No matter how many flawless custards or mirror glazes you've made in your life, some culinary techniques just seem to invite disaster, especially those that hinge on precise temperature control. If you need to evenly heat a delicate substance to a precise temperature, the microwave might seem like a horrible choice — but it's often the best tool for the job.

Your hands clench, your heart beats faster and you can feel your inner micromanager emerging: While preparing dinner, your preschooler has just walked up to you and asked, "Mama, can I help you cook?"

During any weekend dinner party or barbecue night you can almost guarantee it: Somebody is going to bring a bowl of terrible coleslaw to your home, and you're going to have to pretend you like it.

Somehow, in the last few weeks, I have become someone who wakes up at 6:30 a.m. I did not choose this path - I would always rather be sleeping, thanks - but I'm trying to make the best of my body's sudden refusal to sleep in.

No matter what your local Grilling Enthusiast Bro says, marinade mixology ain't rocket science. At a bare minimum, all you need is a good bit of salt, probably some fat, and a smidgen of acid for basic flavour enhancement and tenderising action. Sweet, spicy and/or funky elements are optional, but never unwelcome.

Nothing livens up a hot afternoon quite like a cup of iced coffee. Trouble is, a lot of the iced coffee out there is just stale, leftover hot brewed coffee that's been chilled, or cold brewed coffee with a much different taste. Enter Japanese iced coffee - the best of both worlds.

Whether you resolved to eat healthy or just have a general sense that your life needs more broccoli and fewer potato chips, these recipes will help you eat better.

You can complain about it all you want, but it's a fact: some fast food is delicious. The US has become the holy land for delectable fast food and many famous franchises have yet to hit Australian shores. But recreating some of the most iconic American fast foods is easier than you'd think and it gets a whole lot better with fresher, tastier ingredients. Here's our seven ten favorite American fast food recipes that you can make at home.

I am bad and lazy at cooking, so I sometimes end up making a dinner of, like, avocado slices thrown on toast with some cheese on top. This makes me feel like a 20-year-old stoner. So I love simple recipes that still taste like grown-up food. Like this pasta sauce recipe by Marcella Hazan. You need three ingredients, and you're going to throw one out.

Nothing has been more important to my development as a home cook -- and as a person who eats the vegetables she buys instead of letting them liquify in the crisper -- than learning to cook without recipes. Once I learned a few go-to methods by heart, "a quick dinner" came to mean kitchen improvisation rather than ordering Seamless.

Managing Editor of Lifehacker, Mark Serrels, has probably put more oats into his body than should be physically possible. He swears by the stuff. I always thought that the preparation time was just a little too much for me. However, after reading this guide, I am beginning to consider oats as great breakfast option.

Some folks relieve stress by baking sourdough bread or elaborate layer cakes; good for them. When I'm sad and stressed, I need the shortest, hardest-to-mess-up path to a lot of chocolate I can find. For me, that path always leads to cocoa brownies.

If you've ever tried cooking dinner for a group, you know that coming up with something that everyone is excited about can be a bit of a challenge. Dinners at my house typically involve one person coming up with three things they would enjoy eating, and then the other person (or persons, depending on the night) choosing what they would prefer from those options.

The last time we checked in for our staff's Weekly Upgrades, our editors were busy noise cancelling, meal prepping, and experimenting with calmer commute options.

If your favourite part about getting a hot bowl of ramen is the seasoned egg, you're going to love these. You'll love how easy they are to make even more.

Culinary prescriptivism has no place in a conversation about macaroni and cheese. From the fanciest of béchamel-based macs to a pot of Velveeta and shells, I firmly maintain there's no wrong way to make or eat pasta covered in cheese sauce. If pressed though, I'll always choose oven-baked over stove-top mac. The appeal of crunchy edges and burbling cheese sauce is undeniable -- and once you free yourself from the prison of breadcrumb-only toppings, the possibilities are endless. Let's get indulgent, friends.

Perhaps you have a meticulously organised Notes app, a framed poster of all your favourite recipe cards, or a mind like a steel trap that stores your go-to cooking ratios down to the teaspoon. Must be nice!

Scrolling through pictures of food has always been fun - now it's also useful. A new feature on Google image search allows you to instantly view recipes while browsing through your favourite food porn.

Beer can bacon burgers. Beer can. Bacon. Burgers. You know you need to make these at your next backyard barbecue. Science demands it. We have the full recipe right here.