Cooking

Cooking

Beginner cooks often fall into the trap of buying a cheap piece of meat. When you aren't well-versed in the different cuts, it can be hard to understand why chuck roast is on sale for $8 a pound while those Wagyu ribeyes and USDA prime steaks are going for much more. Visually, they seem like they could be similar - but when that first forkful makes it to your mouth, the tough texture makes the price difference clear.

The first time I tried Buldak Ramen, it was the 2x spicy flavor. And let me tell you, one bite was more than enough. Of all the flavors, the heat in this bowl lingers long after you finish. They're actually so spicy they've been recalled in Denmark due to fears of food poisoning. But after a few trial runs and a lot of searching online, we finally found a way to tone down the heat.

Mustard powder can function as an incredibly important spice in a wide array of dishes, and knowing how to work with it can yield tastier meals -and ensure that it doesn't just go stale after years of hanging out on your spice rack, unused. Take a closer look at this guide to learn more about mustard powder and how you can use it in your cooking.

Warm, nourishing, and full of ocean-fresh flavor, Kaisen Nabe-Japanese Seafood Hot Pot-is a dish that celebrates the beauty of simplicity. This traditional meal brings family and friends together around the table, where everyone cooks and eats from the same simmering pot. Our version keeps the authentic taste while remaining gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, and refined sugar-free, so everyone can enjoy a cozy bowl of umami-rich goodness.

Whenever I want to cook something special, my first thought is always salsa verde, and Christmas is no exception. This vibrant sauce is so forgiving and endlessly versatile a last-minute showstopper that can be whipped up with a few store-cupboard ingredients and some herbs. It's normally made with parsley, garlic, capers, anchovy fillets, olive oil and vinegar, but as long as the end result is green and saucy, I'm generally more than happy.

After everything sears up nicely, a layer of caramelized bits sticks to the pan, and if you add liquid while the surface is still hot, you can lift and dissolve those remnants, incorporating them into a nuanced, rich pan sauce. It also makes washing up much easier, which is reason enough. You've probably encountered this technique utilizing wine or broth, which are the traditional go-to deglazing liquids, but hear me out: try it with orange juice.

A really simple way to give those vinaigrettes an upgrade is to incorporate some kind of fresh fruit into them. Whether it's a French-inspired raspberry vinaigrette or just a squeeze of orange in your usual recipe, fruit juice can add a pleasant zing and freshness to your salad, and the natural sweetness will help balance out any acidity. But while citrus and stone fruits may seem like the obvious choice, there's one unlikely fruit you need to try: blueberries.

Those familiar with the fifth taste, umami, know that it often arrives in a subtle shift of flavor - something you hardly notice at first but can't help but become captivated by once you do. It isn't just salty - the taste is characteristically deep and complex, and it brings those characteristics to everything you add it to, including your go-to sauce. But, there's no need to overwhelm yourself looking for umami-packed ingredients to do so. All you need is instant dashi.

A salad can be both protein-rich and fiber-packed without even missing miss a beat in its flavor harmony. It stars butternut squash, which has roughly 7 grams of fiber per cup, and our recipe uses about 5 to 6 cups. Joining the fiber party are kale (or any leafy green of choice) and Brussels sprouts, both of which also pack a substantial amount on their own.

My best baking tip is to always be picky about the type of butter you use to bake delicious shortbread cookies and go for European or European-style butter, which may be, in fact, the absolute best butter for baking. Why, you ask? Let's start by defining how European-style butter differs from American butter. To qualify as European-style, the butter must contain at least 82 percent butterfat and no more than 16 percent water content.

You can get a crispy, golden crust on top while the mac underneath stays creamy.

It adds a caramel flavor profile to the pancakes-almost similar to a flapjack without all the butter,

The easiest and perhaps most obvious job at Christmas is to pour drinks: for the principal cook first, and then for others. Not only does popping a cork or shaking a cocktail make a cook feel less like a caterer and more like part of the party, the sound has the effect of drawing in other helpers. If you make a cocktail and divvy out jobs, even peeling vegetables is fun,

Sometimes the best way to test someone's culinary skills is to have them make the simplest dishes, like an omelet. It is easy to whip up an average one, but a perfectly fluffy result takes practice, patience, and a lot of love. However, all you need is some guidance, so we took it upon ourselves to seek out the advice of celebrity chef Amanda Freitag, an expert in all things food.

