Cooking Guides
How to Cook Spaghetti Squash
Ways to Cook Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti squash goes by many different names: winter squash, vegetable spaghetti, noodle squash, and gold string melon. Whatever you call it, this winter squash is low in calories, can be used as a replacement for pasta, and the seeds can be roasted and seasoned and served separately or as an addition to squash recipes. (See also: Butternut Squash Recipes.) Personall...
How to Cook Brown Rice
How to Cook Brown Rice Also called “hulled rice,” brown rice is basically unmilled or only partially milled rice. No different from standard white rice except for the fact that it is virtually unrefined, brown rice is a healthy alternative to good old white rice. Besides being healthier, brown rice has a more pleasant texture (more al dente) and has a nutty flavor that white rice lacks...
How to Cook Tofu
How to Cook Tofu Tofu gets a bad wrap in the West. Often described as a flavorless meat substitute with an awful texture, tofu is the easiest food to make fun of, a common “yuck” ingredient for kids and adults. I love tofu when it is prepared properly. If you’re looking to eat less meat for health reasons, to lose weight, or to be environmentally conscious, tofu is a great way to...
How to Cook Quinoa
How to Cook Quinoa When I cook quinoa, I find there’s really only two ways it can come out: fluffy and mushy. Mushy quinoa is about as delicious as mushy anything, but perfectly-cooked fluffy quinoa is a real treat. Healthier than rice, with a more distinct flavor and nuttiness, quinoa is the best way to eat grains. If you were to look up “how to cook quinoa” online, you’d ...
The Ten Healthiest Vegetables to Grow and Eat
Your grandparents or great grandparents most likely had a Victory Garden in their backyard. During the times of food rationing in World War I and II, people were encouraged to grow food in their back yards to ease the food shortage, and as a sign of patriotism and defiance. The garden itself was a sign of victory. It gave ordinary people a chance to feel like they were contributing to the war effo...
How to Make Rock Candy
Learning how to make rock candy is a cinch. Rock candy equates to flavored sugar crystals that can be put on a stick or a string, so making rock candy takes a few simple steps. You and your children can make a batch together as a fun way to introduce kids to cooking in the kitchen. Making Rock Candy at Home Making rock candy at home can be a fun process. We’ve put together this guide in orde...
How to Make Wine
Making wine is a great project for wine enthusiasts and people who like to “DIY”. Wine has been made in people’s homes for thousands of years — why not give it a try yourself and learn how to make wine? Most of us get our wine from the liquor store or the supermarket, but wine is easy and inexpensive to make at home. Using the right materials, making wine is pretty much foo...
How to Bake a Turkey
Turkey is generally considered one of the hardest meats to cook and although we all indulge in the typical Christmas bird, it can tend to be served dry or under-cooked. Here’s a guide for how to bake a turkey in six simple steps: Baking a Turkey The following instructions for baking a turkey are meant to ensure your turkey comes out moist and delicious. Buy a Fresh Turkey By starting with a ...
How to Boil Asparagus
Knowing how to boil asparagus lets you add one of the most distinct tasting vegetables to your menu with little trouble. Boiled asparagus has a distinct consistency, as well, so while some vegetable haters might complain about taste and texture, those who lost new tastes at dinner time should enjoy mixing in this green veggie. Asparagus takes just minutes to boil, so it’s also a good vegetab...
How to Boil Green Beans
There are so many ways to serve green beans, but learning how to boil green beans is the classic preparation. The debate still rages about whether green beans should be served crisp or tender. While we won’t settle that dispute today, I’ll show you how to boil green beans and let you make that decision yourself. Prepare the Green Beans Prepare green beans by washing them thoroughly, th...
How to Boil Beets
Beets are a healthy and tasty vegetable, so learning how to boil beets lets you add to the variety of good vegetables you should eat. Boiling beets takes a little longer than boiling numerous other foods, but it’s easy to do. If you’re wondering why beets are good to eat, below are a number of reasons to eat beets – and one particular case where you should choose other veggies to...
How to Bake a Cake
Baking a cake if often relegated to the cake mix aisle of your local supermarket. While there is an impressive selection of pre-made cake mixes to choose from, the customer has little control over the final outcome of their cake. What’s more, baking a cake from scratch is a simple process that allows the baker to have much greater control over what goes into their cake in terms of quality in...
