kitchen Archives - Page 17 of 19

September 29, 2022

7 Kitchen Gadgets That Make Cutting Vegetables Faster and Easier

We’re going to let you in on a little secret: the key to boosting your vegetable intake is always convenience—the easier it is to eat them, the greater the chances that you actually will. For example, you’re far more likely to snack on some carrots if they’re already cut up, or toss some kale into your smoothie if it’s already chopped. That’s why we recommend investing in some kitchen gadgets that make cutting vegetables fast and easy. Not only can they make slicing, dicing, and chopping veggies hassle-free, but in the process, they just may help you to eat more veggies.

With so many kitchen tools available, though, it can be tough to discern which ones are worth your hard-earned money. Fortunately, we rounded up some of our favorites. Whether you’re prepping a one-pan dinner for your family or a quick lunch salad for one, the following essential kitchen gadgets will help you cut up vegetables in a pinch.

Then, for more cooking tips check out The 9 Kitchen Tools Every Beginner Cook Needs.

Spiralizer Seven-Blade Vegetable Slicer

Having trouble getting your kids to eat their veggies? Or just looking for a way to shake up your vegetable prep? Try using a spiralizer. This ultra-versatile slicer comes with a variety of different blades for slicing everything from zucchini and carrots to sweet potatoes and butternut squash into shredded strands, wide ribbons, or long, spaghetti-like noddles.

And using it is super simple, too. Just insert your chosen vegetable into the device and turn the handle to spiralize it.

Need some meal inspo? This product also comes with an e-book filled with nutritious and delicious spiralizer recipes to get you started.

$26.97 at Amazon

Buy Now

Progressive International Zip Slicer

If you’ve ever tried to chop cherry or grape tomatoes, only to get juice squirted into your eye, try this handy gadget for a mess-free alternative.

Just load your tomatoes into the tube, zip the handle, and voilà—all of them will be cleanly sliced in half. As an added safety bonus, there’s a stopper at the end of the device and the blade is protected, meaning you don’t have to worry about your children helping out while you prep dinner.

$20 at Amazon

Buy Now

LENK Vegetable Cutter Shapes Set

Let’s be real, your kids are way more likely to eat something if it comes in a fun shape. That’s where these unique vegetable cutters come in. With a range of heart, star, animal, and flower shapes, they can be used to cut carrots, cucumbers, beets, and so much more. They also double as fruit and cookie cutters, too.

Thanks to the sturdy stainless steel design, they’re super easy to use. Just press one of the molds on your chosen veggie to cut out the desired shape. Plus, they’re reusable, dishwasher-safe, and a breeze to clean.

Don’t be surprised if your kids want to get in on the fun and cut up their own veggies to pack for school lunches. Anything to make your life easier, right?

$9.99 at Amazon

Buy Now

Mueller Multi Blade Adjustable Mandoline

You might be surprised at just how often a mandoline comes in handy—since it allows you to achieve thin, even slices, it’s the key to potatoes gratin, homemade coleslaw, and so much more.

This one stands out for several reasons: it’s fully adjustable, features five interchangeable ultra-sharp stainless steel blades, and is made with non-toxic plastic. Since you can adjust the thickness settings with an easy thumb dial control, it’s versatile enough to serve as a vegetable peeler, onion cutter, and garlic chopper all in one.

$29.97 at Amazon

Buy Now

Hamilton Beach Electric Vegetable Chopper&Mini Food Processor

A good food processor is an invaluable time saver because it can dice, chop, or even mash veggies in an instant. And if you don’t have the counter space (or the budget) for a full-size version, consider this affordable mini chopper, which is a tad easier to store but still super powerful thanks to a 350-watt motor.

Compact, quick to assemble, and easy to clean with a dishwasher-safe bowl, it’s sure to simplify the process of whipping up any recipe, like when you want to chop an onion without those dreaded tears. You can even use it to quickly mash up some fresh herbs. The best part? It won’t take up a ton of valuable counter space.

$27.99 at Amazon

Buy Now

YD YD XINHUA Kitchen Food Cutter Chopper Clever Kitchen Knife with Cutting Board

If salads are a staple in your household, this handy two-in-one gadget is a must. It streamlines the process of chopping veggies while also cutting down on how many dishes you’ll have to clean. All you have to do is hold your chosen vegetable against the built-in cutting board and press the blade downward in a scissor-like cutting motion.

