Vanilla is such a delicious and versatile ingredient, and we totally understand why you would want to get the real thing when possible. Real vanilla has a flavor profile that’s sweet, floral, and with smoky or woody undertones. However, it’s not always possible or practical to get real vanilla beans. Quick NavigationWhat If I Do…
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What Is a Nonreactive Bowl and Why Does It Matter?
Every now and again, you might come across a particular term while you’re cooking or checking out new recipes: “non-reactive cookware”. If it’s the first time you’ve ever encountered that term, you might have stopped in your tracks and wondered what it means.You might have also asked yourself, “If there’s such a thing as non-reactive…
Substitute for Maple Syrup in Baking
Have you ever heard the phrase, “baking is an exact science”? It’s not meant to scare off first-time bakers, but rather, serves as a reminder that, unlike cooking, following the recipe precisely is much more important when it comes to baking. For cooking, there’s always a little bit of wiggle room when it comes to…
How to Saute Spinach
Learning how to saute spinach is one of the easiest things that a new cook can learn how to do. However, it will also be fairly shocking to see what happens the first time that you do it. When cooked spinach shrinks down at a surprising rate. You can expect spinach to shrink by at…
How to Freeze Ginger
Are you curious if you can freeze fresh ginger root? Well, you can. Thank goodness! Just the other day, I bought some fresh ginger root for a homemade lemonade that I was making. The problem with buying fresh ginger is that I always have so much left over. It isn’t something that I use daily and…
How to Zest a Lemon Using a Tool That You Have
How to zest a lemon is something that all of us home cooks must learn. If you are working on a recipe that calls for lemon, adding lemon zest can really make the recipe pop. Yes, you can make lemon zest even if you don’t have a Microplane or a zester. I don’t have one…
How to Bake a Potato in the Microwave
Are you curious about how to bake a potato in the microwave? I have strong feelings about how to make the best-baked potato, but sometimes time gets in the way. In the heat of the summer, we don’t always want to crank up the oven. Whatever your reason, sometimes we want a baked potato super…
How to Cut an Avocado (The Easy Way)
Let’s learn how to cut an avocado quickly and easily. There are plenty of ways that you can cut an avocado, but in my experience doing it the way that we show below makes the process less messy.I grew up in Texas, but I didn’t have an avocado until I was in my mid 20’s….
A Shallot Substitute: Two Options That Are in Most Kitchens
I’m working on a recipe, and I forgot to buy the shallots. Honestly, shallots are not something that I generally keep around. Sure they are tasty, and I love cooking with them, but I find them a bit overpriced these days. So if you find yourself in a situation like I am, and you’re trying…
How to Peel a Cucumber Quickly and Easily
I am working on a recipe for avocado soup. This recipe calls for peeled cucumbers, and honestly, that’s not something that I do very often. I am a cucumber fanatic, and I eat them just about every single day. So in this article, I’m going to show you quickly how to peel a cucumber. Quick…