How to Bake a Ham
Baked ham is one of America’s most beloved dinners. Holidays such as Christmas and Easter typically center around a juicy, delicious, baked ham with an assortment of trimmings. In keeping with its popularity, baked ham is not difficult to make. However, it does take a while to cook and, in some cases, it can take a long time to thaw if the ham you have selected was previously frozen. This de...
How to Bake a Potato
Baked potatoes are a very popular side to any dinner and learning how to bake a potato is quite simple. Baked potatoes have been made for centuries and have been popular all over the world. So popular, in fact, that there are many different regional styles of baked potato. In the U.S., baked potatoes are usually served with sides such as butter, sour cream and chives and they can be eaten as a...
How to Bake Bread
In this guide we’ll show you how to make bread. Homemade bread is simple to make and far better tasting than most store bought varieties. It can also be a more economical approach. Additionally, when you read the labels of most major bread manufacturer’s loaves, it can be a little scary. It seems like the balance is slowly shifting towards a majority of ingredients that suggest heavy...
How to Bake Chicken
Knowing how to bake chicken can be very useful because chicken is a very healthy and nutritious meat. There are many different baked chicken recipes and many different styles of cooking chicken. Chicken is such a versatile meat that some restaurants will use chicken in every dish that they serve. However, chicken is a very tricky ingredient to cook with because it dries out very easily and...
How to Bake Salmon
Given the significant rise in heart disease and chronic inflammation, it is no wonder salmon has begun to enjoy some much deserved popularity. More and more people are looking to know how to bake salmon because of its health benefits. The omega 3 fatty acids found in salmon have been proven to help fight heart disease, arthritis and many other physical ailments. While health concerns are not the o...
How to Boil a Chicken
Chicken is a very versatile type of meat that is not only particularly healthy but makes a great addition to many kinds of plates. While some may be slightly intimidated at the thought and processing of boiling a whole chicken, the steps themselves are relatively problem free as long as a few precautions are taken. The process of boiling a chicken itself also leaves you plenty of time to prepare o...
How to Boil Eggs
Boiling eggs is a fun and easy take on one of America’s most beloved animal by products. Eggs are a delicious, high protein food that provide a healthy dose of vitamin E. Egg protein is some of the highest quality protein available and is often used as the benchmark against which other forms are compared. One problem with eggs, however, is the fact that they must be cooked prior to consumpti...
How to Cook Crab Legs
Crab legs can be a delicious, healthy dish, whose sweet flavor and delicate texture are enough to make any seafood lover drool. So much so that restaurants everywhere use them as their headlining dish to draw people in, usually for a hefty price tag. While many people do not know how to cook crab legs, it is mostly because they appear intimidating while sitting tucked away behind the display case ...
How to Cook Eggplant
A member of the nightshade family, eggplant is a firm fleshed produce with a dark purple skin and white spongy interior. Eggplant is a nutritious food and it’s skin has proven cancer fighting properties. Vegans and vegetarians alike covet it because of its firm meat like texture and ability to absorb flavors. Eggplant is a versatile ingredient that blends well into everything from sandwiches...
How to Cook Lentils
Lentils are a very popular bean to use in many different recipes. You can use them in soups or as side dishes. In fact, they are one of the most popular beans to use in any kind of bean soup. Along with wheat and barley, lentils are one of the oldest known crops. Lentils were often served in ancient Greece as soups, much like today. There are over a hundred different kinds of lentils and a...
How to Cook London Broil
London broil is a classic dish that is served around the world, not just London. Learning how to cook London broil will allow you to create a dish that’s appreciated by many. Before rushing off to the butcher’s shop in search of a cut of London broil, it is important to understand that the term London broil actually refers to the method in which the dish is prepared, rather than to a s...
How to Cook Tilapia
Tilapia is a common fish found at most supermarkets and seafood markets. It is commonly sold in filets with the bones removed, which makes it extremely easy to cook with. Tilapia is best described as having a somewhat firm, white colored flesh. It is not a very oily meat and has a mild sweet flavor. Common methods of preparing tilapia include baking, frying and grilling. When cooking with tilapia,...
