Cooking Tips And Techniques

No one is born knowing how to cook. We learn skill by skill, picking up smart ideas, quick tips, and cool tricks along the way.
Honey jar with honey dripped from honey dipper
What's a Good Substitute for Honey?
Hot red fresh red chiles on a cutting board, one sliced open
The Only Way to Make Hot Peppers Last Longer
Grilled steak and corn on a platter
The 9 Foods You Can Grill From Frozen, According to a Grilling Expert
Spritz
The Magic Ratio for Making the Perfect Spritz, Every Time
Roasted zucchini
The One Trick for Cooking Zucchini That’s Never Mushy and Sad
red onions on a cutting board
The Only Way To Take the Bite Out of Raw Onions
Hand Husking Corn for Cajun Corn Recipe
The Brilliant Trick for Shucking Corn in One Swift Move (Even Corn Farmers Swear By It)
Manicotti
Our Grandma Rose's Smart Trick For Making This Popular Italian Baked Pasta
Buttered Noodles
The 4 Easy Buttered Noodle Upgrades My Family Loves
A Platter of Grilled Corn on the Cob with Husks Partially Removed
2 Easy Ways To Prevent Your Corn From Becoming Tough and Dry on the Grill
Half an onion
The Only Way To Prevent Half an Onion From Stinking up Your Whole Refrigerator
Watermelon in the process of being cut into triangles
The Only Way to Prevent Cut Watermelon From Tasting Funky After Refrigeration
Dishwasher
11 Things You Should Never Put In Your Dishwasher, According to the Experts
Watermelon cut into batons
This Is Seriously the Easiest Way To Cut Watermelon
halved cherry tomatoes
The Brilliant Hack for Slicing Cherry Tomatoes—It’ll Save You So Much Time
Butter sliced
The One Way To Tell Your Butter Has Gone Bad
White stuff on salmon
Ummm, What’s That White Stuff Coming Out of My Salmon?
Tahini pasta salad
How To Make a Creamy and Delicious Pasta Salad—No Mayo in Sight
Dirty pot
This 89-Cent Kitchen Tool Saves Me From Having To Swap Out Dirty Sponges Again and Again
Chopped pasta salad
The One Trick To Making the Best Pasta Salad You’ll Ever Have
Avocados
The Only Way To Prevent Avocados From Browning Too Quickly
Bacon on top of BLT sandwich
You’re Probably Using the Wrong Bacon in Your BLT—Try This Instead
dirty pyrex
The 3 Cleaning Tricks That Will Actually Remove the Brown Stains on Your Pyrex Bakeware
potato salad upgrade
The 1-Ingredient Upgrade for Better Potato Salad (It’s Already in Your Fridge)
A fork tucking into slices of grilled chicken breast on a plate
The 1-Ingredient Secret to Juicy Chicken Breasts
A platter of Mexican street corn nachos (elote)
The Elote Recipe Riff I Can't Stop Making
Hands holding a colander as they rinse strawberries and blueberries
My Favorite Way to Use Up Ripe Summer Berries
Refrigerator Pickles
The Vinegar on Store Shelves May Not Be Safe for Canning
Bunches of green onions on a white marble countertop
The Only Way to Prevent Green Onions From Getting Slimy
Easy Meatloaf With Some of It Cut Into Slices, All on a Platter, and Next to It, a Bowl of Broccoli
The Easiest Way to Mix Meatloaf
Frozen broccoli corn green beans on a wood cutting board
The 5 Best Ways to Use Frozen Vegetables
External Digital Probe Magnetically Attached to the Outside of an Oven Right Next to the Oven Control Panel (Both Read Different Temperature: Probe Reads 351F and the Oven Reads 350F)
Why Your Oven Temperature Is Wrong, and How to Fix It
Raw ground beef open in a styrofoam tray
Is Raw Ground Beef That's Turned Brown Still Safe to Use?
Eggs, sugar, and flour in a food processor for a baking recipe
Do Eggs Really Need To Be At Room Temperature For Baking?
a woman sifting flour onto a counter using a mesh strainer
Do I Really Need to Sift Flour for Baking?
Frozen Ground Beef in a Plastic Wrapped Meat Container
How to Thaw Ground Beef
In One Large Bowl, Egg Whites, and Next to It, a Smaller Bowl With Egg Yolks. The Shells on the Counter.
How to Bring Eggs to Room Temperature Fast
Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (with Chocolate Pieces)
How Long Can I Keep Cookie Dough in the Refrigerator Before Baking?
a juicer with fresh fruit and a hand pouring juice into a glass
What to Do With Leftover Juicing Pulp
Ricotta-Mascarpone Mousse
What's a Good Substitute for Ricotta Cheese?
Measuring the temperature with a digital thermometer on a roast turkey
Here's Where to Put a Thermometer in a Turkey
Perfect Mashed Potatoes
How to Thicken Mashed Potatoes: 3 Foolproof Ways
Pieces of watermelon in an open plastic to go container
How to Tell When Your Watermelon Has Gone Bad
Slices of orange cheddar cheese coming out of an open package
How Long Can Cheese Be Out of the Fridge?
An open carton of brown eggs on the counter
How Long Can Eggs Be Out of the Fridge?
a paper bag of bagels
How to Keep Bagels Fresh Longer
overhead view of box of a dozen donuts
How to Keep Donuts Fresh Overnight
Unsalted butter at room temperature
What's the Difference Between East Coast and West Coast Butter?
Silver saucepan with a hand grasping the lid handle. Pan sits on gas stove.
What to Use When You Can't Find a Pot Lid
Cooked bacon on a plate with buttered toast and fried eggs
How Long Can Bacon Sit Out?
A stack of banana pancakes with syrup pouring over the top
Does Syrup Ever Go Bad?
Roasted Cauliflower
6 Ways to Make Frozen Cauliflower Into Something Delicious
All purpose flour we cook with
Can All-Purpose Flour Go Bad?
A hand reaching into a refrigerator to grab a takeout container
The 7 Foods You Should Refrigerate (But Probably Aren't)
A small glass bowl of baking powder with a measuring spoon on a wood surface
What's the Difference Between Double-Acting and Single-Acting Baking Powder?
Pizza on parchment
The Brilliant Trick for the Crispiest Pizza at Home—No Fancy Oven or Pizza Stone Required
Tongs Lifting Spaghetti from Pot of Boiling Water for No Cook Tomato Sauce Pasta
Should You Add Oil to Pasta Cooking Water?
Marshmallow Crispy Rice Squares
The 1-Ingredient Upgrade Your Rice Krispies Treats Need, According to a Recipe Developer
A cook stretching plastic wrap over a hotel pan in a restaurant kitchen
Can You Put Plastic Wrap in the Oven?
Peeled mango
The Easiest Way to Peel a Mango, According to My Indian Mother-In-Law