Cooking Basics: Defrosting, Slicing & Healthy Substitutes

Essential cooking basics include safe defrosting methods for steak and chicken, along with precision slicing techniques. Discover healthy substitutes for common ingredients like cayenne powder or beer to enhance your home-cooked meals.

Top View of Firm Tofu Frying in Oil

How to Cook Tofu in a Pan

Pan-fried tofu is an easily made dish that can add a huge amount of variety to your diet. Tofu soaks up flavor like a sponge and is best when marinated or dipped in sauce.

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Pouring cheesecake mixture onto orange, close up

Do Glass or Metal Pans Cook Faster?

If you've ever read the back of a cake mix package, you might be wondering why cook times are different depending on whether you use a glass or metal pan. The science has to do with how a pan heats up, holds its temperature and distributes heat.

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What Is a Good Substitute for Sour Cream When Baking?

If you run out of sour cream there are other foods you can use to adequately replace it in baking. Vegetarians and vegans may also substitute dairy sour cream with other options so there are no animal-based ingredients in the recipe.

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Healthy Ways to Cook Tofu

Cooking tofu can be a mystery for many people, but it does not have to be difficult. Tofu can provide you with a rich source of nutrients such as calcium and especially protein.

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Grilling at summer weekend

Do Calorie Counts Change When Food is Cooked?

Caloric values for foodstuffs are often given for the raw or uncooked food. However, cooking a food can significantly alter its nutritional profile and the number of calories present in the same quantity by weight.

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Woman preparing meal

How to Count the Calories in Home-Cooked Meals

Keeping track of the number of calories in a home-cooked meal can help you to meet your dietary requirements. Whether a meal consists of one or two items, or several dishes with multiple ingredients, the calories of every ingredient eaten counts toward your daily total calorie count.

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Fried bean curd , Vegetarian food

How To Cook Tofu for Babies

Tofu is a soy product and should not be given to babies with a soy allergy. Tofu makes a good finger food because you can dice it small and it is soft and easy to chew. According to Wholesome Baby Food, you can introduce tofu at around 8 months of age.

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Bottle of mint essential oil on wooden background .

How Do I Substitute Peppermint Oil for Peppermint Extract?

If your recipe calls for peppermint extract, but you have none on hand, you can sub in peppermint oil. Both are flavored by the leaves of the peppermint plant. The oil is more concentrated than the typical extract, so you need to use a lot less to flavor your candy or confection.

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