Cooking Methods

Q: I’m an exchange student living in Shanghai for the semester. My kitchen is pretty limited. I have two burners and a fridge/freezer, a frying pan and a cheap pot. And since I only have two months left, I’m not exactly interested in buying any more kitchen appliances or pans.The pasta, stir-frys and egg dishes I’ve been making have kept me pretty content with savory food, but I’m at a loss for dessert.

Sent by AdelineEditor: Adeline, many bakers rely on specific ratios of flour, fat, eggs or liquid as starting points when they make cakes, muffins and other sweet recipes. Michael Ruhlman’s book Ratio is a great resource for bakers (and cooks) looking to break away from recipes.

Q: I am headed to an out of town cookie exchange next weekend and I am looking to impress. I need help finding a fantastic holiday cookie that can survive the trip. Any ideas?Sent by NoelEditor: We’ve been wanting to make these Chocolate Orange Cookies ever since we saw them. They are twice-baked, sturdy, and look amazing.The candy cane cookies from this Red, White, and Adorable post never fail to make people smile. Thumbprint cookies also seem to be all the rage this year.

Doufeu, noun – A cooking vessel with a concave lid to be filled with ice and promote condensation. French for “gentle heat.”As we get into braising and roasting season, we thought we’d take a look at this particular style of dutch oven. The concave lid is filled with ice to create condensation throughout the cooking process. Dimples on the underside of the lid are designed to distribute the moisture to the food.

We’ve often wondered why so many recipes for beef braises call for lean cuts of meat like bottom round or chuck and whether a more tender cut might work just as well or better. Since lean cuts also tend to be cheaper in the grocery store, are we just being thrifty? Or is there a reason why lean cuts make for better braises? As a steer is wandering around looking for tasty treats, the muscles in its legs, shoulders, and hips get the biggest workout — even in a feedlot.

For the most part, the greatest risk one takes when cooking a recipe is producing an inedible meal. That being said, cooking usually involves heat or fire, knives, and hot metal — all things that can potentially be dangerous. And whether you’ve experienced it yourself or heard tales from others, burns, cuts, and trips to the ER do happen. This causes, for some, a real fear of certain equipment or cooking methods, and in turn, the refusal to use them.

The flavors will really pop!

What’s not to love about apples? They’re colorful and sturdy enough to carry around all day. They’re a healthy snack, and delicious raw, baked, or even cooked into sauce. We’ve gathered together our best tips on shopping, storing, and cooking the popular fruit that always graces our fruit basket! With so many varieties of apples out there, knowing what you want to do with the apples will help you pick the right variety.

It's a simple trick, but it's a "game-changer."

The tutorial even gives you a little motivation, too.

You likely already everything you need.

You'll be blown away by this one.

Hint: It's all in the pan.

And it uses an unexpected item you most likely have on hand!

And it uses one ingredient you probably already have!

But it's so simple.

You'll wish you knew this one sooner.

This might become your new favorite way of making garlic bread.

Never spend hours baking a pie again.

In the world of grains, barley is one of those that I am slowly but surely trying to cook with more. I grew up eating a lot (and I mean, a lot) of rice of all different kinds. Barley, on the other hand, is a grain that I most commonly had in soups and stews, like the classic beef and barley soup. My college food court actually served one every once in a while that I looked forward to on a daily basis!

Our local grocery stores carry a wide variety of flours that are great for all sorts of baking projects. Among the many types of flours available are white all-purpose, white whole-wheat, and regular whole-wheat flour. Regular whole-wheat flour is made from whole wheat grains, also known as kernels, and has a recognizable tan or beige color. White all-purpose flour (aka the kind you’re probably most used to baking with) is made from only part of the wheat grain known as the endosperm.

It's all about how they're produced.

No Bundt pan? No problem!

This might be the one time that butter isn't better.

We tried them so you don't have to.

There’s never been a better time to fall in love with this high-tech countertop appliance.

Grilled cheese, baked Brie, and more surprising things you can cook in an air fryer.

No more melted mess in the microwave.

Expert baker Jerrelle Guy shares her secrets.

Plus, five other brilliant latke tips from the author of Sababa, Adeena Sussman.

Every cookie you'll need to celebrate the season and to send across the country.

Shannon Sharna explains how to braid challah bread in four different styles.

Definitely trying this for Thanksgiving!

And it's super simple.

Definitely trying this for brunch this weekend!

This DIY solution gives you a beautiful Bundt every time!

It works with chocolate chips, too.

This trick might surprise you!

Yes, a baking tool!

The winner gives you tender, juicy perfection every time.

Get that professional-looking split top.

It's called rapping, and it's a serious game-changer.

Keep the info where you need it most.

Take a leap of watery faith.

It makes the buttery streusel topping so much better.

The technique is inspired by In-N-Out.

It's great in a pinch!

A deep scrubbing isn't required after every cooking session.

This is the month when all I crave are warm, freshly baked cookies on repeat.

Our top pick gave al dente strands and some pockets of buttery softness. Sounds pretty good, yeah?

Baker Jocelyn Delk Adams of Grandbaby Cakes let everyone in on her secret to getting a picture-perfect, pristine cake that retains its shape.

We compared the time, texture, and taste of each method.

You'll love the flavor and char that sugar adds to your steak.

You'll get berries in every bite.

This gets the beef extra tender without letting the veggies fall apart.

No messy bowls. No bruised, sticky cloves.

An overnight rest is good for more than just no-knead bread!

What's the difference? As it turns out, not much!

Here's how to guarantee you’ll end up with the type of braise that makes you the hero of your family.

All you need is a biscuit cutter.

Here's everything you need to know about espresso powder — what it actually is, how to use it, and what to use if you don't have any on hand!

The other day, a friend of ours sat down to a meal of pancakes for dinner. She poured on the maple syrup, took a bite and then realized that the inside of the syrup bottle was covered in yellowish-gray mold. So much for that comfort food dinner! When she showed us the bottle, we were stumped. Having been under the impression that maple syrup doesn’t spoil, we wanted to look in to the matter.

Ahead of all the cool, creamy pies we plan to bake this spring and summer, we put 6 popular methods for binding baking pie crusts to the test.

Undercooked chicken can pose some serious health risk, but pink chicken can still be safe to eat if it reaches the right temperature. Here's what you need to know.

No muss, no fuss.

Popcorn is a fun, filling snack. We put 8 methods for popping it to the test to find the very best.

Turn your apples into APPLE PIE with just three ingredients.

If you watched the latest episode of the Great British Bake-Off this week, you saw a brownie horror show: a whole bunch of pans filled with under-baked batter and overwrought ideas.

It’s both extremely confusing and totally understandable why everyone seems to be talking about this video by J. Kenji López-Alt that teaches you how to poach 30 eggs at once.

This is my new go-to method for making popcorn.

Hint: Just add water.

We’re often told that cast iron cooking has health benefits — but is this really true? Here’s what science says.