Mastering the kitchen involves understanding healthy fat profiles, variety-specific grain preparation, and safe food handling techniques.
Organ meats like beef kidneys aren't popular in the United States, though French chef and cookbook author Jacques Pepin says that kidneys can be a tender and flavorful cut if prepared correctly. Unlike lamb or veal kidneys, beef kidneys are large and tough and require long braising over low, moist heat to become soft.
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Bacon can be time-consuming -- and messy -- to prepare for a large breakfast or brunch get-together. By precooking the bacon the day before, however, you can serve a large amount, without the hassle of preparing the bacon as your guests arrive.
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Weisswurst is a traditional Bavarian sausage that gets its name -- white sausage -- from its pale appearance. Prepared from pork and veal heavily seasoned with parsley, onions, bacon, lemon powder, salt and pepper, weisswurst is sold pre-cooked and needs only to be heated through before eating.
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Learn how to cook Mayocoba beans, a type of South American bean, with our simple step-by-step guide. Discover their mild flavor and creamy texture, perfect for soups, stews, and salads.
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Chicken that's been seared, then baked in the oven has a deep brown color and a rich, caramelized flavor, says The Kitchn recipe editor Emma Christensen.
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Fried chicken is one of the 10 most popular comfort foods in the United States, says Alton Brown in the "Food Network Magazine." But it's also a food that may be difficult to incorporate into a healthy, balanced diet.
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Many cuts of pork are as lean as boneless, skinless chicken breasts, with less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol, 10 grams of fat and 4.5 grams of saturated fat in every 3-ounce serving. Because of their low fat content, these cuts can be difficult to prepare in the slow cooker without ending up with tough, dry meat.
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Bratwurst is a richly seasoned German sausage prepared from pork or a mixture of pork and veal. Bratwurst comes either raw or precooked. You may prepare precooked bratwurst in the microwave, but fresh bratwurst requires other methods -- parboiling and grilling, for example -- to ensure that it is fully cooked.
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Red-skinned potatoes -- commonly called red potatoes or new potatoes -- are a nutritious addition to a healthy, balanced diet.
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Traditional chicken cordon bleu calls for boneless skinless chicken breasts to be pounded thin, wrapped around slices of ham and cheese, dipped in seasoned breadcrumbs and whisked eggs, then pan- or deep-fried in oil and butter. The result is far from healthy.
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On busy weekdays, a quick, fuss-free chicken dinner can be a lifesaver. Your oven is a good option for preparing these meals -- while dinner cooks, you can turn your attention to steaming or microwaving some vegetables, cooking rice or pasta and setting the table, all in under 40 minutes.
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Pierogies, traditional Eastern European dumplings, consist of a pasta-like dough encasing a filling that can include anything from potatoes and cheese to sauteed vegetables to fruit. Fresh pierogies can be deep-fried, sauteed, baked, grilled or boiled, but they cannot be cooked in the microwave.
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Homemade pizza is cheaper, more nutritious and more versatile than the pizza you'd get from the freezer section of the grocery store or the local pizza parlor. The tough part is having the dough prepared and on hand when you want to make pizza in a hurry.
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All sausages fall into one of two categories: fresh sausage, such as fresh kielbasa or bratwurst, and pre-cooked sausage like smoked sausage or knockwurst, according to the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council.
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Organ meats like hearts are some of the most underrated cuts available, notes cookbook author and "The New York Times" columnist Mark Bittman. A February 1993 article in "The Independent" supports this fact, noting that lamb heart is inexpensive, economical and easy to prepare.
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Ball-tip steak is a cut from the beef round or loin and is often packaged as round tip steak, sandwich steak, minute steak, beef sirloin tip steak or knuckle steak.
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A 1-cup serving of fresh squid -- also known as calamari -- is low in fat, rich in protein and an excellent source of essential nutrients like copper, selenium and vitamin B-12.
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Frozen cheese ravioli is a quick and economical alternative to expensive fresh ravioli or making ravioli from scratch. Choose a frozen ravioli brand with low-fat cheese to keep your saturated fat and cholesterol intake low. For additional nutrition, look for cheese ravioli made from whole grain flour.
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More than half of all the snack nuts consumed in the United States annually are peanuts -- and salted, roasted peanuts are one of the most popular choices, according to 2013 information provided National Peanut Board.
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A 3-ounce serving of cooked cod is an excellent source of protein and essential nutrients, such as vitamin B-12 and selenium. While low in saturated fat and cholesterol, cod is rich in the omega-3 fatty acids that may help lower your risk of heart disease.
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