Before you start chopping up a storm in the kitchen, make sure you've got basic knife skills in place. Not sure how to make those fancy French cuts — rondelle, julienne, brunoise, we're looking at you — a reality? Watch our primer on basic knife techniques, and you'll be a master before you know it.
If you love poached eggs, but you've written them off as something to be ordered in restaurants, it's time to reconsider the possibility of making them on your own at home — and given that today's National Eggs Benedict Day, there's no moment like the present. To master this basic kitchen technique, all you need are three pantry staples. Watch the two-minute tutorial to learn the key to perfectly poached eggs, every time.
While many resort to pancake mix when making a special weekend breakfast, homemade pancakes are a must. Here's the little-known secret: the batter takes just as long to make as a boxed mix, and the result is infinitely better. If the attractive appearance of these golden, crisp cakes isn't enough to push you toward the skillet for a sneak taste, surely the buttery scent and familiar buttermilk tang will send you over the edge.
As long as you follow the recipe and keep an eye on the heat, you'll produce something that looks like pancakes. If your flipping skills are a bit messy, don't worry! You'll get better with practice. The key is to visualize a clean landing and to have confidence that you can flip those pancakes like a brunch master. When in doubt, refer to our essential tips for making pancakes so you can whip up an impressive stack to serve to your friends and family.
Once all of the pancakes are made, stack them high and serve them with a slab of butter and authentic maple syrup. One bite of these pancakes, and you'll be a convert for life.
Looking to expand your culinary repertoire in 2013? Once you've mastered the basics, you're bound to be craving more. For the next step, curl up with one of our favorite cookbooks that will guide you through subjects ranging from bread baking to stir-frying (and everything in between) and get cooking! Culinary resolution accomplished.
If you've got a powerful gas stove like mine, you'll know it's virtually impossible to set the flame to low; all too often I'll turn the nob, only to watch the flame flicker and burn out before I can settle on the right amount of heat. If you're the owner of a gas-lit stove and frequently encounter the same issue, I've got a solution for you. It's called a heat diffuser.
Often used in commercial kitchens, this flat, metal stovetop tool distributes heat evenly and automatically lowers the flame setting. This comes in particularly handy when cooking heat-sensitive items like rice and caramel, which will scorch in a heartbeat. In these scenarios, a heat diffuser can help control the flame and improve your cooking. Try out these three significant ways use a heat diffuser.
Have you bought a kitchen scale yet? If you're just getting acquainted with this essential baking tool, you may be wondering how to employ it to its full potential. While it's becoming increasingly more common for weights to be included in American recipes, many only list the volume equivalents. With that in mind, we've broken down what a standard cup of some common ingredients ought to weigh, so you can use this indispensable tool with confidence.
| INGREDIENT | WEIGHT |
|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | Five ounces |
| Cake flour (sifted) | Three and a half ounces |
| Bread flour | Five ounces |
| Brown sugar (packed) | Eight ounces |
| Granulated sugar | Seven ounces |
| Powdered sugar | Four ounces |
Seafood cookery can seem a bit intimidating, but it's often a relatively simple process, with much of the dish's success relying on sourcing excellent fresh product. With a few guidelines and handy tricks in mind, these briny beauties need no longer be relegated to restaurant fare. Keep reading for the breakdown on purchasing guidelines for everything from fish fillets to caviar.
This menu, loosely based off Italian-American cuisine, is foolproof — even for the beginner cook. The main course and dessert can be made the night before, and the cocktails and appetizers are straightforward and a cinch to pull together an hour before your guests arrive. Entertaining is all about enjoying yourself, too. Put the apron away, and take out the party dress. It's about time you joined your guests in the living room. Here's to a successful, easy-breezy dinner party!
Negroni
The bittersweet negroni cocktail, made from gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth, is stirred and served straight up with an orange twist. It's a strong beverage, intended to be sipped slowly. You'll find negroni cocktails help cut the fat in rich appetizers like the sausage skewers and buttery garlic bread.
We'd like to dedicate this roundup of killer culinary tips to those whose M.O. in 2013 is to work smarter, not harder. Often it's the smallest changes that have the greatest end result, particularly in the kitchen. We suspect that if you even adopt just one new tip, you'll notice a significant difference in the quality of your cookery, and really, who wouldn't like that? Keep reading for 12 tips that will kick your kitchen experiments into high gear.
If you're still using that cookie sheet to roast your veggies or that roasting dish to bake your cookies, we have the bakeware essentials to fill in your kitchen's missing gaps! Having the proper bakeware can really make a difference, affecting the end result of your cooking and baking recipes . . . separating the burnt cookies from the gooey ones. Going back to basics, we gathered up the essentials — pieces that are multipurpose and can be used in a variety of recipes. From the cookie sheet to the casserole dish, here are the 11 bakeware essentials no kitchen should be without.
