As beautiful and flavorful as tomatoes can be, they can also be a real pain when it comes to buying the perfect ones. They’re often too acidic, too tough, and unripe, and they may even have a tough, thick skin. What’s up with that ? And why are so many tomatoes consistently tough-skinned, across the …
If you’ve ever had a tomato you know it can get a little sharp in flavor. This can be good or bad, depending on your stomach problems and personal preferences. There are some vegetables and fruits that just seem to trigger heartburn, and tomatoes are one of the main perps. But why are tomatoes acidic …
Tomatoes are delicious and juicy, but often we get some really bland, cardboard-like red veggies instead of the real, flavorful thing. Sometimes though, you get lucky and find the really good ones, so you go back and get some more. But how do you store a whole bunch of tomatoes ? Should tomatoes be refrigerated …
A nice cauliflower cream soup sounds wonderful, but you don’t have the time to prepare it anytime this week. So you buy a nice cauliflower head and bring it home, with the idea of cooking it over the weekend. Where and how should you keep fresh, raw cauliflower ? Should cauliflower be refrigerated ? Can …
Cauliflower’s gotten more attention in the past decade than it ever has, and often it’s used as a healthy substitute. Whether to cut back on carbs, replace meat in a roast, chicken wings, rice, pizza crust, or anything else, cauliflower is way more popular than it used to be. So what happens when you simply …
Cauliflower is enjoying a whole new love, as it’s been recognized as a healthy food in the past decade. You’ll find it in many healthy substitutes, primarily low-carb ones like cauliflower rice, cauliflower pizza crust, cauliflower roast, and so on. One thing is always constant: the color. Cauliflower is white, and we’ve always taken that …
The amazing eggplant is both beautiful and mysterious. They’re not something you cook every day, mostly because they’re so darn confusing. So when you do get your hands on one, you’re likely to wonder just what the perfect storage option is. Do you put them in the fridge with the rest of the vegetables, or …
Eggplants get a bad rap for being bitter, bland, or just gross. But often it’s just the result of bad cooking, and not necessarily the eggplant’s fault. The best way to get eggplant’s true flavor is to roast it. But when it comes to cooking eggplants in general, should you peel it ? Is the …
Making the perfect mashed potatoes comes with some challenges, especially when you’ve got the potato flake box just looking at you. Tempting you to use them instead of starting from scratch. But there’s just something so good about fresh, home-made mashed potatoes that gives them an extra layer of deliciousness. So today we’re going to …
Mashed potatoes are a wonderful side dish. They’re easy to make, reliable, a crowd pleaser, and very filling. Sometimes though, you stop to wonder just what else you can make. A change is probably welcome every once in a while. The good news is that mashed potatoes are easy to substitute, and easy to enhance …
Many recipes call for mushrooms, but mushrooms are not for everyone. Sometimes it’s their texture, sometimes it’s the flavor, how they darken the broth, or you just can’t stand the sight of them. Or, maybe, you love mushrooms but simply don’t have them or can’t find them. So what do you do ? You look …
Mushrooms may be a bit confusing if you’ve never dealt with them before. They’re not like other vegetables, and they’re a great substitute for meat. They also cook in their own, specific way. We’ve all seen a pot full of chopped mushrooms shrink before our eyes, as they cook. So we come to how to …
Mushrooms are delicious little things and they give most meals an extra depth of flavor, especially when paired with meat. Most of the time you can’t pick put just a few mushrooms, like you’d need for one recipe. They come in pre-made packs, and it’s rare that you use up an entire pack in one …
As beautiful and delicious as garlic may be in a recipe, it’s a real pain to peel and crush. Partly because it’s so small and tedious, but it’s also sticky. Once you cut the garlic, or worse you crush it, you’re in a world of sticky, messy pain. Crushed garlic will stick to you, the …
Garlic is delicious and a boon to every meal there is. You cannot convince us otherwise. The world needs more garlic, there’s never enough. And you’ve probably noticed how spicy and bright the garlic flavor can be when you eat it raw. A crushed garlic sauce can really kick. But why ? Why is garlic …
Purple cabbage, or red cabbage, is a very pretty version of the everyday green cabbage. It’s got less sulfur flavor, and as such can be considered to be milder by some people. It’s also really impressive to look at, both raw and cooked. But why is cabbage purple ? What makes it change color ? …
Cabbage is a great addition to any dish, be it a stew, a salad, sauteed on its own, or stuffed with delicious meats. So what do you do when you have no cabbage, at all ? Or you simply don’t like cabbage in p[articular, but are open to other ideas. Well you need a cabbage …
Cabbage may not be everyone’s favorite, but there are some recipes you just can’t make without cabbage. Partly because it’s the wrong texture, and partly because they rely on the cabbage’s strong flavor. Still, you can’t deny how flatulent cabbage can make you, especially when it’s raw cabbage. But why does cabbage cause gas ? …
Zucchini is a super-versatile veggie that’s bound to end up on most folks; plate at one point or another. Unless you’re allergic to all things squash, you’ve probably had zucchini before. And as you know, it’s usually delicious and very easy to get along with. Except when you get a random bitter zucchini. Then you …
Onions rings are delicious, crispy, and probably one of the best fast food snacks out there. In fact they’re so great you often wish you got more with your burger and fries, right ? Well, what happens when you get a serving so large you can’t eat all of it in one sitting ? You …