Why You Should Spiral-Cut Your Hot Dog for Grilling CHOW.com's Blake Smith shows how the simple technique of cutting a spiral pattern into your hot dog before grilling it will not only improve the wiener-eating experience, but will also transform the dog into a conversation starter.

How to Make a Quick Pickle Joe Wolf, head pickler at Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen in San Francisco's Mission District, shows a fast and easy way to make pickles out of any of your favorite vegetables. Click here for Joe's pickle recipe.

How to Make Zucchini Noodles If you're looking for a way to use zucchini other than in the usual bread recipe, Spring Warren, author of The Quarter-Acre Farm, suggests an innovative way of serving it—as noodles!

How to Make a Beer Milk Shake In this CHOW Tip, Herbivoracious author Michael Natkin shares his simple recipe for a tasty dessert: a milk shake made with chocolate ice cream and stout beer. (Click here for Michael's Stout Chocolate Malt recipe.)

How to Make a Quick Vinaigrette No need to dirty an extra bowl.

Why You Should Put Your Wine in the Blender Maxime Bilet, coauthor of Modernist Cuisine, says that instead of waiting up to two hours to decant wine the traditional way, you can improve the taste of wine in seconds with what he calls "hyperdecanting." Aerating wine this fast is great for bolder, younger wines, but Bilet notes that this technique probably shouldn't be used on more delicate wines like a 1982 Lafite.

How to Make Peach Frozen Yogurt for Breakfast Everyone knows that frozen yogurt is one of the tastiest ways to end your day. But thanks to Can It, Bottle It, Smoke It author Karen Solomon and this CHOW Tip, you now have a quick and easy way to start your day with it too! (Click here for Karen's recipe.)

How to Make Mini Croutons That won't hurt your mouth.

How to Clear Your Drain (Without Breaking It) CHOW.com Copy Chief Deborah Lewis learned this ecofriendly CHOW Tip the hard way.

How to Make Marshmallow Crème Devotees of sweet, spreadable Marshmallow Fluff can rejoice. Shauna Sever, author of Marshmallow Madness!: Dozens of Puffalicious Recipes, demonstrates how to make your own marshmallow creme for Fluffernutters, cookie sandwiches, and other treats. Click here for her recipe.

How to Easily Peel Fava Beans Don't let that pesky second skin on fava beans keep you from enjoying them this spring. CHOW.com's Lisa Lavery shares a technique that'll speed up the peeling process.

Don't Throw Away Pea Pods Most people toss out the fibrous outer shells of pea pods like they're garbage—but they're not! Christine Yue Gallary, associate food editor at CHOW.com, shows how, with just a little effort, the pods can be used just like the peas.

In Gardening, Pot Size Matters You don't want your plant to become root-bound.

How to Grow Your Own Salad in a Box It's easier than you think.

A Quick Trick for Raw Asparagus Tired of steaming and roasting asparagus? In this CHOW Tip, Amy Wisniewski, food editor at CHOW.com, shares a great, easy way to quickly prepare raw asparagus to liven up your salads.

Use Your Egg Cartons to Grow Seedlings A great use for a common kitchen container.

How to Make Ice Cream Using Freezer Bags Harold McGee, author of Keys to Good Cooking: A Guide to Making the Best of Foods and Recipes, loves ice cream. Here he shares a quick and easy way to make it using freezer bags—no ice cream maker required! (And here's Harold's Ice Cream in a Bag recipe in case you want to try this at home.)

How to Carve a Leg of Lamb CHOW.com Food Editor Amy Wisniewski shares a simple technique for carving a leg of lamb. It's easier than carving a turkey! (And here are three Easter leg of lamb recipes you could practice your new carving skills on.)

How to Make Marshmallow Chicks Each Easter season, people flock to the grocery store and pick up marshmallow Peeps. Shauna Sever, author of Marshmallow Madness!: Dozens of Puffalicious Recipes, shows you how to make your own marshmallow chicks and other holiday shapes. Here's her marshmallow recipe to get you started.

How to Make the Perfect Hard-Boiled Egg Margo True, food editor for Sunset magazine, knows what you're doing wrong when you make hard-boiled eggs. You're boiling them hard. Stop it!

How to Recycle Jeans into a Garden Apron Instead of spending money on a new garden apron that's going to get dirty, Spring Warren, author of The Quarter-Acre Farm, recycles an old pair of jeans instead—making an apron without any sewing.