This tool is suitable for a wide range of vegetables, from carrots and onions to celery, tomatoes, carrots, and mushrooms. But you can use it for fruit, meat, cheese, and bread, too.

A locking safety hinge helps to prevent accidental cuts, the sturdy stainless steel blade promises easy chopping, and the plastic handle boasts a comfortable grip. You can also save space by hanging this tool on your kitchen wall, or on a hook inside a cabinet. Plus, since it’s small and lightweight, it’s easy to transport for road trips and picnics.

$11.99 at Amazon

Buy Now

Vidalia Chop Wizard Pro Max

Imagine if you could chop an entire onion or eight garlic cloves in one second flat. Well, with his super versatile tool, that’s totally possible. The Vidalia Chop Wizard Pro Max dices, slices, and chops your veggies with ease, and it comes with three interchangeable blades, depending on how small or large you want to cut your veggies.

Use it to dice peppers and tomatoes for salsas and salads, cut potatoes for homemade French fries, or chop carrots and celery for stews—the possibilities are truly endless. Just place any vegetable (or fruit) onto the blades, close the lid, press down, and watch the chopped veggies empty right into the plastic receptacle that’s attached.

Another benefit is that the container doubles as a measuring cup, and contains an opening for you to easily pour your veggies right into a pan or pot. And when you’re done, the silicone lift tab magically removes any leftover pieces and debris, and the Chop Wizard can be placed right in the dishwasher.

$34.95 at Amazon

Buy Now

September 28, 2022

The 9 Kitchen Tools Every Beginner Cook Needs

If you’re just starting out in the kitchen, beginning with the right set of kitchen tools is your first priority. The last thing you want in the middle of a recipe is to read an instruction like “whisk the eggs” and not have a whisk on hand.

But don’t fear! As a culinary dietitian and the author of The Best 3-Ingredient Cookbook: 100 Fast & Easy Recipes for Everyone, I know what beginners need, and many of these tools listed below come from a list in my cookbook.

After you gather your kitchen tools, your next task will be to find simple, easy, and tasty recipes to start cooking like The Easiest Recipes To Make Right Now or Easy Recipes You Need in Your Meal Prep Routine.

Cuisinart Non-stick Skillet — Courtesy of Amazon

This pan has slanted sides and is sometimes referred to as a frying pan. It’s typically used for quick-cooking recipes where you move the ingredients around a lot inside the pan. Opt for a smaller one if you’re cooking for 1 or 2 people, and a large one if you’re cooking for several people like a family of 4 or 6. I also suggest purchasing a skillet with a cover.

What I recommend: Cuisinart Nonstick, 12-Inch, Skillet w/Glass Cover, $39.95.

A saucepan has high sides and is good for many recipes including cooking vegetables, grains, pasta, and of course, sauces. Do look for saucepans with covers, which will help you cook grain dishes. Start with one or two to see what your needs are.

What I recommend: T-fal Performa Stainless Steel Sauce Pan Cookware, 3-Quart, $22.49.

For beginner cooks, I recommend following the recipes as written, which often means measuring out your ingredients. Having a standard set of measuring cups and spoons will make things easier than guessing the actual measurement and your food will come out much tastier, too.

What I recommend: OXO Good Grips Plastic Measuring Cups and Spoons Set, $17.98.

From mixing muffin batters, tossing a salad, or making mashed potatoes, mixing bowls are needed in most recipes. Purchase a set of at least three (small, medium, and large) that nestle inside each other for easy storage.

What I recommend: Glad Mixing Bowls with Pour Spout, Set of 3, $12.49.

Umite Baking Sheets — Courtesy of Amazon

Available rimmed and unrimmed, baking sheets are essential for roasting vegetables, baking cookies, and even cooking proteins. I recommend starting with a set of two because most ovens can handle two sheet pans at a time, which can also cut back on cooking time.

What I recommend: Umite Chef Stainless Steel Baking Sheet, Set of 2, $21.99.

You don’t need to start your cooking experience by investing in an expensive knife set. Instead, start with a chef’s knife for chopping, slicing, and dicing. A smaller paring knife is used to peel fruits and vegetables, to slice garlic, or to perform other detailed cutting.