How to Cook Trout
Trout is a popular choice among seafood lovers. Among the most popular varieties are rainbow trout (which has a soft texture, pink oily flesh and a mild yet pleasant flavor) and ocean trout (a much firmer consistency and a less oily, almost orange-hued flesh). The flavor of ocean trout is sweeter than that of its river dwelling cousin, which makes it a likely candidate for delicate sauces such as ...
How to Cook Tuna
Tuna Steak has long been famous in the culinary world for its firm texture, delicate flavor and excellent plate presentation. While all of this is true, it can be difficult for the aspiring home chef to learn how to cook tuna properly. As with any seafood dish, freshness is key. Talk to your local meat market or fishmonger and ask them about what they have available in terms of freshness and quali...
How to Make Chocolate
Few sweets have gained such universal liking and notoriety as chocolate has. Being comprised of cocoa solids, fats and sugar, the basic form of chocolate as we know it has become a staple of desserts. It has even been embedded into traditions such as Christmas, Easter, and Valentine’s Day. This delectable cocoa derived food doesn’t have to be purchased from markets and sweet shops only. You ...
How to Make Hash Browns
Hash browns are a staple of a hearty full-sized American style breakfast. They are the perfect complement to a side of eggs, toast, and sausages. However, their simple looks and appeal are rather deceiving as they are easy to mess up. Many people have found this to be true in their attempts to make perfect looking textured hash browns at home. Homemade Hash Brown Recipe In order to properly follow...
How to Make Ice Cream
Ice cream is a dessert type that is great for nearly all occasions. It can be particularly delicious as a special summer treat. While most resort to manufactured ice cream that can be purchased at a market or at a ice cream shop, it can also be made at home with a couple of pieces of equipment and some common ingredients. Homemade Ice Cream Recipes Homemade ice cream recipes come in different vari...
How to Make Pancakes
Pancakes are one of the most popular breakfast foods in the world. They are so popular that many countries have their own varieties. The most popular versions are the basic pancake that everyone is familiar with and crepes. A crepe is just a very thin pancake that is cooked on both sides and rolled up and eaten. In the United Kingdom, pancakes are made with plain flour so they don’t rise...
How to Make Sushi
Sushi has been garnering some much-deserved popularity. Light, easy to prepare, healthy and flavorful are just some of the things that describe this Japanese delicacy. While more people are trying sushi every day, it appears that many of them limit their experience to dining out, which quickly becomes too expensive for most. What exactly constitutes sushi? Where can you find ingredients? Is it s...
How to Roast Garlic
Garlic is a healthy and pliable vegetable that has a vast amount of applications in cooking and seasoning. One of the best ways to prepare garlic is to roast it as this helps the vegetable to retain most of its natural flavor. Roasted garlic doesn’t have the potency that raw garlic does but it tends to be juicier and has more flavor. Garlic can be used on many different foods including meat,...
How to Cook an Artichoke
Of all the vegetables in the produce aisle, the artichoke remains one of the most intimidating and puzzling in regard to preparation methods. With its tightly closed leaves and sharp barbs, it could be considered to be “nature’s Rubik’s cube.” It is for these reasons that many shoppers prefer to skip the hassle of preparing a fresh artichoke and head straight for the canned...
How to Cook Asparagus
Asparagus is usually considered to be an elegant vegetable. Unless you make asparagus yourself, the only place that you will find it as a regular menu item is in fancier restaurants. People tend not to cook asparagus very often because it is a tricky food to prepare. It is hard to get it to have that perfect crunch to it. Usually people overcook or undercook it. When you buy asparagus, y...
How to Cook Butternut Squash
The consumption of squash dates back to about 3000 BC. It was commonly consumed by Native Americans but some historians disagree on the belief that it originated in America. It wasn’t heavily consumed as a side dish until about the 19th century when it became popular in both Europe and the United States. Many people don’t like squash because it has a unique texture and flavor. An impor...
How to Cook Couscous
Couscous is a granular pasta derived from semolina wheat. It is prevalent in Moroccan cooking and is both flavorful and nutritious. Preparing couscous is similar to preparing rice or pasta. It essentially involves softening the granules with a hot liquid such as water or a flavored broth. Couscous is carried in most major supermarket chains as well as in health-food stores where it is often sold i...