Cooking Basics

The best meals are simple to make and smack you in the taste buds with great flavor. Imagine impressing your friends and lovers with a variety of meals all made with an easy and quick cooking...

Olive oil is a healthier alternative to vegetable oil when cooking your favorite meals. You can cook most foods with olive oil and still have it taste good. Olive oil can be used as a additive to...

Pasta comes in a variety of shapes and colors. The wide variety of pastas includes spaghetti, vermicelli, fettuccini, macaroni, rigatoni, noodles and won tons. In Italian, pasta means paste. The...

Smoking fish is the popular tradition of imparting a smoky flavor to a fresh catch. Without canning, your smoked fish is safe to eat for only two weeks before it starts growing the harmful...

Try making your own meatballs with cornmeal, instead of buying them frozen at your local grocery store. Cornmeal helps retain moisture in the meatballs, and creates a crisp texture. There are many...

Pathogens that cause black rot or cankers can infest citrus fruits. Oranges, grapefruit and limes produced in areas, such as in Florida or in Mexico, that have a pathogen infestation need careful...

Fennel is a plant that was prized by the ancient Greeks, who called it marathon and named a battlefield after it. This plant's popularity has spread across the world. Today, it's a popular...

To thinly slice an onion, first peal off the outer skin and then cut the onion in half. Determine the best way to thinly slice an onion with guidance from a certified executive chef in this free...

To prevent bacteria from getting on your cutting boards, it's important to use bleach, as well as cleaning them in a dishwasher, if available. Avoid having bacteria grow on your cutting board with...

When taking care of a cutting board, it's recommended to use one board for cooked foods and another for raw foods. Discover how to take care of your cutting board with advice from a certified...

Avocados are simple to cut using a knife and a spoon. Cut your avocados properly with help from a certified executive chef in this free video on cutting food.

Cutting fruit arrangements works great with cookie cutters. Find out the best way to cut fruit arrangements with tips from a certified executive chef in this free video on food arrangements.

To julienne meat means to cut the meat into very thin slices. Learn how to julienne meat with help from a certified executive chef in this free video on cutting food.

Steak lovers may prefer dry-aged beef over regular beef cuts because of its tenderness and deep flavor, but this type of beef can be very costly. Beef is mainly dry-aged by a butcher in large...

The red snapper fish is a culinary delight that can be consumed in various forms. However, cleaning the fish is vital so you can enjoy its delicate flavor and moist form without worrying about...

Carefully choosing your cooking oil will improve your cooking results, the meal's taste and your health. Having several oils handy, if properly stored, will also save time and money. Use the steps...

Roasting a turkey is not really hard but for those who might have hard time boiling water, roasting a turkey might be quite difficult. Here are a few steps to make your turkey roasting as easy...

This is how my step grandmother cooked pumpkin for the holidays.. Some call it cooked pumpkin and some call it pumpkin butter. It is delicious! It may be used in your favorite pumpkin recipes.

Whether you have caught a tuna fish yourself or you have just purchased one from the fish counter at the store, the next question is how to slice it up for preparation. Luckily, cutting it into...

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world; however, it is much more than just a common beverage. The oil from coffee is used in skin care, to increase the skin's blood circulation;...

Buying a full pork tenderloin to cut into cutlets is more cost-effective than buying those pork cutlets pre-cut from your local supermarket. Luckily, the meat is also easy to cut on your own....

Pumpkin seeds are an often overlooked snack. This is unfortunate considering that they provide tons of essential nutrients such as magnesium and iron, and are a healthy source of omega 6 fatty...

Convection ovens are equipped with a fan which circulates heated air throughout the oven. This feature allows the oven to shorten the cooking or baking time by as much as 30 percent. Some...

Lasagna is an old dish that gets its origins from the great kitchens of Italy. Not only can lasagna make an extremely delicious meal it can also provide a number of important nutrients needed to...

Are you on a diet? Are you on Weight Watchers? This recipe is a great way to make a meal for a few days. Its also only 5 Points on Weight Watchers. This is also a great recipe for anybody on a...