What I recommend: DV Knife 8 inch Chef’s Knife, 4 inch Paring Knife, $10.99

A good solid surface for cutting will prevent your countertops from being worn. It’s also perfect for chopping, slicing, and dicing fruits, vegetables, meats and other foods. It’s best practice to have at least two cutting boards, one for fruits and vegetables and one for raw meats and poultry, in order to prevent cross-contamination.

What I recommend: Gorilla Grip Durable Kitchen Cutting Board, $18.99.

Colanders have many uses like washing vegetables and fruits, or draining pasta and beans. Have at least one in arm’s reach in your kitchen.

What I recommend: HiramWare Stainless Steel Colander, $12.95.

Some basic utensils to have in your kitchen include a whisk for egg dishes or sauces, a spatula for turning roasted vegetables or flipping pancakes, a pair of tongs to grab meat when it’s hot off the stove, and cooking spoons for mixing chili, soups, or sauces when they’re cooking.

What I recommend: Umite Chef Kitchen Cooking Utensils Set, $32.99

We know that just starting off in the kitchen can feel like a really daunting task, but with these kitchen tools, you’ll hopefully begin to feel more prepared and find more confidence with cooking in no time. Before you know it, you’ll be inviting your friends and family over for a dinner party to show off your new skills.

September 27, 2022

12 Kitchen Tools You’re Not Properly Cleaning or Storing

Everyday cooking, even in the most careful kitchens, can leave kitchen tools dull and dinged up from use. Many of us mistreat our kitchen tools without even realizing it, from failing to properly clean and store them to exposing them to harmful elements like excess heat and acid. We’re here to help keep your trusty utensils in good working order with tips to maximize their longevity. Learn the 11 most mistreated tools in your kitchen below.

Rubber Spatulas

Courtesy of Amazon

Rubber spatulas scrape the last bit of batter from bowls with ease, but they are a top contender for misuse for a couple of reasons. First, not all rubber spatulas are heatproof, which means they can melt if you use them to stir food in a hot pan. The DI ORO Seamless Series 3 Piece Silicone Spatula Set, for example, can withstand up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit.

A spatula can also get damaged when scraping a mixer bowl while the mixer is on, as the blade can catch the spatula edge and chip pieces off into your food. So, always turn off your mixer before scraping. Finally, make sure you clean between the spatula head and handle to keep food remnants from building up.

Price at time of publish: $33

Cast Iron Skillets

Courtesy of Amazon

Cast iron has a reputation for being difficult to maintain, but it’s also incredibly durable, lasting decades if treated with care. Unlike most materials, cast iron isn’t wash-and-go: It requires proper seasoning and storing, and it can’t be exposed to water for extended periods. Thankfully, the Lodge Cast Iron Skillet you have had for years is also resilient, so even if it’s had a rough go, you can revive it with a bit of elbow grease.

“If it’s a brand new or used pan that shows possible rusting, make a small amount of roux and toss it out after you wipe the pan. Then, clean with warm water and dry upside down in a preheated oven for like an hour. When it cools, it should shine,” says chef Chris Holbrook, who seasons cast iron pans about once a year.

Price at time of publish: $29

Knives

Courtesy of Amazon

Almost certainly the most mistreated tools in your kitchen, knives are often used on surfaces that dull them, further worn down in the dishwasher, and tossed in drawers with other tools that bang against their blades. It’s easy to change your habits, however, and treat knives with more care. This means washing knives soon after use (but never in the dishwasher, according to restaurateur John Gianoulidis), thoroughly drying them, and properly storing them in a block or on a magnetic knife strip, like the 16-Inch Stainless Steel Magnetic Knife Bar from Modern Innovations.

In addition to avoiding cutting on hard surfaces like glass, using a wooden cutting board and even placing a damp towel or non-slip shelf liner under the cutting board for stability will help preserve your knives, according to chef Chris Holbrook. Finally, use a knife sharpener when needed. Every good meal starts wfith a good knife, so treat them with respect for a noticeable difference.

Price at time of publish: $27

Related: We Tested the Best Chef’s Knife for Every Type of Task

Wooden Cutting Boards

Courtesy of Amazon

Cutting boards can breed bacteria when we neglect them. Wooden cutting boards in particular need more TLC than washing. Wood dries out and warps if it’s cleaned repeatedly with soapy water, so make sure to season wooden boards with mineral oil occasionally, and never let them soak in water for extended periods. After all, if you’ve invested in a beautiful, thick board like the John Boos Block Maple Wood Reversible Cutting Board, one of our favorites, you don’t want to comprise it.

