The shape, temperature and design of your cooking appliance affects the quality of your food. A regular oven, also known as a conventional oven, and a roaster oven are two different appliances that both cook food using dry heat. Traditionally, only solid foods such as meat and potatoes are roasted.

Many high-end ovens offer both convection and conventional cooking. A convection oven has a fan in the back that blows hot air around, making for an even temperature throughout the whole oven, unlike conventional ovens that often have hot and cool spots because of their fixed heating element.

Although it might seem that fresh fish would a healthier choice than frozen, the truth is that both fresh and frozen fish can be healthy choices, as long as you store and prepare them properly.

Grilling isn't the traditional method of cooking crab legs, but it is a quick and easy way to cook this tasty treat. Crab legs cook quickly; you can buy already-cooked crab legs or cook them fresh.

Clams, part of the mollusk family, live along the sandy shores from Maine to South Carolina. Like most shellfish, clams don’t stay fresh for long after harvesting. Freezing raw clams is a common method of preserving this tasty shellfish.

Pepper steak can easily get tough, especially when you use cuts like shank or chuck. These cuts come from the legs and shoulders of the cow, so the muscles are used a bit more than the sirloin and flank, for example. The more a muscle is used, the tougher the meat tends to be.

After finishing a mentally draining task such as a taking a test or finishing a big project you might feel as though you've run a marathon. Your brain is tired, which often makes your body feel tired. This type of activity contributes to a small calorie burn, but not enough to aid in weight loss.

Dehydrating meat prolongs its shelf life, allowing you to rehydrate it later or enjoy as a dried food. Cooked bacon works well in a dehydrator and makes a protein-packed snack, salad topping or soup ingredient. Dehydrated bacon is also a good item to pack for extended hikes or camping trips.

Brining a chicken imparts a rich, salty flavor to the meat that also helps to keep it moist and tender throughout the cooking process, no matter what your preferred cooking method is. You can brine a whole chicken or simply pieces of chicken -- the method is the same.

Most people making traditional fried chicken leave the skin on the bird. Not only does it help the breading stick to the meat, but the skin holds a lot of flavor. Heart-healthy cooks, however, are moving toward skinless chicken as a way of cutting down on fat and calories.

Yellowtail is often mistaken for a type of tuna. This delicate fish is a member of the jack family, which includes the pompano and amberjack fish. Yellowtail fish has a mild, sweet flavor with a firm texture. The majority of yellowtail fish are raised on fish farms in Japan and imported as frozen fillets.

The clam juice available in stores is the liquid that results from straining clams. It generally includes added salt. Dishes such as clam chowder and seafood soups often include clam juice. Using a lower-sodium alternative for clam juice reduces the sodium in the recipe.