How to cook al dente pasta minus the myths and hype
Is a pasta pan essential? How much water should the pasta cook in? Is adding salt and oil essential? Should the noodles be stirred? What is al dente? Read the answers to …
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.
How we make ice cream
We've been making ice cream at home for over ten years and an ice cream maker has been indispensable to us. Can you make ice cream without one?
Making custard: best practices
When making the custard base for ice cream, one of the standards for measuring the thickness of the liquid is whether it “coats the back of a spoon.” The same standard is …
Perfect French fries: tips and tricks
Perfect French fries require correct proportion of cooking oil to the amount of potatoes, correct temperature of the oil and retaining high heat throughout the cooking.
How to grill perfect burgers
You don’t need a fancy grill — just basic grilling techniques.
Do we really need to brown meat before braising or stewing?
Many recipes, especially recipes for stews, start by browning the meat in oil before adding the aromatics and the liquids. Why brown the meat? Surely, it will cook even …
How to make herb and spice butter
Cheese comes in oh, so many flavors, especially spreadable cream cheese. Why not butter?