LIFE/TRAVEL

12/11/2008

Making fresh eggnog for the holidays

LARRY CROWE/AP

For a real taste of eggnog, try the Best Eggnog recipe.

"You can't judge eggnog until you have had a fresh eggnog," says Food Network recipe developer Sarah Copeland. So, ready to make merry with the real thing?

12/08/2008

Two-Minute Expert: Using fresh nutmeg
I appreciate the convenience of ground spices in a bottle, especially when time is at a premium. But the superiority of fresh nutmeg over ground is worth a few minutes of grating.

Eat fresh with these butternut squash basics
Butternut squash , with its nutty, slightly sweet and vivid orange flesh, is one of the more flavorful winter squashes. I love it made into butternut squash ravioli and drizzled with browned sage butter. The brighter the squash's interior flesh, the more beneficial carotenoids it contains; it's also rich in other nutrients. Butternut squash will keep for 2 weeks in a cool, dry place.

12/04/2008

Two-minute expert: Better butter
Brown butter, or beurre noisette , as it is sometimes called, is butter that's cooked until the milk solids burn. The result is a concentrated butter with nutty undertones. You can use it with vegetables, such as potatoes or mushrooms, or in baking, for a richer, butterier flavor.

12/03/2008

Better whipped cream
Flavored whipped cream dresses up many holiday desserts. Here's how to make it.

12/02/2008

How to estimate the right amount of food and drink for a party
Here is a way to prepare the correct amount of snacks for this year's party. The guidelines are from reasontoparty.com.

Kids in the kitchen: Make easy focaccia together

AP

Make focaccia

This focaccia recipe is easy enough for little kids to make, with a little help in the kitchen.

Kick off the holiday buffet with a charcuterie platter

EVANS CAGLAGE/DMN

There's a funny French word popping up on menus around town. The term is charcuterie, and it refers to cured meats, salamis and pâtés, usually served as an appetizer. The concept is similar to that of an antipasto platter. But the components are quite different.
Another buffet: Host a grits bar

More party recipes

11/29/2008

Two-minute expert: Mise en place
Mise en place is more than a kitchen technique. It's a life skill in the kitchen. After reviewing and shopping a recipe, the necessary ingredients are placed – in order of use, measured and prepared – in bowls, so the assembly of the dish is simple and free of mistakes. This method, used in all professional kitchens and by television chefs, allows for error-proof preparation.

11/26/2008

How to dress up stock for Thanksgiving

Simple techniques relieve stress of making side dishes
Here are side-dish tips to help time-starved holiday cooks:

11/25/2008

Ways to flavor your gravy
In addition to using a richly flavored turkey or chicken stock or broth to make gravy, consider adding other flavor enhancers.

Simple techniques relieve stress of making side dishes
Here are side-dish tips to help time-starved holiday cooks:

How to add zip to convenience foods used in holiday side dishes
Try these quick ways to punch up holiday sides:

11/20/2008

Two-minute Expert: Cheesy leftover mashed potatoes

Leftover mashed potatoes don't have the sex appeal they did when they made their first appearance.

11/17/2008

Start now: Countdown to Thanksgiving

AP

To prevent all the food preparation from piling up on Thanksgiving Day, Pete Loren, director of culinary development for Nino Salvaggio International Marketplace in Michigan, offers some tips.

10/28/2008

Two-Minute Expert: How to weigh baking ingredients
The trick to perfect baking is to weigh ingredients rather than measure them by volume. This is because varying amounts of air in items such as flour can significantly throw off measurements.

09/18/2008

Ideas for enjoying steamed spinach

09/04/2008

What is macerating?
Anyone who has watched an old film with W.C. Fields injecting an orange with spirits has got the basic idea of maceration.

09/03/2008

Two-minute expert: How to open a stubborn jar
You're in the middle of a culinary masterpiece, and the jar lid of a crucial ingredient just won't budge. You've thumped it from the bottom, and maybe even run hot water over the lid. Perhaps you've tried to will it loose with all your grunts and groans.

The difference between yams and sweet potatoes
What is the difference between yams and sweet potatoes? There is such a thing as sweet potato pie, but I've never heard of yam pie.

08/18/2008

Two-Minute Expert: Preserve the herbs
Here's an easy tip from Family Circle . To preserve fresh herbs from your garden, purée them with a little olive oil, then freeze the mixture in ice cube trays. Transfer cubes to plastic freezer bags. (Be sure to label what herb is in each bag.) Use as needed to flavor sauces and other dishes.

08/13/2008

How to roast peppers
Thank Christopher Columbus for erroneously naming this fruit a "pepper." When the explorer encountered capsicum pods on his New World voyages, he mistakenly thought he'd found a new type of black pepper. But we also call the hot ones chiles, and the history of that word is more clouded.

