Cooking Methods

Grab a few sticks of butter and a small saucepan and let's upgrade our beloved butter to fragrant, nutty brown butter.

We're going to make this super easy for you!

The flour you choose affects your ultimate outcome. Learn how bleached versus unbleached flour makes a difference in baked goods like cookies, cakes, breads, and more.

Whether you're deep-frying or pan-frying, these are the best oils to use for crispy, golden perfection.

Spoiler alert: It's not on the lip of a bowl.

Keep your cooking oils and fats from burning with this handy guide, including a chart of the different smoke points of various cooking oils and fats.

This method simply yielded the best of everything: a perfectly crispy exterior with a fluffy interior.

You'll wish you thought of this one sooner!

Avoid these common mistakes for better burgers every time

When you go to bake a chocolate cake, it’s pretty easy to find what you’re looking for, right? Sure, there are some that are flourless and fudgy, and others that are tender and fluffy, but they’re all labeled “chocolate.” The opposite end of the spectrum isn’t so simple. There’s a whole lot of terminology to describe what seems to be the same thing. But are white, yellow, and vanilla cake actually the same across the board? Not quite.

If there’s one dessert I cannot resist, it’s a rich and fudgy chocolate brownie recipe. It’s hard not to love these timeless sweets. And while easy to make, there are a few tips that will ensure a stand-out batch every time. So before you get ready to bake your next batch, be sure you’re not making any of these common mistakes. Brownies fall into two delicious camps: fudgy and cakey.

No, you don't have to run out to the store.

This is a game-changing tip!

Here's what you need to know as we head into cookie season.

When we picture a baked potato, we picture it wrapped in shiny aluminum foil. Why is that? Because restaurants serve them that way? Because our parents did it? We think we must have done it out of habit, without knowing the reason. Not anymore… Some say wrapping baked potatoes in aluminum foil helps them cook faster (aluminum conducts heat, then traps it), and it does keep them hot for longer once they come out of the oven, which is why we think restaurants use this method.

With the onset of spring, I’ve been happy to push hearty stews and braises to the back burner and welcome leaner cuts of meat into the kitchen. While it’s not something most of us cook on a very regular basis, lamb is a springtime favorite. Between its larger size and higher price tag, it can certainly prove an intimidating cut of meat to prepare. But this perfect-for-spring meat is a lot easier than it seems — especially when you know the common missteps to avoid.

Pickling and fermenting are two methods for naturally preserving foods, and both produce some delicious, tangy results. Do you know what sets them apart? While both pickling and fermenting produce different results, there are some areas of overlap that can easily spark some confusion.

The answers to all your burning bread-baking questions.

A versatile ingredient, its unique flavors and consistency is great in soups, salads, and more.

Food coloring comes out in full force around the holidays when it’s time to make colorful icings, candies, and other sweet confections. While liquid food coloring used to be the only option available for tinting foods, there are now many other choices, from gels to pastes to even powdered food coloring. Here’s a guide to the different types, how they can be used, and the pros and cons of each one! What it’s made out of: Synthetic colorings with a water base.

While we love cooking with a charcoal grill, there’s nothing quite like the convenience of a gas grill. It makes grilling super simple and weeknight-friendly. But even if you consider yourself a master griller, there are mistakes that just about everyone makes. Here are five common ones to know and learn from. Just because it’s a gas grill doesn’t mean you can skip the preheating step.

Butter brings the flavor, but here's how it can bring crunch, chew, and more.

Remember these four easy rules.

My favorite part of a pie or tart, hands-down, is the crust. In fact, if there’s a double crust, I’m even happier. And while graham cracker pie crust is one of the easiest crusts to make, don’t forget that there is a whole world of other fun possibilities out there that are equally delicious. Pretty much any crunchy thing that’s cookie or cracker-like can work in as a pie crust. You just have to grind it up, mix it with some butter to hold it together, and press and bake.

While I certainly enjoy the cake portion of a slice of cake or a cupcake, I’m really in it for the buttercream frosting. That thick, sugary frosting brings the sweetest finishing touch to these desserts. There are a few different styles of buttercream, but no matter which one you make, be sure to avoid these mistakes.

