When it comes to boiling eggs, the biggest problem is that people can easily over-cook them, leading to a dark green color around the yolk and a somewhat sulphuric taste. Here’s my method for how to hard boil eggs so that they don’t get over-cooked. Did you know? Older eggs are easier to peel than fresh eggs. If you are planning to make hard boiled eggs for Easter and want to make sure that the eggs are easy to peel, buy your eggs at least a week ahead of time (two weeks even better, they’ll keep)....

After steaming, it’s really easy to scoop the squash from the tough outer skin. This method is perfect for any recipe that calls for puréed or mashed squash. Think pasta sauces or fillings for lasagna, soups, a simple mash with butter and maple syrup, or even baby food. New to the Instant Pot? Check out our post How To Use an Instant Pot: A First-Timer’s Guide. Secure the lid on your pressure cooker, and make sure the pressure release valve is set to its sealing position....

The Best Places to Store Spices The very best place to store dried herbs and spices is in an airtight container in a cool, dark, dry place, such as a pantry, drawer, or cabinet. Air, light, moisture, and heat are the four elements that cause spices to lose their aroma and flavor quickly. If you keep these elements away from your spices as much as possible, you’ll preserve their freshness and give them a longer lifespan....

Now what? We’ll take you from a just-opened box to the basics. It’s not as complicated as it seems. What’s the Big Deal With Instant Pots, Anyway? Instant Pots are multifunction, programmable electric pressure cookers. Think of them as little cooking robots. If you’re not familiar with pressure cooking, the entire point of an Instant Pot can be confusing. The big sell here is pressure cooking is up to 70 percent faster than other ways of cooking....

Steel cut oats cook perfectly in the pressure cooker, without any kitchen disasters. And without a terrible mess! In the fall and winter, I make this hearty version with steel cut oats, apples, and cinnamon. It’s the ideal breakfast to warm you from head to toe on chilly mornings. Steel Cut Oats in the Pressure Cooker Steel cut oats normally cook for upwards of a half hour on the stove, with constant stirring required....

Forget pre-soaking. Forget hours of gentle simmering. Beans on the stovetop are fantastic for a lazy weekend afternoon, but with a pressure cooker, you can go from opening a bag of dried legumes to plump, tender beans in under an hour. How’s that for a sales pitch?! Video: How to Cook Beans in the Instant Pot Which Pressure Cooker to Use You’ll need a 6- to 8-quart pressure cooker to make a batch of beans....

Don’t be fooled by the lack of color, though! Its flavor runs the full spectrum of hearty, creamy, tangy, and well-spiced (but not too spicy!), so it’s both adult- and kid-friendly. Creamy White Chicken Chili White chili can be brothy or creamy, with a ton of toppings or served with just a handful of fresh cilantro and some warm, charred tortillas. This one has a touch of dairy, but it’s not super thick....

Jeweled rice is a feast for the senses. This Persian dish, often reserved for special occasions, traditionally includes many-colored “jewels”—emerald pistachios, ruby barberries, and almond pearls. In the traditional version, the rice is laced with fragrant saffron and warm spices like cinnamon and coriander. Yep, you guessed it: Your kitchen will smell divine. This dish is a bit of work, but has definite “wow” factor that’s sure to impress at your next party or gathering....

The first time I had kai jeow was when I was a child and my mom would make it for me at lunchtime. She would always serve it with rice congee and a side of fish sauce with one sliced Thai pepper. That moment in time inspired me so much that I worked tirelessly with my mom to write down the exact measurements for each ingredient so that I can experience that specific joyous memory of eating kai jeow whenever I want....

Every time I stop by my parents’ house my mother glares at me accusingly. Actually, she’s not the glaring type. It’s more like a bemused look that says, “we have a problem, and it’s your fault,” along with an offer to cook me up some squash (she has an excellent recipe) and a plea to give some to me to take home. So the mission? Come up with recipes that we all like and that use a lot of summer squash....

I still laugh when I remember standing over a giant pot on a giant restaurant stove adding one pinch of salt at a time when a quarter of a cup or so would have been closer to the mark. That lentil soup became a vegetarian staple in our restaurant. Since then, I’ve tweaked it to make it even more flavorful. Carrots and celery added to the mix, along with caramelized onions and tomato paste, bring forth an even tastier bowl, which vegetarians and carnivores alike can relish with gusto....

The following soup is a relatively easy version of “Sopa de Lima” or “Lime Soup”, a specialty of the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. It’s a chicken soup flavored with fiery habanero, cinnamon, clove, and tangy limes. The limes that are used in the Yucatan are a slightly different variety than what is easily available here, but standard Persian limes will work fine. The soup is tangy from limes, smoothed with the buttery richness of avocados, and enjoys a little crunch from fried tortilla strips added for garnish....

Traditional recipes call for muddling the mint with sugar. I like using simple syrup because it mixes fully into the bourbon. Really, it’s your choice. What’s a Mint Julep? So much more than the Kentucky Derby mainstay for which it’s known, a great mint julep is a marriage of mint, sugar, bourbon, and the kind of cold that can only come by being poured over a mound of crushed ice....

They’re so chock full of healthy goodies you’ll wonder why you haven’t been eating cookies for breakfast all along. Most of the sweetness comes from the dried fruit in the cookies, not the sugar in the dough. As an extra bonus, they’re gluten free and peanut-allergy friendly. How to Make Breakfast Cookies Breakfast cookies are basically drop cookies that are low in sugar and packed with healthy ingredients. (Of course, if you have a sweet tooth you can always increase the sugar by 2 tablespoons....

Sprinkle them with salt and the Herbes de Provence. Turn off the heat and set aside. Sprinkle with about a third of the Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses. Top with the onions, the nutmeg and another 1/3 of the cheeses. Layer the remaining sliced potatoes on top of the cheeses. Pour the half and half over everything. Sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the remaining one-third of the cheeses over everything....

Although it’s hard to pinpoint the origin story of penne alla vodka, it has become an American food staple featured on Italian American restaurant menus around the country. I find myself reaching for foods that are familiar and consistent whether dining out or entertaining at home. I hope this becomes a go-to pasta for you too! What is Vodka Sauce? Plus, Tips! Classic penne alla vodka is so simple—the smooth and creamy vodka sauce can be made in the same amount of time it takes to cook the pasta....

Persimmons come in two main varieties—fuyu, which are firm and sweet, shaped like a squat pumpkin and can be eaten like an apple, and hachiya, which are acorn shaped and extremely astringent until they are soupy ripe. This persimmon fruit salad is made with the apple-like fuyu variety. To the persimmons I added pomegranate seeds, diced Granny Smith apple, a little lemon juice, mint, and some honey. Oh, my gosh, this is one of the best fruit salads I’ve ever had, and one of the best things I’ve ever made!...

This is a great beginner canning recipe so dive in and give it a shot in the comments below! Pickled Zucchini vs. Pickled Cucumbers When it comes to making pickles, cucumbers and zucchini are surprisingly similar. They soak up the flavors in the brine nicely and turn crispy when pickled. The big difference is that cucumbers are maybe a bit crunchier while zucchini are slightly more fibrous and a little more tender....

When I came home to meet Abuelo for the first time, he made Salmorejo de Jueyes. He was so excited to cook for a chef who was going to be his future daughter-in-law! Hunting for Crabs in Puerto Rico Abuelo told me how the man from whom he bought his land crabs hunts them in the mangroves of Loíza, Puerto Rico (a town in the northeastern part of the island)....