Food safety basics
Mastering the stovetop is only part of preparing a meal. Here are some basic food-safety tips.

Two-Minute Expert: How to shock vegetables
At some point, a recipe may call for you to shock green vegetables after boiling them. To do this, fill a large bowl with ice and water, and submerge the vegetable(s) to stop the cooking immediately. If vegetables are not shocked after being boiled, the internal heat continues to cook them. An alternative to the ice-water bath is to place the vegetable(s) in a large colander immediately and rinse for 1 minute using cold water.

08/07/2008

Two-Minute Expert: To sear or not to sear
Searing is using high heat to brown the surface of meat in a skillet, under a broiler or in the oven. This process is supposed to seal in the juices. There is disagreement among chefs as to whether the process really does this.

07/31/2008

Two-Minute Expert: Making mirepoix

07/16/2008

How to make a bagel-friendly egg
Ever wondered how to make a breakfast bagel sandwich without egg showing through the bagel hole? Simple. The only tools you need are cooking spray, a shot glass and a frying pan small enough that one beaten egg covers the bottom.

07/10/2008

Two-minute expert: Braising and stewing tenderize meats
Braising and stewing are similar ways to turn tough cuts of red meat or chicken into tender bites.

06/12/2008

Two-Minute Expert: Speed-clean your blender

The worst part of making a smoothie is the cleanup. There's a simple way to clean a blender – with the push of a button.

05/23/2008

10 tips for propane-grill safety
When you fire up your propane grill, be sure to do it safely. Fires and explosions are most common when a grill is first used after a long period of storage and when a new propane cylinder is attached. Here are some tips.

05/01/2008

A quick guide to all those teas
Sales of tea are soaring, with green teas, black teas, chais and herbals all hot options. But determining which teas to drink – and which ones are low in caffeine, high in antioxidants and still flavorful – is about as difficult as, well, reading tea leaves.

04/22/2008

A new spin on book clubs: Cooking together

BEN FREDMAN/DMN

Each month, this group of foodies gathers to cook a meal inspired by the book they just read. Here's how they throw the party.
Recipes for Strawberry Salad, Asparagus Quiche and more
Tips for your own bookclub party

03/10/2008

Two-Minute Expert: Rescue a burnt muffin

If you've ever salvaged a piece of burned toast by scraping, you have the skills to save muffins. With a grater, you can rescue muffins and cupcakes that are scorched on the bottom.

03/04/2008

Two-Minute Expert: How to make crispy prosciutto
It's hard to deny prosciutto's appeal as a cold cut, but it also can be cooked until crispy for something a bit different. The resulting crunchy bits can be used to elevate soups, salads, eggs, baked potatoes, sandwiches, you name it.

02/19/2008

How to make authentic Texas chicken-fried steak

EVANS CAGLAGE/DMN

Too many cafes make chicken-fried steak by dragging it through thick batter and deep frying it. Reclaim the way this dish was made 30 years ago by following this expert technique.
Watch Rosemarie Hudson make chicken-fried steak the way she used to at Gennie's Bishop Grill in Oak Cliff.

02/14/2008

Two-Minute Expert: Perfect hard boiled eggs
One reader wants to know how to keep the yolks centered when hard-cooking eggs. There are a couple of things to try.

02/06/2008

Put some heart into those pancakes

Expressions of love can start with the first meal of the day, with a stack of pancakes that showcases your feelings.

Two-Minute Expert: How to use pink peppercorns

02/04/2008

Two-Minute Expert: Know your cabbage
Napa cabbage is a thin, crisp and delicately mild member of the same family as bok choy. Both are Chinese cabbage and generally are considered to be interchangeable in recipes. Both napa cabbage and bok choy can be used raw, sautéed, baked or braised.

02/01/2008

Two-Minute Expert: Adaptable garlic butter

You could make garlic bread with margarine, garlic salt and parsley, and you'd probably get no complaints. But you could do so much more.

01/23/2008

How to toast and skin hazelnuts
Some recipes call for hazelnuts that have been toasted and skinned. Fine Cooking Annual, Volume 2 (Taunton Press, $35) tells how.

01/16/2008

Fake the panko

Japanese bread crumbs called panko are flakier and fluffier than standard bread crumbs. And they lend an incredible crispness to foods. If you can't find them, make your own with high-quality sandwich bread and a food processor.

01/14/2008

Budget entertaining: A make-your-own pizza party

NATALIE CAUDILL/DMN

Follow this recipe for a party where everyone helps bring ingredients, make the food, and show off their tastes in pizza.

12/29/2007

Two-minute expert: Aluminum smarts
Learn the film-under-foil secret.