Also important is using the right cutting board for the job: Gianoulidis uses different colors of cutting boards for different tasks to keep meat (and its bacteria) off the boards he uses for raw food. At home, you can have dedicated plastic boards for meat and chicken, and dedicate your wooden cutting boards to veggies and bread.

Price at time of publish: $201

Wooden Spoons

Courtesy of Amazon

Like wooden cutting boards, wooden spoons need a bit of love to last a long time without cracking or warping. Preventing bacteria buildup also matters here. Don’t wait to clean wooden spoons soon after using them with a non-abrasive sponge that won’t leave scour marks on the wood. Never soak these spoons in water for extended periods and, as with your cutting board, occasionally oil them to keep the wood in good condition. We love the Oxo Good Grips 3-Piece Wooden Spoon Set for several kitchen tasks.

Price at time of publish: $15

Baking Sheets

Courtesy of Amazon

Baking sheets work hard yet don’t get the thanks (or care) they deserve. That said, even those known for durability, like Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker’s Half Sheets, can rust and warp. Make sure to clean and dry your baking sheets thoroughly, paying careful attention to cleaning off any oil buildup before it becomes a sticky, hard-to-remove mess. Store your baking sheets completely dry without any heavy pans on top of them, which can dent and ding the metal.

Price at time of publish: $25

Graters and Zesters

Courtesy of Amazon

Box graters and zesters like the Microplane Premium Classic Series Zester help us add zest (and cheese and nutmeg) to our dishes, but we tend to toss them back into the drawer after use without checking that they’re thoroughly cleaned. All those little holes can harbor food bits, causing bacteria build-up, rust, and dulling.

Clean your grater with a vegetable brush inside and out, getting into all the little cracks while keeping your hands away from sharp edges. “Warm water, soap, and a soft-bristled brush should get it done, but you’ll need to scrub mostly with the grain of the grater,” says chef Andy Gonzales. You can also reach for a bar of soap. “I saw someone grate a bar of soap once and it looked silly but it works! Just soak it well and wipe rinse afterward with a cloth to get the soap out,” says Holbrook.

Price at time of publish: $18

Microwaves

Courtesy of Amazon

Microwaves heat dinner in a hurry, but they can also collect food particles and grease. Depending on where your microwave is located in your kitchen, you may not be able to see the inside, but we can say with some authority that it’s probably time to clean it. There are a few easy ways to reduce the amount of food that ends up on the microwave’s interior during use, including properly covering your food before popping it in (the Tovolo Microwave Cover is great for this). But, it’s also good practice to give the inside a regular scrub to avoid it looking like a Jackson Pollack painting.

Price at time of publish: $12

Vegetable Peelers

Courtesy of Amazon

Vegetable peelers and similar utensils like mandolins have nooks and crannies where bits of food can build up, causing dullness and bacterial growth. Peelers are also stored in a drawer, where they can be dulled by coming in contact with other utensils. To avoid this, clean and thoroughly dry your peeler before storage, and try to store it in a way that keeps the blade away from other utensils. Alternatively, buy a peeler with a protective blade cover, like the KitchenAid Gourmet Euro Peeler, our favorite serrated vegetable peeler.

Price at time of publish: $10

Stainless Steel Cookware

Courtesy of Amazon

Though stainless steel cookware heats quickly and gives cooks precise temperature control, it’s also prone to burnt-on messes. Indeed, not even our pick for the overall best stainless steel set, Tramontina’s Gourmet 12-Piece Try-Ply Clad Cookware, was exempt from food sticking during our tests.

To remove crunchy food bits after cooking, just deglaze your hot pan with water, then scrape with a spoon or another tool that won’t gouge the metal. To keep your pans in top shape, scrub them when they get dull, too. “For pans, I highly recommend Bar Keeper’s Friend for the bottoms of pans to keep them gunk-free and shiny. Shiny pans get hotter, faster than dirty pans,” says chef Andy Gonzales.

