#cooking-tips

#cooking-tips

Whether you're making a dish for a potluck, preparing a hearty lunch, or looking for a quick and easy snack, popping open a can and preparing a tuna salad is almost always a good idea. It can be as simple or extravagant as you want it, depending on which ingredients you choose to use. If you're bored with the basics, lemon pepper seasoning is an essential ingredient to add for a much better tuna salad.

Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli can be more than a little divisive. Some people love their strong, slightly bitter flavor, while others find them overly pungent and even stinky. A great way to improve the flavor in either case is to roast broccoli to perfection and hit it with some lemon zest. The latter will add a refreshing citrusy aroma to brighten the vegetable's savory, brooding flavor profile.

To confirm this rule, we spoke with Chef Kevin Tien of Moon Rabbit, who agrees with the guidelines for home cooks. "I do agree with it for the average home cook," Tien confirms. "It's a good rule because it works across multiple cooking methods and helps people from overcooking fish, which is really easy to do." Burnt, dried-out fish is a waste of money and a good meal, but it's the most common fish cooking mistake - one that you can't undo.

When it comes to making the best baked potato, which of the latter two appliances is better? Tasting Table asked Chef Kieron Hales, Managing Partner & Head Chef at Zingerman's Cornman Farms. "If you're short on time, both the air fryer and microwave can absolutely step in for the oven," Hales said. "It just depends on what you value more: texture or speed."

Per Tasting Table's assessment, Cholula Original Taco Seasoning Mix is the clear winner by far. The heat and smokiness of the piquin and arbol chiles complement the time-tested mixture of herbs, including paprika, oregano, garlic, onion, and just a whisper of sugar, creating a full-bodied and unforgettable taste. Additionally, while white corn flour is not necessarily a spice itself, this additive helps the overall substance and consistency of the taco seasoning to better adhere to your taco meat and create a substantial sauce.

To make Lagasse's family-favorite take on carbonara, boil the pasta until al dente. Throw in the peas for the last couple of minutes so they can cook as well. While that's on, fry off the bacon or pancetta and set aside. There's also time to beat the eggs with some parmesan. Once your prep is done, bring everything together in a warm pan.

It's easy to forget about the importance of the base ingredients. Toppings are meant to further enhance the base flavor.

Bread and butter are an inextricable duo, but adding garlic and herbs into the mix is the upgrade that no Italian American meal is complete without. Garlic bread is rich and aromatic, with a delightful contrast of toasted crunch and buttery, fluffy crumb. One of the keys to making homemade garlic bread is choosing the right type of loaf. To help us decide, we consulted Maxine Sharf, recipe developer and author of "Maxi's Kitchen: Easy Go-To Recipes to Make Again and Again,"

One average, one lime contains 2 tablespoons of juice and 2 teaspoons of zest. However, should you get a lime that's on the more pithy end, you can estimate an average of about 1 tablespoon of juice. Similarly, with a lime on the more juicy and plump side, you'll get an average of up to 3 tablespoons. So if your recipe calls for a certain amount of lime juice, you can use those estimates to ensure you're prepared with enough limes.

White pepper is many a chef's favorite spice for these white-colored dishes, despite being milder than the more popular black pepper. White pepper can blend right into the food without messing up the aesthetic with those telltale black flakes. The good news is that black pepper works just as well in its place. Sure, it's a tad stronger than white pepper, but unless you're cooking for a secret Michelin inspector, no one's going to notice.

If you haven't heard of the spice, no worries. Basically, nutritional yeast is deactivated yeast made from cane or beet sugar. It comes dried in light yellow flakes or a tan powder, and is known for its savory taste as a cheese alternative, its high B vitamin content, and inclusion in many plant-based recipes, from sauces to vegan tacos. When used to coat spuds before baking them in the oven, nutritional yeast imparts a balanced, savory, nutty flavor.

"It creates a wonderful, velvety, thick sauce without any cream or anything else," she said. This is because the starch that pasta releases into the water when you are cooking helps to emulsify and thicken the sauce. To do this, De Laurentiis recommends reserving at least a cup of the hot pasta water before you drain your pasta. She also says to add a bit of the water to your sauce a time as you stir it into your cooked pasta.

We've all been there. You get a flash of inspiration or a sudden late-night craving for something comforting with a creamy sauce. But a quick assessment of the fridge reveals you're missing a key ingredient: heavy cream. It might not be something you always have on hand just in case. The good news is that you can assemble a good substitute for heavy cream from a couple of more common ingredients.

There's hardly a cuisine or country on Earth that doesn't view rice as a staple. From African jollof rice and Southern jambalaya to South Asian biryani and the universally ambiguous beans and rice, the grain is one food that brings the world together. Still, despite our collective reliance on the ingredient, there is a more nutritious swap that will give any rice-based dish a nutty twist: oat groats.

It would certainly increase the umami/savoriness and earthiness of the spaghetti sauce,

While you should definitely grill lobster in the shell, Foltz sees pros and cons to baking lobster tails in the shell and out of the shell. Just as shells are the outermost protective layer for live lobsters, they are equally protective when cooking them. "Baking inside the shell helps retain moisture, giving you a juicy result," Foltz says, "but it can take a little longer." Taking the meat out of the shell means lobster tails are more susceptible to drying out in the oven but "the meat cooks faster, allowing for a nice golden crust and more direct flavor from the seasoning."

Although movie theater concessions are always shockingly overpriced, that doesn't have to stop you from enjoying your favorite snacks at home. A sumptuous bowl of popcorn may be prepared as a quick treat, sustenance for your next movie night, or as part of your game-day party offerings. Choosing from a number of different seasonings to toss with your popcorn will amp up your food with even more flavor. But, to ensure your snack is fully coated with seasonings and stays nice and crisp, spritz the popcorn with either water, vinegar, or any other complementary liquid to provide something for the seasonings to stick to.

Preparing a hearty minestrone soup recipe makes a robust meal filled with meat, vegetables, and classic Italian flavors. Between the rich base of tomatoes and beans; aromatics like garlic, onions, and fresh herbs; and chunks of carrots, celery, and pieces of pasta or pastina, one thing that really sets minestrone soup apart from the rest is its meaty ingredients. While pancetta is typically included in a traditional recipe,

Baking lasagna is both costly and time-consuming, but the results are worthwhile, providing a customizable meal that lasts several servings and tempts the taste buds.

Start thinking of lettuce, and especially butter lettuce, as bread or a taco shell. This is a highly adaptable strategy.

Martha Stewart recommends using paper towels to soak up cooking oil before disposal, preventing blockages in drains caused by solidified oil.

Ice cream floats combine the creaminess of ice cream with the fizziness of soda, offering a unique dessert experience that can go beyond just sweetness.

To use Drummond's method for cooking short ribs in pancetta fat, dice up six pieces of pancetta and cook them over medium heat in a large Dutch oven.

After searing a steak, utilize the flavorful fond left in the pan for a delicious pan sauce, maximizing flavor while minimizing waste.