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.
Parsley is more than a plate garnish. Its fresh, grassy flavor can brighten salads, sauces, soups, grains, eggs, vegetables and meat dishes, and both the leaves and tender stems can be useful in the kitchen. The two types most commonly sold are flat-leaf parsley and curly parsley. Either can be cooked with, although their texture…
Sun-dried tomatoes deliver concentrated tomato flavor in a small package. Drying removes much of the fruit’s water, intensifying sweetness, acidity and savory character and giving the tomatoes a chewy texture that works in sauces, eggs, pasta, chicken dishes, appetizers and spreads. The first decision is whether to buy dry-packed or oil-packed tomatoes. Both are useful,…
Fennel gives you several useful ingredients from one plant: a crisp bulb, celery-like stalks, feathery fronds and aromatic seeds. Fennel pollen is also sold as a specialty seasoning. All share an anise-like character, but their intensity and texture differ. The bulb is mild and crunchy when raw and becomes sweeter and softer when cooked. The…
Discover everything you need to know about cooking Brussels sprouts. Learn the best preparation methods, cooking techniques, flavor pairings, and explore recipes ranging from roasted side dishes and fresh salads to comforting casseroles, frittatas, and complete meals.
Maple syrup is a sweetener with a flavor of its own. Along with sweetness, pure maple syrup can bring caramel, toasted and woodsy notes to baked goods, sauces, vinaigrettes, glazes and savory dishes. That makes it different from simply adding granulated sugar. The maple flavor becomes part of the finished dish, so it is worth…
Thyme is an aromatic perennial evergreen herb. It is a relative of the oregano, with both plants being mostly indigenous to the Mediterranean region.
The pecan is a species of hickory native to the southern United States and northern Mexico. The pecan tree is the only tree nut native to North America. Its sweet, crunchy texture with a rich buttery flavor and unmatched nutritional content have resulted in its growing worldwide popularity. Pecan Tree Image Credit: Cecilia Deutsch/Dreamstime.com Origins…
Ají dulce peppers are sweet, mild chili peppers used in Caribbean and Latin American cooking. Learn what they are, how they taste, and how to use them.
Chile peppers can be sweet, grassy, fruity, smoky, earthy or intensely hot. Heat is only one part of what they contribute to food, which is why choosing the right chile matters as much as deciding how spicy you want the dish. Capsicum peppers originated in the Americas and spread around the world after European contact,…
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…