Price at time of publish: $7

Stand Mixers

Courtesy of Amazon

A beautiful, shiny countertop KitchenAid Artisan Series Stand Mixer will tell anyone who visits that you are a serious cook. As effective as it is for mixing, however, all that batter and dough can build up on its attachments, leaving behind rust, bacteria, and more. To avoid this, make sure your attachments are cleaned and dried soon after use, including the little hole where they attach. Wipe the mixer itself down, too, paying special attention to the parts closest to the mixing bowl. For longevity, store the attachments where they won’t get beaten up.

Price at time of publish: $460

Pastry Brushes

Courtesy of Amazon

Even if you don’t use brushes every day, they won’t last indefinitely. Bristles fray and loosen over time, and it’s a good idea to check them now and then to make sure they’re in good working order before you need to bust them out. That said, keeping them from other kitchen tools (that is, from knocking around at the bottom of a drawer) will help a lot, and cleaning and drying them right after use helps, too. If you find you go through pastry brushes too quickly, consider buying silicone brushes like the Oxo Good Grips Silicone Basting and Pastry Brush.

Price at time of publish: $11

Conclusion

You may be mistreating your kitchen tools, but you can still change the fate of your hardworking kitchen helpers with simple changes to your routine. By properly cleaning and drying your tools before properly storing them and seasoning your wood cutting boards, wooden spoons, and cast iron pans from time to time, you can extend the life of your favorite kitchen tools and enjoy them for years to come.

Our Expertise

Dr. Julia Skinner is a culinary instructor, food writer, and food historian with over ten years of experience writing and teaching about food. You can find her work at @rootkitchens, on her website, or in her newsletter.

Chef Chris Holbrook has been cooking his whole life and graduated from The Dedman School of Hospitality at FSU in 2005. He has worked in private clubs, hotels, family restaurants, pubs, and catering companies in kitchen and front-of-house roles. Currently, he manages the Aprons Cooking School in Winter Park and oversees Publix Full-Service Catering for the greater Orlando area.

Chef Andy Gonzales is a partner in Steinbeck’s, Oakhurst Market & The Companion in the Atlanta metro area. His extensive amount of experience in Atlanta’s culinary scene is fundamental to his multicultural style of comfort food and extensive knowledge of beverages.

John Gianoulidis (aka John the Greek) is a restauranteur in the Atlanta area who was raised in restaurants and today owns Park Grounds and The Greek Pizzeria & Gyros.

September 26, 2022

I Used a Desk Organizer to Arrange My Friend’s Chaotic Kitchen Drawers

We independently choose these products—if you purchase from just one of our backlinks, we could receive a fee. All costs were accurate at the time of publishing.

I’m no professional organizer, but working as an editor at a handful of way of life publications, I’ve picked up a couple of tricks of the trade by watching and talking to the experts. So when Jenny, just one of my mates who I have known for a number of years, talked about her cluttered kitchen drawers, I sprang into action (and did what buddies do!) and aided her out.

In truth, just one drawer, she stated, was committed to keep a disorganized pile of takeout chopsticks, straws, and plastic utensils. The other drawer was brimming with a mishmash of kitchen applications, these types of as a few of hand juicers, zesters, a can opener, peelers, tongs, and bottle openers. It seemed whatever you could consider of was hiding in this drawer! What Jenny desired was dividers to corral her rising stash of kitchen devices.

After describing the issue, I advised Jenny an organizing technique may well significantly whip her kitchen area drawer chaos into form, so I picked up two handy organizers from The Household Edit line to see if they could assistance.

The cult-favourite model, which has its individual show on Netflix, recently unveiled a new, cost-effective line at Walmart, and the name-model products and solutions are claimed to be a portion of the cost in contrast to other shops. I made the decision to give them a consider.

To develop a custom made process, I settled on two specific organizers: Home Edit’s simple utensil set (which has six individual compartments), and a adorable 6-piece organizer with several containers personalized to healthy a desk drawer. Sure, it wasn’t exactly for kitchen use, but I saw potential. “Every solution has a location,” the manufacturer confident me appropriate on the label.

See, even though the desk bins are made to dwelling colourful pens and binder clips, I figured they were being just the appropriate size and width to mix and match to build a flexible drawer procedure for Jenny’s kitchen area resources.

Of class, the to start with thing my close friend and I did was thoroughly clean out the two aspect-by-facet drawers. That meant not only emptying it, but also wiping out the crumbs and dusty corners and seams.

