Everyday cooking

Everyday cooking

In this version, cooked butternut squash is mashed directly onto a thick slice of warm raisin-walnut toast and topped with crumbled feta and a sprinkling of crunchy dukkah a nutty Middle Eastern blend of toasted seeds and spices. The result is an easy, vibrant, flavorful breakfast that carries you through the morning without feeling rich. To make mornings simpler, cook the squash ahead roasted, sauteed or even microwaved and keep it on hand for a week of toast, wraps, salads and simple sides.

You probably already know that it's generally not a good idea to expose plastic - like food storage containers, for instance - to high temperatures. After all, it can cause chemicals in the plastic to leach into your food. It probably shouldn't come as a huge surprise, then, that it's also a bad idea to use plastic wrap under very high heat. This is because plastic wrap melts very easily when exposed to high temps,

In our collective minds, pepperoni has only ever been a pizza topping. For so long now, it's been infinitely tethered to molten cheese, blistered crust, and greasy fingers, so much so that we forget there are still many creative ways to use pepperoni beyond pizza. At times, it even shows up in dishes you least expect. At 7 in the morning, amidst the repetitive spin of cooking up yet another omelet, this American salami is the surprising twist that makes breakfast a whole lot better.

My pizza go-to is this Margherita pizza, but when I'm looking for a thick crust this is the recipe I use. It makes a fluffy dough with crispy edges, and with gooey cheese and garlicky tomato sauce, it's pretty much my ultimate pizza experience! It's also incredibly simple to make: no pizza stone required and no stretching of the dough. Just a simple cast iron skillet and trusty technique that works every time!

If you didn't realize what the numbers on your ground beef meant, those are the different levels of lean meat to fat in the mixture. So 90/10 ground beef is 90% meat, 10% fat. Different types of recipes are better with different types of ground beef. It's not a one-size-fits-all choice. But when it comes to getting the most out of your smash burger, you are best off reaching for the classic 80/20 ground beef.

Perfect for busy days, this slow cooker pot roast is a simple meal that's full of so much flavor! Tender meat, carrots, potatoes, and onions cook together for a dish everyone loves. Even though I work from home, I use our slow cooker for dinner a lot, letting soups and stews simmer away while taking care of all the other tasks on my list.

It feels like an eternity to bake potatoes in the oven. You have to wait and wait and wait to finally get your oven-gloved hands on the steaming hot, golden vegetable and officially kickstart dinner night. Every now and then, we all need a little break away from this antsy slump, and the microwave is just the shortcut for it. Using the microwave will narrow the cook time to just about 10 minutes with no pre-heating necessary. More than just convenient, this brief cook time retains a good deal of the potato's moisture instead of drying it out like the oven.

There is one trick, and it's already in your kitchen: a spoon. Who knew a humble spoon could be so versatile? It's one of the best hacks that will help you open stubborn jars. When faced with a stubborn jar lid, flip the offending container upside down and give the base a whack with a spoon. If that doesn't work, firmly tap across the lid or wedge the spoon underneath the lid and push upwards.

Chicken noodle soup is a classic for a reason. It's warm comfort food that hits all the right notes, especially on a cold day. Whether you have a reliable recipe or are trying something new, there are countless ways you can prepare chicken noodle soup. There are a few staples that need to be there, however. You obviously need chicken, whether that's broth alone or pieces of meat. And you also need pasta of some kind. For my money, the best choice is ditalini pasta.

Usually, people are either in the French toast or pancake camp when it comes to breakfast, but there's no denying that a good waffle just really hits the spot every so often. Sweet, satisfying, and totally customizable, waffles can be a morning-time hero when prepared the right way, and there's one ingredient you can utilize to give them a quick protein boost: chickpeas.

It is a dish that is enjoyed in a wide variety of different formats globally, and because it's impressive and comforting at the same time, it never fails to be the star of the show. This maple butter roast chicken recipe, from the kitchen of recipe developer Jennine Rye, gives you a relatively low-fuss way to prepare and cook a whole chicken with mouthwatering results.