Cooking

Cooking

As soon as the weather takes on a chilly edge, and until the heat of summer is in full effect, nothing hits the spot quite like a pot of soup. Soup also happens to be one of the easiest things to cook, especially if you have a flavor-building shortcut so that you don't have to start quite from scratch. All it takes to really jump-start a warming pot of soup is a jar of Aldi's Specially Selected Vodka Pasta Sauce.

Inspired by Auguste Escoffier's exceptionally simple tartare, I've given his recipe a zero-waste twist by using whole boiled eggs and swapping in pickle brine from a jar of gherkins or capers to replace the vinegar. Everything else is optional: tarragon, mustard, cayenne add what you like or have in store. Traditionally, tartare sauce is delicious with fish and chips, calamari or in a chicken sandwich, but I also like it tossed through potato salad with tinned sardines and radicchio.

One of the most alluring and easy desserts to make is chocolate pot de crème, a fancy French name for chocolate pudding and even though there are few ingredients, and the prep is easy, it is best to pay attention as to how to make this dessert served to royal families as far back as the 17th century. To get that creamy texture and dense, decadent taste, use the best chocolate you can find.

Now, peanuts and almonds don't taste exactly alike, but if you are trying to mimic the same roasty decadence and want something that could work with a graham cracker or chocolate crust, you're in luck. Simply use an equal ratio of almond butter in your favorite peanut butter pie recipe. Stir it into the filling mix with cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until the almond butter is well-distributed. From there, you can add it to your pre-baked pie crust, chill, and serve.

"Cooking at high altitude means having to adjust our seasoning as your senses are actually dulled in the air," Monica explained. "Something else you have to take into consideration is the space the team has to work in. It's obviously tiny, so you need to think about how practical it is to physically put the dish together and still create something that looks beautiful".

I grew up watching the Food Network and always loved Ina Garten for her laid-back attitude and approach to cooking. When I was a 20-something in New York City, I relied on her recipes to transport me to other destinations without ever leaving my apartment. For example, I found her roasted shrimp and orzo recipe nearly 20 years ago and have been making it ever since. These days, it's a go-to for feeding my family of four a quick, nutritious, and delicious meal.

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. With budget-conscious cooks turning to Depression-era recipes for inspiration and help stretching their grocery dollars further, vintage is what's for dinner tonight. One-pot meals are an excellent way to keep kitchen clutter and dirty dishes to a minimum while yielding a hearty batch of food sure to satisfy even the most picky palates. If you love poultry, cream sauce, and the comfort of a plate of noodles, look no further than the humble turkey tetrazzini.

These stands with individual slots to hold bread upright were popular in the Victorian era and have hung around, especially popular among those of us looking to incorporate vintage elements into our kitchens. Toast racks are handy, no doubt, as they keep each slice from piling on top of each other, making each piece soggy if they've been pre-buttered. But they may be of even better use as a savvy kitchen organization hack.

Until recently, I was only aware of the Krusteaz pancake and waffle mixes, which I had always used. I didn't realize the company offered so much more. It has an entire line of muffin mixes, which I suggest checking out. It also sells quick bread and pound cake mixes - two things I generally only make from scratch on special occasions. But if a good mix exists, anything could become an occasion.

While you can usually find dried, whole chipotles in Mexican or Latin supermarkets, they are also widely available in cans, labeled chipotles en adobo, or chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. The adobo sauce usually consists of pureed tomatoes, onions, vinegar, a sweetener like sugar (or sometimes high fructose corn syrup), oil, garlic, and spices, among other things, depending on how it's made. Most importantly, chipotle in adobo is the smoky ingredient to take your tacos to the next level.

Although it might sound unusual, lettuce is a fresh addition that will brighten up any number of casseroles, bakes, or hot dishes. Along with providing extra nutrients and fiber, crisp and crunchy lettuce varieties can also add another textural element to contrast typically smooth and creamy fillings. What's more, lettuce also amps up flavor by offering a fresh and vegetal brightness that cuts through the rich and savory qualities of a casserole. If that weren't enough, leafy greens can even add an unexpected aesthetic value.

"Beer steaming is literally replacing water with beer," Becker told Tasting Table.

This easy sausage, egg, and cheese casserole features onions, bell peppers, herbs, and cheddar and Pepper Jack cheese. Enjoy this for a long, leisurely weekend brunch or a quick, easy family breakfast on a busy morning. 1 pound ground sausage 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 1 small green bell pepper, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon dried marjoram 1/2 teaspoon crushed rosemary

A delicious choice of simple sandwich filling, heirloom tomatoes are a type of tomato for which the seeds have been passed down through generations, hence the name. Unlike hybrid tomatoes, the seeds for heirloom varieties are open-pollinated and not engineered for an extensive life. As such, they are quite special, boasting a unique appearance and taste. Heirloom tomato season typically spans between later summer and early fall, meaning this specific sandwich selection will be dependent on the time of year.

