Same Nancy, Same Stories, Much Easier to Read
Dear KD Reader,
The world has changed a lot since March 2018, when I launched Kitchen Detail. We saved suggestions from several readers and realized that KD needed a little 21st-century zhoozh. One could say that we have been cooking up something behind the scenes, and it’s finally ready to come out of the oven. Kitchen Detail has a brand-new website — and while the recipes, the stories, and the unvarnished opinions (and I do have a lot of them) haven’t changed, how you read them just got a whole lot better.
We know many of you read us curled up on the couch with a phone or tablet, while others might be mid-recipe with flour on your fingers, trying to scroll back up to step three. So we rebuilt the site with both readers in mind. Here’s what’s new.
Wayfinding Made Easy
Long stories (and you know we love a long story) now come with a smart “On This Page” guide that 
lays out the sections so you can jump straight to the part you want — and it shows you exactly how far along you are as you read.
On your phone, that same navigation now lives in a handy bar at the bottom of the screen, so jumping between sections is just as easy on mobile as it is on a laptop.
We’ve also added:
- Reading time estimates, so you know upfront whether a post is a quick read or a settle-in-with-coffee-or-a-glass-of-wine read.
- A “last updated” note whenever we’ve gone back and meaningfully refreshed a post — because some of our advice ages like wine, and some starts to get a teensy bit vinegary. In fact, the ground has changed in food politics on both sides of the pond, and KD will be revisiting some earlier posts.
- Breadcrumbs at the top of each post, so you always know which part of the site you’re in and can easily click back to browse more.
Read However You Like
We’re most excited about these little details. You can now customize your reading experience right from the toolbar — new features include:
- Dark mode, for easier nighttime reading
- Adjustable font size, so the text is exactly as big (or small) as you want
- Reading width toggle, to switch between a cozy narrow column and a wider view
- Distraction-free focus mode, which clears away everything but the story
- A clean print option, for anyone who still likes a hard copy in hand
Find Great Stories Faster
We’ve also made it much easier to discover everything Kitchen Detail has to offer:
- Live search suggestions pop up as you type, so you land on the right story quickly.
- Our category pages are now full-blown topic hubs, with featured stories, subtopics, and photo-led previews so you can browse a whole subject at a glance.
- Related stories appear at the end of articles to keep you exploring.
- Previous/next post navigation with thumbnails makes it easy to keep reading.
- Our archives are now much easier to browse, with filters by category and by month.
- And every writer now has their own author page, so you can follow your favorites and read everything they’ve written in one place.
For the Cooks Among You
Because we know a lot of you are here for the food first and the stories second (nope, not judging you!), we’ve added:
- Jump-to-recipe links, so you can skip straight to the ingredients and instructions when a post includes a recipe.
- A cleaner recipe print view, so what comes out of your printer is just the recipe — no extra clutter — perfect for propping up next to your cutting board.
Same Kitchen Detail You Know
Everything else you love is still right where you left it — our stories, the recipes, the recommendations, and the strong opinions on what belongs in your kitchen and on your plate. We just gave the house a good remodel, so it’s easier to move around in.
Take a look, poke around, and let us know what you think. We built this for you.
— The Kitchen Detail Team
Still love the site, but the new version is hard to read, because it’s studded with advertisements.
Hi there,
When I first launched the KD website, the expense was somewhat diminished by Google Adsense, but its “free ads” monetization has certainly become incredibly invasive. The ad structure in the EU, which is what I look at, is bit different but it too has increased a lot! Thank you for your email. We are definitely going to do something to end or at least mitigate this visual intrusion.
Nancy
Ad blocking software works well for all but the most pernicious websites. That does impact Kitchen Detail’s revenue/business so it’s a personal balancing act between your own inconvenience/discomfort and the interests of a small business whose works you seem to support.
Eric
(Alexandria, VA)
Well hello Eric!
Yes, exactly. And for a while we just let it go. But when our Tech Ninja redisigned the website, it was clearly time to just say no.
Nancy
I loved the prior version, but I really love the added zhoozh! Fabulous.
Ciaody Tiffany!
Yeah, the first website was a joint effort (Larissa picked the font) to reflect the colors of our building and the Cuisinete vibe. The Google adsprogram got to be too stomach turning (even on this side of the pond). Always, always send us your thoughts about KD!
Nancy
Unrelated to the website, how are you tolerating the heat?
Gerry,
It’s gross, but I have AC in the rental apartment and we just (finally) bought an apartment in our much loved neighborhood and it has it too. Will do a post on it as the building has an fascinating history and our street was once a Roman alley!
We still miss you in Alexandria but are glad you are happy in your “new” life in Italy.
Ciaody Susan,
There are things that I miss,..and oddly enough, being so close to the Potomac River is one of them. I love my adopted city, which has about the same heat and humidity, but the river did make the air less polluted. Bologna’s government is working to mitigate car traffic and create more tree areas, And they are reluctanly discovering the joys of air conditioning, although, I think we make it way too cold in the US!
Love the changes! Brilliant. Thank you!
Hello Cheryl,
Lovely to hear from you! Thank you for letting us know how much you appreciate the changes. Mike really spent a lot of time and thought on how to approach it.
Love the new site! Thank you.
Thank you, The new website with all the new gizmos is really the work of our Tech Ninja, Mike. I was just the idea person!
Wow! Great reno job, I love this version. Much cleaner, easier to read what you came to read and the look is more apropos of 2026.
Hi Kristen,
Oh good! So glad you like it. We got rid of the ads too, which were getting way to invasive.