Garlic is magical. It fends off vampires (or so I hear), helps lower blood pressure, reduces the production of cholesterol in the body... oh, and it's also freaking delicious, of course. Garlic is a culinary staple in countries all over the world. That lovable stink and sharp bite of flavor are essential to many dishes we know and love today, from spaghetti to sesame chicken.
Boxed brownie mixes advertise their convenience compared to homemade brownies—with only a few ingredients, they promise a moist, chocolatey crumb. However, these "instant" mixes still require fresh ingredients and a baking time that matches that of homemade brownies. When you're craving a chocolate fix but you're coming up short on eggs, oil, and time, don't despair: you can still make brownies using a can of soda. Two Different Methods, One Soda Required
My French press is one of the most important tools in my kitchen. It's indispensable, and it's no small exaggeration when I say that I use it on a daily basis thanks to my coffee addiction. However, it gets used for a lot more than just my morning cuppa (and my second morning cuppa, and my late morning cuppa, and my... well, you get the picture).
Onions add essential flavor to almost any dish, whether it's a sauce, main dish, or salad. They are one of the humblest "superfoods," full of vitamins and nutrients but generally inexpensive, which is why they're also one of the most widely eaten ingredients in the world.
Do you ever walk into a nice boutique, a friend's house, or a fancy restaurant, and think, “I wish my house smelled like this”? Because I sure do.
Barbecue season: it's the perfect time to play with fire, produce your best burger ever (until next year, that is), and find even more ways to make beer a part of your daily life. However, even a grilling badass occasionally gets stumped by minor BBQ problems. No worries: We've got solutions!
Fiddlehead ferns look like something from Alice in Wonderland, or something that you might see when you close your eyes while listening to Pink Floyd and enjoying some herbal refreshment. What they don't look like is a tasty vegetable that's perfect for any spring or summer dish. Yet that is exactly what these bizarre spirals are. What Are They?
Oatmeal isn't the most glamorous breakfast, but it's definitely one of the best. It's healthy, filling, delicious, and easy to personalize. And, if you have instant packets, oatmeal is also a very quick and easy breakfast.
At its core, grilling is the simplest form of cooking. You create extreme heat, you put a piece of food on top of the heat, and then you sit back and watch the magic happen. Yet despite the inherent simplicity in grilling, there are a million ways to make it more complex, more unique, and, yes, even more flavorful.
We've all been there: you're staring at a fantastic-looking salad or sandwich full of your favorite ingredients. You take a bite, and you taste only one thing—raw onion. A glass of water, a toothbrush, and an hour later, and your breath still tastes like only one thing—raw onion.
Poor chickens. Bacon fat is revered (and justifiably so), and duck fat is a staple at most fine grocers. Marbles of fat make a steak divine, and goose fat is the holy grail of fatty goodness. Yet chicken fat is usually thrown away.
One lump or two? That was the age-old question with sugar cubes, which used to be a staple of any tea salon or dignified household this side of Downton Abbey. These days sugar isn't really used in cubes much except in bars and restaurants, and that's a shame. Cubes are a lot less messy than granulated sugar, and you can measure the exact amount you put in your drink no matter what.
There are lots of great reasons for going out to a fantastic coffee shop for a cuppa. Coffee shops have a lovely ambiance, are a perfect place to meet with friends or do some work, and are a great excuse to get out of the house. Seeking out a perfect cup of coffee, however, shouldn't be one of the reasons that you hit up your local café.
Poaching, the cooking method that gently cooks food at the barest simmer, is awesome because it keeps in moisture and flavor. The no-cook poaching method is even better, because you don't add heat to your kitchen on hot days, and you don't have to watch the pot.
Meat tenderizers are absolutely necessary when dealing with leaner, tougher cuts like flank or skirt steaks. And while fruit like papaya, kiwi, and pineapple contain enzymes that can tenderize meat, the results can be hit-or-miss, and impart a fruity flavor that you may not always want.
Garlic: almost every cuisine in the world considers it a staple, and for good reason. Its pungent flavor gives depth and character to food. Dishes made without it seem bland and forgettable. And on top of all that, it's been studied for its potential anti-cancer properties (and don't forget: it's been mythologized for warding off vampires).
Eating vegetarian isn't just for vegetarians. There are plenty of reasons, health and economics-wise, to consider forgoing the meat for a meal or three. Rather than get deep into the world of fake meat (although there's many a tasty alternative to be found there, to be sure), you should consider getting to know your humble-seeming fungal friend: the mushroom. Thanks to their hearty flavor, cooks tend to treat mushrooms like meat, albeit one with its own unique characteristics. Mushrooms are e...
People tend to skip toasting nuts in recipes or before adding them to salads because it seems time-consuming and the margin for error is high. However, skipping this step is a big mistake. Why? Because when you skip toasting your nuts (go ahead, you can laugh, we're all doing it), you sacrifice flavor and texture. And not just a little flavor, but a lot. Alton Brown recommends wok-frying peanuts before making your own nut butter for this very reason.
For the novice cook, fungi can be weird because, well, they're fungi. However, if you've been afraid to get acquainted with mushrooms, you've been missing out. Vegetarians love mushrooms and with good reason.
