Mastering the kitchen involves understanding healthy fat profiles, variety-specific grain preparation, and safe food handling techniques.
Pies from scratch can take several hours to make, when you factor in the time it takes to prepare the dough, make the filling and assemble the dessert. Many home bakers find that it's worth it to make a second pie at the same time.
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Bouillon gravy works perfectly well for gravy lovers such as comedian Erma Bombeck who said she came "from a family where gravy is considered a beverage." If you take care when making the gravy, it will also work well for everyone else.
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A medium-sized potato baked with its skin intact is a versatile, low-fat source of dietary fiber and essential nutrients like potassium, copper, iron, manganese, vitamin B-6, vitamin C and niacin.
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Using a pancake mix is one of the easiest ways create onion rings with a puffy, slightly crisp coating. Pancake mixes are convenient because they already come with baking soda, baking powder, sugar and a dash of salt mixed into flour. You only need to add water to create a thick batter.
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Pinto beans have countless culinary uses as well as a range of nutritional benefits. According to Martha Archuleta of New Mexico State University, 1 cup of pinto beans contains 1/4 of the USDA's recommended daily protein intake. Pintos are also an excellent source of fiber, B vitamins, niacin, thiamin and riboflavin.
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Barley is one of the oldest grains, with a history of cultivation dating back over 8,000 years. A 1-cup serving of cooked barley contains 193 calories, less than 1 g of fat, 3.6 g of protein and 6 g of fiber.
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Ideally, you cook macaroni and other pastas in boiling water on the stovetop. The website for Barilla's, the maker of Italian foods, has no mention of microwave cooking, and Mueller's, another pasta site, notes that only pasta specially made for microwaves should be cooked that way.
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Eggs contain numerous vitamins and nutrients, including protein, vitamin B12 and vitamin D. Cooking eggs with butter or other saturated fats, however, minimizes those health benefits. Cooking eggs with olive oil is considered a healthy alternative to butter.
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Cayenne peppers are commonly grown in the home garden. The peppers are decorative on the plant and full of robust flavor when used to spice up a favorite culinary dish.
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Lamb sirloin is the cut of meat located just in front of the lamb leg and is sometimes sold along with the leg. Often cut into steaks or chops, it can also be purchased as a boneless roast. A 3-ounce serving of roasted lamb sirloin is an excellent source of protein, vitamin B-12, niacin and zinc.
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Quinoa is species of the Goosefoot plant, closely related to beets and spinach, grown and harvested for its edible seeds. Quinoa seeds have a slight bitter flavor with a grainy texture. If you prepare quinoa incorrectly, it may turn to mush or adopt a vaguely muddy flavor.
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Smoking your meat on the grill will not only give it a delicious smokey flavor but will also keep the meat tender as this method slowly cooks the meat indirectly. Regardless of whether your ribs are beef or pork, when you cook ribs on the grill, you can run the risk of overcooking them.
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Frying isn't the only way to cook pork chops on your stovetop. Pan-searing gives this juicy cut of pork a crusty, well-browned interior; you simply cover the pan to finish cooking the chops to perfection. It also makes for a quick and easy dinner option.
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First popularized in the United States by President Thomas Jefferson, who would serve this luscious dish to dignified guests at the White House, macaroni and cheese has become an American staple. The basic ingredients found within the dish, pasta, cheese and milk, lend themselves to freezing well.
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Boneless chicken breast provides a cost-effective, lower calorie, lower saturated fat alternative to red meats. You can safely cook frozen chicken on the stove or in the oven, but the meat may cook unevenly, and it also takes longer.
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Tomatoes have a place in hundreds of culinary applications including spaghetti sauce, pizzas and as sandwich toppings. Tomatoes contain naturally occurring sugars, as do all fruits.
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Though fresh, sweet cherries are typically eaten raw, cooking them softens them and mellows their flavor. Cooking sour cherries with sugar sweetens them. One of the most common uses for cooked cherries is as a cherry pie filling or a cherry topping for ice cream or cake.
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Garlic is a common ingredient in many dishes, but chopping or mincing garlic every time you want to use it can be time-consuming. By mincing garlic ahead of time and freezing it, you will have the right amount ready whenever you need it.
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Beans are packed with fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals with no saturated or trans fat. When dried, heart-healthy legumes are a convenience item for long-term storage in your pantry.
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Peanut oil contains heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. It has no trans fat or cholesterol, and little saturated fat. Peanut oil is a favored fat for deep-frying, panfrying and searing because of its high smoke point and resistance to heat damage.
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