Can you cook a steak or salmon filet that's straight out of the freezer and get good results? Ordinarily, I would say no. Usually your steak ends up a sad grey mass fit only for the family dog and the fish is burned on the outside with an icy, undercooked center.
Butter can be even more delicious than it already is. While that may be a shocking claim, it's most definitely true. Many new cooks and even seasoned chefs don't realize this, but the few minutes it takes to do these things will pay you back exponentially when it comes to that buttery taste.
One of the best things about summertime is that there's lots of outdoor cooking, whether you're on a camping trip or grilling. And what better way to end your meal than with the classic dessert, s'mores?
Many home cooks were taught never to press down on a burger as it cooks since that would ruin your all-beef patty by getting it to release the juices it needs to stay tender and moist.
When you know how to cook it, tofu is a delicious dish in and of itself—truly. Too many people have been subjected to poor quality or badly cooked tofu and told to eat it because it's a "healthy alternative" to meat. Usually what they bite into is a bland, rubbery mess coated with a random array of flavors.
Two slices of whole-wheat toast with lots of butter. Two eggs, poached to a firm yet custardy texture. The yolks should absolutely not be hard-cooked and the whites should be tender, not rubbery. That's my idea of the perfect breakfast.
Watermelon is the perfect snack for hot temperatures. It's hydrating, crisp, and refreshing, especially when it's chilled. Yet some people aren't content with leaving a good thing alone, which has given us many watermelon-based innovations, some great (vodka-filled watermelons) and some delightfully strange (square watermelons).
Want to show all your foodie friends that you're really in the know? Then it's time to master the art of making edible dirt. Chefs out there are finding ways to take various foodstuffs and dry, char, and combine them to give the appearance of actual dirt—only with a rich, savory taste.
If you're one of the lucky people who received the gift of terrible eyesight from your parents at a young age, chances are you ate an awful lot of carrots growing up. Though carrots are one of the top vision-boosting foods, they don't offer fast results.
When I first started cooking, there were a few steps I always skipped in recipes. I never added zest to anything because it seemed like too much trouble, I rarely separated wet and dry ingredients in baking recipes because I was lazy, and I never let meat rest after it was done.
Bottled water is a rip-off. Not only is it pretty much the same stuff that comes out of your tap for free, but plastic bottles are rarely recycled and thus account for a huge amount of the waste that's overflowing our landfills. Next Up: Water Bottles You Can Eat
The late, great writer Laurie Colwin once wrote that if she were allowed to have only one fruit in her kitchen, she would always choose lemons (or limes, since they can often be used interchangeably).
Spiders are common pests that typically prefer to live outdoors. However, insects and warmth will eventually attract them into our houses. They like to spin their webs in corners, crevices and unused areas of your house. Most species are harmless and even act as a natural repellent for getting rid of other insects. However, in some cases, spiders can be very dangerous. Whichever the case may be, they are scary and people are always looking for natural ways to get rid of them.
Hard-boiled (also known as hard-cooked) eggs are notoriously easy to mess up. We've all ended up with tough, rubbery egg whites and overcooked yolks that have that unappetizing gray-green ring around the edge. An ideal hard-cooked egg has a firm yet tender white, while the yolk is creamy and well-done without being mealy.
Food is a necessity, sure, but every now and then it's so satisfying to eat something because it is fun and delicious. While eating a whole tub of homemade ice cream might satisfy your need for gluttony, there's a way to take it even further—make your dinnerware edible.
Let's be honest, most of us buy the bottom-shelf vodka either because we're broke or because we're going to disguise the gag-inducing taste of it with juice or something fizzy. If you're cooking or baking with vodka (ice-cold vodka works wonders in pie crust), what's the point of buying Belvedere?
About ten years ago, Western research figured out that green tea was a nutritional powerhouse. After all, in Asian countries where green tea is consumed throughout the day, cancer rates tend to be much lower, although there are probably other factors contributing to that fact, like less processed food and red meat in the standard Asian diet.
Though nobody's going to hide the fact that they're getting sloshed on major holidays, you might want to be more discreet when it comes to your morning pick-me-up or lunchtime tipple during the rest of the year. It used to be that having four martinis at lunch was acceptable and even desirable, but that's really not the case anymore.
Pretty soon, every restaurant and store you walk into will know exactly what you're doing. Retail analytics companies like Euclid, ShopperTrak, RetailNext, and Prism Skylabs have penetrated hundreds of food shops and retail stores across the country, installing sensors that track and log customers' moves while they dine and shop.
Valentine's Day is a day for love, but it also just happens to be the time when every flower shop in town hikes up their prices. Chocolates are still relatively cheap, but I never understood why you have to give the gift of bigger love handles when something more creative gets the job done at a much cheaper price.
There are some ingredients I cook with so often I can never buy too many of them, and most of them are produce. Onions, garlic and fresh herbs are staples in a lot of dishes, and they may be inexpensive, but when you use them on a daily basis it can add up.
A well-executed jack-o'-lantern can be pretty damn impressive, but some of us lack the carving skills necessary to pull it off and end up disappointed. Sometimes you just don't want to put in all the time required to cut open a pumpkin, gut it, and chisel an elaborate face or cool design into it.
