Zucchini flowers may not be the first thing you think of when we say ‘summer’ but they’re a fresh, delicious summer treat and it’d be a shame to miss out on them. For the longest time we had no idea zucchini had flowers, nor that you could even buy them. They’re a bright yellow burst …
Corn has always been viewed as sweet, or at least mildly sweet. And not many people know, but there are different kinds of corn, each with varying degrees of sweetness. The sweetest is sweet corn, with the least sweet being dent corn, meant for livestock feed. But what makes corn sweet, regardless of type ? …
Potatoes are a kitchen staple and the building blocks of many recipes. They’re in every culture and they’re just swell to have around. Nearly everything good to eat has some sort of potato in it, no matter how it’s cooked. This is not only the most filling vegetable, it’s also possibly the most delicious. So …
Whenever you’re out and about and feeling hungry, you might immediately start thinking of something potato-based, or at least containing some form of potato. This root vegetable has been part of our lives for longer than it hasn’t, and it’s always been viewed as the most filling and delicious thing out there. But why are …
Arugula has always been a staple in many salads, either as an accent or featured as the main element. It’s especially common in Italian-style cooking, so if you’re in a place that serves Italian food you’re likely to get some arugula on your plate. This beautiful, flavorful green is found in many recipes, and is …
Arugula and dandelions are two very similar-looking leaves, to the point where people often wonder if they’re not the same thing. Both are very common and both are actually very old plants, dating back to pre-Roman empire era. So let’s take a look at dandelion greens and arugula leaves, see what their main differences are …
Arugula isn’t the most well understood leafy green out there, nor is it the most common. But in the past decade or so you’ve seen it in more and more salads, on pizzas, in sandwiches, and in cheese melts. And it’s always that one flavor that drives people apart, just like coriander does. You either …
Beets are not the most common side dish, and they’re definitely not for everyone. They’ve got a vaguely sweet and earthy aroma, and the brightest, deepest red you’ve ever seen. Even if you don’t like beets, you have to admit their color is simply amazing. It’s so strong and pigmented it’s used in many foods …
Onions are notoriously difficult vegetables to cook with, mostly because they end up blurring your vision and leaving a strong smell even a couple of days later. To make things more difficult, onions have a whole set of layers you have to cut through. When you look at it, it’s rather strange. Why do onions …
Olives come in many different colors, flavors, cultivars, sizes, and degrees of convenience. Some of the most famous olive types are black olives and kalamata, and people often wonder if they’re not the same thing, or how they differ. So today we’re going to take a close look at kalamata and black olives, to see …
Olives are beautiful, flavorful little things and it’s really a shame to waste them. You can get them either by the pound, or pre-packaged in tubs or vacuum bags, or glass jars. And if you don’t end up eating them all in one go – most people don’t – you may be wondering just how …
If you’re a big fan of lasagna but absolutely cannot stand the thought of tomatoes, or cannot find any, then you’re in dire need of a tomato substitute. Maybe your case isn’t as dire and you simply need something else to bulk up a ratatouille. Or, maybe you’d rather swap the tomato in a salad …
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 …