How to Open a Beer with Another Beer It's the one thing you should have on hand.

How to Pour the Perfect Pint of Guinness from a Can CHOW.com's Lisa Lavery, a former bartender, knows the key to a good pint of Guinness is all in how you pour it. In this tip she shares an awesome method for getting that perfect, creamy head from a can of Guinness without worrying about glass angles or how fast you pour.

How to Make Marshmallows Shauna Sever, author of Marshmallow Madness!: Dozens of Puffalicious Recipes, dreams in marshmallow. She shares how to make these sweet, fluffy, puffy treats in your own home. (Click here for the recipe.)

How to Hack Your Slow Cooker Jeff Potter, author of Cooking for Geeks, shares a very technical tip on how to turn your slow cooker into a sous-vide machine. For more detailed information, check out his book, or write and persuade him to put the info up on his website.

How to Sous Vide an Egg at Home Get a perfect poach using a fancy (yet easy!) technique.

How to Make a Brownie in a Mug (in the Microwave) CHOW.com Copy Chief Deborah Lewis tested two member recipes, Microwave Brownie in a Mug (single serving) and Microwave Chocolate Mug Brownie. She liked the former, as you'll see here.

How to Velvet Meat for a Stir-Fry How Chinese chefs "seal" their proteins.

How to Store Foie Gras If Russell Jackson, chef-owner of the now-closed Lafitte in San Francisco, were stranded on a desert island, he would want just one thing: foie gras. If you share his passion, you can use this quick, easy method for canning goose liver to ensure you're adequately prepared for the unthinkable.

Nongreasy Fried Eggplant If you prefer your eggplant fried but want to avoid turning it into a grease bomb, Margo True, food editor at Sunset magazine, has a simple, useful tip.

How to Make Rice Milk and Horchata Karen Solomon, author of Can It, Bottle It, Smoke It: And Other Kitchen Projects, shows us that a few pennies' worth of ingredients, a blender, and some patience are all you need to make your own creamy rice milk or horchata.

How to Make a Low-Fat Salad Dressing Margo True, food editor at Sunset magazine, shares a tip on how to make a delicious, low-fat salad dressing by swapping out one standard ingredient for a surprising one. (Here's her recipe.)

A Healthier Bacon Alternative Though some may argue that nothing can replace the beloved taste of bacon, Margo True, food editor at Sunset magazine, shows that prosciutto can be a healthier and tasty alternative.

How to Chop an Onion Without Crying Russell Jackson, chef-owner of the now-closed Lafitte in San Francisco, knows that chopping onions can be a real pain in the eye sometimes. In this CHOW Tip he shares a few ideas that might make your onion prep a bit more bearable. Check out this story from The Kitchn if you don't quite buy the bread-in-the-mouth bit.

How to Make a Healthy, Creamy Soup Healthy soups don't have to be watery and bland. Margo True, food editor at Sunset magazine, shares the secret to making a creamy and rich romesco soup without using any cream at all. (Here's the recipe.)

How to Make Low-Calorie, Low-Fat Brownies Brownies are one of life's great pleasures. In this CHOW Tip Marisa Churchill, author of Sweet & Skinny, shares a few easy ingredient substitutions so that indulging in brownies doesn't necessarily mean having to indulge in bigger pants. Here's her recipe so you can make her Double-Chocolate Brownies yourself.

How to Make a Quick, Easy Tomato Sauce In this CHOW Tip, Spring Warren, author of The Quarter-Acre Farm, shows us that you don't need tomatoes to be in season to make a fresh-tasting tomato sauce.

How to Make the Perfect Jell-O Shot Everyone loves Jell-O shots! In this CHOW tip, Poppy Tooker, host of the Louisiana Eats! radio show, shares a couple of easy tricks to ensure you have a tasty (and effective) alcoholic treat for your party guests. Read more.

How to Get the Perfect Cake Slice We all know that a perfect slice of cake just tastes better. Here Lisa Lavery, CHOW's kitchen editorial assistant, shares a quick and easy method to ensure that you have the best-looking (and -tasting) slice of cake possible.

Two Easy Ways to Spice Up Peanut Butter Cookies Alice Medrich, author of Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies, shares two easy ways to kick your peanut butter cookies up a notch. (And if you want to try this yourself, here's the recipe.)

