Food & Drink Articles

Article / Updated 09-19-2022

A slow cooker is truly a pleasure to use. Manufacturers seem determined to outdo themselves in making slow cookers more user-friendly and convenient, so you have plenty of options when picking out a slow cooker: Shape: Slow cookers are available in two shapes: round and oval. The traditional round shape is perfect for making soups, chilis, and stews. The oval slow cooker can prepare larger pieces of food, such as whole chickens. Size: For convenience, slow cookers come in a wide variety of sizes ranging from 1-quart to 7-quart capacity. The most popular size units are the 4- and 6-quart versions. Heat-resistant glass cooking containers: Some new slow cookers have cooking containers made of heat-resistant glass that enables the user to brown over the stovetop and then continue cooking in the same container in the slow cooker. Nonstick coating: If you don’t want to have to spray your slow cooker’s container with vegetable oil cooking spray, get a slow cooker that has a nonstick coating on the cooking container. Divided container: You can find slow cookers that come with an inner pot that’s divided into two separate cooking compartments. This divided cooking system enables you to make two different dishes at the same time. Digital settings: You can now find some slow cookers with a digital display. With the simple push of a button, you can choose the cooking time and temperature you desire. Easy-transport innovations: You might want to get an attachment that anchors the lid to the base for trips in the car or an insulated carrying case.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 09-09-2022

Good bartenders pride themselves on being knowledgeable about cocktail recipes and proficient in the art of properly serving their guests and patrons. With a healthy repertoire of popular mixed drink recipes and the right ingredients at your fingertips, you can be the life of any gathering.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 09-09-2022

Cooking Persian food at home is exciting and easy! All you have to do is say yes to adventure, new flavors, and new techniques. After you’ve learned about advieh (Persian spice mix) and understood the building blocks of a khoresh (Persian braise) and polow khoresh (Persian-style rice), you’ll be putting one together in no time at all. Having the right ingredients commonly used in Persian cooking at hand, as well as some essential tools, will make the process fun and consistently successful.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 09-01-2022

When you’re brewing your own beer at home, get to know the abbreviated versions of homebrewing terms to help read your recipes and directions, keep a basic measurement conversion chart handy, and check out the hierarchy of beers chart so you know what category and type of beer you want to homebrew and possibly enter into competition.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 08-26-2022

If you want to try your hand at Italian cooking you need to follow some basic cooking rules that govern Italian cuisine and learn the structure of a traditional Italian meal. If you run into a problem converting measurements, a handy chart can help. Know the most common fresh herbs and pasta shapes used in Italian cooking and you're on your way to creating authentic Italian dishes.

Step by Step / Updated 08-25-2022

Eating a plant-based diet is one of the fundamentals of Mediterranean cuisine and one of the major reasons for the health benefits found in the Mediterranean diet. Many regions in the Mediterranean enjoy pasta as well, but it’s the crown jewel of Italian cooking in particular. Adding vegetables to pasta is a no-brainer. The bottom line is simple: The more nutrients you eat from your foods, the better health you experience. Part of the goal with eating the Mediterranean way is to decrease animal protein and increase plant-based proteins.

Article / Updated 08-19-2022

Eating a plant-based diet is one of the fundamentals of Mediterranean cuisine and one of the major reasons for the health benefits found in the Mediterranean diet. Lentils are small, round legumes that make a healthy choice for any meal. They're a great source of plant-based protein, fiber, and vitamins and minerals such as folate and iron. Lentils are great to cook with because they take on flavors well from other ingredients such as herbs, spices, or broths. If you look hard enough, you can find a variety of different types of lentils, all with their own unique flavor, color, and texture. Some types are better for soups, while others are great as a stand-alone side dish. Use this guide to help you select the perfect type of lentil for your next dish: Brown lentils are the most common type of lentil found in major grocery stores. They range in color from light brown to dark black and have an earthy, nutty flavor. Brown lentils can turn soft quickly if you don't watch your cooking time. The mild flavor works well for many dishes, such as soups and salads, and these lentils are also good for purees because they're easily mashed. Green lentils are often glossy-looking, with a pale green/brown mix of colors. They have a strong flavor and take a little longer to cook than other lentils. The plus about green lentils, other than their taste, is the fact that they retain their texture and shape well, making them perfect for side salads. Red lentils range from gold to red and have a sweet, nutty flavor. Like brown lentils, they run the risk of turning mushy from overcooking. You see red lentils most often in Indian dal or curry dishes. Red lentils are also fabulous in soups.

