Hamburger steak takes simple ground beef patties to a whole new level. Unlike Salisbury steak that is typically prepared with a gravy made from pan drippings and thickened with flour or cornstarch, hamburger steaks rely on seasonings that enhance the flavor of the meat.

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.

The last thing you want to do is stand over a grill all evening, taking everyone’s burger order one by one. Making one big batch of burgers and keeping them warm instead lets you kick back and enjoy the feast as well.

The shell of the macadamia nut is notoriously difficult to crack. The force required to shell a raw nut can pulverize the interior meat.

The sear burner included on many higher-end gas grills is a powerful cooking tool. It uses a large number of small flames to heat a ceramic plate to very high temperatures. The superheated ceramic element emits infrared radiation, which rapidly sears and browns the food -- usually meats -- cooked over it.

Plantains resemble bananas but typically are referred to as cooking bananas. Often used in African meals, they tend to grow longer than bananas and have thicker peels and starchier fruit. In fact, the flavor of a plantain is closer to that of a potato than the usual sweetness of a banana.

A corn dog can be a carnival treat, or a quick and easy at-home snack, but sometimes you want to heat up the breaded sausages without imparting extra fat. Frozen corndogs are available in most major supermarkets, and can be cooked at home in just a few minutes.

A heavenly combination of New York strip and tenderloin fillet, T-bones stand out among other steaks, and are best cooked naked -- oven-broiled with nothing more than some oil, textured salt and coarsely ground pepper.

Frozen bread is a convenient way to enjoy the taste of freshly baked bread. You can also make and then freeze the dough to keep it fresh until you are ready to use it. Store-bought frozen bread usually comes in two varieties: self-rising dough and ready-to-bake bread.

Kale provides a sturdy green suitable for cooked dishes. It's often used as a substitute for spinach in side dishes, casseroles and soups. Kale is most readily available fresh in spring and fall, but frozen kale is available year-round.

Whether you never eat meat or are simply trying to cut back for health reasons, frozen veggie burgers offer the kind of kind of quick-but-healthy meal option that takes well to more than one kind of cooking technique.

The key to perfectly moist brownies is making sure they cook for exactly the right amount of time, says recipe creator Rochelle Palermo in "Bon Appetit" magazine. Overcook your brownies -- even by just a couple of minutes -- and they'll lose that rich, fudge-like moistness.