Food & Drink

Blue Lake is a variety of snap bean. There are two different types, bush and pole. Snap beans are also called green beans or string beans.

When you are looking for a craft project that your whole family will enjoy or that you can give as a gift, consider learning how to make candy. There are all sorts of candy recipes easily...

Creating moisture in a smoker helps prevent meat from drying out during the long smoke times required for this flavorful method of outdoor cooking. Perhaps the best part of creating and sustaining...

Marzipan is a sweet, almond-flavored paste that is used in baking and dessert decoration. Marzipan flowers are popular because of how decadent the almond flavor is when combined with baked goods,...

Fondant is an edible coating that adds a smooth, glossy appearance to cakes. It has a sugar base and is heated until it forms a pliable sheet. Fondant is often an integral part of the...

A tiered cake decorated with fondant can provide a stunning centerpiece for a large celebration. Fondant is a pliable icing that resembles modeling clay and can be rolled out and draped over cake...

Substituting pineapple juice for liquids in your favorite recipes adds flavor and moistness. The naturally sweet juice blends well in sauces, and mixes up great in cake batter and cookie dough....

Carbonated water is water that has been mixed with carbon dioxide (CO2). It can occur naturally; the CO2 gas is infused into the water when it comes into contact with carbon-containing minerals....

A drum smoker is so named because it is made from a 55-gallon food-grade drum of heavy-gauge steel. Drum smokers are an ideal choice for smoking large cuts of meat because of the distance between...

Smoking meat requires relatively low temperatures (150 to 220 degrees Fahrenheit). Because the meat is kept in the smoker at this low, constant temperature for a long period of time, higher...

Butternut squash soup with roasted chestnuts and pancetta is very simple to prepare, and makes a flavorful meal on a cold fall or winter evening. Combining the smoky, salty flavor of pancetta ham...

Food choppers, whether they are electric or hand choppers, are a handy way to quickly chop food for many recipes. There are several styles to choose from, and a few tips to use in order to get the...

Glucose is a simple sugar with the molecular formula C6H1206. It's used by animal cells as a source of chemical energy and is produced by plants as the primary product of photosynthesis.

Circulon is hard-anodized nonstick cookware. According to the company website, this cookware utilizes the "TOTAL Nonstick System which combines a relaxed Hi-Low wave technology with the most...

A springform pan is a round two-part pan which can be separated. This pan is used to create delicate deserts such as chocolate flourless cakes and cheesecakes, making it a must-have in the kitchen.

The word "saute" comes from the French word "sauter," meaning to jump. To saute is to cook food over direct heat with a bit of oil, moving the food about quickly so that it does not burn. In order...

For years we have been told that raw vegetables are healthier than those that are cooked. However, according to the results of an Italian study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food...

Biochar is a type of charcoal that is very high in carbon content, which allows it to lock carbon into the soil. Biochar has existed for the past 2,500 years, but scientists have only recently...

Maintaining a consistent temperature is the key to slow-cooking meat successfully in an outdoor smoker. Too hot, and the meat dries out and becomes tough. Not hot enough, and your food might spoil...

A chafing dish is an arrangement of pans designed to keep food warm without burning it. Most chafing dishes are made up of a smaller pan inserted into a larger one which contains water. An...

Cedar cooking planks produce a sweet smoky flavor in foods cooked outdoors on a grill. The planks are particularly good for smoking and flavoring fillets of salmon, a practice that dates to the...

Looking for a quick and easy way to spice up the look of your freshly baked cake? There are many different ways to decorate a cake, but one of the easiest ways to make a cake look traditional and...

There are many types of wine preservers on the market today to help preserve an opened bottle of wine. Some use vacuum seals. Red wine will typically last two to three days in a temperature...

In choosing a wine, often the only clues to its qualities are on the bottle's label. Using this information, you'll be better equipped to make a selection that will match your taste.

Salmonella is a bacterium that causes foodborne illness, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Salmonellosis is the infection caused by salmonella. Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal...

