Asparagus is delicious yet temperaments, and sometimes even the best of cooks can get a bad batch of stringy asparagus. Sometimes it’s the cook, sometimes it’s the veggie. So let’s take a look at why asparagus is stringy sometimes, and what you can do about it. Why is asparagus stringy ? Cooked asparagus can be …
Beans, absolutely filling and delicious, but they don’t sit well with everyone. If you’re someone who likes beans (I do!), then you know that cooking your own beans, from dry, is a whole other story than canned beans. Oh, canned beans are amazing in a pinch, and they save you so much time! But I …
The cold season is here and so are the preparations for the holiday menus. One of the staples is the green bean, whether it’s steamed and buttered, or in a casserole, or grilled, or fried, doesn’t matter. It just needs to be on the table. But most people either cook their green beans wrong, or …
Corn is possibly one of the best fall harvests, both because it’s easy to use in many dishes, and because it tastes so good. Unfortunately by the time the holidays come up the fresh corn is already dried and mostly ready to be turned into cornmeal. So your options are mostly canned corn, which is …
Brussel sprout season is fast approaching and figuring out how to make it taste delicious is… a task. Why are brussel sprouts bitter, and what can you do to make them taste better ? Is it true that modern brussel sprouts are milder than the ones grown 100 years ago ? What do you pair …
Cauliflower is a delicious and very nutritious veggie, and you might feel tempted to cook the entire head when you find a good looking one. But what if you get leftovers ? Can you reheat cauliflower ? And what if you’re meal prepping, does cauliflower reheat well and does it get mushy later on ? …
Wondering if grapefruit is really all that great ? It looks great, smells great, but oh wow that bitterness… why ? Why is grapefruit bitter, and what can be done to make it taste better ? Does peeling it really remove the problem ? Is adding sugar all you can ever do ? Let’s find …
Bitter orange juice is the bane of anyone’s morning, and really not what you’re looking forward to when you sit down for a nice brunch. So why is orange juice bitter? Is there anything you can do about it? Does it matter if it’s fresh or from a carton? Does it matter what oranges you’re …
The cold season is upon us, and so are the Thanksgiving recipes. Yes we all need to start early, especially if you want to test something before the big family dinner. And with this cold, spiced season come the many questions regarding storage, how long soemthing lasts, and whether it freezes well. Today we’re talking …
Tomatoes are a key ingredient in many dishes, and they’re available in many forms, including tomato paste and tomato sauce. You may be wondering how they’re any different, and which you should use in your cooking. The thing is, they are quite different but both are extremely versatile. Let’s take a look at tomato paste …
A good pot of stew is always welcome, and if that’s what you’re craving for dinner then you’re likely incredibly disappointed when and if it turns out bitter. Luckily this is an opportunity to learn why this can happen in the first place, and how to fix it if it happened. So let’s take a …
Trying to figure out if your stock should be clear or not ? You’re not alone, plenty of people ask themselves the same thing each time they make a pot of delicious, nutritious stock that just happens to be cloudy. Is it okay if stock is cloudy ? Should it be clear ? How do …
Wondering if you’ve overcooked your dinner ? Sometimes you get it right, sometimes you get it wrong. Some of the best cooks out there have had their occasional fail, and that’s okay. But can you actually overcook soups ? Aren’t they supposed to be simmered for eternity anyway ? What is an overcooked soup in …
Broccoli, it’s become one of the staples of healthy eating, and for good reason. But it’s also notoriously hard to get right, in terms of texture. For some people it may be a good idea to cook their healthy meals in large batches, and portion them for later in the week (meal prep). And if …
Wondering if you should peel those carrots ? After all, they look mostly clean, wouldn’t a quick scrub get them ready for cooking ? Let’s take a look at whether you really need to peel carrots or not, whether there’s any point to keeping the skin on, and why we peel carrots in the first …
If you’re baking and your recipe calls for cacao nibs but you don’t have any, don’t worry, there are a couple of easy options you can try. They might not work the exact same way as cacao nibs, but they will get you a result that is close enough. If you’re unsure what cacao nibs …
Baking instructions can sound overwhelming when you’re not very familiar with each ingredient, and it certainly doesn’t help that you’re supposed to measure them very carefully. This is necessary, since baking walks a fine line between art and exact chemistry, and while there is room for error, there is very little. So measuring what you …
The bay leaf – many recipes call for at least one, most call for 2-3 pieces. You add them, not exactly sure why they’re supposed to go into the soup, but they must be doing something. Are they though ? What do they taste like ? Is dried bay more potent than fresh ? How …
Basil is one of the most fragrant herbs you could have in your kitchen (or garden) but it’s a very fickle plant, very sensitive and it’s quite tricky to keep alive and healthy. So you’ll often find yourself wondering if that brown spot on basil is fine to eat, or if that slightly wilted leaf …
Got a fresh mint plant at home, just waiting to be used for a drink of a fresh ingredient in food ? Then you’re going to need to pick some mint leaves ! Are some of them brown ? Are they entirely brown or just brown spots ? Are the stems dried up ? There …