The traditional method for cooking dried beans involves soaking the beans overnight, draining them and either simmering the beans on the stove top or baking them in the oven.

Beef brisket is a staple for any barbecue because it is a versatile and inexpensive cut of beef. A roaster will cook your brisket in a similar time frame and manner as using a roaster pan in your regular oven, and many roasters have a nonstick liner that can be removed and cleaned, which makes cleanup a breeze.

Canned pumpkin puree is a convenient choice for pumpkin breads, pies, waffles and soups; however, shortages can make it difficult to find, and some stores don't stock it all year round.

Convection ovens use fans to circulate hot air throughout the interior of the oven to cook the food more thoroughly and uniformly. For this reason, the food also cooks more quickly, retaining more moisture and losing fewer nutrients.

Determining whether carbs, fats or sugars are worse isn’t as clear-cut as you might think. Both carbohydrates and fats, though often cited as unhealthy dietary components, are macronutrients that play a vital role in maintaining your overall health.

Ciabatta is a traditional Italian bread that supposedly gets its name from its resemblance to house slippers -- "ciabatta" being Italian for slipper. Crusty on the outside with a soft texture on the inside, ciabatta bread takes well to toasting.

Bavette is the French term for a cut of beef that's known in English by the unappetizing name of flap steak. Bavette is tougher and more fibrous than some of the more popular cuts, but it's full of flavor and cheaper than similar cuts such as flank and skirt.

The average American eats about 30 pounds of lettuce each year, reports the Agriculture Council of America, and the most popular type in the United States is iceberg lettuce.

Cod baked in foil packets, also known as "en papillote," is a dish as elegant as it is simple. The fish cooks in an aromatic steam, ensuring moist, flavorful results every time. There's practically no clean up involved because the foil is discarded.

Instead of facing the oh-so-difficult choice between pesto sauce or a creamy sauce for pasta, enrich store-bought pesto from a jar with buttery, cheesy or creamy ingredients. You can then enjoy the flavors and textures of both.

Canned red kidney beans make a nutritious convenience item. They have a shelf life of at least two to three years, and they spare you the hassle of soaking dried beans to rehydrate them; they're also pre-cooked, so they only need to be warmed through. Such bean can be eaten cold dishes such as salads.

A serving of cooked fresh tuna is low in saturated fat and cholesterol, high in protein and rich in nutrients like selenium, vitamin B-12, vitamin B-6 and niacin. It is also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, providing more per serving than cod, tilapia or catfish.