cooking

Tired of blackened kernels instead of your crispy snack? There's an app for that. We're happy to present this post from our friends at Yahoo! Shine.

Ever since microwave popcorn became popular in the early 1980s, fans of the whole-grain snack have faced a familiar problem: if you don't stop the microwave at exactly the right moment, you end up with either too many tooth-shattering unpopped kernels or a bag of scorched popcorn and a smoke-filled kitchen.

Also on Shine: 25 Ways to Flavor Popcorn Without Using Salt

"Our consumer services team found that this is the most frequent difficulty that consumers have," Craig Tokusato, vice president of marketing for Diamond Foods and the person in charge of its Pop Secret popcorn division, told Yahoo! Shine in a phone interview. "It's a highly frequent and annoying problem."

Read on to learn how to pop the perfect bag of popcorn every time.

If you're already drinking green tea, then might we suggest slurping it in some soup? Aside from its hefty dose of antioxidants, a green tea broth can ward off colds and even help boost metabolism. Rather than cooking with an animal or vegetable broth, use herbal green tea in soup to fortify noodles with an earthy flavor — perfect in a dish like udon soup. Because its flavor is subtle enough that it won't overpower a recipe, the options to use green tea in place of a broth are endless.

While you're brewing, you can further boost your dinner by using some of that green tea to steam your chicken, too! Instead of filling your steamer with water, fill it with green tea. By the time dinner is complete, your kitchen will be filled with a rich aroma, and your body will appreciate the extra dose of antioxidants and antiviral properties this superfood has to offer.

If you think tofu is only for vegetarians, think again. This protein staple is rich in amino acids, and it can easily be used as a meat or egg replacement in popular dishes. With over 10 grams of protein contained in a single slice, here are some no-brainer ways to incorporate this nutrient powerhouse into your next meal.

Salad topping: Take a break from your traditional chicken Caesar salad, and give tofu a try. There's barely any prep needed: simply toss raw tofu in with your greens, which gives you even more time to make a healthy homemade dressing. A sesame-, soy-, or miso-based dressing tastes especially nice when paired with tofu.

Stir-fry: With all of the sauce and spices stirring in the pan, there's no better ingredient to soak up the flavors than tofu. To make an even healthier stir-fry, replace traditional soy sauce with Bragg's Liquid Amino.

Scramble: Forgo the eggs and make a tofu scramble instead. Spices like turmeric add a touch of spice to the dish, and also give it the same yellow hue as scrambled eggs. Saute peppers and onions with crumbled tofu to add even more flavor to the dish.

Noodles: Get your protein and carb craving all in one by using tofu noodles. Tofu noodles can be used in the same way you might use pasta or rice noodles, making them perfect for Italian, Asian, or any other cuisine where noodles are highlighted.

Taco meat: Tofu makes a great replacement for ground beef in any Mexican dish you might have planned. Crumble up a block of tofu, season it with a traditional Mexican spice mix, and guests won't even know the difference!

When it comes to garlic, there seems to be a love-hate relationship with this potent yet flavorful veggie. Although its powerful taste can leave you needing a mint, garlic is a super food, loaded with several health benefits, like warding off colds for instance. To maximize garlic's healthy benefits, give it a good crush! Crushing garlic will conserve its healthy compounds — the same compounds that break up blood clots. Like any vegetable, you get the most bang for your buck when it's raw, but past studies show that crushed garlic cooked between three to six minutes, maintains the same benefits of its raw form. So whip up a healthy stir-fry tonight, just go easy on the sautéing to savor every last bit of garlicky goodness!

What's great about cooking vegetables is that less really is more. What I mean by this is the less you tamper with your vegetables, the more you'll get from them. When you boil vegetables in a pan of water, you're actually stripping them of vital nutrients. This can lead to a loss of water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C and folate. Here are some quick tips to ensure you retain the nutrients in your veggies when it's time to slice, dice, and get your cook on!

• Skin and leaves: Most of the vitamins and nutrients in vegetables are found in the skin and outer leaves. Since vitamins dissolve in water, try cleaning your vegetables by scrubbing them with a soft brush and some water. This way you won't have to peel your veggies (like potatoes, or carrots), and you'll keep all of the vitamins intact. And the leaves from radishes or onions can be used in your dishes as well, since they are rich in vitamin A, calcium, and iron.

Keep reading for more tips.

Often, cooking at home is healthier than dining out. But if you're not careful, cooking with too much oil can lead to a lot of added calories (more than 100 per tablespoon for many oils; read this for our full nutritional breakdown of different types of oils) and fat. While cooking with oils can be beneficial — many contain healthy monounsaturated fats that help lower your cholesterol — if you want to keep that calorie count down, here are some suggestions for how to cook with less oil.

Stick to recipe quantities. If you're following a healthy recipe with nutritional information, stick to the measurements laid out in the recipe. While you may think it's easy to eyeball oil quantities, you may not realize just how many tablespoons you're using if you don't use measuring spoons.

Use a nonstick pan. Searing meats and sauteing vegetables are easier to do sans too much oil if you have a good nonstick pan. Just make sure you don't heat your pan higher than 500 degrees Fahrenheit (leave it on low to medium-high heat) in order to prevent releasing toxic fumes from the nonstick coating.

Spray it on. For adding a finishing touch of oil to dishes, use an oil mister instead of a heavy-handed pour from the oil bottle.

Read on for more suggestions for cooking with less oil.