From a taste perspective, homemade pancakes simply do better. When you mix from scratch, you decide on the amounts and types of flour, liquid, and fat, which leads to better browning, a tender crumb, and flavor that doesn't taste flat or overly sweet. Conversely, boxed mixes are designed for consistency rather than nuance. That trade-off is noticeable once you know what to look for, especially with our short and sweet easy pancake recipe. It's a hit, even with my notoriously picky eight-year-old.

Sweetening your homemade desserts can often be a matter of taste, depending on whether you want a subtle sweetness, something with rich caramel notes, or add chewiness from liquid sweeteners. But there are some recipes where you can't make substitutes. A smooth frosting, shiny glaze, or some no-bake desserts rely on the fine texture of powdered sugar for the right results. If you're in a pinch, you can make your own powdered sugar with granulated sugar and a coffee grinder.

Few desserts are more evocative in French cuisine than a decadently creamy chocolate mousse. And if anyone embodies the spirit of simple French cuisine that folks can make at home, it's Julia Child. When you put the two together, well, you're guaranteed a sure hit. In Julia's world, however, you don't just make a chocolate mousse - you make mousseline au chocolat, a lighter, heavenly version of the popular dessert.

That said, there's an excellent alternative to lengthy pro-level sushi creation: A no-roll version called inari, or commonly, inarizushi. It's named after the Shinto deity Inari Okami, the god of rice, agriculture, and prosperity. Traditional inari bypasses the usual seaweed and raw fish, opting instead for seasoned sushi rice tucked inside a sweet and savory "aburaage" pouch made from fried tofu.

The rice cooker is, without a doubt, one of the greatest inventions known to man - or at least the home chef. Once you've mastered the essential steps of using a rice cooker, you're guaranteed to have perfect, fluffy rice for life. However, even regular users of the kitchen gadget might err, and one of the most common rice cooker mistakes is leaving rice on the "keep warm" setting for too long.

Lentils are an inexpensive source of protein, and they can take on many flavor profiles easily and without much effort. The tiny legumes are great in salads, but they really come alive when simmered with alliums, vegetables, spices, and a flavorful broth. Lentil soups and stews can be simple or extravagant, depending on how you garnish the soup, but they always make for a hearty, satisfying meal.

Your spice cabinet is like a passport of sorts, allowing you to sample the flavors and ingredients of different cuisines and cook dishes from around the globe. As such, building a robust collection of both staple spices, and more underrated and unique ones is important. If you're shopping for new additions to step up your seasoning game, look no further than garam masala and ras el hanout. Although these spice mixes may have similar colors and ingredients, there are some major differences between the two that warrant adding both to your spice cabinet.

Spills and splatters are a kitchen eyesore that nobody wants to see - but tackling them is not just an aesthetic issue. If ignored, dry debris and food crumbs might serve as a midnight feast for a wide array of insects and rodents. Wet spills, meanwhile, can cause you to lose your footing as you juggle hot pans by the stove. As tempting as it might seem to deal with it later, kitchen spills demand your daily attention.

Tasting Table talked to George Madosky, sous chef at a.kitchen+bar D.C., about how he cleans a fresh cob of corn. "We use a clean, dry kitchen towel and work with separate bowls so the cleaned corn stays away from any stray silk," Madosky says. "This method is gentle, effective, and avoids adding unnecessary moisture, which can make silk cling and spread."

At the risk of editorializing, few things in life are better than peanut butter and the rich, comforting, gooey pleasure it brings, which needs so little in order to be enjoyed - two slices of bread will do, or if you're feeling particularly indulgent and lazy, sometimes just a spoon. This uncomplicated charm is well demonstrated by the fact that perhaps the best peanut butter cookies you will ever taste require only three ingredients, all of which you probably already have in your kitchen.

Seasoning cast iron involves coating the pan with a thin layer of fat (typically oil) to create a protective barrier. When the oil is heated, the fatty acids inside of it link together and bond to the iron, producing that invisible, non-stick barrier that's necessary for successful cooking.

Because fried rice already contains scrambled eggs, vegetables, and usually meat, you can customize your dinner-inspired dish with all the breakfast staples you enjoy most. For example, use the residual grease from frying up bacon or sausage as the base fat in which to fry your vegetables and cooked rice. Add a portion of butter or olive oil to the mix as needed.

There are so many delicious ways to turn eggs into a hearty, protein-packed meal, and one of our favorites is whipping up a fluffy, golden omelet. In its simplest form, this fuss-free brunch dish can be made by cooking beaten eggs in a buttery skillet, sprinkling over shredded cheese, and folding everything in half. But, there's also plenty of opportunity to craft something even more satisfying by throwing in a selection of veggies, proteins, and bold flavor-boosters.

It's important to always use fresh, ripe broccoli and not frozen, so you have better control of what you're using. Additionally, according to Ramsay in this YouTube video, rich, dark green broccoli with tightly packed florets comes highly recommended. However, you don't want any of them to start opening yet. To ensure only the best parts get into the soup, Ramsay holds the broccoli stem up and trims in a circle to remove the florets while avoiding the thick, woody stalk,