Articles
Choosing the Best Olive Oil
First thing: Ignore the color—a greener oil is not necessarily an indication of quality. Evaluate on smell and taste alone. If the store doesn’t let you sample, you may have to endure some trial and error at home. Freshly pressed olive oil will have a plethora of aromas, from freshly cut grass, herbs, and flowers to almonds and tomato vines. Avoid oil that smells like wax, crayons, wine, or vinegar. Opt for extra-virgin, which has passed both a chemical and a sensory test, and avoid “light” olive oil—typically a blend of inferior and virgin olive oils. (In some cases, it is a blend of 70 percent vegetable oil and only 30 percent pure olive oil). And don’t pick a bottle solely because of its country of origin. “No single region or country has a monopoly on quality,” Coleman…
How to Zest a Lemon Two Ways–With a Grater or a Knife
Whether you’re baking a cake or cooking dinner, adding a little lemon zest is one of the best ways to wake up a dish that still needs a little extra something. But what exactly is lemon zest and how do you make it? Lemon zest is the flavorful, colorful portion of the rind of any citrus fruit. Scratch a lemon with your fingernail and you’ll smell an intensely citrusy aroma. That’s because the fruit’s essential oils reside in its rind. Zesting is one of the best ways to harness all of that flavor. To zest a lemon, always start by washing the fruit under running water and patting it dry before using it. Even if you’re just using the zest, it’s important to remove all the wax coating or anything else that might be on the outside before zesting. If…
Creative Ways to Use Tomato Paste for 3 Completely Different Meals
Long reserved for lasagna and ragù, tomato paste is working its way into dishes from all over the world. Use it to make a fragrant homemade curry paste, then simmer the paste with broth for a spicy soup guaranteed to soothe seasonal sniffles. Steam tender mussels and white beans in a mixture of tomato paste and wine for a light and comforting meal, or blend it with garlic and mayonnaise to make an addictive dip for oven fries. For bigger flavor (and easier storage), swap those tiny cans of yore for tidy tubes of double-concentrated paste. 1. Tomato-and-Pepper Aioli Recreate the beloved delivery staple, chicken tikka masala, right at home. Make the quick curry paste in a food processor and you’re basically there. This is a great tomato paste starting point for any home cook. Get the recipe: Tomato-and-Pepper Aioli 2….
The Hassle-Free Way To Cut a Mango
There’s no denying the deliciousness of a mango, but peeling and cutting it can be a hassle. Watch this video to learn a simple technique. What You Need Y-shaped peeler, mango, paper towel, cutting board, chef’s knife Follow These Steps Peel the mango from top to bottom Using the Y-shaped peeler, work your way around the mango, removing the skin. If the fruit is not quite ripe, keep peeling it away until the pulp is bright yellow. As you expose more pulp, use a paper towel to hold the peeled mango so it doesn’t slip out of your hand. Peel away the tips. Determine the tallest line of the mango Place the mango on the cutting board and find the side that seems the tallest—the pit will be sitting along that line. Slice in half, avoiding the pit Holding…
How to Cook Beets: Easy Step-by-Step Guides
Beets are a deliciously sweet and gorgeously hued addition to so many dishes. They also happen to be rich in antioxidants and nutrients like folate, manganese, and potassium. Yet many home cooks wonder “So, just how do you cook raw beets?” We get it, cooking beets can seem daunting! This step-by-step guide will show you how to prepare beets and how to cook fresh beets using a few simple techniques. We’ll cover how to cook beets in the oven, cooking beets on the stove, how to cook beets for salad, and even how to cook beet greens. This guide will also give you recipe inspiration for enjoying all varieties of beets from mildly flavored golden to traditional ruby red to heirloom Chioggia beets with stunning red and white stripes. How to Prepare Beets Preparing fresh beets is so…
5 Smart Substitutes for Brown Sugar
The next time you’re jonesing for some late-night chocolate chip cookies, only to reach into your cupboard and discover you’re completely out of brown sugar, fear not: There are alternative solutions that don’t involve running out to the grocery store in your PJs for some more. (Not that there’s any shame in that, of course.) Consider a few of these last-minute back-up plans: More White Sugar Even if you’re out of brown sugar, chances are you’ve got plenty of granulated white sugar on hand — so use it to your advantage. Double up the amount of white sugar you’d normally be using in the recipe, and you should be just fine. If you’re making cookies, they may turn out a bit crispier than if you’d used brown sugar, but it won’t be a deal breaker. White Granulated Sugar…
How to Crack Open a Coconut
Pick a coconut that’s heavy for its size and makes a sloshing sound when shaken. To open it, find the three dark indentations, or “eyes,” on the bottom of the fruit and press each with the tip of a wine key until you find the softest one. Screw the wine key into the eye and then remove it, creating a hole. Drain the water into a cup, then taste it. It should be lightly sweet; if it’s sour at all, the fruit is past its prime. Place the coconut on a bed of towels and strike near its equator with a hammer or mallet, turning the coconut slowly with your other hand. After the shell cracks, place the halves facedown, then use the hammer to tap around each shell until the white meat separates from it. Remove the thin brown…