simple tip

Many recipes will call for a 15-ounce can of cooked beans, but dried beans are not only lower in sodium, but they're also more economical. If you have dried beans on hand, try this simple ratio for an easy kitchen hack.

Since a 15-ounce can typically yields about 1-1/2 cups of cooked and drained beans, soak 3/4 cup of dried beans in water for eight hours or overnight, then boil the beans in a pot of fresh water until the beans are tender (25-45 minutes, depending on the bean). This should yield about the same amount of beans as the can.

Theoretically, one should be able to make quick work of onions tear-free if armed with a razor-sharp knife and the requisite prep skills to match, but my dry, sensitive eyes would disagree. That is, until I picked up an (admittedly goofy) tip that has made a world of difference. Instead of turning to gimmicky onion goggles or other jury-rigged setups, I rummaged through my purse for an oversize pair of sunglasses to prevent the noxious sulfurous gases that leach out of onion flesh from doing their damage. Now, it may look silly to wear sunglasses indoors, but their large size shields like magic, and I've yet to experience a mascara meltdown in the kitchen since. Have you ever resorted to this before?

So you went out and bought a dedicated coffee grinder to blitz up custom spice blends at a moment's notice (or even just grind pepper en masse), but now what? Sure, the prep work itself was easy (a mere push of a button) and your meal is undeniably more flavorful, but the residual scuzzy bits of spices aren't exactly the most intuitive to clean up as few grinders are dishwasher safe. Thankfully, only about a tablespoon of uncooked rice and 15 seconds separate you from cleaning bliss.

To clean your spice grinder:

• Tap out any loose bits of spices still in the grinder, then add about 1 tablespoon uncooked rice to the grinder and process until powdery. The ground rice is abrasive and will loosen up the stuck-on spices and absorb undesirable odors.
• Put the lid in the dishwasher (if dishwasher safe) and tap out the rice powder from the grinder body, then wipe out anything left over with a damp paper towel.

That's it! Do you have a dedicated grinder for spices?

When you've finished carving your Thanksgiving turkey, whatever you do, don't toss out the bones! Instead, use that concentrated flavor to make a quick stock: As soon as you've carved the turkey, place the bones in the largest stock pot you own (seven to 10 quarts), and fill it with filtered water. Add any skin pieces, too; the fat will help give the stock more body and richness. Feel free to toss in a few teaspoons of dried herbs or parsley stalks, as well.

Otherwise, keep it simple. The turkey bones have enough flavor and seasoning as is. Allow the stock to simmer for three hours (roughly how long you'll be at the table anyway). Then remove the large bones, and strain the liquid through a mesh sieve or chinois. Allow the soup to come to room temperature before storing it in the fridge or freezing it for a later date. You'll be glad to have the stock around for a quick leftover turkey soup!

Simple syrup is one hot ingredient right now, and what's so great about it is that it takes minimal effort to create something special and useful. We've been noticing unique and exciting flavor combinations and recipes, like rhubarb and rosewater syrup, popping up all over the place.

To make your own flavored simple syrup, all you need to do is add whatever flavoring component (citrus zest, lavender buds, rose water) you desire into the boiling sugar water and let it infuse (the longer you let it cook together, the stronger the flavoring will be), then strain the syrup and store it. Now we can't stop daydreaming about all of the possible flavor combinations out there that we can't wait to use in Summer cocktails, iced tea, and homemade sodas. For some flavor combinations we can't wait to try, read on.

I have always wondered why my scrambled eggs aren't as light and fluffy as the ones in restaurants, but recently a friend of mine suggested using an immersion blender to beat eggs together before cooking, and now I'm hooked. The immersion blender beats air into the eggs, making them fluffy, frothy, and delicious. All that's left is to cook the eggs in a hot pan with a pat of butter or a drizzle of olive oil.

What is your method for making fluffy scrambled eggs?

Water is essential and expected at every get-together, but that doesn't mean it has to be boring. Next time you host a party (or even a wedding), bring some color and flavor into your pitcher of water with lots of ice and fresh fruit! See our favorite fruity combinations below.

The next time you host a party, consider some of these flavor combinations for your water:

• Fresh mint and sliced lemons.
• Sliced green apples and oranges.
• Quartered strawberries and fresh mint.
• Raspberries and sliced grapefruit.
• Tangerines and blueberries.
• Sliced oranges and fresh rosemary.

What combinations of fruit do you put in your water?

Source: Flickr User DeeJayTee23

Need a glass of vino, stat, but don't have the time or patience to wait for a bottle of Chard to chill in your fridge? Luckily, you don't have to! Here are five ways to chill a bottle of wine in 20 minutes or less.

• Just add salt: You probably already know that putting wine in a bucket of ice and cold water, rather than just ice, will chill your vino faster. But did you know that adding salt to the mix further speeds up the cooling time? Salt reduces the freezing point of water and allows it to become colder without turning into ice, which in turn more quickly chills your wine.
• Give it a spin: If even the water/ice/salt method isn't chilling your Sauv Blanc fast enough, keep the bucket nearby and gently spin the wine bottle in the ice water every couple minutes. Spinning the bottle moves around the contents inside, allowing more wine to come into contact with the cold glass, and chilling it faster. Keep in mind that this method works best for nonsparkling wines; try this with a bottle of Champagne and you're in for a shock when you pop open the bottle!

Keep reading for three more ways to chill out!

For years, I've been a fan of raw, hulled sunflower seeds as an on-the-go snack; just a handful of them provides a bounty of nutrients like magnesium and vitamin E. But yesterday was the first time I ever thought to toast them.

Just like pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds taste great when given a quick flash in the pan. In fact, the hulled kind doesn't even require oil; you can simply dry-roast them by shaking them back and forth in a skillet over medium heat for two to three minutes or until they've browned in color. But don't turn your back on them, or they'll be burnt to a crisp before you know it!

Once the seeds have cooled, they're wonderful in a salad, sprinkled on soup, atop roasted vegetables or oatmeal, and, of course, eaten by the handful. Have you ever tried this?

Making your own candy for Halloween? Next time you dip anything in chocolate, be sure to make the most of the melted mess that's left behind. Rather than dumping it down the drain, do what I do: assemble homemade chocolate bark!

1. Use a rubber spatula to transfer the tempered white, milk, or dark chocolate onto a baking pan covered with wax paper. With an offset spatula, spread the candy as evenly as possible into a thin sheet.
2. Sprinkle it with anything you like: almonds, sunflower seeds, dried fruit, crushed candy, or all of the above. (My personal favorite is fleur de sel — to offset the sweetness.)
3. Stick the entire pan in the freezer; within the half hour, the chocolate will have hardened into a luxuriously thin sheet of chocolate.
4. At this point, you can break it into pieces, stick it in a ziplock bag, and refrigerate it to keep on hand anytime the craving strikes.

Serve it to houseguests for dessert, give it away as an edible gift, or hoard it all for yourself; the choice is yours. What do you do with melted chocolate?