Explore practical guides to everyday cooking ingredients, including how to choose, store, prepare, and cook them. Learn how ingredients behave in the kitchen, how their flavor and texture change during cooking, and the best ways to put them to use.
Apples can bring sweetness, tartness, moisture and texture to everything from pies and cakes to salads, sandwiches and savory dinners. The important part is choosing an apple whose flavor and texture fit what you are making. Some apples stay firm when heated, while others soften readily and are better for applesauce. Some are sweet enough…
A ripe peach is one of those fruits that needs very little help, but peaches are also remarkably versatile in the kitchen. They can be eaten fresh, grilled, roasted, baked, simmered into sauces, folded into breakfast dishes or paired with savory ingredients such as salmon, cheese, herbs and chiles. The key is knowing how to…
The cashew tree is a tropical evergreen tree that produces the cashew seed and the cashew apple also referred to as a accessory fruit. An accessory fruit is a fruit in which some of the flesh is derived not from the floral ovary but from some adjacent tissue exterior to the carpel (the female reproductive…
Arugula is a leafy green vegetable that is associated with cabbage, asparagus, broccoli, Brussel sprouts and mustard greens. The leafy green has a pretty distinct appearance. It’s comparable to the spiky leaves at the base of dandelion plants. Dandelion Greens With A Lemon Yogurt Coriander Dressing The leaves in an arugula plant have several bumps…
In the heart of every kitchen, a few ingredients form the backbone of countless recipes. Whether you’re crafting a savory dish or a sweet dessert, understanding the role of these staples can elevate your culinary creations. Here, we delve into four indispensable ingredients that you can’t do without in cooking and baking: salt, vinegar, citric…
Lemons can change a dish without taking it over. Their juice brings acidity, their zest contributes fragrant citrus oils, and even a small squeeze at the end of cooking can make rich, salty or slow-cooked food taste brighter. The important part is knowing which part of the lemon to use. Juice, zest and strips of…
Cinnamon is the culinary name used for the aromatic bark of several related Cinnamomum species. Ceylon cinnamon and the cassia cinnamons differ in flavor and structure, but both are legitimate culinary cinnamons rather than one being “real” and the other “false.” Knowing which type you have can help you choose the right cinnamon for a…
Butternut squash is one of the most useful winter squashes because its dense orange flesh becomes sweet, creamy and smooth when cooked. Roast it for browned edges, purée it for soup or sauce, add cubes to salads and pasta, or pair it with fruit, herbs, sausage and warming spices. This guide explains how to choose,…
Balsamic vinegar can do much more than dress a salad. Its combination of acidity, fruitiness and sweetness can brighten vegetables, balance rich meats, deepen a sauce and complement fruit and cheese. The key is knowing what kind of balsamic vinegar you have. A bottle meant for everyday cooking is not the same product as a…
Microgreens are young vegetable greens that fall somewhere between sprouts and baby leaf vegetables. Sprouts are technically the newly germinated seeds, while the microgreens are the 1-2 week-old youngster seedlings. Sprouts grow more like a fungus, as they are provided with high humidity, an enclosed area, and a low light environment. Whereas, microgreens grow more like…
