Mastering the kitchen involves understanding healthy fat profiles, variety-specific grain preparation, and safe food handling techniques.
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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Using a slow-cooker may not be the most traditional way to cook a brisket, but it is one of the simplest methods, especially if you want it super tender. Brisket comes from the lower breast of a steer and is a tough cut of meat.
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Green and yellow split peas are different varieties of the seeds of the Pisum sativum L., or field pea, plant. Belonging to the legume family, this plant is found throughout the world, with the world's top producers being Russia, China, India, Canada and the United States.
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Wheat bran is well known for providing a significant source of dietary fiber, but it is also a great source of minerals and some vitamins.
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If you don't regularly bake breads and pastries, you might not have yeast laying around in your kitchen cabinets. An occasional bread recipe doesn't have to warrant a special shopping trip to stock up on yeast. When used properly, baking powder is a viable substitute.
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When you're trying to stick to a healthy lifestyle, finding alternatives to certain oils, butter and other solid fats are important. Yet using oil to prepare meals is often necessary and can even provide health benefits.
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An all-purpose dairy food enjoyed for centuries, yogurt is an ingredient in traditional dishes from countries around the world. Naturally low in fat, low in calories and high in protein, yogurt has become popular as a healthful baking ingredient in commercial goods as well as in home baking.
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Cilantro is a lacy-leafed herb used to season foods and is popular in Tex-Mex dishes in particular. Cilantro resembles parsley but has a much more pungent odor and taste. Its seeds are known as coriander, and they impart a different flavor than cilantro leaves and aren't used to season the same types of dishes.
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Honey and maple syrup may both be sweeteners sold as more natural alternatives to refined sugar, but their similarities practically end there. For starters, maple syrup is man-made, produced from heating the sap of the maple tree, while honey is a natural product produced by bees from pollen as a food source.
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If you have a craving for french fries, fries cooked in canola oil are a better choice than french fries cooked in partially hydrogenated oils, such as soybean, cottonseed or corn oils. If you make your own fries at home, using nothing but canola oil and potatoes.
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White rice is a staple food for many Asian countries, serving as a main food source for over half the worldβs population, according to Utah State University Extension Agent Jana Darrington. White rice, which has been refined, has the husk, bran and germ layers removed, so just the white inner kernel remains.
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Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) is a Salvia species used in cooking, baking and beverages. When crushed, the leaves have a tangy fragrance and flavor of pineapple. The bright, red flowers are also edible and taste like a combination of citrus and mint.
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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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Whole grains are important for us to eat because they provide fiber, vitamins and minerals and can even reduce the risk of certain chronic health problems such as diabetes and colon cancer. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, most people are confused about what constitutes a whole grain.
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Honey has been used by humans for thousands of years as a food and for medicinal reasons. Honey has been recognized for its positive benefits as a food in scientific research since 1892.
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While many foods are perfectly fine to eat right off the vine or out of the ground, red kidney beans are not one of them. Though many raw beans contain the toxin Phytohaemagglutinin, also called kidney bean lectin, kidney beans contain the highest toxin levels.
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Beans provide a lot of bang for the buck. They are among the cheapest powerhouse foods, chock full of fiber, complex carbohydrates, antioxidants and protein.
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With a rich green hue and delicate aromatic flavor, fresh basil adds instant interest to a range of healthful recipes. It's also virtually calorie-free -- a quarter-cup serving of chopped basil contains just two calories -- and low in sodium.
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Nutmeg is a spice used in cooking. This spice is also abused by teenagers or adults who want to get high. Several teaspoons to 2 tbsp. of nutmeg can produce a high, notes Health Services at Columbia University. Eating this spice to get high can cause a wide range of serious side effects.
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Lemongrass is an herb that was originally grown in India and Sri Lanka. It has a distinctive scent and taste of lemon, from which it gets its name. Both the plant and its extract have been used in cooking and flavoring, as well as for medicinal purposes, for centuries.
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