10/11/2007

Holiday planner: Thanksgiving recipes you can make now and freeze

EVANS CAGLAGE/DMN

As you plan ahead for Thanksgiving dinner, don't forget your freezer. It could be your ticket to a memorable feast - without sacrificing time with family and friends. Here's a guide to what you can make ahead so you can breathe easier when it counts.
More Thanksgiving recipes

09/26/2007

Two-Minute Expert: Dust a cake without making a mess
We love this less-mess trick from the September issue of Cook's Country . When you need to dust cakes or cookies with powdered sugar or cocoa, place a cooling rack over the sink and put the item on top. Shower away: The excess falls in the sink, which is easily rinsed.

09/12/2007

Two-minute expert: The only knives you need
Some home cooks have a block of knives, and if they dish up a variety of fare for family dinners, they may get to use each knife. But three basic knives are all you really need.

08/29/2007

Two-Minute Expert: How to substitute for alcohol in cooking
Looking for good substitutions for wine, liquor and beer in recipes? In The Food Substitutions Bible , David Joachim (Robert Rose, $20) offers the following suggestions:

10/11/2007

How to fry a turkey safely for the best bird

EVANS CAGLAGE/DMN

Frying a turkey creates a moist, delicious bird in a fraction of the time oven-roasting takes. Here's how to do it, and stay safe, too.
Video: Watch the frying process
How to thaw the turkey safely
More Thanksgiving

07/17/2007

Size matters with Bundt pans
If you're unsure how much batter your beautiful Bundt pan will hold, there's a quick way to measure its capacity.

07/07/2007

No more watery drinks
Freeze tea, lemonade or any flavored beverage in ice cube trays. Add the frozen cubes to your drinks to keep them from getting watered down.

How to get perfect roast every time
Temperature is crucial when you're cooking a roast. Always use a meat thermometer to check your roast's interior temperature, rather than depending exclusively on time. Oven temperatures vary.

07/03/2007

Two-Minute Expert: A pasta solution
Reserve a cup or so of the water used to boil pasta for the perfect addition to your sauce.

06/27/2007

Two-Minute Expert: Cut a big round cake with ease
There are certain advantages to cutting a sheet cake. It's a rectangle, so slicing it into servings is straightforward. But a round layer cake can be as intimidating as it is impressive when it comes to slicing. You can cut it into wedges, but sometimes servings are too large. Here's how to overcome this problem.

06/23/2007

A clean leek is a happy leek
Leeks and little boys have a lot in common. They have many charming qualities, but they often harbor dirt. Here's a method for getting the vegetables clean, according to www.jacquespepin.net.

06/20/2007

Two-Minute Expert: Slice goat cheese simply

Use dental floss to cleanly slice soft goat cheese such as chèvre.

06/11/2007

Bring the heat, not the firefighters
Although it would add drama to the evening meal, a visit by the fire department, sirens blazing, isn't generally in the plan.

06/16/2007

Shortcut cook: Big, fat jelly biscuits in four steps
Refrigerated biscuits tossed with sweet stuff offer a fast and fabulous twist to breakfast. Mix it up with several favorite preserve combinations.

Perfect barbecued ribs - the first time
Are you dreaming of barbecuing perfect ribs: crusty in the right places, but still moist, meaty, and wreathed in a cloud of smoky wonderfulness? But you've never cooked ribs before?

06/11/2007

What beer geeks know
Beer is back. The new beer subculture is fueled by a wave of artisanal beers the likes of which you'd never see in a television ad.

Two-Minute Expert: Chile veins hold the heat
Those chiles seemed so appealing in the produce case, inviting green or red or yellow. The accompanying sign said medium, meaning not too hot. Do you trust the purveyor to steer you right?

06/06/2007

Two-Minute Expert: Splash-free salad dressing
To dress a salad easily and lightly, use a plastic squeeze bottle. You can repurpose a clean, squeezable plastic ketchup or mayonnaise bottle from the store.

05/30/2007

Two-Minute Expert: A handy bowl holder
When making vinaigrette or other salad dressings, whisking briskly with one hand while slowly pouring oil with the other is a must to keep the blend emulsified. That leaves you a hand short for holding the bowl.

05/22/2007

Two-Minute Expert: What's that dimple in the wine bottle
The dimple in the bottom of a wine bottle is called a punt (or a "kick-up" by bottle manufacturers).

05/09/2007

Two-Minute Expert: Beurre manié
Beurre manié is butter-and-flour paste used for thickening soups or stews without altering the taste. In a bowl, mash together 1 tablespoon of softened butter and 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour. Add a cup of soup or stew liquid, and mix until the butter-flour mixture is incorporated completely into the liquid. Stir the mixture back into the soup or stew and bring to a boil to thicken.

