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 …

Raspberries are never missing from the produce section, year-round. Sometimes they’re good, but often they’re sour and not really that great. Some of the most common questions regarding raspberries, aside from why you can’t find a decent batch, are why they’re fuzzy and why they’re hollow inside. And most perplexing: do raspberries have seeds ? …

Raspberries are everywhere and anytime, no matter where you are. They come in those little plastic packages and they always look absolutely adorable. Until you bring a pack home and are disappointed, each year. Why ? Because they’re almost always sour, and pretty much tasteless. So why are raspberries sour ? And are the commercial …

Vinegar is everywhere, from our foods to our cleaning products and we probably have a spare bottle of it somewhere in the pantry. We rely on it to bring a great tanginess and flavor to most dishes, though it can easily become way too much. Not everyone loves vinegar, but everyone notices when it’s missing.  …

Vinegar is very useful around the house, in almost any way you can imagine. It can clear up grime in no time, remove oily stains, add a nice tang to your food, and it makes Easter egg dye stick to the shells. But why do we add it to poached eggs ? How does it …

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 …

Quinces are notoriously hard to find, and even harder to eat raw. So, you always have to cook them, but first you have to find them. These golden fruits are mostly found around the Eastern part of the Mediterranean basin, North Africa, and Arabian Peninsula. Still, you can sometimes find them growing in a sweet …

Quinces are an old-timey fruit that’s both delicious, and difficult to eat. That is, if you’re trying to eat it raw. Most people expect quinces to be easy to eat after they ripen a little, just like pears or apples. But then why are all the quince recipes calling for heat and poaching ? Can …

Quinces are not a common sight, and they’re not the easiest fruit to find on the market. They’re harvested in late fall, before the first frosts, and they’re not commercially farmed in most countries. You have a higher chance of getting a couple of quinces from a loveable grandma’s backyard than finding them in the …

So you’ve just brought home the most amazing-looking pears ever and wonder how to store them properly. You may reach for the fridge, and then stop to remember whether you’ve ever seen a pear in the fridge, ever. So of course, you look up ‘should pears be refrigerated’, and here you are ! We’ll help …

So pear season has arrived, but you just can’t find any, all of them are already sold out. Or maybe you can’t stand the gritty texture of pears and would love a replacement. Whatever the case, you need a pear substitute, and we’re here to help. Today we’re covering all the possible pear substitutes, with …

Pears are the staple of late summer and early autumn. They’re just as good as apples, but you don’t see them around as much because they’re not as important of a crop. And when they do come around, you still have to wait for them to ripen, like bananas. One of them most important things …

Grapes are a delicious bunch of fruit when they’re in season, and incredibly disappointing when they’re not. If you live in Europe, America, and Australia then you’re likely very aware of how steep grape prices can be. It turns out there’s a very good reason for that, actually several reasons. So let’s take a look, …

Raisins are delicious little things, expect when they’re not. And plenty of people hate them with a vengeance. You may wonder why that is, and how raisins can offend someone so much. In truth we all have dislikes, and for something as important as food, this can be cause for arguments. Have you ever witnessed …

Dates are sweet and good in almost anything you can imagine. But have you ever wondered why dates are so sweet ? What sets them apart from other fruits that makes them so delicious ? And why are they so sticky, does it have to do with the sweetness ? This is what we’re covering …

When you think of balsamic vinegar, you think of a dark, tart-sweet condiment that is liberally drizzled over your favorite salad. You may also think of a really steep price tag. So you’d like to keep something so precious and delicious in perfect storage, so you don’t have to buy a new bottle every other …

Balsamic vinegar is one of those delicious condiments that confuses many people, and is frequently duped. So much that you rarely find real, traditional balsamic vinegar on the market outside of Italy. So you may be wondering what’s so special about this type of vinegar. Well, the flavor is deep and complex, the result of …

Balsamic vinegar can be very expensive, or very cheap, and the difference can be mind-boggling. So you wonder just why you can get the same item incredibly cheap, or expensive enough to make you slowly turn around and walk away. You probably figured out the cheaper ones are fakes, or somehow diluted. But if you’ve …

Vinaigrettes are definitely a culinary art. How much oil, how much vinegar, what seasoning, and how much per salad is definitely up to the chef. One thing’s certain, vinaigrettes are simpler yet better than most salad dressings out there. Especially if the vinaigrette is home-made, just the way you like it. You can easily find …

It’s hard to imagine life without mayonnaise, but sometimes you’re faced with such an option. Whether you dislike mayo, can’t find any, or you disagree with some of the ingredients, there are ways around mayonnaise. This is a common ingredient to bind food items together, since it’s so sticky and smooth. So when looking for …