If you just purchased a new cast-iron grill or if you found an old cast-iron grill in the back of your kitchen cabinet, do not throw it away. If it is in one piece without any cracks, season it....

The way that you use kitchen pots and pans will depend on the particular dish and the quality of the cookware that you have available. High-quality cookware distributes heat evenly, making it less...

You can make almost any type of cheese yourself. The calories of your cheese varies depending on the techniques and ingredients you use. You might find that your own cheese tastes better than...

When it comes to fish, nothing tastes better than the fresh variety. One of the best places to get fresh fish is from a fish market, or you can always catch them yourself. The hardest part of...

Baking is a popular, everyday activity that requires the aid of baking pans. The traditional shapes for baking pans are square, rectangular and round. Only in specialty stores or during holiday...

Agave is a tough, spiked, cactus-like plant found in the southern United States and throughout Mexico. While the outside may be coated in armor, its insides hold a liquid that can be heated and...

Woks are a relatively recent invention in Asian cooking. The first metal woks appeared in China between 700 and 1,000 years ago. Their use was driven by the need to conserve fuel in regions where...

There are times in the middle of winter or during a summer rainstorm that a person gets a craving for something cooked on the grill. Indoor grills can solve this problem, but food does have a...

Many homeowners use water softeners to treat tap water. It's important to know if water softening can provide any nutritional chemical problems before cooking with it.

Making shapes in coffee foam is known as coffee art. It is an ideal way to add a bit of an extravagant touch to your coffee, and one that most professional coffee baristas know how to do. Making...

Alder wood is great for making cabinets, dressers and other types of furniture, but it is also one of the best types of wood to use for smoking. It is more sweet than other common smoking woods,...

Chocolate is a favorite indulgence enjoyed worldwide. The Europeans first transformed chocolate from a spicy drink into a sweet dessert -- and many would argue that they produce the world's best....

When people first began cooking food in early pre-history, they used solar energy, only this was stored in wood and called fire. What we know today as solar cooking---using stoves heated directly...

Delicate sauces, such as Hollandaise, are best prepared in a double boiler. Double boilers should also be used when melting solid chocolate or wax. A double boiler is a pan designed for indirect...

Raw-foods diets have been increasing in popularity. In a raw-foods diet, you eat only raw, uncooked whole foods or foods that have been heated no more than 112 degrees. Coconuts are particularly...

Why waste money on a fancy store-bought pancake batter dispenser when you can make your own for free? You likely have cheap alternatives right in your cupboards at home. Ketchup bottles, for...

Emus lay large, beautiful eggs that are used for cooking, eating, or decorating. Their composition and taste is similar to chicken eggs, but they're much more difficult to find and purchase....

Rice is one of the most versatile staple grains available. One of the most utilized grains around the world, rice comes in many varieties and styles. While rice is generally boiled on the stove or...

Baking cakes is a popular cooking activity that most every cook or homemaker does at some time or another. Most cake recipes, however, are designed to create large cakes equipped to feed a family...

Many home bakers use baking cups to line muffin pans; cups have largely replaced having to grease or grease and flour the pan. Baking cups come in various sizes and styles, such as small, medium,...

The Reynolds Company manufactures both parchment and wax paper. While both are commonly used in food preparation, and can be used interchangeably in some circumstances, there are distinct...

Sausage is made from combining various types of ground meat with different combinations of spices and salt. A very necessary component of sausage is the outside hog casing. The casing is the...

A griddle is a cooktop that can be used indoors or out. Gas griddles can be used to cook just about any type of food and are a healthy alternative to deep frying, as less oil is needed when...

Barbecuing with charcoal is a great outdoor cooking method for slow-cooked, flavorful food. The process is different from charcoal grilling, where food is cooked on a rack that sits directly over...

A half sheet cake, or 1/2 sheet cake, is a large rectangular-shaped cake that is normally served at a party or any time a crowd is expected. Because of the difference in available pan sizes, half...