Cooking Methods

No sad, dry rolls here.

All sugar is not created equal.

Plus which varieties are best for savory cooking.

Your smoke alarm will thank you.

Save yourself some stress and make it ahead of time.

Take it from a former professional baker.

No soggy bottoms here.

It’s easier than you think.

It quadruples its flavor!

Who knew it was this easy?

Adding a touch of melted chocolate to cookies, strawberries, pretzels, or marshmallows is an easy to way to elevate your favorite sweet (or salty) treat. But have you ever hastily tossed a bowl of chocolate into the microwave, set it to one minute, and come back to find burned bits of chocolate around the bowl and big clumps of chocolate unmelted? Oh, no? I guess that’s just me.

You’ll never guess what the pantry staple is.

Don't be afraid to turn up the heat.

Home cooks without good kitchen hoods, this is for you.

Hint: You already have it in your pantry.

It’s the best!

Smarter, not harder.

Yes, you really have to.

A beginner’s guide.

Never worry if the lid should be on or off again.

It’s the best hack of the summer.

Banish soggy zucchini from your table forever.

Never settle for room temp again.

The crispy edges are everything.

No grill? No problem.

Our top dog will seriously upgrade your next cookout.

It just takes a few simple steps.

It's less than a teaspoon.

You’ll never look at hot dogs, or bacon, the same way again.

This fancy sounding technique isn't as hard as you might think and once you master it, you can build lots of flavor.

No other method came close.

They each have their own distinct flavor.

Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Here’s what you need to know.

Salt is one of the key ingredients in the pickling process, but does it matter which salt you use? Can you just use the salt that’s already in your pantry? Some recipes call for something called “pickling salt” — what makes pickling salt special? Here’s what you need to know. Pickling salt — sometimes called canning salt or preserving salt — is pure granulated salt (sodium chloride).

Air fryers, you gotta read this.

Here’s what actually happens if you do.

Because it's officially slow cooker soup season!

Choosing the right cut can make or break the dish.

Brown sugar is the sticky, fragrant sweetener that adds moisture and flavor to so many of our favorite baked goods, from chocolate chip cookies to banana bread. But if you find yourself staring into an empty box, don’t fret — you’ve likely got everything you need to make brown sugar from scratch. So whether you need a cup or a pound, or light or dark, you’re just two ingredients away from it. Here’s how to make brown sugar at home.

How can you tell if something is done if you can’t take a peek inside while it’s actually cooking? When it comes to bread, there are actually a few ways to make sure your lovely loaf is perfectly baked, every time! To see if your bread is done, insert an instant-read thermometer into the center of the loaf. (If you go at an angle and through the side or bottom, you can minimize the visual evidence!) Most breads are finished baking at about 190°.

Everything you need to know.

Roasting and baking are both common cooking methods. Perhaps you’ve baked chicken breasts, roasted a whole chicken or a mix of root vegetables, or at the very least enjoyed a slice of baked cake. But do you know the difference between them? These terms are used interchangeably quite often. What sets them apart? Are roasting and baking actually the same thing?

Your Thanksgiving pie will thank you.

People feel a lot of pressure when it comes to making Thanksgiving turkey. While some make it the same way year after year, others are tackling the big bird for the first time and even doing a practice run. How long does it take to defrost? How do you brine or dry-brine it? When do you put it in the oven?

Crimping a pie crust is like putting on a piece of statement jewelry before you leave the house. It’s strictly decorative and won’t make your pie any tastier (or will it?), but looks oh-so nice for your pie presentation.There are, in fact, a few keys to knowing how to crimp pie crust like a professional.

If you enjoy making bread at home, especially when they come out of the oven perfectly risen, then you know how important working with yeast is. I’ve been baking and buying yeast for years, and the yeast choices in the baking aisle still get me confused. Here’s the thing, though: There is a difference between active dry yeast and instant yeast, and which one you use does make a difference in your recipe.

Give it a nice wiggle to see if it's ready to be served.

Don't worry, it is still delicious.

Don't worry — it's easy.

Ready to get baking with apples this fall? Pick one of these five varieties for the best results.

Ready to get baking with apples this fall? Pick one of these five varieties for the best results.

This may look like your average graham cracker crust, but it's so much better.

First things first: They're not always interchangeable!

Store-bought frozen puff pastry is a lifesaver any time of year, but especially as we move into the busy holiday season. With a package or two stashed in the freezer, I know a quick baked brie for visiting guests or plate of mini-quiche appetizers for a potluck is only a few steps away — and the empty, crumb-filled plates at the end of the night speak for themselves. If you’ve never used frozen puff pastry before, let me assure you that it couldn’t be easier.

So, you’ve whipped up a batch of homemade pizza dough, and you’ve made a couple of spectacularly good homemade pizzas. But your household is small, and you don’t want to eat pizza for days. What can you do with all that leftover dough? Freeze it, of course! It’s simple as 1-2-3, and then you can have pizza on the spur of the moment next week. Here’s how to freeze pizza dough.

If you see a lot of fruit dehydrating in your future, buying a food dehydrator makes sense. Using one is more energy-efficient than slowly baking fruit in a low oven, and the results are more consistent. But if you just want to make the occasional batch of crispy apple chips or intensely-flavored dried tomatoes, keep things simple and gadget-free: use your oven to make dried fruit!

With Fall being high time for pies and Thanksgiving getting closer, we thought we’d talk about pie crust. No, not about the ingredients (butter vs. shortening) or how to roll it out but rather how to get that floppy round of dough from your countertop to your baking dish. Here are two sensible options, illustrated in some great Flickr photos we found.

There might be some actual legit science behind why adding ice water to white cake is such a brilliant move.

To husk or not to husk?