Although you can eat several types of tree sap, you should not start gnawing on every tree trunk you see. Some trees produce bitter or even poisonous sap. Plus, even edible sap licked directly from the tree is not very tasty.

When you are preparing to pan fry chicken, you should look carefully at your oil choice. Olive oil is lower in trans and saturated fats than many other oils, making it a good choice for pan frying breaded chicken. However, you need to choose the correct type of olive oil in order to avoid burning and smoking.

Baking fresh ravioli opens up a whole new world of "pasta-bilities" you don't get with dry pasta. Fresh ravioli has a chewy bite and more flavor, even though it doesn't cook to al dente.

Most baked goods rely on a handful of ingredients, including milk, eggs, sugar, flour and butter or oil, and each of these items plays a vital role. Milk has several roles in baking beyond just moistening a batter or dough. Milk adds structure to a batter so it doesn't collapse in the oven.

Grilling on the Cuisinart Griddler makes it easy to cook and enjoy chicken and other grilled items without having to fire up a full-sized outdoor grill. The Cuisinart Griddler comes with interchangeable plates that allow you to use it as a grill, a griddle and a panini press.

Cake is a staple dessert for countless traditions, from birthdays and weddings to graduations. But, in recent years, cupcakes have become more popular as crowd-pleasing desserts for fancy occasions or casual treats. The differences between baking a cake and cupcakes are subtle.

The delicate, fresh peas tucked inside the fibrous pods of English shelling peas are most tender and sweet when they're cooked within a few hours of picking. Unlike edible-pod snow peas and snap peas, English peas must be popped out of their protective shells for eating.

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.

Corn starch is often used to thicken pie fillings, gravies and puddings. It blends smoothly with cold water, has no taste and gives a shiny appearance to foods. It is also makes a thin, crispy golden coating on breaded, fried meats.

Originating in Italy, balsamic vinegar lends a potent and robust flavor to anything it’s added to. Made from sweet grapes in a process not too dissimilar to making wine, this flavorful cooking aid is perfect for lending flavor to vegetables, meats, and even fruits.

Both White sage and "regular," or Common, sage are a part of the Salvia L. genus of the mint family, classified as Lamiaceae. This genus contains many types of sage in additional to these two, including Clary sage, Lyreleaf sage, Mediterranean sage, Silver sage, Azure Blue sage and Purple sage.

If you've ever eaten the thick, white bean sprouts located in the produce section of your grocery store, you've had one form of mung bean. In their whole, dried form, mung beans are small and round. The unpeeled beans are brown, while the peeled beans can be yellow, green or black.