Extra Helpings - A Blue Apron blog
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The 12 Different Types Of Salt For Cooking
Salt is just as important on a delicate caramel as it is on a thick steak. Salt does more than improve flavor, it intensifies it. Salt reduces bitterness, enhances sweetness, and provides balance to any dish. Finding the best type of salt for cooking can take your dish to the next level.
Fast & Easy Brownie Recipe
Brownies — universally beloved, endlessly adaptable — can be cleanly divided into two categories: fudgey and cakey. The variety made with melted chocolate yields a dense, fudge-y bar that begs for a glass of milk. The other, the kind made with cocoa powder, comes out moist and cakey with a crackly top.
How To Poach Pears
A poached pear is a pear that has been cooked in a gently simmering liquid. Poached pears can be eaten on their own, or incorporated into dessert or dinner. This is a classic dish to serve in the fall and winter, when most pears are at their best.
9 Types of Mushrooms & How To Cook With Them
Mushrooms are a quirky food. They’re neither vegetable nor meat. Technically, they’re the fruit of fungus plants. There are over 14,000 types of mushrooms, and they come in all shapes and sizes. Some mushrooms are expensive delicacies, while others will just pop up uninvited in your lawn.
The Best Way to Prepare & Cook Tomatillos
Tomatillos are plump green fruits with a delicious tart flavor. Though they’re related to tomatoes, they don’t initially bear a strong resemblance. Tomatillos are covered in brownish-green papery husks, and the fruit underneath can feel a little sticky. They’re popular in Mexican cooking, where they are often used as the base of delicious sauces.
10 Types of Squash & Pumpkins
A pumpkin probably calls a specific image to mind: a large, orange orb, with a green stem. In reality, there are many different types of pumpkin and squash. Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall all have their own unique varieties.
The Best Soup Noodles & How To Cook With Them
You have a signature scent, but do you have a signature soup? Within the beautiful world of soup, there’s infinite room to customize. Your favorite bowl might be a light brothy soup spiked with spices like anise and cinnamon, or a hearty stew rilled with tomatoes, noodles, and beans. When it comes to creating your signature dish, choosing the best noodles for soup is just as important as deciding on the flavor profile.
What is Halloumi Cheese? Cooking, Taste, & More
n case you haven’t heard, halloumi is a Middle Eastern cheese that can be fried or grilled without melting. I’m going to repeat that so you understand why spending a week writing about halloumi makes you very, very hungry:
13 Types of Grains You Should Know
Grains are an essential element of our kitchen repertoire—we cook with them basically every week. That’s because they do everything: act as the base of a salad, sop up some delicious sauce, or get mixed up and fried into grain patties.
Types of Potatoes: Varieties, Cooking & More
When it comes to picking our carbs, we can never say no to a potato. Whether we’re feasting on tater tots at a diner, mashing up Russets at home, or adding potatoes to our sautés and salads, we’re truly potato people at heart. With so many types of potatoes to love, it’s impossible to get tired of eating them.
What Is Vanilla Powder?
Vanilla is the subtle note that makes ice cream, cookies, and cakes sing. Even though the term “vanilla” is often associated with being plain, true vanilla flavor is anything but. Vanilla products are packed with unique flavors that adds complexity and delicacy to everything they touch
Our Favorite Recipes With Frozen Berries
Berries are delicious, but they’re also delicate, and they spoil quickly. Some sources say that they won’t keep more than two to three days in the fridge
How To Slice Meat Against the Grain
When you’re serving beef dish, like zippy flank steak tacos or rich sirloin with a side of potatoes, you goal is tender meat with an enjoyable bite.
How To Cook Peas In A Pod
But just because they’re empty doesn’t mean they’re worthless. Get that idea out of your head. Just like the peas inside, the pea pods contain spring’s flavors (and spring’s nutrients, too).
How to Create a Gut-Healthy Meal Plan
Discover how to eat a gut-friendly diet, which will support mental and physical health. Get the dish about why gut health matters, then score a 7-day gut health meal plan full of meal and snack ideas that support your microbiome.
What Went Wrong with My Thanksgiving Turkey?
Most of us only make a whole turkey once a year. Cooking an extra-large bird isn’t the easiest kitchen task, and we don’t get a lot of practice! If you’re in charge of the main dish this Thanksgiving, a little preparation can help you pull it off perfectly. These are some of the most common problems with Thanksgiving turkey and how to avoid them
Are Frozen Vegetables Healthy?
Frozen vegetables sometimes get a bad rap. The truth is that they’re flash-frozen at the height of their freshness, and research shows that the nutritional value of frozen produce is often greater than (or at least equal to) its fresh counterpart.
What to Do with Frozen Wine
One of the fastest ways to chill wine is by wrapping it in a damp towel and sticking it in the freezer for about 30 minutes. It’s the perfect way to cool a bottle of white or rosé quickly, unless you forget to set a timer.
How to Make a Roux
Roux can be made with any type of white wheat flour, but all-purpose flour is the most commonly used.
How To Core a Tomato
Tomatoes are the base of some of our favorite dishes: spicy salsas, sweet marinara sauces, and summery Caprese salads. Pretty much nothing beats a perfectly in season summer tomato, but even in the winter we’ll search out vine-ripened and cherry tomatoes to get our fix.
Food you can feel good about
From pasture-raised beef to certified sustainable seafood, we’re raising the bar on animal welfare standards.
