Kitchen how-tos

Find fully illustrated guides on the preparation of common ingredients. When beating egg whites, for example, how can you tell between soft peaks and stiff peaks? How do you skin and cut mangoes and pineapples? What is the right way to cook rice and how do you make it into congee? When cooking tempura, how should the shrimps be prepped? What's the proper way to wrap spring rolls?

See all how-to guides below.

What to do with leftover grilled skewered meat

Skewered meat is lovely when fresh off the grill but reheating can turn the meat dry. I like to chop the meat instead and add it to fried rice.

Italian rice and Spanish sausage: a one-pot and one-bowl meal

Cook the rice in a mixture of water and sauce with a sausage on top. By the time the rice is done, it has soaked up flavors of the sausage. Just scoop rice onto a plate …

Batter-coated meat or fish: how do you make the batter?

Coating meat, chicken or seafood in batter before frying is common in Asian cooking. Depending on how you make the batter, the crust can either be dense or light as a …

Use bay leaves (laurel) to repel insects in your pantry

A common ingredient for flavoring Filipino food, bay leaf (more commonly known as laurel in the Philippines) can also be used to keep weevils away from your rice bin.

Kitchen how-tos

How we cook fried chicken at Casa Veneracion

In defense of instant ramen

Countless ways to make cornbread muffins

What to do with leftover grilled skewered meat

Italian rice and Spanish sausage: a one-pot and one-bowl meal

Batter-coated meat or fish: how do you make the batter?

Use bay leaves (laurel) to repel insects in your pantry