Here’s a post by Fearless Fresh writer Robin Donovan on a topic I’m asked about ALL THE TIME: “How do I make sure that every part of my dinner is done at the same time, so nothing gets cold while waiting around?” If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me this question, I’d be cruising around in a new Tesla. ? Here’s Robin’s advice on how to manage this sticky-but-common problem. Enjoy! And if you have any questions, be sure to hop into the Cooking Support group on Facebook, where you can get your cooking questions answered on the fly.
How to Cut Onions Without Crying
Want to learn how to cut onions without crying? We’ve all been there; you bust out an onion to add some flavor to your favorite dish, but the minute you slice into that little monster, you burst into tears like the first time you watched Bambi’s mom die. ? Now, you’ve probably heard a bunch of crazy tips to help put an end to the sob story of cutting onions. To be honest, most of them don’t work. Never fear! I’m going to share 5 real tips that’ll keep the waterworks under control next time you slice an onion.
Common Spices and How to Experiment with Them
Not sure what to do with most common spices? When combined correctly, spices make for some incredible flavors. But how do you mix and match spices in your own cooking? More importantly, how do you know which common spices goes with what foods? We’ve all been there: you need to make dinner, preferably quickly, and another plain chicken breast sounds depressing. You really want to make that chicken breast the best thing you’ve ever eaten but you don’t know where to start. If you’re looking to elevate your cooking, taking an inventory of your current spice cabinet is an excellent (and free!) place to start.
How to Make Scones and Why They’re Weirder than Biscuits
Baking scones at home is a great way to experience the pastry in all its glory; fresh from the oven, airy but dense at the same time, hints of flavor and mix-ins catered to your liking. Making them from scratch also allows you to flirt with the different variations of the scone process itself. If you’re a biscuit person, you might make your scones more flakey and round. If you’re a muffin person, maybe you make them with powdered sugar or coat your scone in a sweet glaze. As with everything, making scones from scratch puts you in the driver’s seat of your pastry experience.
Perfect Pancakes from Scratch: 7 Tips for How to Master Them
Although we might think that perfect pancakes from scratch are super easy to make, they can still be a challenge. In fact, some folks are seriously pancake-averse because they find them so difficult to make. But now’s your change to change that! Perfect your pancake A-game with these tips for making a stack of golden, fluffy, restaurant-quality pancakes.
Cooking Knives: Knife Skills — The Bare Basics
Cooking knives are possibly the most important thing you need to know in the kitchen. Why??? Because you need to cut things before cooking them, and the better you get at chopping, the faster cooking will go. Also, there’s the safety thing. The better you are with cooking knives, the less likely you are to cut yourself. ?? So practice as much as you can! First off, you only need three things to be a SUPER NINJA with cooking knives.
Sous Vide Safety — Is Sous Vide Cooking Safe?
Sous vide safety question: when can it be safe to eat meat cooked at lower temperatures than the FDA recommends, such as in sous vide cooking? This was a question I stumbled upon on Facebook, and I thought it might be fun to post my response here. The initial conversation started when someone was cooking a roast at 129°F for 72 hours and someone else balked about sous vide safety, saying it was dangerous. Is it safe to eat a sous vide cooked roast that sat at 129°F (54°C) for three days? It depends on a bunch of factors. You have to make the choice for yourself, and in order to do that, you need to consider all the angles.
Perfectly Moist Chicken Breast: Upping Your Chicken Game
Moist chicken breast. It’s the little black dress (LBD) of the dinner table. Okay, maybe it’s not quite as sexy, but let’s face it, it’s easy, able to be dressed up or down depending on the occasion, and goes with everything else in your pantry. But just like your favorite LBD, you have to find the right cut, and know how to treat it, to really rock it. I’m the first to fess up to having served my fair share of cardboard-y chicken breasts in my day, but trust me, you’ll feel way better about yourself when you up your chicken game. There is hope for you and your chicken dinner yet. Here are my three favorite methods for ensuring that every bite of chicken that lands on your dinner table is moist and delicious—and sexy enough for a night out even if you’re planning to chow it on the sofa while bingeing on the latest season of your favorite reality TV show.
Cake Fails to Avoid: Three Common Cake-Baking Fails
Cake fails cause your baking adventures to end in tears? Does your cake stick to the pan or come out dry as the Sahara Desert? Never fear, here are some fail-safe techniques for making a beautiful cake that everyone will be talking about. (In a GOOD way!)
How Much Salt to Use When Salting Your Food
Salt will wake up the flavor of your food. How much salt is enough salt? You’ll know it when you taste it. If you taste a dish and it feels “meh,” pause to intentionally taste for the salt. Are you detecting it at all? Then add another large pinch. Taste it again. Keep doing that until you taste the dish and feel a *ziiiiiing!!!* That’s when you know you’ve got enough salt. In restaurants, chefs know how to salt food properly. That’s what makes the food taste so good, and what keeps people coming back.