While it may come as a surprise, cooking rice using your slow cooker is just as effective as using a steamer or saucepan. Both white and brown rice cook equally well in a slow cooker, although brown rice takes about an hour longer to prepare.

Many people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, or with gastrointestinal issues, including bloating, constipation, diarrhea, flatulence and abdominal pain, believe that some foods may trigger their symptoms.

Cocktail wieners, or little smokies, smothered in warm barbecue sauce is a classic party appetizer that's simple to prepare. Little smokies are bite-sized, fully-cooked smoked sausages that only need to be reheated to enjoy.

Choosing healthier sources of fat can lower your risk for heart disease, and sunflower oil may help. Most of the fat in sunflower oil is unsaturated, and this oil is a nutrient-dense food, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

When you buy jams and jellies from a grocery store or supermarket, you may notice that certain brands are sugar-free or organic. Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania suggest that jams and jellies that are organic and sugar-free can be better for you than their standard counterparts.

Chicharon bulaklak is a traditional Filipino dish made from fried pork intestines. Chicharon bulaklak is crispy with a mild flavor that is accentuated when you dip it into a powerful sauce. You can purchase the pork intestines to make the chicharon bulaklak from many butchers for a relatively low cost.

Gluten is a protein commonly found in many types of grain crops, such as barley, rye and wheat. Some people cannot eat gluten because of a disorder such as gluten intolerance or celiac disease, in which a person's immune system mistakenly attacks ingested gluten and damages the small intestines.

Revered for its robust, beefy flavor, brisket is best cooked low and slow. A smoker grill helps you achieve melt-in-your-mouth tenderness and an intense smoky flavor. Brisket, cut from below the shoulder of a steer, is typically sold divided into two cuts -- the point cut and flat cut.

Poppy seed stories have taken hold of people's imaginations, but are they true? ABC News reports that people have failed drug screening tests because of having eaten poppy seeds before testing. Indeed, the website “Poppy.

Rice is cultivated and consumed all over the world, making it the most popular grain globally. For people living in Asia, rice supplies 35 to 80 percent of caloric intake, according to Duke University. Couscous originates in North Africa and plays a central role in Middle Eastern cuisine.

A hearty quiche is handy for entertaining since it can be made in advance and customized to almost any palate. This classic dish is not complicated to make at home, but following the proper method for baking the pastry crust means the difference between a success and a soggy mess.

Hoisin sauce is made from vinegar, sugar, soy, chile peppers and garlic, a combination of ingredients which gives it a sweet and slightly spicy flavor. Hoisin is usually served as a condiment, but if you love its flavor, you can add it to stir fry in place of a more traditional stir fry sauce.