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This was one of the most requested how tos this month: How to carve a roast chicken! This is also our first attempt at a slightly longer video; it goes quite in-depth on how to cut up a chicken.

Q: What is a good lunch to pack for a Valentine's ski trip that requires an overnight stay in a hotel beforehand? We will have a camping cooler. I want it to be tasty since its our first trip to Tahoe together and for Valentine's.

I figure I can bring cookies, non-perishables, and make a thermos of coffee or cocoa in the hotel. I want to make sandwiches but unsure about this, in case there is no mini-fridge.

Sent by Karolyn

In honor of Home Hacks Month today's Twitter Tuesday theme is all about clever kitchen tips and tutorials. We're taking a trip through a few recent favorite tips, like how to roll out dough without a rolling pin (or wine bottle!) and a really great tutorial for poaching an egg.

Every hour, for 12 hours, from 9am to 8pm, we're broadcasting 12 clever kitchen tips and tutorials. Follow us and tweet your own favorite kitchen tips!

• Click here to follow The Kitchn on Twitter

This rather muted, traditional kitchen has one really offbeat accessory. Can you see it? It's a disco ball!

Yep, caffeinated lollipops.

Washing dishes seems like a self-evident task: Suds-up, scrub, and rinse. But there are myriads of variations in people's dishwashing habits and technique! What do you think is the very best way to wash dishes? Do you soak silverware ahead of time? Do you use a loofah, or a sponge, or a dishcloth? Do you use a plastic scrubbie, or steel wool? Extra-hot water, or lukewarm? Tell us your tricks, tips, and best ways to wash up.

Q: I had an Asian-themed potluck dinner and a friend brought a large bottle of sake. I don't particularly like drinking it, but I know you can cook with it.

Does anyone have any recipes with sake?

Sent by Gabrielle

This time last year we were gearing up for Valentine's Day, so we had a firestarter of Baked Alaska to show you! Plus we had a series on Kenyan food, some winter recipes, and another session of knife skills. And to round it out there was a look at ten kitchen improvements for renters, and heart-shaped foods for Valentine's!

It all begins with the soil. Worms are the great transformers of landscape through eating and digesting. They can consume a patch of stones and over time turn it into a fertile field. With indoor worm composters, these creatures can take your coffee grinds, lettuce scraps and apple cores and turn them into fertilizer castings that your plants will love.

• Read the full post at Re-Nest

Welcome to February's open discussion thread at The Kitchn! We're in the middle of Home Hacks Month – a month of tips, tutorials, and kitchen how tos. Tell us what you'd like to learn, and tell us what is inspiring you to cook this month! Got questions? Fresh ideas? Here's your spot to discuss it all.

Are you looking for something really, really sweet for Valentine's this year? We totally love bar cookies — blondies and brownies are among our favorite treats — so when reader (and fabulous photographer!) Jennifer Rau sent us a couple of her favorite recipes, we just had to post this one for toothsome blondies.

Q: I love making homemade sushi, and my fiance and I make it fairly regularly. Whenever I get out the pickled ginger to serve as an accompaniment, however, the thought crosses my mind: Can't I make a better pickled ginger than what's in this can?

Please help me find an awesome, inspiring recipe for homemade pickled ginger. Also, any and all related information on pickled ginger would be welcomed.

Sent by Christopher

We really loved the photos of this family kitchen. It was designed on a budget by Swedish architect Christine Albertsson, who owns a Minneapolis architecture firm with her husband. When they renovated their own kitchen, they wanted to do it on a modest budget but still honor their clean, modern aesthetic. So they turned to the Swedish flat-pack giant – but they added a few touches that make their kitchen look much more custom.

Plus an Upside Down Apple and Fig Yogurt Cake (with a new arrival!).