James Hastings
School
Collingwood College
Expertise
Craft Beer, Southeast Asian Cuisine, Sustainability In Hospitality
- Before becoming a food writer, James spent over 16 years in the hospitality industry, working in eight countries around the globe and gaining skills in almost every type of venue imaginable.
- While beverage manager at Charley Noble, a Chef's Hat-awarded restaurant in New Zealand, James' team won Cuisine's Best Drinks List in 2017 and made the national GoodFood list of Top 100 Restaurants in 2018.
- In 2023, he was also awarded "Best Newcomer" by BrewDog, Europe's largest independent craft brewery.
Experience
James is a feature writer at Food Republic and has amassed a wealth of experience in both the writing and culinary worlds. His background features a blend of hospitality experience, freelance writing, and digital strategy, with notable contributions to food publications. His time working for a range of high-end independent businesses has resulted in extensive knowledge and interest in craft beer, spirits, cocktails, and fine wine. He has also been fortunate enough to work with industry powerhouses such as Heineken and BrewDog, where he indulged his love for teaching by running beer schools. Before becoming a food writer, James spent over 16 years in the hospitality industry, working in eight countries around the globe and picking up skills in almost every type of venue imaginable. When he's not writing about food and drink or experimenting with avant-garde cocktail recipes, James works as a Stop The Bleed instructor in Southeast Asia, providing emergency first aid training to local communities.
Education
James studied English and history in college.
Food Republic’s industry-leading coverage is created by qualified and experienced writers, and is reviewed and fact-checked by our editorial team to ensure everything is accurate and timely. Outside experts are also consulted whenever possible to help deliver factual, up-to-date information.
Our mission is to publish knowledgeable, engaging articles to give readers the information they're looking for, whether that is the news of the day or cooking tips, tricks, and trends. We also bring you recipes you can depend on, as well as reviews and recommendations. In an effort to provide the most comprehensive, current, and accurate content, our team is constantly reviewing and updating articles as necessary. Additional information on our editorial process available here.
Stories By James Hastings
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Your homemade fried chicken deserves a serious upgrade, and these creative ingredients will help you, recommended by someone with fried chicken experience.
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Rapper-turned-celebrity-chef Snoop Dogg's method for cooking bacon includes some unconventional steps, but yields the most curly, crispy strips.
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While some argue that simplicity is best when it comes to burgers, other experts agree that these secret ingredients can seriously elevate your burger patties.
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A beer flight is a selection of beers that allows drinkers to sample different styles; however, it's tricky to equate a beer flight to a standard pour.
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It's quite easy to elevate your sheperd's pie, and these creative ingredient ideas from our expert are sure to have you running to the kitchen to try them.
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Bobby Flay isn't one to shy away from the craft cocktail trend, but he makes this one observation about too many drinks that fall under this category.
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Caviar has a bit of mystery surrounding it, and many myths have been born as a result. Let's debunk some of the most longstanding misconceptions about caviar.
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Tartar sauce is a go-to for upgrading seafood dishes, but why not upgrade the tartar sauce itself? Add one of these ingredients to kick things up a notch.
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This is how you're going to take that homemade rotisserie chicken to the next level. From basting spray to smoking, we've got lots of expert home chef advice.
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Cooking on a Blackstone griddle is a treat for both professional chefs and home cooks alike. These expert tips will help you make the most of your appliance.
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We've all burnt a strip of bacon or two, but when it comes to perfecting the art of this crispy cured meat, these mistakes are actually easy to avoid.
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There are many ways to cook a chicken wing, but some are arguably better than others. We've ranked every method, worst to best, for optimal, crispy wings.
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A cook and manager who has worked in kitchens around the world shares his secrets for what not to do when frying eggs, and what to definitely do instead.
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By repurposing kitchen scraps can we can save money, discover new recipes, improve our health, boost our gardens, and help preserve our precious planet.
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Here we offer easy-to-manage tips for making the crispiest potatoes, from picking the best spuds to professional culinary hacks and the best cooking techniques.
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You don't have to splurge on expensive equipment or ingredients to create delicious and fluffy scrambled eggs, but there are a few tips worth following.
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Cooking up a creamy risotto or a rich beef Wellington sounds great in theory -- until you discover just how much time, skill, and money they require.
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Whether you're baking your own bread or storing a store-bought loaf, these tips will keep your bread soft and moist while avoiding mold and staleness.
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Broilers are useful for finishing off dishes, but the speed and heat intensity when using them can create some tricky situations if you're not paying attention.
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You don't have to settle for the everyday coleslaw. There's so many ingredients you can add to take your slaw game to a whole new level.
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We are going to cover some simple but very effective tips that should help you avoid ending up with subpar meatballs made to go in any tasty dish.
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While salt and pepper are a good starting point, there are tons of sauces and condiments perfect for your next egg dish. From pesto to béarnaise, let's taste!
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Sparkling wine and champagne are perfect beverages to celebrate. We've got some excellent brands under $30 for you to try -- they won't disappoint. Bottoms up!
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We get it. Egg carton labels can be totally confusing. But we're ironing out some of the confusion right now by giving you insight into label meanings.
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Some foods don't taste the same as they once did. There are lots of reasons for this, some obvious, some not so much. From Oreos to Nutella, we've got deets.
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Jack Daniel's has amazing gift sets for your whiskey loving friends. From a unique advent calendar to coffee and high end limited editions, cheers to all!
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From green bean prep to texture, seasoning, and fresh ingredients, here's the lowdown on how to avoid all the mistakes when cooking green bean casserole.
