Chestnuts have sustained communities over the centuries. They are a relatively starchy nut, perfect for cooking in thick creamy soups or added to stuffings. Preparing Chestnuts Cut an X on the flatter of the nut’s two sides. Try to keep your cut shallow so that you don’t cut into the […]
As the holidays draw close, we’re revisiting our knife skills to make sure we’re ready to take on the carrots, potatoes, and all of those fresh green herbs. Here are a few of our must-see videos to ready you for any Thanksgiving recipe! At the end, you’ll find a printable […]
Some things are just better homemade, and croutons happen to be one of those things. Croutons and rusks (rusks = big croutons!) keep well for several days in an airtight container, so make a large batch if you have enough bread on hand. To make croutons, remove the crust from […]
Potato varieties differ in starch and moisture content, skin and flesh color, and shape. Sweet potatoes and yams, although not botanically related to the potato, share several characteristics with it and can be treated in the same manner. Each cooking technique produces a markedly different texture, flavor, and appearance in […]
Sugar is the defining ingredient of candy making. It provides sweetness, bulk, flavor, mouthfeel, and preservation to candies of every description. Without sugar, there simply would not be such a thing as candy. In chocolates, the sugar is already contained in the chocolate itself, and we may add little or […]
Ready or not, holiday season is almost here! Whether you love to host or are a professional guest, knowing your way around the bar is key. Use this guide to brush up on your bar vocab so you can order the perfect dirty martini every time. Apéritif: A dry alcoholic […]
Chocolate shavings and curls are the simplest way to finish a show-stopping cake or other special occasion dessert. To create chocolate shavings and curls, you need a good-sized block of chocolate at room temperature. You can use dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or white chocolate for your curls. Look for larger […]
Despite the abundance of pumpkin-flavored foods at every turn, we spend surprisingly little time handling actual pumpkins. After all, as proponents of “homemade is best,” an apple pie starts with apples, a cherry pie starts with cherries. But a pumpkin pie starts with…a can of pumpkin purée? Using prepared pumpkin […]
A box of pasta in the pantry means you always have something to cook. Be sure to seek out high-quality pasta and remember to cook it properly. It should be al dente (meaning that it has a pleasant “chew” but not undercooked). There aren’t very many tricks to cooking pasta, […]
Cooking food in pouches can seem gimmicky, but it’s actually a great method for preparing quick and easy meals for one person or a party for ten! Cooking in pouches, known in French as en papillote, or “in paper,” is a method of steaming foods with their own juices, with […]
There are tons of stuffed pepper recipes in the world, but you don’t need a recipe to make a hearty make-ahead dinner with all the ingredients your family likes best. There are four primary components of a basic stuffed pepper: the pepper, the substance, the flavor, and the sauce. The […]
If a winemaker wants to produce a red wine that emulates a Bordeaux blend—say 50 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 45 percent Merlot, and 5 percent Cabernet Franc—what is he or she going to call it? Since it’s not 75 percent of any particular grape variety, the wine can’t be called by […]