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 …

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 …

Pancakes are a delicious treat, usually reserved for breakfast. And making the pancake mix is fairly difficult (at least getting it right) but the result is well worth the effort. Part of the problem is the eggs in the mix. Eggs some in specific sizes, and you have to adjust all other ingredients according to …

Bacon is amazingly delicious and it can be that missing ingredient that makes a recipe that much better. Or it can be something as plain as breakfast. And it’s especially delicious when crispy ! But you may have noticed an interesting food item appearing on the ingredient list of your favorite bacon: sugar. Does bacon …

Pork may not be the number one meat on most people’s list, but it sure is one of the cheapest ways to bring meat on the table. And we’re not talking about processed pork, like bacon, ham, some sausages, and so on. We mean actual cuts of pork meat. Why is pork so cheap ? …

Bacon grease is absolutely amazing ! You can cook your food in it, you can mix it onto other foods to give it a bacony taste, and it lasts for such a long time. But does bacon grease ever go bad ? How long does it last, and how should you store it ? If …