Cooking Techniques

Having the whole family to your house on Thanksgiving? Worried that you will not be able to get everything done? Stop worrying. There are several things you can do to destress during the holidays.

These delicious roasted potatoes are easy to make, look beautiful and complement a wide range of entrees, from chicken to beef. Plus, they taste great hot or cold. Your friends and family will...

Red snapper is a delicious dish, if prepared properly. There are many ways to prepare and buy your fish, but whole at the market is the most common for the red snapper. Following a few simple...

Much like roasting other vegetables and meats, roasting fennel cooks the vegetable through in such a way that it becomes soft and slightly browned on the outside. The smell and the taste, however,...

Fresh fruits are a delicious and healthy snack and cooking with them is extremely simple. Here's how to measure a cup of fresh fruit.

Over-boiled vegetables and meat that has been cooked dry and flavorless make for an unpleasant meal, and they have also lost many of the vitamins that give them their nutritional value. Cooking to...

How you place chicken on a smoker has a lot to do with your end product. Depending on the cut of chicken that you are smoking there are a few different ways that you can place the meat.

You can make disposable pastry bags easily from parchment paper triangles by forming the triangle into a cone shape and taping it to keep it from unfolding. Parchment paper triangles folded into...

If you have cooked with the common banana, you are in for a new experience with plantains. Though both are a fruit, and they are in the same "family," think of plantains as the "body builder"...

Duck eggs are not very different from chicken eggs and are very simply cooked in many of the same ways. Duck eggs have more protein in the white and more fat in the yolk, which makes them ideal...

We all know what a joy it can be to prepare a fresh duck after a hunt or a trip to obtain one from a farm. It's important to clean and pluck your duck properly before you cook it. Plucking a duck...

The yellowtail snapper (Lutjanus chrysurus), also known as yellowtail or cola, lives in the Atlantic Ocean between Massachusetts and Brazil, and is most common off the coast of Florida and in the...

Spaghetti squash can be a lot of fun. What a wonderful creation..... a squash that looks like pasta. It is a fund vegetable to prepare with your kids and can be served in any way pasta can.

Have you tried to make a pot of rice, but it turned out to be one big sticky and tasteless mess? Have you wondered how do the restaurants make their rice so tasty? Well, here are some tips to...

Convection ovens use a fan to circulate warm air throughout the baking compartment, allowing foods to cook more quickly than they would in a conventional oven. When cooking ham in a convection...

Induction ranges work differently from other cooktops. These stoves heat food by transmitting electromagnetic energy from a copper coil located beneath the burner to the pot or pan placed on top....

The cold-pack method of canning is a popular way to preserve fruits and vegetables at home; canning makes it possible to enjoy these foods fresh throughout the year and to save on the high cost at...

A Primo grill is an oval-shaped ceramic grill. These grills can be used to cook commonly grilled items such as poultry and meat, and they can also be used for making pizza, cookies and bread by...

Pole beans are a popular vegetable for the home garden, but the tough pods can be difficult to cook properly. Because the large, flat pole bean has such a tough exterior, it needs to be cooked...

According to the FoodSaver manual, marinating meat in a vacuum-sealed container opens the meat's pores, allowing the marinade to penetrate more quickly and deeply. Instead of marinating meat...

You're cooking up a storm, making that perfect dish, and you grab that jar of sun-dried tomatoes, and darn, you can't open the jar. Before you are tempted to do something rash, read on for some...

Hot boxes, also known as hay boxes, may be the ultimate low-tech slow-cooker. An insulated cardboard box traps heat and uses it to finish cooking your food. You start the food cooking, stick it...

Glazing a ham is a great way to impart flavor into your ham with little effort. You can do this simply using a propane torch. Propane torches are small, hand-held and easy to use. You can find...

Who doesn't love southern comfort food? This is a simple "set it and forget" recipe anyone can make. It contains less fat and sodium but ultimate flavor. I hope you and your family have...

If they follow my recipe and measurements they will never again have sticky, gummy rice. It will turn out perfect every time.