It was a difficult endeavor, but Jenny went by and also tried to make a decision which items to keep and which things to aspect with. More than the many years, it was clear she’s amassed quite a collection of equipment and many duplicates. In her pile, we even discovered some merchandise she experienced by no means opened! Alongside one another, we begun categorizing her instruments to acquire a psychological inventory of what she had.

Our system was to generate division and purchase by working with the organizing methods concerning the two drawers, eliminating the takeout drawer fully and rather employing the area to allow her resources to breathe. Once she noticed the program appear alongside one another, Jenny also grabbed resources from other kitchen area drawers so all the things was all jointly in one area.

At the time we did that, we experienced a clear area to figure out the configuration of the drawer organizers. It took a little bit of taking part in close to, but by mixing and matching, we ended up capable to occur up with a excellent alternative that in good shape her drawer exactly, leaving just a modest margin alongside the facet for her long meat tongs and a pair of knives.

For the second drawer, we yet again configured the bins to match the place and made use of the remaining items to personalize cubbies for just about every of her equipment. Like a jigsaw puzzle, we nested her products together and arranged like merchandise with like so that Jenny experienced a far better system to obtain points when she needed it. Now, for case in point, there are apparent boundaries with a separate place for her measuring spoons and a area dedicated solely to her juicers.

Making the division was critical. With out owning to rummage by means of the drawer, Jenny is now able to speedily come across what she needs. In addition, the boundaries also assistance to make it much easier for her to place things absent — because every little thing has a dwelling!

Of training course, I checked again in with Jenny weeks afterwards when it was all finished. And guess what? She tells me it is been a lot easier to maintain the drawers for the reason that instruments simply cannot shift all-around. “It’s much easier to find things,” she defined, incorporating that now she can visibly see all of her tools. Best aspect? It even now looks very good, even right after weeks have long gone by.

The wonderful matter was that everything suit specifically as if it had been customized for her drawers. It is getting the freedom to mix and match that allowed us to put all the things in its position. It just goes to display that you do not require to truly feel constrained to applying only “kitchen”-specified items to arrange your room — even office environment materials or Diy cardboard containers will do!

Do you have a superior kitchen area drawer system established up? Convey to us your thoughts and products tips in the reviews below.

September 25, 2022

Mark Bittman has 3 tips for the kitchen : NPR

Mark Bittman’s spinach carbonara is a vegetarian twist on a classic Italian dish. He says spinach adds “a variety of different nutrients and just mixes things up a bit.”

Jim Henkens

hide caption

toggle caption

Jim Henkens

Mark Bittman’s spinach carbonara is a vegetarian twist on a classic Italian dish. He says spinach adds “a variety of different nutrients and just mixes things up a bit.”

Jim Henkens

Fast cooking isn’t about skill. It’s about strategy.

That’s according to six-time James Beard Award-winning food writer Mark Bittman. So when he sat down to revise How to Cook Everything Fast, he had an eye toward teaching technique, not just showcasing recipes.

“There are patterns [in cooking] that after you do many times, you begin to recognize and you do automatically. But beginning cooks don’t see those patterns, and they don’t have them laid out for them,” Bittman tells NPR.

And he’s indeed cooked — and written about cooking — many times. He’s the author of numerous cookbooks, and spent decades writing about food for the New York Times.

This is part of All Things Considered‘s “In A Pinch” series, where cookbook authors discuss meals that can be prepared with a handful of ingredients and a little bit of time.

“The attempt in Fast is to say: Here’s how you really need to learn how to cook, here’s how to organize ingredients. Here’s how to use the right technique.”

Bittman breaks down three strategies for faster cooking. His responses have been edited and condensed for clarity.

Three Ways Cooking Has Changed Over The Last 300 Years

1. Prepare as you cook

There’s a lot of downtime in cooking. It takes time for the heat that you’re using to be applied to the food that you’re using it on. And you can use that time to do other things that make the whole procedure go more quickly.

2. Keep a well-stocked pantry

There are challenges around cooking besides the cooking itself. And one of them is shopping. To the extent that you can keep a good pantry, you can cook a lot of recipes without shopping. And that’s a real advantage.