Off the bat, the closest thing I could find to apple jam was a cinnamon apple jelly from Stonewall Kitchen-which sounded as good a festive twist as any, so into the basket it went. The pineapple preserves were also nowhere to be seen, so I decided to settle for a can of pineapple chunks instead. (I got the last one, and I'm dearly sorry to whoever needed it for their Christmas ham.)

Between their ooey-gooey softness and irresistible cinnamon sugar interior, there's a reason why cinnamon rolls are a perennial favorite amongst sweet-toothed breakfast lovers. Not only are they delicious, but they're also a time-tested classic with a familiar flavor profile that people know and love. That said, if you're feeling a little daring and want to give your cinnamon roll some zing, it may be time to add a little lemon curd into the mix.

One of the greatest gifts I ever received is A Treasury of Great Recipes, a 1965 cookbook written by Vincent Price and his wife Mary. I am a huge fan of Price the actor, so getting a sneak peak into his life as an international gourmand is very satisfying. The book is an incredible read and has remarkable, full-color pictures. It doesn't matter how obscure a celebrity - it's likely that you'll find something out there.

During the autumn and winter seasons, my husband and I use our oven weekly, which means our baking sheets are really put through the wringer. One in particular has been almost completely black for months despite washing it thoroughly after every use. Now that we are approaching the end of year, I figured this would be the perfect time to get it clean.

Few celebrity love stories are as sweet as that of Ina Garten and her husband, Jeffrey. The pair met while Ina was visiting her brother at Dartmouth College, where Jeffrey was a junior. After Jeffrey spotted her from the campus library window, he began writing her love letters - not before long, the pair were engaged and eventually married. Ina and Jeffrey have been together ever since,

Mashed potatoes land on many a comfort-food list, for many a good reason. They're thick, warm, buttery, nutritious, and delicious. But let's be honest: They sometimes need a little help getting there. Fortunately, potatoes are one of the most versatile vegetables on the planet, and they play well with others. So when craving some contrast and texture in that creamy tater mound, look no further than your trusty freezer. It likely harbors some plain-jane vegetables awaiting their chance to shine.

Years ago, when I was flipping through a magazine, a cheesy recipe caught my eye. It was simple, quick, and cheap - the busy mom's culinary trifecta. Plus, the glossy picture featured a vegetable both kids would eat: broccoli. I remember tearing the page out and thinking it might save me on a hectic weeknight, when late afternoons were a scramble between homework, carpools, and hours on a baseball field.

These Sweet & Salty Chocolate Potato Chip Clusters offer the perfect balance of crunchy, creamy, sweet, and salty in every bite. They come together in minutes, require no baking, and rely on simple pantry ingredients - making them ideal for last-minute holiday treats, dessert boards, or edible gifts. The combination of rich melted chocolate and crispy potato chips creates an addictive contrast, while nuts and dried fruit add extra flavor and texture.

Fill, fold, pinch, repeat. Muscle memory kicks in as I envelop the gift in its wrapping. The gift is not a toy or clothes. It's not the "Guinness World Records" book that my dad requests year after year and is still surprised by every time. The gift is ground pork, green onions, ginger, shiitake mushrooms and everything good in the world. Its wrapping paper is a chewy round sheet of dough.

Like our tamale piece, we republish this every year for those who want to try to make something special. I discovered from another New Mexican family in the Bay Area that they too made these small rellenos at Christmas. Both of our grandfathers came from San Antonio, New Mexico so maybe the recipe originated there. In this video, Mission Local's founder, Lydia Chávez, explains how to make cocktail-sized chiles rellenos. The recipe has been in our family for years, invented by my mother and her cousin Evelyn to entertain New Mexican style over the holidays.

Spaghetti and mussels in a garlic white wine sauce is a classic seafood pasta dish that can be enjoyed in all seasons, but with the new year approaching, it's an even better bet since mussels taste better toward the end of the year. After growing and feeding all summer, mussels are mature, plump, sweet, and creamy in the fall and winter.