If you’re making an angel food cake, meringue, soufflé or other baked good that requires the egg whites to be whipped separately, you need to do it correctly in order for your recipe to rise. Here are some tips from Lauren Chattman, author of one of…

Most of us love a grilled cheese sandwich, most of us could eat more salad. So today’s tip combines both: a green salad with a grilled cheese crouton. Here’s a recipe to start you off. The recipe has a number of steps to create the complex flavors….

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When it gives you a bottle of vodka and some vanilla beans, make vanilla extract. Commercial vanilla extracts are 35% alcohol, by law. The alcohol is a neutral spirit, like vodka. So imagine how good your extr…

You don’t need a punch bowl: You can serve punch in a large pitcher. Photo courtesy Belvedere vodka.   A bowl of punch adds a festive touch to a gathering, from a sophisticated cocktail party to a barbeque. A bartender can serve the punch and ga…

Friday, May 4th is National Orange Juice Day. While it’s easy to celebrate with a glass of OJ at breakfast, there are other ways to use orange juice. Here are 10 of our favorites. 1. Basting Liquid. Orange juice adds delicious flavor to beef, pork an…

We were checking out the Caramel Swirls website when this cake caught our eye. You don’t have to have great cake decorating skills to make an impressive cake at home. Just acquire an impressive cake topper. In this case, chocolate truffles were used …

You can crisp everything but the garlic. Photo by Scott Bauer | U.S. Agricultural Research Service.   Sometimes, you bring vegetables home from the store and find them wilted the next day. Other times, you forget about the vegetables for days…

For hydration and calorie-saving, water is extremely good for you. But the billions of plastic bottles of water consumed by those who prefer bottled water generates a host of problems, just one of which is landfill. According to the Container Recycling…

You can blend your own smoothie or pour it ready-to-drink from a bottle of flavored kefir. Photo courtesy RevivalSoy.com.   Many people think that kefir is the same as drinkable yogurt. That’s close, but not exact. Kefir is even healthier than y…

Today’s tip is from Chef Johnny Gnall. If you have questions or suggestions for tips, email Chef Johnny. Home cooks can get intimidated by the thought of trying new ingredients. There’s a time-and-money issue of experimenting with something that mi…