The Stuff I already Know,
so You Don’t Have to Google it.
Recipes, tips, tricks, swaps, saves, and the occasional “so THAT’S why that happens.”
Well, Now You Know
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How to Prep Butternut Squash
Kitchen Tips • Prep Made EasyHow to Prep Butternut SquashButternut squash is delicious, versatile, and so much easier to prepare when you have the right tools. Let’s face it, though—some squash seem determined to fight back. Here’s how I cut and cube butternut squash so it’s ready for roasting, soup, and more.Before you start: two…
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Fixing Seized Chocolate
You’re happily melting chocolate and suddenly it goes from smooth and glossy to thick, grainy, clumpy nonsense. Congratulations. Your chocolate has seized.
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Don’t Overcrowd Your Pan!
If you want food to brown instead of steam, give it some breathing room. Crowding everything into the pan may look like a shortcut, but it usually works against you.
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Moldy Cheese: Keep It or Toss It?
You find a moldy spot on that block of cheese and immediately think, “Well, there goes $8.” Not necessarily.
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Onion in Water Tip
Raw onion can be delicious in salads, tacos, burgers, salsa, and sandwiches—right up until it becomes the only thing you can taste.
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Coffee Ice Cubes
You made a perfectly good iced coffee. Why are you slowly watering it down? Instead of tossing leftover coffee, pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze it. The next time you make iced coffee, use the coffee cubes instead of regular ice.
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Freeze Rice
If you’re freezing cooked rice, don’t wait until it has completely cooled and started drying out. Portion and package the rice while it’s still warm. That helps trap some of the steam and moisture inside the container or freezer bag. When you reheat it later, that retained moisture helps steam the rice again so it…
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Why Salt Your Pasta Water?
If you’re going to cover the pasta in sauce anyway, does salting the water really matter? Yep. Because the pasta itself needs seasoning too.
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Egg Substitutes for Baking
Out of eggs? Baking for someone who doesn’t eat them? There are plenty of ways to substitute an egg, but the best swap depends on what the egg is doing in the recipe.
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How to Freeze Basil
Fresh basil has a special talent for looking gorgeous one minute and turning sad before you figure out what to do with the rest of it. Freeze it. You won’t get fresh-garnish texture after it thaws, but you can hang onto that basil flavor for sauces, soups, pasta, and other cooked dishes instead of throwing…
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Regular Flour vs. Almond Flour: Do You Need to Heat Treat It?
The big thing to remember is that the word “flour” doesn’t mean every product was made or processed the same way. Regular wheat flour is not a ready-to-eat ingredient unless it has been specifically treated for that use. With almond flour, check the package if you’re using it in something that won’t be cooked.