The answer is pretty clear!

Q: I want to make a birthday cake for a friend. Problem is, her birthday is not for two weeks, but I’m seeing her tomorrow.Is there a way to freeze a fully-decorated birthday cake so that it will thaw into something beautiful? Are there certain cake or icing recipes that work best (my friend loves carrot cake).Sent by CarolynEditor: Carolyn, the short answer is yes! Many cakes freeze very well even after being decorated.

They each bring something a little different to the table. Here's what sets them apart.

Don't cry over broken cake.

This time of year, when eggplant of all shapes and sizes is in abundance at the farmers market, it seems like the possibilities are endless. Throw it on the grill, roast it, braise it, stuff it, or stir-fry it — regardless of how it’s cooked, eggplant is bound to be delicious. That is, as long as you avoid these common eggplant cooking mistakes.

Its not all sweet!

Not to be dramatic, but the results were kind of mind-blowing.

On Cupcake Project, I’ve converted every imaginable kind of cake to cupcakes. I’ve made angel food cupcakes, pound cake cupcakes, upside-down cake cupcakes, cheesecake cupcakes, and more! It’s not hard to take your favorite cake recipe and translate it into cupcakes. Here’s the process that I’ve developed over the years. Here are eight steps to get from favorite cake to perfect cupcake recipe.

Our Pie Bakeoff is in full swing (have you entered your best pie yet?) For the next few weeks we are running posts each day with different types of pie recipes, tips and inspiration, and soon we will begin posting entries from the contest.The question has been posed, May I enter the bakeoff with a tart? The answer is yes. While pies and tarts are two distinct things, they are close enough cousins that we will accept them both. A galette is another cousin who is invited to party.

Lots of recipes for fried foods (like fried calamari or fried chicken) call for placing them on paper towels, brown paper bags, or even newspaper to drain excess oil, but unfortunately, this doesn’t help keep that nice crispy texture you worked so hard to achieve. There’s an easy way, borrowed from restaurants that deep-fry food every day, to keep your fried foods crispy and delicious! The best way to keep fried foods crispy? Just place them on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet.

The perfect snack for your holiday road trip!

Just like the professionals!

Espresso powder and instant espresso provide nuanced flavors in rich, chocolatey baked goods. Learn the best swaps here.

Avoid these mistakes and you'll have holiday cookies to reach for all season long.

Q: My mom and I are driving from Minneapolis, MN to Madison, WI next weekend to visit my grandpa for Father’s Day. A few other relatives are coming too. I am in charge of the celebratory dessert and was hoping to make cupcakes as they are festive and enable portion control (my grandpa is on a diet).The problem is, I need to be able to make the cupcakes two days ahead of time, then drive them 5 hours to my grandparent’s house.

I love this for me.

No awkwardly cut foil strips required.

These are the best ways to keep your brown sugar soft so it's always ready.

Oils, applesauce, and yogurt will all work in a pinch.

They're not always interchangeable.

Take things to the next level.

This is the one baking rule you should break!

Simple and effective!

Sous vide cooking has been called revolutionary. It’s been named the best thing for cooking since the microwave. It’s also been accused of being wasteful, unnatural, and just plain weird. But what, exactly, is it?Simply put, sous vide cooking is the process of vacuum-sealing raw food in plastic pouches and cooking it slowly in a temperature-controlled water bath.

Making sure Thanksgiving food stays warm can be quite a hard thing to pull off once the turkey’s in the oven and every ounce of stove space is being used to do last-minute cooking. And maybe Aunt Martha showed up with an unexpected dish, throwing a wrench in your carefully thought out planning and timing for heating and warming all the food. Well, fear not!

Here's why it's such a smart tip.

A bain marie (ban mah-REE) is the fancy term for a hot water bath. It’s used for cooking delicate foods like custards and terrines to create a gentle and uniform heat around the food. Here’s how!Find a baking dish with high sides that will hold all your individual custards (or other dish being baked). We usually use a roasting pan or casserole dish.

