How well do you plan your weekday lunches? And what do you do when you don't have time to pack a lunch - does it throw you off? When I have one of those multiple-snooze-button mornings, I usually end up buying lunch even when I have a perfectly suitable - yet unassembled - meal waiting in the 'fridge at home. A friend shared her last minute lunch secret with me and it's totally changed my busy weeks. More

Whether you enjoy drinking smoothies for breakfast, lunch, or snack, you can always have a delicious one ready to go with this time-saving tip from Muffin Tin Mania. More

We've posted a fair amount about small-batch canning here at The Kitchn, but I'd like to take this concept one step further and encourage the tiny-batch, refrigerator method of jam making, especially for the solo cook. The approach is simple: make a single jar of refrigerator jam every couple of weeks, or whenever you are inspired by what you find in the market. More

Good-quality grill pans come pretty close to achieving the smoky taste of food cooked on an outdoor grill, but they can't mimic the oven-like conditions of a grill with the lid down — or can they? The LA Times Test Kitchen has a great tip for setting up your own "lid" for a grill pan for more evenly-cooked meat and cleaner, quicker cooking. More

I'll admit that in my cooking lifetime I've been known to use a few, er, creative techniques to prep my fruits and veggies. (It's amazing I still have all my fingers!) If artichokes and pomegranates, mangos and squash get the better of your knife skills, then this post is for you. From how to peel a head of garlic in 10 seconds to how to cut a grapefruit, from the best way to dice an onion to the super easy way to peel ginger, these 20 tips and techniques will change the way you work with produce. Let the learning begin! More

A package of instant ramen is perhaps the biggest cliché item in the solo cook's cupboard. It often symbolizes depression or extreme indifference, the meal one cooks when one has hit rock bottom. Of course, none of this is necessarily true. Ramen can be delicious and good for you as well as a quick, fun thing to make. Read on for a review of the three ways a single diner can approach instant ramen. More

It's summer. It's hot. We think this is a good time to discover some new kitchen shortcuts. When I first learned about grating garlic, it blew my mind - I didn't know you could do that! No mess, finer consistency than chopping - genius. And now, here are 10 more foods you didn't know you could grate! More

There's something soothing about the slow summer rhythm of corn shucking—standing barefoot in the kitchen, peeling away squeaky husks and handfuls of silk—but what do you do if you're in a hurry? America's Test Kitchen has a method using the microwave that is so simple and effective, the ears basically slide out, husk- and silk-free! More

I use a lot of roasted garlic in my cooking. I love its mellow flavor, like a love-sweetened cousin to its sharper raw form. If I am on top of things, I will roast a big batch of garlic at once and toss a few heads in the freezer for squeezing into casseroles and pasta salads like this one). But when I'm not well-stocked, and when I find myself with a sudden need for some gooey garlic, I do it the fast way, the way that doesn't heat up my kitchen: In the microwave, with an optional flavor-boosting turbo charge in the oven. More

You may be a seasoned pro at the grill, but we all need to go back to the basics sometimes. For easy grilling with a minimal amount of frustration, here are five grilling staples that should be within arm's reach of your grill at all times. More