05/02/2007

Two-Minute Expert: Dusting pans with cocoa
We dust pans with flour to keep cakes from sticking to them during baking. That's fine, unless you're making a chocolate cake.

04/25/2007

Two-minute Expert: Chiffonade
Chiffonade literally means "made of rags" in French. And while you're not going to "make rags" when you are asked to chiffonade, you are going to cut herbs or greens such as sorrel, basil or lettuce into very thin strips. Using basil as an example, you stack several leaves, largest to smallest, and roll them up sideways to make a little cigar. Cut across the rolled cylinder with a very sharp knife to make the strips. A dull knife mashes and bruises the delicate herb, turning it black.

04/23/2007

Microwave asparagus for a quick side dish

For those nights when you need something green and quick, microwave a pound of asparagus. You'll load up on the nutrients, and the cooking clocks in at less than 5 minutes.

03/28/2007

Roasting peppers: 3 easy ways

I love the sweet, smoky flavor, silky texture and bright color of roasted peppers. You can buy them jarred, but homemade is much tastier. Once roasted, they keep well, so I prepare a dozen at a time and freeze the extra in 1-cup containers. Here's what you need to know.

03/21/2007

Two-Minute Expert: Adaptable garlic butter

You could make garlic bread with margarine, garlic salt and parsley, and you'd probably get no complaints. But you could do so much more.

03/07/2007

Make your own candied ginger
Has the price of candied ginger put you off? Try making your own from fresh ginger.

02/28/2007

Two-Minute Expert: Making croutons

You couldn't finish that great loaf of artisan bread in one day. So turn the leftovers into croutons for a salad or soup for another meal.

02/26/2007

Reviving day-old bread
So you bought an artisan loaf or baguette, and already it's hard on the outside? Here's how food stylist Karen Elizabeth Watts says to turn it back into an old softie.

Two-Minute Expert: Storing cheese

A good chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano is as essential to good cooking as salt and good olive oil, so storing the cheese properly is key to long shelf life and peak flavor. Here is how Italian cookbook author Marcella Hazan recommends storing it.

02/23/2007

Two-Minute Expert: Grounds for coffee happiness
Although some people would argue that oil is the fuel that runs the world, we think that commerce would screech to a halt without coffee.

Getting to know your oats
Deciding which oatmeal to choose – instant, quick-cooking, steel-cut – can be too much of a chore before that first cup of coffee. Here, a quick primer on the different types.

02/20/2007

Two-Minute Expert: Milk for the lactose-intolerant
Soy milk technically isn't a milk. It's a liquid made from pressed, cooked soybeans, and it's high in protein, low in saturated fats and free of cholesterol.

02/05/2007

How to rescue a sweet that's burned, broken or just boring
Sometimes, dessert disappoints. Like the pie with the burnt crust. Or the one that slid off the car seat and broke. Take heart: With a little doctoring, you can turn out the festive finale that everyone anticipates at Thanksgiving. Here are some ideas:

Two-Minute Expert: Cold rice for stir-fry
Got a craving for some stir-fry? No leftover rice in the fridge? You can whip up a stir-fry with freshly cooked rice, but the rice must be absolutely cold before you add it to the wok.

How to make perfect oven chili fries

It sounded daunting, but ended up being an easy challenge. I wanted chili-seasoned french fries that were as crispy and flavorful as those gorgeous deep-fried wedges you find at carnivals, all golden and fatty, but healthy enough that I wouldn't feel pangs of guilt feeding them to my toddler.

01/31/2007

Two-Minute Expert: Cooking with wine
The great big world of cooking leaves a lot to interpretation when it comes to using wine. Which red works? What kind of white? What if you don't want to cook with wine?

01/25/2007

Flour makes chopping dried fruit easier

EVANS CAGLAGE/DMN

Love those date muffins, hate chopping the dried fruit because the knife becomes a sticky mess? Here's a solution.

01/24/2007

Two-Minute Expert: Short, in kitchen terms

In the kitchen, when cooks speak of a "short" baked good, they aren't talking about a list of ingredients or how tall the finished product will be.

How to make the best steak you can - at home

EVANS CAGLAGE/DMN

Before you ruin another perfectly good porterhouse by charring it - la Fred Flintstone, take our expert course on the basics of buying and grilling steak.

Video Part 1: How to select and season your steak
Part 2: Handling the steak on the grill or stove
Part 3: Is it done?

01/03/2007

Two-Minute Expert: Using frozen blueberries
A freezer stocked with less-expensive summer blueberries is a freezer promising a winter's worth of blueberry pancakes, coffeecake and muffins.

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