Category Archives for "How To’s"

How to Choose Cookware (That’s Right for YOU)

How do you pick cookware? How do you know what’s right for you? We can help! Start here for an overview, then check out our cookware archives for more detailed articles and reviews. Table of Contents Aluminum (Non-anodized)Aluminum (Hard Anodized)Cast IronCarbon SteelCopperEnameled Cast Iron Dutch OvenGlass/Stone/Ceramic CookwareClad Stainless SteelNonstick CookwareFinal Thoughts Aluminum (Non-anodized)Example: Tramontina Professional […]

20 Ways to Use a Whipping Siphon

If you’re looking for a new kitchen tool that you can have a ton of fun with, experiment with inexpensively, and make fancy foods you never thought would be so easy, consider the humble whipping siphon. You may think it’s what Alton Brown would call a “unitasker,” used only for whipped cream, and pulled out only […]

Thinking of Getting Someone a Coffee Pod? Go Old School Instead (And Love Your Coffee Again!)

If you’re thinking about buying a pod coffee maker for yourself or as a gift for someone, please read this first. There are better ways to go–no matter what your priorities are! Coffee pods have taken over the market. According to this article, coffee pods accounted for 35% of coffee sales in 2017. This translates to […]

6 Ways to Minimize Sous Vide Plastic Use

The idea of sous vide is appealing, but yeah, we get it: using all that plastic gives you pause. After all, you use cloth shopping bags, you have a stainless water bottle, you’ve converted to mason jars and pyrex for most of your food storage, and (of course) you recycle. You’re doing your part, and […]

How to Buy Online: Teach Yourself About Technical Products and Get What You Can Truly Love

Love the convenience of online shopping, but afraid of getting a bad deal? How to buy online–especially products you’re not familiar with and don’t understand very well? The answer is that you have to do your research–but it’s not as hard as it sounds.  Whatever your budget, you can find great products you can truly […]

Easy Ways to Increase Your Food’s Shelf Life (Plus a Few Handy Gadgets to Help)

It’s true: we Americans waste a lot of food. More than a third of what we buy, according to ReFed, a nonprofit group committed to reducing food waste in the U.S. This amounts to 63,000,000 tons of food and $218 billion dollars per year. This is wastefulness on a colossal scale. And it’s terrible for […]

Knife Safety, Knife Care, and Knife Skills: The Basics for Beginners

If you Google for “knife safety,” “knife basics,” or “knife skills,” you’ll find a ton of articles on the Internet. The only thing new about this article is that we pull it all together into one piece: here, you’ll find basic knife safety, basic knife care, and basic knife skills all in one spot. Enjoy! Table […]

Kitchen Safety (21 Easy Ways to Make Your Kitchen Safer)

The kitchen is the most dangerous room in the house, so kitchen safety is important. For clarity’s sake, I’m dividing kitchen safety into 3 main categories: setup, basic practices, and food safety. Setup involves foundational principles that everyone should follow for a safe kitchen. Basic practices is about how to be careful in a kitchen: things to […]

How-To: 3 Super Easy Tips for a Clean Kitchen

When you think about a clean kitchen, divide the work into 3 categories: clutter, germs, and grease. This logical division will help you keep your kitchen cleaner, because it helps you with your plan of attack. Table of Contents 1. Clutter2. Germs3. GreaseFinal Thoughts You can’t deep-clean for germs and grease if there’s clutter everywhere. […]

Kitchen Tools: 5 to Splurge On and 6 to Save On (Plus Some Basic Shopping Advice)

My significant other loves the good stuff. He’s taught me the importance of quality, and I, too, have come to love and appreciate quality tools and how much better they can make a job go. In fact, that’s pretty much the philosophy of this web site: get the best stuff you can afford because it […]

12 Ways A Vacuum Food Sealer Can Save You Money

You probably know that a vacuum food sealer can save you money by keeping food fresher for longer. But did you know that a vacuum food sealer can keep food fresh for up to 5 times longer than non-vacuum sealed food? (And maybe even longer than that in a freezer?) Table of Contents ​1. Buying in Bulk2. Easy […]

How to Pick the Best Vacuum Sealer in Every Price Range

Table of Contents The Best Vacuum Sealers At a GlanceWhy Does a Vacuum Sealer Keep Food Fresher?Types of Vacuum SealersWhat Do I Look For in a Vacuum Sealer?How Do I Choose the Best Vacuum Sealer For Me?The Best Vacuum Sealer Under $50: Seal-a-MealThe Best Vacuum Sealer Under $100: FoodSaver FM2000The Best Vacuum Sealer Under $200 […]

The Secret Shelf Life of Food: What Food Freshness Labels and Expiration Dates Really Mean

Welcome to the complex and confusing world of food freshness labeling. If you think the “expiration” dates on food are there to protect you, think again. They are there for entirely different reasons. Contents Why Is Food Waste a Problem?​What Do Food Labels Mean?The 3 Main Causes of Foodborne IllnessHow Do You Know When to […]

How to Make a Grocery List (Especially if You Hate Meal Prepping)

You may think you know how to make a grocery list, but we’ve got news for you: there’s could be room for improvement.Do you throw out food regularly? Do you have too many leftovers in your fridge that you’re sick of eating? Do you have too much fresh food but lack the pantry staples–like grains, […]

How to Waste Less Food by Stocking Up!

If you hate to waste food and find it happening more often than you like, you’re not alone. Here’s a way to save food that may not make sense at first glance: you have to stock up. No, not on everything, but on pantry basics. Because if you have the basics on hand, you can always use […]