Featured Cooking TipPoultryCooking in an Oven Bag: What You Need to KnowCooking turkey in an oven bag can result in moist meat and perfectly browned skin. Here's what you need to know to use one successfully.
The purpose of an oven bag is to trap heat and steam to accelerate cooking and the rendering of fat. But what about browning? Can the Maillard reaction—the chemical reaction that creates flavor when foods are browned—occur in the relatively moist environment of an oven bag? It sure can; our turkeys came out with beautifully browned skin. Here are a few additional tips to add to your, ahem, bag of tricks.
MIND THE TEMPERATURE: Because the bag traps heat and steam, the heat energy in the bag wi…
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Why It's Important to Salt Pasta Water
We cooked pasta in salted and unsalted water to determine if it matters when you add the seasoning.
Using Chile Powders Interchangeably
Can ancho chile powder, chipotle chile powder, and regular chili powder be substituted for each other in recipes?
How to Substitute for Buttermilk
Is there a non-dairy alternative that will lend the same buttermilk tang to baked and savory applications?
Heat
Whether you crave the spicy burn of hot chile peppers or
want to avoid it, it pays to know the ins and outs of chiles’ incendiary
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From Cobblers to Sonkers: A Guide to Rustic Fruit Desserts
Is it a slump? A grunt? A buckle? Depends who you ask.
How To Brine Chicken in Advance
Can you brine boneless chicken breasts, take them out of the brine, and refrigerate them the day before cooking them?
Can You Bake Cupcakes and Muffins Without a Muffin Tin?
Some packages of aluminum baking cups claim that they’re sturdy enough to fill and use directly on a baking sheet—no muffin tin required. Is this true?
Can You Substitute Imitation Crab for Fresh Crabmeat?
Imitation crab is much cheaper than lump crabmeat. Is it worth buying?
How to Use a Water Pan When Grilling
Our grill-roasting recipes often call for a disposable pan filled with a specific amount of water to be placed inside the grill. Does it really matter how much …
Easy Vegetable Prep
These quick tips will make prepping your summer vegetable dishes a breeze.
Supermarket Tomato Shopping Guide
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Chill Your Chips
Does storing opened bags of potato chips in the refrigerator keep them fresher, longer?
Freezing Corn
Is there a good way to freeze sweet summertime corn?
Primary Burners
How do you know which burner is the primary burner on your grill?
Foraged Greens
Edible abundance is all around us, but you have to know what to look for and when and where to look. Here are
some of our favorite foods that grow wild in urba…
What to Do with Hard Parmesan Cheese (and How to Prevent It From Drying Out in the First Place)
Is there a good way to revive Parmesan cheese that has dried out in the fridge?
Can You Reuse a Disposable Baking Pan?
Can disposable baking pans be reused?
The Best Popcorn for Caramel Corn
The kernels in commercial caramel popcorn are often much rounder and prettier than what you can make at home. Are there tricks to getting them to pop so nicely?
Can You Cook Acidic Ingredients in Cast Iron?
Is it safe to cook acidic ingredients like as tomato sauce in a cast-iron pan?
What is Kosher Salt?
What exactly is kosher salt, and why is it called for in some of your recipes?
What’s the Best Way to Keep Your Dip Warm?
Warm dips are party favorites, but most cool down and congeal after just 15 minutes on the table. Could we find a hands-off method for keeping a dip warm?
Ground Turkey vs. Ground Turkey Breast
Can “ground turkey breast” be used in recipes that call for “ground turkey”?
Can you Freeze Whole Lemons?
Can you freeze whole lemons?
Milky Matter
How does ultrafiltered milk compare with the regular stuff?
Malleable Measuring
Measuring semisoft ingredients such as mayonnaise and peanut butter can be a challenge. Should you use a dry measuring cup or a liquid measure?
Heating Things Up
Does hot salsa lose some of its spiciness when refrigerated?
Boiling with Curiosity
Why do recipes call for water to be at a rolling boil before dropping in the pasta? Can you just start it in cold water?
Louisiana Flavors
The roots of Louisiana cuisine reach deep into the soil of a
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What is the weight or volume equivalency of a single carrot in recipes?
Mixed Bag
Why do purple baby potatoes take longer to cook than yellow or red ones all sold together in the same mixed bag?
Refreezing Pie Dough
If you don't use both frozen pie crusts sold together in a pack, is it okay to refreeze the one that’s already been thawed?
Regular vs Organic. Dark Brown Sugar in Recipes
What's the difference between dark brown sugar, and organic dark brown sugar in recipes?
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What’s the difference between broccoli rabe, broccolini, and broccoli?
Blue Cheese
While all blue cheeses get their flavor from
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Dried Herbs
Dried herbs can be more complex and flavorful than fresh. We use them in many dishes—and not just in a pinch.
Squash Servings
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