3. Always cook more than you need — think leftovers

The History Of Our Love-Hate-Love Relationship With Leftovers

If you’re cooking beans for a dish, then cook a lot of them and either refrigerate or freeze what’s left. Same with whole grains.

Whenever you can, it almost always pays to cook more, even if it’s just cooking more of the given dish. That’s the kind of thing that veteran cooks know and learn.

Below are three recipes from Bittman’s revised edition of How to Cook Everything Fast that you can try at home when you’re in a pinch. They have been excerpted by permission of Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Spinach Carbonara

With the richness of eggs and Parmesan and the fresh bite of lightly cooked spinach, this recipe offers a hearty meatless alternative to more traditional pasta carbonara. You can replace the spinach with escarole, kale, mustard greens, chard or broccoli rabe. Just cut the ones with large leaves and stems crosswise into ribbons and cook a little longer if necessary.

SERVES 4

Salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound spinach

2 cloves garlic

1 pound any long pasta

3 eggs

4 ounces Parmesan cheese (1 cup grated)

Pepper

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.

2. Put 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over low heat.

3. Trim off any thick stems from the spinach.

4. Raise the heat under the skillet to medium-high. Cook the spinach, adding a handful at a time and stirring between batches, until the leaves are just wilted, about 5 minutes.

5. Peel and chop 2 cloves garlic, adding them to the skillet as soon as you can (they’ll cook with the spinach).

6. When the spinach is tender, turn off the heat.

7. When the water boils, add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally. Start tasting after 5 minutes.

8. Crack the eggs into a bowl.

9. Grate 1 cup Parmesan cheese and add to the bowl; sprinkle with salt and lots of pepper. Whisk with a fork to combine.

10. When the pasta is tender but not mushy, drain it, reserving about 1 cup cooking water. Add the pasta to the spinach and pour in the egg mixture. Toss, adding a splash of cooking water if you want to make it saucier. Taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve.

Stir-Fried Chicken and Chard

Mark Bittman’s stir-fried chicken and chard. The celebrated food writer says stir-fries are an ideal fast meal because they employ a key strategy for quick cooking — maximizing downtime.

Jim Henkens

hide caption

toggle caption

Jim Henkens

Mark Bittman’s stir-fried chicken and chard. The celebrated food writer says stir-fries are an ideal fast meal because they employ a key strategy for quick cooking — maximizing downtime.

Jim Henkens

It might not be the most common green used in stir-fries, but kale takes well to high heat and has a ton of flavor. The leaves soften quickly and acquire wonderful singed brown spots (especially in a cast-iron or carbon steel skillet), while the little bits of the stems form a crunchy counterpoint. Try serving this with soba noodles for something different.

SERVES 4

4 tablespoons good-quality vegetable oil

6 to 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1½ pounds)

Salt and pepper

1 inch fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic

4 scallions

1 bunch chard (about 1 pound)

2 tablespoons soy sauce, or more to taste

Sesame oil for serving

Directions

1. Put 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Also, slice the chicken into ½-inch strips or chop into bite-sized pieces.

2. Add the chicken to the skillet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, undisturbed, until it sizzles and releases easily from the pan, about 3 minutes. After that, stir occasionally, until it loses its pink color and browns in places, another 5 to 10 minutes. Also:

Peel 1 inch ginger and 2 cloves garlic; chop them together.
Trim and chop the scallions, keeping the white and light green parts separate from the dark green tops.
Rinse and trim the chard, keeping everything but the toughest stem ends. Cut the leaves across the stem into ribbons as wide or thin as you like.

3. When the chicken is done, add the ginger, garlic, and white and light green parts of the scallions. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about a minute. Transfer the chicken mixture to a bowl.

4. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil to the skillet and turn the heat to high. Add the chard, a handful at a time if necessary to fit it in, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until the leaves soften and begin to brown slightly, 5 to 7 minutes.

5. Return the chicken mixture to the skillet; add 2 tablespoons soy sauce and ½ cup water and stir until most of the liquid evaporates before turning off the heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Garnish with the scallion greens and serve, passing sesame oil at the table.

Skillet Apple Crisp

Mark Bittman’s skillet apple crisp recipe can be used with any fruit and doesn’t require an oven.

Jim Henkens

hide caption

toggle caption

Jim Henkens

Mark Bittman’s skillet apple crisp recipe can be used with any fruit and doesn’t require an oven.

