Extra Helpings - A Blue Apron blog
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A Shakshuka Recipe to Use up Whatever Is in Your Fridge
Shakshuka is one of the most comforting, versatile dishes out there. This recipe always sparks excitement and lifts me out of my usual cooking routine. Shakshuka can be served for breakfast, lunch, or even dinner. If you need to serve a larger group, you can easily bulk it up by adding another can of tomatoes and more eggs. It’s also a one-pan wonder, so in my eyes, it’s perfect.

14 Apple Varieties to Fall in Love With
Apples are synonymous with fall. Every September, grocery store aisles fill up with dozens of apple varieties. These are some of the types of apples you’ll find this year, what to expect, and the best ways to use them.

How To Finish Pasta Like a Pro
Today, we’re talking about improving your spaghetti endgame so that your pasta primavera tastes like it’s from the best Italian restaurant in the world. Learning how to finish pasta will help take your spaghetti dinners from good to great.

A Guide to Duck Confit
Attention fans of big cooking projects: making duck confit is the perfect way to bust out of your poultry rut. Duck is widely available in US supermarkets, but it’s a far less common addition to the dinner table than its feathery counterpart, the chicken. If you’re looking to master a new skill, read on to learn all about this traditional method for preparing duck.

How to Make a Pie for Any Size Party
Pies are a perfect party dessert. Unfortunately, the classic 9-inch pie tin isn’t one size fits all. For small households, there’s a serious risk leftover pie could languish in the fridge—a true tragedy. For large celebrations, one pie just isn’t going to cut it. From parties for one to full-sized crowds; here’s how to make a pie to suit any size gathering.

How To Salt Water for Pasta & Other Dishes
When boiling, poaching, or blanching, it’s important to season your cooking water. It’s easy to skip this step, but doing so is a missed opportunity. Adding salt to cooking water seasons the inside of your food, whether you’re making noodles or beans. This is science at work. Osmosis transports water into and out of cells.

How to Choose the Right Size Pot or Pan for Cooking
There are a few pots and pans we use all the time—we love our large pot for boiling water, and our medium-sized frying pan for searing beef or chicken. When it comes to making dinner, choosing the right pot or pan can make a big difference.

How to Prevent Uneven Baking
Uneven baking can cause all sorts of terrible problems. It can make your cakes rise unevenly, burn half or your cookies, or dry out your roasted chickens. If you’re not sure why some things that come out of your oven seem a little off, try these tips to prevent uneven baking.

Homemade Crispy Hash Browns Recipe: How To Make Them
The hash brown station came with a handout that said “HASH BROWNS: Daily Required Objectives.” In the interest of saving breakfast nationwide, let’s walk through them so you, too, can make restaurant-quality breakfast spuds at home.

The Bell’s Restaurant Egg Salad Sandwich Will Soothe Your Soul
Those in Los Alamos can order a kit with loaf of buttery bread, a quart of egg salad, and homemade pickles. It’s enough food to keep you assembling egg salad sandwiches all week. For those not in California, here’s your chance: recreate this rich and savory egg salad sandwich with tomato jam at home using the recipe below.

Agrodolce Sauce: How To Make It & More
Agrodolce is somewhere between a sauce and a condiment. It comes from Italy, and it gets its name from the Italian words for sour (agro) and sweet (dolce).

A Lemon Curd Icebox Cake to Ring in Warm Weather
I like to think of this as a cross between ice cream cake and frozen lemon meringue pie. The recipe is based on one of my favorite things to make: tart and luscious lemon curd.

All About the Bain Marie
You don’t need more than a handful of utensils to be a great cook. In fact, the more you cook the more you’ll realize that you turn to the same items again and again. Don’t be surprised if you develop a favorite wooden spoon or spatula. So where do we put those items that we love the most? We keep them in a bain marie.

Take on a Challenge: Make Pasta al Limone
The thing that I love the most about this Pasta al Limone recipe is its deceptive simplicity. It’s just 5 familiar ingredients, but it can be tricky to pull them together into an elegant “simple” sauce.

What to Do If You Don’t Have a Grill
The char of the grill is the indisputable flavor of summer. Unfortunately, we don’t all have grills. The good news is that Blue Apron grilling recipes are still delicious when you prepare them indoors. With the right tools and a few preparation tweaks, you’ll be able to adapt any grilling recipe to replicate the flavors of the grill in the comfort of your home.

Easy Beach Food Ideas For Everyone
Going to the beach is supposed to be relaxing, but sometimes planning for a day of doing nothing can be surprisingly stressful. Your whole beach crew needs sun protection, a prime spot on the sand, and of course, the perfect beach food.

A Guide to Spicy Peppers and All Things Hot
Spicy food can be divisive. Some people love to douse hot sauce on every meal, while others find cabbage to be slightly too spicy. The key to cooking with spicy ingredients is knowing what you’re working with

From the Ground Up: The Story of a Dazzling Purple Pepper aka the Islander Pepper
The Story of a Dazzling Purple Pepper

Steelhead Trout: What It Is & Why They’re Great
Hofseth’s pristine Norwegian fjords might not be exactly what you picture when you think of farmed fish, but that’s a good thing. Hofseth strives to produce high-quality products like its Norwegian steelhead trout in an environmentally conscious manner.

5 Fragrant Ways to Get Rid of Cooking Smells & Odors
There’s nothing more welcoming than the smell of dinner cooking in your home. Unfortunately, after dinner is over, you might not enjoy the smell of a seared steak lingering in your living room. Luckily you have a few options when it comes to eliminating cooking odors.
Food you can feel good about
From pasture-raised beef to certified sustainable seafood, we’re raising the bar on animal welfare standards.


