A few weeks ago I bought a container of fresh, housemade mozzarella from my local gourmet grocery store. I was looking forward to using it in a recipe, but when I opened the plastic container, a fetid smell wafted up from the ball of cheese in its watery broth. The cheese was clearly rancid. I doublechecked the sell-by date — it was well in the future. What should I do, I wondered? More

My dreams of wealth aren't about diamonds or fancy cars. My fantasy is this: I do all my shopping at Whole Foods and I'm never shocked when the cashier tells me the total. As it is, I only occasionally shop at Whole Foods because I'm often shocked by the total, so when I saw a promotion from the chain claiming "For about $99 you can stock a healthier pantry!" I was skeptical — but also curious. Could I purchase everything on their long list of items at my local Whole Foods for under $100? I grabbed my shopping bags and headed to the store to find out. More

Q: One of my resolutions is to be more methodical about my cooking, eating, and spending. I'd like to eat healthy meals while keeping to my limited budget and I want a system to help me set out what I'm going to eat for a week, keep track of things I've liked, and if possible, catalogue my pantry items. More

If you've ever been interested in making your own sausage, but put off by the equipment needed to do it, Bon Appetit has a smart method that uses just one low-tech tool: a Chinese soup spoon. More

If you are cooking your meals instead of eating out, you are already saving a lot of money — but these 15 tips offer ways to save even more. This year we showed you how to extend the life of delicate (and pricey!) summer berries, instantly improve the taste of inexpensive balsamic vinegar, vacuum seal without any special equipment, preserve fresh herbs by freezing them in olive oil, and more money-saving tricks to make the most of your grocery shopping budget. More

Want to make your gift of homemade cookies a little more special? Wrap them up on a pretty vintage plate specially chosen for the recipient, and make the plate part of the gift. And while they add a ton of class, small, charming plates like this don't cost much — just a couple dollars tops at a local thrift store. More

There are only so many homemade cookies a person can eat before they go stale. But give the gift of homemade frozen cookie dough, and you've just guaranteed several weeks or months of freshly-baked cookie goodness for the recipient. More

It's easy to find a luxurious cooking gift when you have $100 to spend, but how about when you have $20? Most cooks have a mental list of ingredients or tools they would love to have, but that are a little too expensive for everyday cooking. As dear as they may be to the recipient, these items usually make very reasonable gifts. Here are 15 small, indulgent gifts sure to be appreciated by the cooks on your shopping list — and they're all $30 and under. More

Calling all home brewers: thinking of giving away a few bottles of your beer this holiday season? Make it fancy with a special label! The good folks behind the jam labelizer have devised a new label-making system especially for beer brewers. More

Finding affordable, airtight containers to package food gifts in a pretty way is one of the challenges of giving homemade treats. Plain white soup or ice cream containers fit the bill — they're sturdy yet lightweight, and are ready to be decorated however you like. More