Jim Henkens

When you deconstruct the fruit and topping components of a crisp, you get a beloved dessert in a fraction of the time. And you don’t even have to turn on the oven. The variations provide two of many alternatives and a whole different topping that works on any fruit. Use whatever is in season: peaches, plums, pears, berries—even bananas, mangoes, or pineapple. Cooking time is variable, just a few extra minutes one way or the other; you check for tenderness frequently.

SERVES 4 TO 6

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter

2 pounds apples

½ cup walnuts or pecans

½ cup rolled oats

¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

½ cup packed brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Salt

Directions

1. Put 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Also, core and chop the apples, leaving the skin on.

2. Add the apples to the butter and cook, stirring frequently and adding water 1 tablespoon at a time if the pan starts to look dry, until the apples are tender, 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Put 7 tablespoons butter in another large skillet over medium heat. Also, chop ½ cup nuts.

4. When the butter is melted, add the nuts, ½ cup rolled oats, ¼ cup shredded coconut, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and a pinch of salt; toss to coat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the topping is golden and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes.

5. When the fruit is soft, divide it among serving bowls. Scatter the topping over the fruit and serve.

September 25, 2022

These Easy-to-Use Amazon Kitchen Tools Are Katie’s Favorites

Cooking at dwelling a large amount recently? It’s time to seize these user-welcoming tools.

If you’ve been a Wake-Up Caller from the starting, you might recall that I employed to do a collection each individual Friday the place I informed you about what I was studying, having, observing, and listening to this 7 days. I missed performing that, so I required to share some things I have been truly into these days. But we’re growing the plan further than food and entertainment to share even much more of my existing obsessions — which includes Instagram accounts I cannot quit scrolling and solutions I’m loving.

In brief, I’m obsessed! What have you been obsessed with currently? Publish to me at information@katiecouric.com and permit me know!

Fall is listed here, close friends! The temperature has turned crisp in NYC and it feels astonishingly great, so I’m going to farmer’s marketplaces and striving to cook dinner some comfort food (see: my apple pie recipe!). To make all that cooking even easier, I gathered up some of my new Amazon kitchen buys to gear up for the cooler months forward.

Garlic Roller

I swear by this gadget — just place your cloves in the rubber tube (why does that sound filthy?), roll it on the counter, and the peel will come ideal off! It is astounding, and you will save you from getting flecks of papery garlic husks just about everywhere.

Mini Le Creuset Pot

After that garlic is peeled, you can bake it in this mini Le Creuset dish, soaked in olive oil and rosemary. Can you say yum? It’s only $20, and you could pair it with a bag of good salt as a hostess present (see underneath), for all of your tumble evening meal functions.

Maldon Salt

Talking of salt, a long time ago, Bobby Flay (title drop, LOL) gifted me a container of Maldon salt and I’ve been hooked at any time because. It’s a ending salt, so it’s finest to use If you are on the lookout to stock up, I just purchased this significant bucket, or you can seize a scaled-down dimensions to gift to a friend.

Nut Chopper

I adore nuts in salads, cookies, bars, and granola, and this helpful unit would make prepping them virtually as well simple. I’ve been dreaming of whipping up this pumpkin loaf and these granola bars, each of which would have to have some chopped nuts. I’ll make each and report back again!

Milk Frother

I have been hoping to be greater about earning coffee at residence — that behavior is greater for your wallet and the setting — and getting a milk frother tends to make a home made brew significantly a lot more enticing. I’ve been including cinnamon powder to my almond milk in the AM, and it’s a great (and sugar-absolutely free!) address.

Mini Crock Pot

My other slide resolution is to cook dinner at residence far more usually. It’s usually just Molner and me, so this mini crock pot is loads major for the two of us. I adore putting chicken breasts, salsa, black beans, and taco seasoning in the crock pot in the early morning. And when we occur residence at night, we pour that delicious combination about rice (I hope you all know about Trader Joe’s frozen bags of rice, which make lifestyle even easier) and sprinkle cilantro and cheese over top at the conclusion. It’s delectable — and great for you, too.

Want additional excellent written content?

Signal up right here to jumpstart your mornings with Katie’s dynamic everyday publication, Wake-Up Phone.

By joining you take KCM Conditions of Assistance & Privateness Coverage