to be nominated – but in fact, all of our coverage of the awards occupies a place on this list . The finalists happened to be the story that won the most eyeballs.
Eater's annual list of the best new restaurants across the country drops this fall, celebrating 14 restaurants that opened in the past 12 months, from the modern Fish Camp in Asheville, North Carolina to three hourly tasting menu outside of Houston. And it's heartening to see that Eater readers are also eager to celebrate these new stellar entrants into America's dynamic dining scene.