How to Buy a Knife

By Craig Deppe

When most people decide to explore the wonderful world of cooking, one question seems to pop up almost immediately, “Are my knives good enough?” To which the answer is, “Probably not.”

The next question is almost always, “What kind of knives do I really need?” To which the answer is, “Good ones, but not as many of them as you might think.”

You will never regret buying good-quality knives and, if you take good care of them — hone them every time you use them, have them professionally sharpened once or twice a year, keep them clean and NEVER get them too hot (no dishwasher or stovetop!) — they will give you a lifetime of effortless slicing, dicing and chopping.

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Make a Mexican Meatball Soup

By Joy Liao

There is something comforting about cozying up on the couch with a bowl of soup after a long day. Interestingly, the word, ‘restaurant,’ (derived from the French word restaurer meaning “to restore”) was first used in France during the 16th century to describe a highly concentrated soup sold by street vendors and advertised as an antidote to physical exhaustion.

A few years ago while living in Los Angeles, I discovered the joys of Mexican soups and stews. A couple of notable favorites include Birria and Caldo de Res, but by far my favorite Mexican soup is Albóndigas, which literally translates to "meatball" in Spanish. Luckily, I was able to jot down a family recipe from a friend, whose mother makes an amazing version.

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How to Stir-Fry

By Joy Liao

Stir-frying is one of those cooking methods that sounds relatively easy to master. I mean, how difficult is it to throw a bunch of ingredients in a pan and call it a meal? Of course, if you've ever tried that method, chances are you've had your fair share of tough, dried pieces of meat and soggy over-cooked veggies swimming in a brothy mess. You scratch your head wondering why this resembles nothing remotely close to the stir-fry from your trusty Chinese takeout.

At this point, you might surrender and leave it up to the experts with their big, powerful industrial ranges and iron woks. But do not despair, there is hope. You can still enjoy a delicious stir-fry without dialing up your favorite takeout.

Check out the video below for tips on how to perfect a quick and healthy homemade stir-fry. And the best part? You can do it in less time that it takes to deliver those cartons to your doorstep.

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Advanced Knife Skills

By Craig Deppe

When you learn and apply some of the basic knife skills, working in the kitchen becomes so much more pleasant. I’ll never forget the first time I learned the easy way to dice an onion or shallot – it was an epiphany!

How could I have been so uninformed? I needed to learn more.

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Step Aside, Sister! An Easy Dessert Makes me the Hero

By Amy Jacbos

Growing up as one of three daughters of a home economics teacher, dinners were always organized and planned. Dessert was my elder sister’s specialty, mine the main course and the youngest, well, she made the Chex Mix.

I don’t do dessert. I’ll think nothing of burning through the daylight hours planning something for dinner but curse dessert if takes more than 15 minutes. So when a recipe this simple comes along with ingredients that don’t require leavening agents or a mixer, I see it as my opportunity to be the dessert hero, the superwoman of sweetness that has eluded me growing up.

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