You may be familiar with pot stickers — dumplings cooked in a skillet until the bottom is brown and crisp and the filling is cooked and juicy. The pot sticker cooking method is simple. You sear the bottom of the dumpling in a bit of oil. Then you add a […]
Soft shelled crab is a summertime delicacy with a short season and limited availability, so when the time comes, you have to be ready! Soft shelled crabs are typical “hard shell” crabs that are caught and prepared during their molting phase. In preparation for shedding, the crab develops a thin, […]
Restaurants take food safety very seriously, with clear and exacting guidelines for receiving, holding, preparing, and serving food. And while a lot of our habits and routines at home are probably less stringent than those followed in restaurants, knowing how the professionals keep us safe and happy in their kitchens […]
Making jam can feel like an overwhelming project, mostly because of the labor-intensive canning process. But making jam doesn’t requirecanning and can actually be a really quick way to preserve fruits at their peak season! Depending on where you live, you are either knee-deep in strawberries or waiting expectantly for […]
Planting and tending a garden can be hard work, and even if you do everything right, the results aren’t always perfect. You can grow the world’s most beautiful tomatoes one year, and the next, all that grow are empty vines. Nature is a powerful force! But if there is one […]
If we had to pick our favorite category of food, it would probably be snacks. And here’s why! Snacks can be sweet or savory (or both at the same time!). They can be taken on the go and enjoyed during your favorite activity, like taking a hike, hanging out with […]
While there are tapas-style restaurants in most major metro areas, you may not have as much experience with these small, bite-sized Spanish dishes as you’d like. Of course, going out for tapas is the best way to learn more about the traditional flavors, dishes, and customs, but here’s a little […]
To select a knife of good quality that fits your hand well and is suitable for the intended task, you need a basic knowledge of the various parts of a knife. Blades Currently, the most frequently used material for blades is high-carbon stainless steel. Other materials, such as stainless steel […]
Mayonnaise and similarly prepared dressings may break for several reasons: The oil was added too rapidly for the egg yolk to absorb it. The sauce was allowed to become too thick. The sauce became either too cold or too warm as it was being prepared. A broken mayonnaise can be […]
If your kitchen cabinets are currently storing more than one empty glass jar, you are officially missing an easy pickling opportunity. Pickled fruits and vegetables are the absolute best way to add some excitement to any recipe, cheese plate, or mid-afternoon snack attack. There are many pickling strategies, which can […]
Plants are quadruple-threat ingredients, adding flavor, texture, color, and nutrients to any dish. They’re versatile, and we eat them raw or roasted, whole or bite-sized, simple or seasoned, and every possible way in between. In the plant-forward kitchen, vegetables are even more useful, because they can be used not just […]
When vegetables are fully or partially cooked by steaming, boiling, or roasting, they can be sautéed just long enough to reheat them or to complete cooking them—a technique known as finishing. Whole butter is a common choice for finishing vegetables, but other flavorful cooking fats, such as extra-virgin olive oil, […]