Food Archives

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Spice Secret: Paprika

Ground red paprika spice piled in a small mound on a clean white surface.

Keep Paprika in the refrigerator to ensure freshness.

Soften Brown Sugar

Clumped brown sugar sits inside a clear glass jar with a metal latch on a table.

Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to soften it.

Watching your weight?

Colorful assortment of whole spices including peppercorns, cloves, and chili flakes in wooden scoops and bowls.

To add more flavor to low fat dishes, add extra herbs and spices. They add extra flavor without adding fat or calories. Salsa or relish also works well.

Planning a big meal?

Sliced turkey breast on a plate with stuffing, green beans, cranberry sauce, and corn.

To save yourself time and stress on the big day, prepare your side dishes ahead of time and simply warm them up before serving.

No Mess Hard-Boiled Eggs

Three brown eggs submerged in a stainless steel pot filled with clear water on a stovetop.

Add a pinch of salt to the water before hard-boiling eggs to prevent the shells from cracking.

Perfect Pasta Measure

A clear plastic water bottle with condensation and an open red tethered cap against a white background.

The opening of a 20-ounce, cleaned and dried bottle of soda is the perfect size measure for a single serving of pasta.

Crack a whole egg into a bowl. Take a clean, plastic water (soda, juice) bottle, and squeeze the air out of the bottle, then gently place it on the yolk. Release it and the yolk will be sucked up into the bottle.

Keep Tomatoes Fresh

Two ripe red tomatoes with green stems and one fresh tomato wedge on a white background.

Keep tomatoes fresh longer by storing them stem down.

Inexpensive meat tenderizer

A thick raw beef steak on white paper surrounded by peppers, green beans, and mushrooms.

Add lemon juice or vinegar to the liquid in which the meat is cooked.

Vegetable Cooking Tip

Peeled potatoes and fresh corn on the cob boiling in separate pots of water on the stove.

Here’s a handy tip when cooking vegetables: Vegetables that grow underground (beets, carrots, potatoes) should start off in cold water. Vegetables that grow aboveground (corn, peas, greens) should be placed in boiling water.