Article / Updated 07-28-2022

Holiday meal planning often includes a main course of roasted turkey, a Thanksgiving favorite baked to a golden bronze and served up with richly flavored and piping hot stuffing. Cooking and carving your turkey can be simple tasks, with these easy-to-follow instructions. In this recipe, the stuffing is baked separately, not in the turkey. You can also choose to stuff the turkey with stuffing and bake it. Just spoon stuffing loosely into the cavity right before cooking, and then tie the legs together. Increase the cooking time (as shown in the accompanying table) to allow time for the stuffing to heat thoroughly. Before serving, scoop the stuffing into a serving bowl. Roast Turkey Recipe Tools: Chef's knife, vegetable peeler, large roasting pan, roasting rack, meat thermometer (unless the turkey comes with one), kitchen string or twine, carving board Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 3 to 3-1/2 hours (for a 12-pound turkey) Yield: 12 servings 1 fresh or thawed frozen turkey (about 12 pounds) 1 medium yellow onion, quartered 2 carrots, peeled and quartered 2 large cloves garlic, crushed 2 tablespoons vegetable oil Salt and pepper 1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F, with the oven rack on the lowest rung. 2. Set a wire roasting rack in a large roasting pan. Remove the giblets and neck from the turkey cavity and reserve for the stock; discard the liver. (While the turkey is roasting, you can prepare a quick turkey stock with the giblets and neck if you're making homemade gravy). Remove any excess fat from the turkey. Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water and pat dry. 3. Place in the turkey cavity the onion, carrots, and garlic. Tie the legs together with kitchen string. If desired, bend the wing tips back and fold them underneath the turkey. 4. Set the turkey, breast side up, on the roasting rack. Rub the turkey all over with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup of water to the roasting pan. If using a meat thermometer, insert it into the thickest part of the thigh, close to the body, without touching any bone. 5. Roast for about 3 to 3-1/4 hours, or until the thigh temperature registers 180 degrees F. Add another 1/2 cup of water to the roasting pan if it gets dry. To brown the turkey evenly, turn the pan laterally about midway through the roasting. If the turkey turns brown before the roasting time is over, cover it loosely with aluminum foil to shield the skin. Start checking for doneness during the last 30 minutes of roasting, and baste with the pan drippings two or three times during the last hour. 6. Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer it to a carving board, and cover loosely with aluminum foil, letting it rest for 20 minutes while you make the gravy. Remove the vegetables from the cavity and discard. Carve as shown. For an attractive presentation, garnish the turkey platter with fruits and other attractive produce. Try a heap of fresh cranberries, piles of leafy greens or fresh herbs (such as whole basil), a few kumquats or orange slices, or red and green grapes dusted in sugar. Per serving, with gravy: Calories 505 (From Fat 173); Fat 19g (Saturated 6g); Cholesterol 204mg; Sodium 598mg; Carbohydrate 2g (Dietary Fiber 0g); Protein 76g. Per serving, without gravy: Calories 404 (From Fat 122); Fat 14g (Saturated 4g); Cholesterol 171mg; Sodium 206mg; Carbohydrate 0g (Dietary Fiber 0g); Protein 66g. How long should you cook your turkey? Turkey roasting times vary by weight of the bird. Weight of Turkey Turkey Cooking Time (Unstuffed) Turkey Cooking Time (Stuffed) 8 to 12 pounds 2-3/4 to 3 hours 3 to 3-1/2 hours 12 to 14 pounds 3 to 3-3/4 hours 3-1/4 to 4 hours 14 to 18 pounds 3-3/4 to 4-1/4 hours 4 to 4-1/2 hours 20 to 24 pounds 4-1/2 to 5 hours 4-3/4 to 5-1/4 hours Every year, hundreds of thousands of people wind up in hospital emergency rooms as a result of kitchen accidents involving knives. Many injuries have resulted from time-pressed, hungry people trying to pry apart frozen hamburgers, slicing through hard bagels, or using dull blades that slip. Don't make their mistake! Slice away from your hand, keep your fingers clear of the blades, and don't ever use the palm of your hand as a cutting board. Keep your blade in peak cutting condition by keeping it sharp. Carving your turkey Learning how to carve a turkey properly is important to ensure that you get the most meat and that the portions can be distributed to your guests in an aesthetically pleasing way. For additional tips on carving a turkey, visit Carving a Turkey or How to Carve a Turkey video.