How to Make Meringue Mushrooms Meringue mushrooms are a whimsical addition to a yule log or cookie plate. Alice Medrich, author of Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies, shows how to create realistic mushrooms from a basic meringue recipe. (If you want to make these yourself, here's the recipe.)

How to Make a Supereasy Tart Dough Lauren Shockey, author of Four Kitchens, shares a quick and easy tart dough recipe (view the recipe here) that doesn't need to be rolled out or chilled.

How to Make Doritos Consommé Lauren Shockey, author of Four Kitchens, shows how to make a clear broth flavored with Doritos. She learned how to make it while apprenticing at the restaurant WD-50. See if your guests can pinpoint its familiar flavor! (And if you want to make it yourself, here's the recipe.)

The Best Way to Melt Chocolate Alice Medrich, also known as the First Lady of Chocolate and the author of Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies, ditches the double boiler for this superior method of melting chocolate.

How to Tell the Age of an Egg Harold McGee, author of Keys to Good Cooking: A Guide to Making the Best of Foods and Recipes, knows that we don't always use a dozen eggs all at once. He shares a nifty way to test your eggs and separate the old from the new.

All of the Alcohol Can Cook Out of a Dish—True or False? If you expected all of the alcohol to evaporate out of your dinner entrée, then you may be in for a surprise. Mark Scarbrough, coauthor of Lobsters Scream When You Boil Them, fills in the details.

You Must Thaw Your Frozen Turkey Before Roasting: True or False? Bruce Weinstein, coauthor of Lobsters Scream When You Boil Them, shows that you can actually cook a frozen turkey for Thanksgiving and it will turn out just as well as a thawed bird.

Eating Turkey Makes You Sleepy: True or False? Mark Scarbrough, coauthor of Lobsters Scream When You Boil Them, sets the record straight on the widespread myth that eating turkey makes you sleepy.

How to Fix a Dried-Out Thanksgiving Turkey Breast You overcook your Thanksgiving turkey and the breast meat is all dried out. No problem! Roxanne Webber, senior features editor at CHOW.com, shares an easy way to make your turkey juicy again. For more Thanksgiving video tips from CHOW, see If You Break It, Fake It: How to Avoid Thanksgiving Cooking Disasters.

How to Quickly Fix an Undercooked Thanksgiving Turkey You carve into your Thanksgiving turkey and discover that the meat is still raw. You could put the whole bird back in the oven, but it still needs a lot of time to cook and your hungry guests want to eat now. Christine Yue Gallary, associate food editor at CHOW.com, shows you how to speed up the cooking process on an undercooked turkey. For more Thanksgiving video tips from CHOW, see If You Break It, Fake It: How to Avoid Thanksgiving Cooking Disasters.

How to Deal with Burnt Marshmallows on Sweet Potato Casserole Amy Wisniewski, food editor at CHOW.com, saves the house from burning down and the sweet potato casserole from ruin all with one simple trick. For more Thanksgiving video tips from CHOW, see If You Break It, Fake It: How to Avoid Thanksgiving Cooking Disasters.

The Best Way to Reheat Cold Mashed Potatoes Timing all the dishes for your Thanksgiving dinner can be tricky. Amy Wisniewski, food editor at CHOW.com, has a quick, easy solution to reheating mashed potatoes without drying them out or burning them. For more Thanksgiving video tips from CHOW, see If You Break It, Fake It: How to Avoid Thanksgiving Cooking Disasters.

Two Easy Ways to Get Stuck Pie Dough Off the Counter You floured your counter, but your pie dough stuck anyway. Lisa Lavery, kitchen editorial assistant at CHOW.com, shares two simple ways to lift your pie crust up without starting over. For more Thanksgiving video tips from CHOW, see If You Break It, Fake It: How to Avoid Thanksgiving Cooking Disasters.

How to Fix Lumpy Gravy Christine Yue Gallary shares three easy ways to fix lumpy gravy. For more Thanksgiving video tips from CHOW, see If You Break It, Fake It: How to Avoid Thanksgiving Cooking Disasters.

How to Use Goat Butter Goat butter has a creamier texture and a more salty and savory flavor than the cow butter we all know. Mark Scarbrough, coauthor of Goat: Meat, Milk, Cheese, suggests using goat butter while baking to add complex flavors to your baked goods.

How to Quickly Cook Pasta in a Frying Pan Harold McGee, author of Keys to Good Cooking: A Guide to Making the Best of Foods and Recipes, shares a handy way to speed your pasta dinner along. Plus it's ecofriendly!

