Some pie recipes call for a prebaked pie shell. Custard pies or pies with pudding-type fillings, ice cream pies, or any pie that uses a filling that doesn't require baking in an oven, uses a crust that's baked ahead of time without the filling.

Using precooked turkey breasts cuts down on the amount of time you need to spend in the kitchen. Most precooked turkey breasts will include a roasting bag that you are directed to keep the meat sealed in while you heat it. When removing the outer packaging, do not to dispose of the bag.

If you have a game hunter in your family or a good butcher who can provide you with a pheasant to cook, count yourself very lucky. Pheasant requires no more skill to cook than a turkey, and it takes a similar amount of time. The best part about preparing a pheasant, however, is how impressed your dinner guests will be.

Traditional risotto can be a tedious task, requiring strict attention and near-constant stirring. But you can make a simple no-fuss version of this hearty Italian classic with your slow cooker.

In the culinary world, parsley’s status hovers between herb and vegetable. While appreciated for its ability to add color and texture to foods, parsley is under-utilized as a vegetable rich in vitamins A, C and K. As with most foods, eating extremely high amounts of parsley might pose some risks.

Flash frying is a cooking technique in which you fry your food in a frying pan filled with oil at a very high temperature for a minimal amount of time. The technique comes from Chinese cooking and is also known as "bao" or "explode cooking."

Fresh herbs have a place in any health-conscious kitchen because they add bright, fresh flavor to your meals while being low in calories, fat and sodium.

Banana squash is the offensive lineman of the vegetable garden, a behemoth that frequently tops 100 pounds and can easily grow to more than 3 feet long. Although its size makes it impractical for most home gardeners, it works in the favor of cooks.

Purple rice is a variation of jasmine rice. Although it is often used to create visual interest in certain entrees, it is cooked similarly to other versions of jasmine or Thai sticky rice. Purple rice can be cooked on its own or as a part of a mixture with white jasmine rice.

Opuntia cactus, native to Mexico but now grown in many warm climates, produces two kinds of food: the prickly pear, and nopales or nopalitos, cactus leaves. Nopal is a common ingredient in Mexican and Central American cuisine, and readily available in Hispanic grocery stores.

Healthy grains can be the foundation of a balanced diet, and buckwheat, or kasha, may be worth trying as an alternative to your regular wheat. You can use buckwheat for a side dish or casseroles, or use buckwheat flour instead of wheat flour in pancakes and other baked goods.

The Cuckoo Rice Cooker is a rice cooking product manufactured by Cuckoo Electronics. The cooker is pressurized during the cooking process which helps the texture and speeds up the cooking process. The cooker can cook between two and ten cups of rice at a time.