Kitchen Utensils: Wood vs. Plastic and Smart Gadgets

Choosing between wood and plastic utensils depends on your cooking style and safety concerns. Learn which kitchen gadgets are a total waste of money and how to use a standard rice cooker to perfectly prepare grains like couscous.

Wooden spoon in hand

Wood vs. Plastic Cooking Utensils

The right tools can make the difference between a passable meal and one that's truly memorable. In this age of extreme specialization, where your average cooking store carries four versions of every tool and thousands more are available on the Internet, it's not easy to choose the right tool for the right job.

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How to Cook Couscous in a Rice Cooker

Don't let their name make you think they're one-trick ponies. Rice cookers make just about anything that absorbs hot water during cooking, but do especially well with grains and certain pastas, like couscous. Made from durum wheat, couscous comes in four main varieties: instant, Moroccan, Israeli and Lebanese.

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