Although it's always best to use fresh berries when possible, wonderful jam can easily be made from frozen strawberries as well. Defrosting your strawberries beforehand will speed the process...

Baked Potatoes Casserole is a healthy dish. If your a potato lover then you will enjoy this dish. I have a family of five and when I make this dish, it usually last a day or two. It is your choice...

Prime rib is an extremely tender cut of beef and often one of the most popular at any formidable steakhouse. Not only can you enjoy prime rib when you go out to eat, but cooking prime rib in your...

Salt has been a staple in many households for thousands of years. You can buy it in the store, in many different varieties from table salt to kosher to rock and even sea salt. Of all these salts,...

Commercial charcoal briquettes are made from wood that has had its water vapor and gasses--smoke--driven out by intense heat, together with some ground charcoal and various other possibly unwanted...

Mangrove snapper is a salt-water fish with rich, delicious white flesh that is often used as a substitute for red snapper in seafood recipes. Preparing mangrove snapper at home can be done in many...

It seems like most people are trying to save money on the food they buy in any way they can. Grocery prices are sky high and expected to rise even further. The end of abundant and artificially...

It seems like everyone is trying to avoid eating trans fat these days. Trans fats are thought to be the worst kind of fat because they are raise your bad cholesterol and they also lower your good...

By taking the time to plan your family's meals, you can save time cooking and shopping. You will also be able to create healthy balanced meals and rely less on take out and fast food.

Cooking can be a source of great pride or great shame depending on whether you use a timer or a smoke detector to tell you when your meal is ready. This article will give you some easy steps to...

Unlike the more common method of grilling, which involves fast cooking at high heat, real barbecuing is slow cooking over indirect heat. This time-consuming but time-tested method ensures...

Eggplant Parmesan is a delicious Italian vegetarian dish. This is a great recipe to make for either a special occasion or for a tasty vegetarian meal. Once you have the few items required to...

Here's the problem! Get the AIR out of freezer bags and be safe, OR...NOT..and get sick as hell. For over a year, I've been trying to push as much air out of these bags with my hands...most of the...

Make your own charcoal and experience the satisfaction of practical use of something you made as well as saving money. Since my Grandfather made charcoal and used it successfully in his...

Distilled vinegar is used daily in over 300 applications. Beyond its popular use in food preparation and weight control, distilled vinegar can be used as a household cleaner, in the laundry, as an...

Most of us are familiar with the idea of cooking all your evening meals for the week on the weekend and freezing them until ready to be used the following week. Some may actually do it! Whether...

GOOD brown gravy cannot be had from any package. This delicious brown gravy recipe has been passed down in my husband's European family, and from my mother-in-law to me. It is the only brown...

Here's an easy Bechamel recipe or commonly known as a white sauce. Bechamel is a classic recipe made from a roux (which consists of butter and flour) and cream. You can make wonderful looking and...

Once you've eaten freshly picked mushrooms, you'll discover how superior they are to store-bought mushrooms. They can be prepared a number of easy ways, and used in a variety of dishes. Mushrooms...

Kidney beans are a nutritious member of the meat and beans group on the USDA Food Pyramid. The beans are inexpensive, low in calories and contain no fat. Red kidney beans are often found in chili;...

Vince and his "shipping and handling" scam cornered some suckers, including me. And if I get six more: Stupid Is - As Stupid Does Forest Gump stickers placed on my forehead, I'll look...

Whether you live on a farm and milk dairy goats or if you simply love goat milk from the store, making goat milk cheese can be a satisfying way to use your leftovers, and mozzarella is one of the...

Lemon butter sauce is an ideal addition to many foods, including chicken, fish, and shellfish. Famous chefs from Julia Child to Emeril Lagasse have their own variation of this simple sauce. While...

Planning your family's food menu can be an important tool for home organization and cutting expenses. Food often goes to waste, or sits in a cupboard waiting for complementary ingredients. By...

An easy recipe for making pumpkin puree. Great for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and fall!