Here's a list of little-known tips and techniques learned from professional chefs and cooks. You would be surprised to know how much you can learn just by working in a high-end restaurant.

It is very important when cooking meat of any kind to make sure it is cooked all the way through. Undercooked meat, poultry and fish can cause illness and food poisoning. There are simple things...

An electric rotisserie is a counter-top cooking appliance that allows you to roast poultry, chicken, fish or vegetables quickly and evenly. The rotisserie turns food so that all areas are evenly...

An electric pressure cooker can allow you to enjoy your favorite recipes in a fraction of the time. Pressure cookers trap steam created during cooking and allows it to build up inside the cooker...

A pot of beans and cornbread on a cold winter night is just the thing. Since many people today work and do not have time to cook beans the traditional way---all day---using a pressure cooker is a...

Fresh cabbage from the garden is used in many recipes as well as eaten fresh. If you have an excess of fresh cabbage from the garden or purchased from the grocery store, make pickled cabbage. It...

Apple butter is a sweet, smooth, spicy spread made from apples. There is no butter in apple butter; it gets its name from the smooth texture and the way it spreads so nicely on buttered toast....

Food preservatives counteract the natural processes that cause food to age and spoil. Salt is a natural preservative used since at least the days of ancient Egypt. Acidic substances such as...

When you buy jelly in the store, it comes in a variety of sizes. It can be found in half-pint jars, pint jars, and quart jars. When canning your own jelly, most people choose smaller size jars,...

Gas grilling is the perfect way to spend a warm afternoon. A major problem with these grills is an ignitor breaking so that you can't start a fire simply by turning a knob. Ignitors can be...

Freeze drying is a popular way to preserve fruits and vegetables. It is also easy to do at home with just a few simple tools.

Meat enthusiasts will want to make a backyard BBQ smoker to enjoy delicious, tender meat. Smoking imparts a flavorful essence by cooking meat at low temperatures for long periods of time. The end...

Morel mushrooms are a culinary delicacy. They grow wild during a very limited season. They contain an earthy, almost meaty flavor that is delicious alone, or as an accompaniment to other dishes....

Fennel is a vegetable with three distinct, edible portions: the bulb, the stalks and the leaves. Fennel has a taste similar to licorice, and you can either eat it raw or cooked. The leaves can...

Cauliflower and broccoli are cruciferous vegetables that are full of fiber and crunch. Fresh broccoli is at its best when the buds are tight and green; cauliflower looks and tastes freshest when...

Whether you grow your own fennel in your home garden or picked up more than you can use on a recent trip to the grocery store, freezing your extra fennel is a great and relatively simple way to...

If it is your job to organize a banquet you have plenty to think about. From choosing the right food to setting the right mood, it is important that everything come together just right. Whether...

Fresh ginger has many herbal and nutritional benefits. Ginger is a good source of copper, potassium, magnesium, vitamin B6 and manganese. In addition, it has been shown to offer anti-inflammatory...

Gas grilling is an alternative to charcoal grilling with its own set of techniques and tips to learn. The pros and cons of gas grilling in comparison to charcoal are a hotly debated topic amongst...

Searing chicken before baking involves browning the chicken in hot oil on the stove top and then placing the chicken into a moderate oven and finishing the cooking process at a longer and lower...

Have you ever tried grilling corn on the cob? I’ve tried this many times, sometimes in my backyard and others when I am camping. I learned the hard way that you can easily burn the corn if you...

Convection ovens can make your cakes fluffier and slightly larger, and can bake several cakes at one time. Convection cooking also ensures that your cakes are evenly baked, regardless of their...

Juicing is a process of separating the liquid from the fiber of a fruit, herb or vegetable. Usually only the liquid portion is used, and the fiber is discarded. A juicer is a machine that...

The potato is a humble vegetable that, as they say, "cleans up real nice." One classic gourmet potato recipe is potatoes au gratin, or thinly sliced potatoes baked in a dish with butter, milk or...

Cooking a microwaveable pizza is a great way to save money, and it is incredibly easy. These microwaveable pizzas usually come in packs of three or more, and are very cheap at most grocery stores....