The best sangria I ever had in my life was made by a Spanish friend for my birthday party. The ingredients included a giant box of Franzia red, one bottle of Bombay Sapphire Blue, one cup of sugar, a liter of 7-Up, and some cinnamon sticks. She put everything but the 7-Up in a giant zinc bucket from Home Depot and insisted that it had to sit overnight so the flavors could blend (and so the Franzia wouldn't taste so, well, Franzia-ish).
What would you say if I told you it was entirely possible—even desirable—to cook anything from a simple dinner to a great loaf of bread without using measuring cups, spoons, or a scale?
Cooking may be an art, but baking is a science. It requires precise measurements since the outcome is based on chemical reactions. Using too much or too little of one ingredient can be the difference between perfect, crunchy-yet-chewy cookies and the dreaded "one big cookie." That's why frozen cookie dough and pre-made bread and cake mixes are so popular. They're easy to throw together, and pretty much guarantee success every time. But what if you're feeling so lazy that you don't even want t...
Make mouths water with this crab cake and lemon dill sauce recipe. In a bowl add 2 eggs, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, 1 teas. Worcestershire sauce, 1 teas. Old Bay Seasoning, 1/4 teas mustard powder, and 1/4 teas. black pepper. Blend mixture until it is all melded together. Fold 1 pd. of Alaskan king crab meat into mixture. If mixture is to moist add more bread crumbs a little at a time. To make patties make a large meat ball and hand press into a patty. Refrigerate patties for...
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a large casserole dish. In a skillet over medium heat, sauté onions until almost translucent. Stir in beef, garlic, and chili peppers, and continue cooking until the meat is no longer pink. Pour in the tomato sauce and chili powder. Mix thoroughly and heat through. Remove from heat.
There's nothing like a few margaritas to survive the holidays without strangling your relatives and having a complete meltdown mid present wrapping. But don't just take the easy way out by purchasing a maragarita mix and adding some liquor - we all know that never ends up giving you that flavor kick you're craving.
Thanksgiving is coming up within a matter of weeks, which means soon enough you'll be gobbling down truckloads of turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and stuffing. Not to mention copious amounts of butter, which is used to add flavor to nearly every dish.
Thanksgiving is coming up in a matter of weeks, which no doubt means you'll be consuming lots of pumpkin pie. And while pumpkin pie is heavenly on its own, adding a dollop of whipped cream on top makes it simply godly. But don't waste your time on those yucky whipped cream cans you can buy at the store.
Salmon is one of the absolute best types of fish to eat, but many people don't enjoy it because it tastes particularly "fishy" and a little too strong. But the "fishy" flavor of salmon can easily be tempered with a sweet sauce, tangy sauce.
Chicken pot pie is a classic treat that will never not be enjoyed, but sometimes you want to spice things up a little and experience new and interesting flavors without totally pushing the boundaries.
Salmon is hands-down one of the best foods you can eat, period. Wild Alaskan salmon is the best fish to consume, with loads of heart-healthy Omega-3 fatty acids and enough protein to keep you full and satisfied until your next meal.
What is Halloween without caramel apples? It's like trying to celebrate Christmas without gingerbread men cookies. Candied apples, though, can be intimidating for some to make because it involves lots of ingredients (including the very bad for you corn syrup) and time.
Now that we're approaching the holiday season (i.e. the season of friends, family, and gain ten pounds) boxes of chicken stock are soon going to be flying off the shelves to be tossed into soups, to flavor meats, and to add a richness to vegetable dishes.
And we thought it couldn't get better than waffles with a big dollop of ice cream and rivers of maple syrup. While waffles are great year round, now that fall is in full swing, why not add a seasonal kick to your favorite breakfast/brunch treat?
Just as not all eggplants are made equal, not all eggplant cuts are made equal. This may slightly surprise you, but how you cut an eggplant does impact its flavor and reception in any recipe. Plus, presentation is very crucial if you're into creating both a pleasurable and good-looking meal.
Nippier fall weather - and the beginner of sweater season - means we're sure to be consuming lots more warm, sweet comfort foods to keep us nice and toasty even when it's dreary outside. From pumpkin spice muffins to warm apple cider, there's a lot to choose from during the fall season.
Mapo tofu is a special spicy tofu dish that originates in the Sichuan region of China. While there are many different styles of mapo tofu, it is usually a combination of tofu, spicy chili and bean sauce, and minced beef or pork meat.
We didn't know that how you cut ginger can impact how it tastes until we saw this video. According to the tutorial, the type of cut you should make to a piece of ginger depends on what you need the ginger for.
We don't crave steak often, but every now and then we have this huge hankering for a nice, juicy slab of rib eye. For those nights when only steak will fit your tummy bill, spice things up a little bit by making this Tuscan grilled rosemary steak.
The classic Indian dish chicken tikka masala is a great dish to make for your family tonight if you're looking for a healthy and delicious entree to serve. If you've never heard of it before, chicken tikka masala is a curry dish made with chicken chunks (tikka) and a creamy orange-red colored sauce.
It's officially football season, which means of course it's also all-American comfort food season. After all, hot dogs, french fries, chips, and beer are as American as the game itself.
