Tips & Tricks

Vanilla is one ingredient for which there’s no substitute. Real vanilla includes over 250 components, resulting in a complex flavor no artificial vanilla (which includes just 1 component) can ever imitate. Selecting quality vanilla for…

There are many ways to make cakes and professional bakers know that depending on how the batter is prepared, the finished texture of the cake varies. Once you understand the basic types of cakes and the best way to mix up their batter, your…

It’s that time of year where a walk in the produce department makes my mouth water. The heady scent of peaches fills the air, and I can’t wait to take some home. Although peaches are scrumptious eaten alone, they are also a gourmet addition…

Among the world’s more famous gourmet desserts is tiramisu. The funny name hints at its delicious nature. In Italian, tiramisu means "carry me up." To gourmet heaven, apparently. Or perhaps the name refers to the fact that tiramisu is…

While it’s true frozen vegetables found in grocery stores are generally of high quality, there are still benefits to freezing your own: It’s cheaper. It’s a great way to make use of bargains at grocery stores and farmer’s markets. It’s a…

There are many ways of sweetening food, but sugar is the most common. However, there are also many types of sugar and each has its own, unique characteristics. If you experiment, you’ll soon discover not every type of sugar is appropriate…

Pepper is the third most used cooking ingredient in the world, falling behind only water and salt. In fact, black pepper is co common these days, it might be hard to believe it was once so valuable, it was used in place of coins. But…

Although we tend to think of lavender as a scent, it’s actually an ancient cooking herb – and one that’s making a strong comeback in many of the finest restaurants across the world. Affordable and easy to find (and grow), lavender adds a…

Offering more nutritional value with fewer calories than most foods, kale is a tasty addition to any diet. It’s a superb source of vitamins K, A, and C and contains 7 times the beta-carotene and 10 times the lutein of broccoli. To top it…

A poorly organized kitchen can really take the fun out of cooking. If you find yourself running around the kitchen for various items needed for cooking, if pots and pans crash around each time you cook, or if you find yourself thinking you…