Cooking & Baking Tips: Healthy Fats, Grain Prep & Substitutes

Mastering the kitchen involves understanding healthy fat profiles, variety-specific grain preparation, and safe food handling techniques.

Delicious beef fillet

How to Cook a Whole Beef Tenderloin in a Convection Oven

Beef tenderloin is a cut of meat from the tender loin of a cow. Cooking a beef tenderloin in a convection oven is similar to cooking in a conventional oven, except that the tenderloin will cook faster since a convection oven's fan circulates the heat evenly.

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Instant noodles on white background

How to Cook Ramen Noodles in the Microwave & Leave No Water

Ramen noodles are a Japanese dish made with wheat noodles. The noodles are eaten with a flavorful broth, to which meats and vegetables are often added. The preparation of fresh ramen noodles is considered an art in Japan and takes time and skill.

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Do Corn Chips Turn to Sugar in the Body?

Corn chips are a snack food made from whole corn, corn oil and salt. Because corn chips are made out of the starchy vegetable corn, they are rich in carbohydrate. Carbohydrate is a type of nutrient that, unlike protein and fat, turns into sugar.

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Spices  in the souk in Dubai

Can Eating Cayenne Pepper Help Unclog Arteries?

Cayenne pepper contains a number of compounds, including capsaicin. The presence of capsaicin accounts for the spiciness or burning of cayenne pepper on the palette, since the compound interacts with nerve cells responsible for sensing heat. In addition to its spicy properties, capsaicin can also benefit your health.

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Zucchine al forno gratinate

How to Make Grilled Vegetables in a Toaster Oven

Grilled vegetables are a delicious side for BBQ chicken, lean beef burgers, kabobs or other light summer dishes. However, if you're craving grilled food and the weather isn't cooperating, don't worry.

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Spaghetti with minced meat and tomato sauce

Basil Allergy Reasons

Basil allergies are rare, but the symptoms of this malady can be just as distressing as those of common food sensitivities. Reactions can cause hives, welts on the face and mouth, runny nose, itchy eyes, shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting shortly after consumption.

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The process of baking the cake with ingredients top view

Banana As Substitute for Oil Ratio

Preparing baked goods with oil helps produce a moister, denser product but can add a significant amount of fat and calories. To lower the fat content in baked goods, the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute recommends substituting applesauce or prune puree for oil, shortening or lard in baked goods.

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How to Cook Drumsticks in a Convection Oven

A convection oven is a handy cooking tool to have because it cooks food more quickly than a conventional oven and yields more golden brown and juicy meat, according to the Fine Cooking website.

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Baked French Fries

How to Heat Up French Fries in a Toaster Oven

Heating up leftover French fries in a toaster oven will give you a crunchy, delicious snack or side dish. A toaster oven won't heat up the kitchen as much as a standard oven, and it uses less electricity, making it an efficient appliance for reheating a small number of fries.

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How to Cook Pinto Beans That Don't Cause Gas

Beans are a non-meat protein that are low in fat and high in fiber. Youโ€™d think by now someone would have resolved that one little thing thatโ€™s not so lovable -- those embarrassing gaseous emissions. High fiber and complex sugars called oligosaccharides are to blame for this problem.

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Red Potatoes in a Bucket

How to Cook Oven Roasted Red Skin Potatoes

Roasted red potatoes offer a tasty alternative to standard potato dishes. These small, round, red-skinned potatoes are a relatively low-fat source of dietary fiber. They are also excellent sources of potassium.

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How to Bake Red Potatoes in an Aluminum Foil Packet for the Oven

Foil packets filled with potatoes are a convenient side dish for the grill, but you can use the same method to prepare potatoes in your oven. The tightly sealed foil packets lock in steam, allowing the potatoes to become creamy and tender. Best of all, cleanup is a breeze. Simply discard the aluminum foil and enjoy.

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How to Cook a Ham Shank in the Oven

A ham shank -- more accurately known as a pork shank -- is a bone-in cut from the front leg. Although it's often referred to as a ham hock, hocks are a different cut and are typically cured, whereas shanks are often available fresh.

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How to Cook Hamburgers in a Convection Oven

For most Americans, hamburgers are both dietary staples and guilty pleasures. Luckily, you can enjoy a guilt-free patty when you cook at home using your own oven and ignore the 99-cent, heart-attack-in-a-sack varieties.

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How to Cook Prepared Stuffed Salmon in the Oven

For health-conscious diners who avoid processed foods but don't have the time to work entirely from scratch, many retailers offer quality entrees that are already prepared and just need to be cooked. For example, stuffed salmon is readily available from supermarkets and seafood retailers.

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Homemade Hot Buttermilk Biscuits

How to Cook Frozen Biscuits

Melt-in-your-mouth, flaky buttermilk biscuits are a comfort food that often evokes warm, happy feelings. Though delicious with eggs or used for breakfast sandwiches, biscuits can be enjoyed any time of day and go well with salads for lunch or soups and stews for dinner.

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fresh frozen peas in bowl

Canned Peas Vs. Frozen Peas

Green peas are a cheap and nutritious food and a low-fat addition to any meal. Cooked peas contain significant quantities of vitamin K, manganese, vitamin B-1 and vitamin C. Additionally, peas are a great source of dietary fiber. Either frozen or canned, peas are packaged in a convenient form for quick cooking.

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Homemade Healthy Zucchini Bread

How to Grate Zucchini for Baking Zucchini Bread

Combining the summer abundance of fresh grated zucchini with flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves in homemade zucchini bread is a treat for the whole family. Though zucchini bread is more of a cake, the addition of fresh grated zucchini lends it a healthy element.

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Chopsticks holding a piece of broiled sliced salmon on plate, high angle view

The Differences in Broiling, Baking, and Grilling

To a trained chef, recognizing the differences between cooking methods is second nature. They're categorized as "wet" or "dry," depending on whether water or other liquids are involved, and each of those broad categories includes several specific cooking methods.

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venison deer game filet and wild mushrooms

How to Cook a Back Strap in the Oven

The back strap cut of venison is analogous to the tenderloin of a cow, which is one of the more prized cuts of meat. The back strap is the long muscle running along the back of the deer that is naturally tender and juicy because it isn't used as much as some of the muscles in the haunches and chest.

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