#cooking-tips

#cooking-tips

Powdered apple peels will provide a subtle sweetness and apple flavor to a bowl of oatmeal or to your homemade granola, enhancing both flavor and nutrition.

To get the best bite out of your fruit salad every time, approach it like a chopped salad, cutting fruits to sizes that blend well together.

Starting with dried black beans instead of canned ones enhances flavor and texture in a bean salad. Home-cooked beans offer a fresher and more complex taste.

Convection ovens utilize a special fan to distribute hot air, improving air circulation and reducing preheating time compared to traditional ovens.

Cooking with older tomatoes not only helps reduce food waste but can also enhance the flavor of certain dishes. Utilizing these tomatoes gives them a new life in a variety of recipes.

Mixing deli salads like tuna salad and egg salad enhances texture and flavor, capitalizing on overlapping ingredients like mayonnaise, pickles, and hard-boiled eggs.

Using pickled goodies either inside or on top of your enchiladas makes a perfectly tangy contrast to the rich and creamy cheese. It also complements whatever you're using as a filling, whether it's cheese, beef, veggies, chicken, or something else.

Fritto misto, meaning 'mixed fried things,' is a versatile Italian appetizer featuring seafood and vegetables, traditionally enjoyed year-round.

Andrés adds a hearty squeeze of mustard into the bottle along with a couple spoonfuls of olive oil and another tablespoon of vinegar. He doesn't measure any of the ingredients, adding each directly from the bottle for a dish-free, mess-free experience.

Bacon's crispy texture tends to not last very long when mixed in a pasta salad due to moisture absorption, becoming dull and limp quickly.

"Cod has a very lean, mild flavor with large flakes. Haddock has a finer flake and a softer texture, with a more pronounced flavor. Not fishy exactly, just more flavorful."

Canned chickpeas are fine to use, but I prefer dried chickpeas unless I'm in a hurry. Also, canned chickpeas are made with salt added unlike with dried chickpeas prepared at home.

A properly preheated pizza stone makes a significant difference, creating a crispy bottom crust essential for authentic pizza. Preheat it to 500°F for at least 30 minutes.

"Powdered sugar contains cornstarch, which reacts with the pectin in tomatoes to bring out the color and adds sweetness at the same time."

The classic cut of beef for burnt ends is the "point" of a brisket. This is the thicker, fattier end. The other part of the brisket is known as the flat.

You can use barbecue sauce to marinate, but personally I don't like doing that because it can be extremely overpowering, where all you're getting is the flavor of the sauce.

Veggie broth serves as a versatile kitchen staple, utilizing scraps and enhancing flavors in dishes like rice, sauces, soups, and stews.

This beloved appetizer is just the right balance of salty and buttery - the perfect snack to plop on a platter for a book club, a birthday, and especially a cocktail hour.

Using an air fryer is an effective method to ripen bananas quickly, taking only about eight minutes. The bananas should retain their peels during this process.

Air fryers restore leftover pizza to its original glory, providing the crispiest crust without the soggy texture common in reheating with traditional methods.

Rice is particularly susceptible to being colonized by a foodborne bacteria called Bacillus cereus. If you leave cooked rice sitting at room temperature for too long, the bacteria can multiply and produce toxins that can't be destroyed by reheating.

Adding cocoa to chili creates a delicious flavor enhancement. Unsweetened cocoa intensifies savory elements without adding sugar, making chili richer and more umami.

Using bread to stretch appetizers not only saves money but also creates a more filling option for guests, allowing them to enjoy more variety without feeling deprived.

Baked beans can be enhanced significantly by adding fresh onion and green pepper, creating a flavorful dish that stands out among typical recipes.

Vinegar's high acidity prevents bacterial growth, but proper storage is essential for maintaining its freshness. Keep it in a cool, dark, and temperature-stable environment.

"The public will always shop with their eyes and normally that'll be the best way in vetting a cut of meat. Beef should be an even, deep red."

Canned peaches can be added to store-bought pasta sauce to enhance flavor by providing acidity and sweetness, especially for savory or spicy sauces.