With the exception of perhaps oil, few pantry staples come in as many varieties as vinegar. I regularly keep on hand no fewer than seven different vinegars: red wine, white wine, champagne, sherry, rice, apple cidar and balsamic. Later on, I discovered white balsamic vinegar, a blend of white grape must and white wine vinegar. Recently, while scanning through the ingredients list of a recipe I was making, I came across a vinegar I was unfamiliar with – White balsamic vinegar.

We have been grilling tons of fruit this summer – plums, peaches, pluots, figs – and it has been the perfect opportunity to break out our precious bottle of saba.We first encountered saba at a gourmet market and just had to bring a bottle home. Although it was a bit pricey and we had never tasted it before, we were intrigued by the description of an ancient, syrupy condiment similar to Balsamic vinegar. The splurge was worth it.

It can be hard to get homemade whole wheat bread as soft and fluffy as the loaves we see at the grocery store. All too often, our loaves end up like dense heavy bricks. But there is hope! A few baking tricks can help us get much closer to the pillowy whole wheat loaves we crave. The reason why whole wheat loaves end up so dense is because whole wheat flour has very little gluten as compared to white all-purpose flour.

Until recently I was constantly confusing evaporated and condensed milk — especially at the grocery store when trying to remember which one a recipe called for. It didn’t help that the cans look nearly identical. The differences are small, but they can have a big impact on your finished dish. The main differences between evaporated milk and condensed milk are sweetness and consistency.

Have you eaten your oatmeal today?

It’s unfair. Fresh, hot, from-scratch cinnamon buns are a beloved treat, especially for tasty Christmas breakfast. Who doesn’t want to wake up to the smell of cinnamon and caramelizing sugar, or stumble down to the kitchen to find fresh-from-the-oven, slathered-in-icing cinnamon buns, just waiting for you to dive in?

Do you find yourself flummoxed every time you come across a recipe that calls for a piping bag? Stranded with an empty piping bag in one hand and a half-dozen piping tips scattered around the counter, and don’t know where to start? Do you wish you could pipe delicate ruffles or intricate details on your birthday cake and pastries, or pipe a batch of luscious pastry cream inside an eclair? It’s time to befriend your trusty piping bag.

Here’s a good baking question from Evan. Can you help? I made the lemon cake y’all reviewed recently, and it was delicious, but five sticks of butter on one plate is more than I can handle. Fortunately we were able to get people to come over and help us with it! My question is: What are alternatives to buttercream frosting that still allow decoration? Glazes are nice (and actually tastier, in my book) but there’s something undeniably festive about a nicely decorated cake.

You’ve probably heard of roasting pumpkin and other winter squash seeds, but what about summer gourds like cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon? Nutty melon seeds are an inexpensive, fun snack and a great way to prevent food waste. This isn’t a totally new idea, either — roasted watermelon seeds are common in several Asian and Middle Eastern countries. To roast melon seeds, rinse, drain, and pat them dry.

Obviously, pizza.

Q: When dredging chicken cutlets, do you the use flour, buttermilk, and eggs before coating in breadcrumbs? Sent by Phyllis Editor: Each element in the breading process has a purpose. When you know what each does, it’s easy to remember what order to use when breading chicken (or whatever protein you’re using). This will also help you out with substitutions when you need them. Here’s the basic method to remember: wet → dry → wet → dry.

Some of these are more common than you think.

Who doesn't love a new hack!

"Whether it’s cookies, cakes, or brownies, the type of pan you use has a big impact on how your desserts bake," content creator Benjamin the Baker revealed.

I can't believe I wasn't doing this sooner!

While both flours are 100 percent whole wheat, the difference is in the variety of whole wheat.

A winning chicken dinner for adults and kids alike.

Up your knowledge on these baking basics.

No more guesswork.

Have you noticed the butter options in your dairy aisle expanding? A few short years ago you’d be hard-pressed to find anything but unsalted and salted butter. Perhaps it’s a result of our changing relationship with fat (we’re back to liking it, it seems), or maybe the demand for more flavor found its way to the ears of the dairy industry — either way, the contents of the butter section have expanded.