How to easily build a raised garden bed out of wooden pallets for free! …Well almost free. Building a raised vegetable garden with pallets or reclaimed wood is a really rewarding experience. The garden bed idea out of pallets came about from the fact that l wanted to build a rustic looking raised garden bed. A vegetable garden bed that not only provides delicious food, but looks good at the same time. The recycled wood has come from hardwood timber pallets that have been sourced totally FREE ...
Many of us experience highly emotional "freakouts", so to speak, more often than we'd like. Weather you experience them personally, or via your loved ones, it can be very difficult to think rationally during an episode, and for some people it can take quite a while to calm down.
Not that long ago I wrote an article discussing what it would be like, realistically, if you were to accidentally travel back in time to the Victorian era. At the end of that article, I mentioned that the best thing you could bring with you on a time-traveling adventure is a Kindle, or similar e-reader, stuffed full of the knowledge of the 21st century. Why a Kindle? Well, I own a Kindle, and I love it. However, there's far more to it than that.
Thanksgiving is pretty much the only day out of the year when you can be a complete fatass. It's totally expected, if not encouraged. In fact, if you aren't stuffing your face with a bunch of delicious and unhealthy food, people start to look at you funny.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once observed that "the seed of science" was "wonder," and taking a look at this nine-layer liquid tower from Steve Spangler's Sick Science! channel, one can't help but do just that — wonder. How is this possible? Is this magic or what?
If you have children, then you know firsthand how many crayons parents end up buying. There is no such thing as using a crayon until it disappears. Kids use crayons until they are a nub, and then they toss the crayon aside, never to use it again.
I may be a bit weird, but I enjoy listening to music at night as I fall asleep. Sure, you could create a playlist of songs so that it stopped after all the songs finished playing, but I have a rather extensive database of music and I enjoy listening to them randomly. Also, I like to ensure it terminates after a specific amount of time (I don't want it playing all night). Or sometimes I use it when I am cooking so that when the music stops, I know I need to check on my food, etc.
This is a refreshing spring update on your classic hamburger slider. Instead of using a ground beef patty, I am using shrimp tempura. This recipe calls for fresh truffles, but fresh truffles are hard to come by so feel free to use truffle oil (it is much more affordable and what I usually like to use). The flavor will be just as good.
n this pet care series, you will learn everything you need to know to be the perfect parakeet owner. As pets, they are easy to care for, especially when compared to the food demands of larger pets such as cats and dogs. All you need is a cage and birdseed, right? While this is true to a certain extent, there are specific requirements for a parakeet cage.
In this set of cooking classes on video, learn some savory chicken seasoning recipes. Our expert will show you how to give your poultry dish a little flair, with seasonings like: Asian chicken marinade and barbecue sauce, lemon rosemary chicken, oven-roasted chicken, and the famous beer can chicken recipe. So take some time to rediscover your favorite foods once again. Go on a taste expedition and try some of these seasoning suggestions today!
Tired of the same old snacks? This cheeky treat will be sure to shock your guests. Although, we might not consider ants as a regular food source, they are edible. Plus, anything tastes good with butter and garlic.
The renegade health show will show you how to make a great raw food salad that is vegan friendly. You can use coconut to replace the normal use of egg for a great new twist on an egg salad. This is a creamy and great savory coconut salad. You will want to use fresh ingredients if possible for most flavor and nutrition but grocery store stuff will work just as well.
Building winter campfires is a great way to stay warm, cook food, and have fun! Learn all about how to make a campfire, from gathering kindling and cutting wood to lighting and fanning the fire, in this free cold weather camping video guide series.
In this video recipe, our expert chef will demonstrate how to make vegetable spring rolls with Thai peanut sauce. If you are looking to spice up your next meal, or need finger food for your next party, let our chef show you how to create this homemade spring roll and sauce.
Paula Deen whips up a decadently rich peanut butter no-bake pie. Watch and see how easy it is to whip up this peanut butter pie recipe. The original cooking how-to video from this article was part of Paula's Home Cooking show hosted by Jamie Deen, Paula Deen. Paula Deen, owner of Lady and Sons, a famous Savannah restaurant, is Food Network's resident southern chef.
It’s easy to gain a little extra weight in college but there are ways to defy this weight gain trend. It won’t work without will power but you can limit your unhealthy food intake and sneak in some unconventional exercise routines.
Every few months I get together with a friend and we have a ‘masala making session’! We spilt the cost of the materials, the work load and then, split the masala. It takes a few hours but once it’s done, cooking is just so easy and so fast. All you have to do is add in the veggies or the meats and cook. Watch this how to video to learn how to make large quantities of masala sauce for all your Indian recipes.
In this survival video series, learn how to survive hiking in the Appalachian Mountains from hiking expert David Jackel. David will teach you how to survive hiking in the Appalachian Mountains with camping tips and survival techniques such as how to pack for a camping trip in the Appalachians, how to choose footwear for hiking in the mountains, how to find firewood in the Appalachians, how to start a fire, how to find shelter when hiking, how to handle rain in the Appalachian Mountains, how t...