Michael Palan
Expertise
Food History, Fountain Drinks, Anything Fried
- Michael ate his way through every kind of potato chip that Utz sells and not only lived to tell about it, but he ranked them all for The Daily Meal.
- As one who believes that sharing is caring, Michael is a Level 8 contributor to Google Maps: as a Master Photographer and Expert Reviewer of restaurants and points of general and specific interests.
- He once won a White Castle eating contest, and another time celebrated Valentine's Day at that fine dining establishment (that relationship didn't last).
Experience
Michael was born weighing 10 pounds and thus has been a lover of eating since birth. His amazing cook of a mother always indulged him, making many traditional favorites like noodle kugel and squash soufflé, but also enjoyed dining out at greasy spoon establishments with a bit of history. While he was a former Sandwich Artist at Subway, he chose to channel his talents into the arts of film, video, photography, and writing. For the past 25 years, he has worked on Academy Award winning films, Emmy Award winning television shows, had photographs published by New York Magazine, and has written for Decider, Looper, Explore and The Daily Meal. He also is an unofficial brand ambassador for Popeyes Fried Chicken.
Education
Michael has a bachelor's degree in Telecommunications from Indiana University Bloomington.
The Daily Meal’s content comes from an authoritative editorial staff that is dedicated to current and comprehensive coverage. With an aim to provide only informative and engaging content, our writers, editors, and experts take care to craft clear and concise copy on all things food-related, from news in the food service industry to in-depth explainers about what’s found in readers’ refrigerators, original recipes from experienced chefs, and more.
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Stories By Michael Palan
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Banana Puddin' Pie, Dolly Dazzler, Chocolate Crème Pie, and Peachy Keen Cobbler doughnuts all sound pretty delicious, but are they? We simply had to find out.
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Kit Kat's newest flavor is tapping the taste of a popular drink and hoping it'll be quite the refreshing change of pace this summer. So is it?
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To mark its upcoming 70th birthday, Burger King has released the limited-time-only Birthday Pie Slice, and we tried it to see if it's worth celebrating.
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Many of these Wendy's menu items from the '90s are long gone and forgotten. Grab a napkin and let's take a walk down this mouthwatering memory lane.
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Are Oscar Mayer's new Stuffed Dogs filled with awesome flavor, or should the company stick to regular hot dogs? I got cooking with a pack of each to find out.
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Popeyes' latest contenders in the chicken sandwich wars feature a Golden BBQ sauce. We ordered both the crispy and blackened versions; here's our thoughts.
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Starbucks' highly-anticipated summer treats are finally available, but are they any good? We tasted and sipped them all to see if they're worth the hype.
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Some items introduced during the last decade of the 20th century have proved to have staying power, while many have collected dust as distant memories.
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Taco Bell has served a variety of menu items over the years that didn't stick around. Here's a nostalgic collection of their forgotten foods from the '80s.
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Arby's three new Chicken Wraps are thrifty, varied, and filling -- but which are truly delicious? All are tasty, but only one truly blew our socks off.
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Pepsi launched new peach and lime versions of the popular cola for a limited time. We took some sips to find out if they're the perfect summer sodas or not.
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The Big Smasher is the newest offering from Chili's, boasting twice the meat of a Big Mac. Here's our review of both how it tastes and how it's made!
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Chili's brand new Crispy Chicken Sandwich is based on their popular hand-battered Chicken Crispers. Here's our review of this all-new offering.
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Taco Bell's Nacho Fries are back, and this time they have a spicy kick with a Secret Aardvark hot sauce. So does the new version reign supreme?
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McDonald's latest offering is the Bacon Cajun Ranch McCrispy, promising Southern-inspired soul food flavors with a crunchy texture. Here's how we found it.
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Chef Boyardee has retired all kinds of pasta shapes. Some return -- but many don't. These are 17 varieties we're probably not getting back.
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To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Mountain Dew Baja Blast, Doritos is releasing a limited-time Baja Fiery Mango flavor, and, of course, we tried it.
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KFC is resurrecting its Twister wrap and a spicy iteration of it for a trial run this spring. We were able to give them both a try; here's what we think.
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With summer on the horizon, Dr Pepper hopes to capture the essence of the season by fusing its precious soda with a limited edition coconut flavoring.
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Red Lobster has launched two new shrimp dishes, one served with seasoned corn and the other with a buttery, cheesy scampi sauce. But are they worth a try?
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"Star Wars" fans have long wondered what the blue milk tastes like, and TruMoo has made it a reality. We got to try some ahead of its April 17 release.
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Chick-fil-A's adding its new seasonal Cherry Berry flavor to several of its classic drinks for the spring, and we tried them and found a clear winner.
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Chick-fil-A's new restaurant, Little Blue Menu, is offering a variety of fresh and distinctive dishes. Here's our review of its all-new Chick-fil-A Pizza Pie.
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For one lovely day, I was given rare access to the inner workings of a fast food company with around 27,000 restaurants in over 145 countries.
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Subway's adding four new wraps to its menu and giving the whole series a makeover with its new lavash bread. We got to try the new wraps ahead of their release.
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We warmed up and tried Hostess' new Double Chocolate and Chocolate Creamy Caramel Meltamors to see if they bring the heat or are just a molten mess.
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Trader Joe's re-released Crunchy Curls in stores nationwide, so we grabbed a bag of these lentil snacks to see if they're worth snacking on.