Cooking Basics

Unfamiliar with popular ingredients, terms and techniques? Take a look at our comprehensive A-Z guide to cooking.

Most recipes can be converted for use in a convection oven.

When you cook at high altitudes, recipe adjustments are necessary to ensure the best results possible.

Microwave timing varies, but follow these general guidelines for heating foods.

Our guide to the workings of the cleaver.

Knowing how to cook starts with knowing how to chop.

You can make the most of intensely flavored dried herbs in your kitchen with these smart tips.

Fresh herbs add spark and life to food. Whether you grow them in your garden or pick them up from the market, these highly perishable s...

Zest is appropriately named, as it adds flavor and life to all sorts of recipes.

Dried mushrooms are a simple way to add a rich, earthy, aromatic flavor to recipes.

Nutritious brown rice is easy to make and versatile to use -- it just takes a little longer to cook. Follow our cooking tips for tasty ...

Spices -- the seeds, bark, roots, fruit, or flowers of plants -- add flavor and color to savory dishes.

The use of fresh herbs is one of the hallmarks of fresh-tasting, flavorful cooking.

Traditionally, vinegar is what gives vinaigrette its bite, but you can use fruit juices to replace some of the vinegar for a new flavor...

Vinegar adds zip to salads, marinades, sauces, and more. Sample these types to find your favorites.

Take the math out of measurements with our simple conversion chart.

Simmering a pot of homemade chicken broth takes minimal hands-on time and rewards you with its rich, cooked-from-scratch flavor and ple...

Learn how to make this flavorful base for homemade soups, stews, and sauces.

What is roux and how is it made? Made of equal parts flour and fat mixed together and slowly cooked over low heat, roux is used to thic...

Here are some guidelines when using flour and cornstarch for thickening sauces.

The home cook can choose from a variety of ranges.

Learn how to choose the best pots and pans for your kitchen. Compare copper pans, aluminum pans, stainless steel pans, cast-iron pans, ...

The small kitchen appliances you'll want to see on your countertop, from blenders to food processors to toaster ovens.

Learn how to choose the best baking pans, dishes, and casseroles. When to use metal bakeware and when to use glass or ceramic baking di...

The art of wok maintenance.

Whether you have memories of eating roasted chestnuts from a street vendor or just dream of sampling them, you'll be glad to know how e...

Need dinner on the double? Quick-cook vegetables, meat, or fish until golden by sauteeing in a small amount of fat. This cooking method...