Unless they're very young (in which case they can be eaten whole), fava beans must be peeled twice: the outer shell and outer skin of each bean must be removed to enjoy the tender, buttery fava beans. It's a little bit of a fussy technique; however, blanching and shocking the beans in their shell makes it easier to shuck them. Fava beans are in season from April to July, so take a look at these step-by-step photos for easy prep all Spring and Summer long.
Take your love of cooking eggs to the next level by trying your hand at a classic French omelet. If you've never had one before, the difference between a French version and its American counterpart is simple: the French version is rolled, and thanks to a light hand and a shorter cooking time, it also has an oozy custard interior.
The basic recipe — which is little more than eggs cooked in butter with salt, pepper, and a garnish of chives — is so elemental that perfect execution is key. Learn how to make these fluffy, silky eggs when you watch our video, then print out the recipe and give it a try on your own.
When looking to round out a meal come brunch, lunch, or dinnertime, I stick to a simple motto: put an egg on it (not to be confused with "put a bird on it" . . . ). While fried and scrambled are nice, I hold a special place in my heart for the oozing yolks of a perfectly poached egg, but until now I hadn't thought of them as portable. It turns out, with an ingenious kitchen hack, these luscious eggs can become a protein-packed part of the brown-bag lunch rotation. Keep reading to find out the simple secret.
Do you have a whole plateful of salad woes? If you find that your homemade salads just aren't as good as those in restaurants, perhaps the problem rests in the prep of the salad, the choice of ingredients, or the dressing itself. Integrate these 10 tricks into your salad-making routine, and we promise, you'll toss better homemade salads in no time.
If you follow the cooking instructions scribed across the box or bag of quinoa, then chances are you're doing it wrong. Though nutty, toothsome, and all-around lovely when steamed properly, cooked quinoa can often fall short, resulting in a mushy, mealy, or even unpalatably bitter mess. Avoid these problems with a few easy steps.
With warmer temperatures becoming the norm, we're craving something refreshing. Thank goodness for the Waldorf salad, a lighter take on a salad that's chock-full of cold-weather produce like Gala apples and celery root.
We turned to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, home of the original salad, to learn how to make the perfect rendition of this salad. Keep reading for step-by-step directions.
Leeks may look (and taste) lovely, but all it takes is one bite of tragically sandy potato leek soup to realize that there's a surprising amount of gritty soil lurking between their many layers. Over the years we've tried a few methods to deal with this unglamorous task — some more successful than others — and have since then settled on a quick and dirty method that'll help you speed through meal prep. Keep reading for our step-by-step tutorial.
Are you guilty of skipping the common recipe directive to freshly grind spices like nutmeg, coriander, and the subject at hand: cardamom? Sure, it tacks on time to your recipe prep, but the results are more than worth the minimal time and effort. As soon as spices are ground (often months earlier, if buying preground spices), aroma and flavor begins to dissipate; wait a year to use your spice stash, and you'll be working with what's essentially lightly scented dust. Instead, make the extra effort; trust us, you'll be a freshly ground convert once you taste the difference.
Although it's hard to beat fresh flowers, there's something to be said about their paper counterparts. While they've had our attention for some time (largely due to the creative visions of Zoe Bradley), their versatility have made them quite the star of weddings, parties, and tabletops lately. Looking for any and all excuses to put them to good use, we found nine creative ways to give your space a floral touch — no green thumb necessary.
Silver, while a gorgeous addition to the table, has a reputation for being finicky to maintain. Luckily there's an easy solution to tackling tarnish — no trip to the store to procure supplies needed. All you'll need is a large pot, tinfoil, baking soda, water, a pair of silicone-tipped tongs and a soft dishcloth — really, that's it.
The Low-Fuss Procedure
