If your mouth feels like it catches fire when you taste even mildly hot foods, don’t worry. These tolerance-building tips from Serious Eats may open up a world of new and vibrant flavours for even the biggest spice wimps (like myself). More »
Your oven grill is a useful kitchen tool, but doesn’t necessarily offer even performance throughout. America’s Test Kitchen shows us how to make a map of your grill so you’ll never burn or undercook your food again. More »
When we discussed using flax seed oil to season cast iron cookware last week, Lifehacker reader and food expert emannths brought up a great idea — if you’re going to bring your oven to temp to bake bread or another dish that requires high temperatures, rub some oil in those cast-iron pans and toss them in the oven to scratch off two items on your to-do list at the same time. More »
Some people end up buying and peeling an onion and a head of garlic, when they only need a portion of that for their recipe, and end up tossing the rest, only to need it again a few days later. Freezing a puree of garlic, onion and olive oil means that not only do you avoid this wasteful routine, but you can prepare several months’ worth when the ingredients are on sale. More »
If you try to plan advance monthly or bi-weekly menus it can be difficult to balance variety with the staples that everyone enjoys. Parenting weblog Simple Mum recommends establishing a theme for each day of the week such as pizza day or crock pot meals day. That way you know what type of meal you need for all of your open slots and your family knows what to expect at most meals. More »
Many grilling aficionados don’t try grilling large fish such as salmon or tuna as they’re afraid the fish will stick to the grill. Culinary site Chow.com recommends using the 70/30 rule when grilling fish: cook the flesh side down first for 70 per cent of the total cooking time, then flip the fish over to the skin side for the last 30 per cent. More »
Avocados are amazing things — they’re delicious on their own, but they also have a lot of healthy fats, dietary fibres and vitamins and despite their high caloric value, they’re remarkably easy to prepare. If you have an avocado that’s too firm to use for something else, or you’re just in the mood for something new and healthy for breakfast, slice it in half, remove the pit and carve out a little space in the centre. Crack an egg where the pit was and bake. In a few minutes, you’ll have a delicious, protein and vitamin-packed breakfast treat that’s rich enough to keep you going all morning. More »
If you love the taste of smoked meats, but live in an apartment, don’t have the money or space for an expensive backyard smoker, or just don’t want to spend a lot of time smoking your meat or fish, this how-to from Saveur shows you how to make a stovetop smoker that will add that smoked flavour to meat or fish in minutes, using gear you probably already own. More »
Admittedly, it’s not as though pizza is difficult to come by if you want a slice, but this pizza-in-a-jar trick from the blog 1 Fine Cookie takes the idea of “portable food in jars” to the next level. Not only do you prep the ingredients in the jar, you bake it in the jar, and then just pop the top and enjoy. It’s perfect for parties, kids or if you just enjoy a novelty way of eating pizza. More »
There are a few ways to look after your cookware, but for those folks really serious about maintaining their it, or who have money to spend on them, flax seed oil is highly recommended. It gives your cookware the ultimate non-stick, rust-protective seasoning, as well as a gorgeous shine. More »