Article / Updated 07-28-2022

Recipes that feature fruits and vegetables often ask for you to slice or pare them. For example, to create a the all-American apple pie, you need to first pare and then slice the apples. Slicing fruits and vegetables Slicing is the most common — and most important — knife task. There are really only two things to keep in mind: If you’re slicing a hard, round vegetable, like an onion or a winter squash, trim one side flat first so it doesn’t roll around on the cutting board. Take your time to assure evenly thick pieces, whether you’re slicing an onion or a pineapple. Doing so makes the food look better and cook more evenly. The figure shows how to slice a scallion. As you can see, you can slice with the knife straight in front of you or at a slight angle with the blade moving away from you. Paring fruits and vegetables Paring is one of the only cutting tasks you perform while holding the ingredient in your hand. Don’t worry — you don’t need the first-aid kit nearby! Your hands are designed for this kind of work. Paring means to remove skin from fruits and vegetables as well as to sculpt them into decorative shapes. They can be small items, like shallots and garlic, or larger ones, like apples and tomatoes. Above all, a paring knife must be razor sharp to perform well. To pare an apple, for example, hold it in one hand, barely pressing it into your palm, with fingers bracing the surface (outside of where the cutting proceeds). Pierce the skin of the apple with the paring knife and carefully peel it toward you, slowly turning the apple with your thumb. Spiral all the way to the bottom. Although fruits and vegetables come in different shapes, this technique of holding food and slicing toward you is the same.

Article / Updated 07-26-2022

Although vintage wines and aged spirits can boast of a long companionship with haute cuisine, beer — until recently in some places — is often relegated to the backyard barbecue. But that’s wrong. Beer is only for thirst quenching as much as computers are only for number crunching and sports are only for boys. Get with it, folks; beer is for dining, too! Although it may have taken restaurateurs, gourmands, and culinary artistes forever to catch on to the concept of beer and food pairings, now that they have, it’s a hot ticket. And why not? Beer is considered the world’s most popular beverage, with craft beer increasing in popularity every day. After far too many years, the outlook for beer drinkers is rosé, or... rosy. Thanks to the enthusiasm of brewers, restaurateurs, and consumers of flavorful craft-brews, beer has reclaimed its rightful place on our dinner tables. Good craft-brewed beer can be much more interesting than wine. It’s cool and refreshing and, depending on the style, can be much richer, more complex, and more flavorful than wine. Plus, if you have an average person’s budget and capacity, you’ll find that tasting several different beers during a meal is preferable to tasting several different wines. Guessing at general guidelines Within the sometimes intimidating world of wine and food, even the neophytes can lean on the old red meat–red wine axiom in a pinch. But beer drinkers have no such axiomatic, general guideline to fall back on, because none exists. And few people have a good enough grasp on the various beer styles and flavor profiles to easily make choices. Actually, you’ll find it hard to go wrong when matching beer and food. What’s fun is trying to do better than not going wrong. Every kind of food, conceivably, has an appropriate beer to accompany it. The beauty of beer is in its versatility. You can usually find a beer style that’s a natural match for a given food. Beer even works better than wine with some dishes, such as especially spicy or sour ones. And slightly acidic beers are great foils for rich foods. Substituting beer for wine The lager beer category is the white wine equivalent. When compared with ales, lagers have the following characteristics: Generally lighter in body and color Narrower flavor profile and a high degree of drinkability (that is, tend to appeal to a wider audience) The ale category is the red wine equivalent. When compared with lagers, ales have these qualities: Typically darker Rounder, more robust and expressive Wider flavor profile and, thus, a lower drinkability (that is, tend to appeal to those with a more experienced beer palate) Just to keep you on your toes, keep in mind that these guidelines are really general — dark and full-bodied lagers exist just as surely as do light and mild ales. Next time you’re about to go grape out of habit, consider a brew instead. This table offers a few good ideas. Beer Substitutions for Wine Wine Suggested Beer Substitute Dry white wine Blonde Ale, Kölsch, or German Pils Dry red wine Fruit Lambic or Flanders Red Beer Champagne Light and spritzy Witbier, Lambic, or Berliner Weisse Brandy Spirituous Barleywine or Old Ale Port wine Intensely flavored Russian Imperial Stout Keep in mind that these suggested substitutions aren’t trading taste for taste but style for style. In other words, don’t expect the Imperial Stout to taste like a port wine; it’s simply serving the same enjoyable purpose as a rich and spirited after-dinner libation.