How to Save Leftover Canned Beans Joe Yonan, author of Serve Yourself: Nightly Adventures in Cooking for One, is tired of seeing half-empty cans of beans just covered with aluminum foil and stuck in the fridge. He has a better way to save those leftover canned beans.

Don't Throw Away Corn Husks Joe Yonan, author of Serve Yourself: Nightly Adventures in Cooking for One, uses leftover corn husks and cobs to make corn stock.

An Easy Way to Make Ice Cream in Your Food Processor Jeni Britton Bauer, founder of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, shares a quick, simple way to make ice cream at home without an ice cream maker. You can use this vanilla ice cream recipe as a starting point: Leave out the vanilla beans and make the base through step two, then follow the steps Jeni outlines here.

Use Leftover Potato Chips to Make Dinner Joe Yonan, author of Serve Yourself: Nightly Adventures in Cooking for One, conjures up dinner from the remains of a potato chip bag. You can too. (Here's Joe's recipe for his Spanish tortilla.)

How to Make a Crazy Striped Omelet Maxime Bilet, coauthor of the epic 2,400-page book Modernist Cuisine, shares an incredible technique for making an omelet fit for a modernist chef. To try to make this omelet at home, start with some powdered whole eggs and CHOW's recipe for duxelles mushroom paste. Measure your duxelles, then read the directions on the package of powdered eggs. You'll need to treat the amount of duxelles as the amount of water needed to hydrate the eggs, and then figure out the equivalent ratio of powdered eggs in order to have at least 4 ounces of paste per omelet. Place the duxelles and the powdered eggs in a food processor, process until smooth, and use this as the mushroom paste in the omelet. Obviously, this omelet technique is not for the faint of heart, but check out the results in the video! Incredible.

How to Cook Salmon Sous Vide in Your Kitchen Sink Maxime Bilet, coauthor of the epic 2,400-page book Modernist Cuisine, spent years working with the sort of high-end machinery young cooks dream about. He also figured out how to translate some of the techniques he learned for the home kitchen, like this clever sous-vide salmon trick.

How to Make a Beautiful Hummus Appetizer Donna Sky, owner of the Love & Hummus Co., knows that hummus, if not handled properly, can become the world's ugliest appetizer. In this CHOW Tip she shares a quick idea for how to present hummus to guests in a pretty package.

Hummus Made with Dried Beans Is Better Than Canned Donna Sky, owner of the Love & Hummus Co., shares a quick tip for those of you who make hummus at home. In fact, two tips: One is that dried beans are best. And that old tin of baking soda may have just found a whole new purpose ...

How to Cut with a Chef's Knife Don't saw your celery. Don't stab at your sprouts. Cut the way Jeffrey Elliot (who literally wrote the book on knife skills) shows you in this video.

Should I Buy a Knife Set? In a word, no. Jeffrey Elliot, who literally wrote the book on knife skills, explains why.

5 Simple Knife Safety Tips In the space of 45 seconds, Jeffrey Elliot, coauthor of the Complete Book of Knife Skills, shares five knife safety tips that will keep you Band-Aid-free in the kitchen.

How to Hold a Knife Jeffrey Elliot literally wrote the book on knife skills. The difference between injured amateur and suave pro rests with the play button.

How to Make a Vegan Smoothie That Tastes Like Apple Pie Tess Masters, a blogger who goes by the nickname The Blender Girl, specializes in vegan and vegetarian blender recipes. Here she demonstrates how to make a vegan smoothie that actually tastes like apple pie! Try out the recipe and let us know what you think.

A No-Hassle Way to Clean Your Blender Tess Masters, a blogger who goes by the nickname The Blender Girl, specializes in vegan and vegetarian blender recipes. She manages to dirty her blender several times a day, so she knows a thing or two about how to clean it easily and efficiently.

A One-Pot Dish for Your Rice Cooker Tess Masters, a blogger who goes by the nickname The Blender Girl, specializes in vegan and vegetarian blender recipes, but her expertise is not limited to blended food! Here she makes dinner in her rice cooker using just a few simple ingredients.

How to Make Lemonade Using the Whole Lemon Tess Masters, who also goes by the nickname The Blender Girl, is a blogger who specializes in vegan and vegetarian blender recipes. She suggests that lemonade shouldn't be limited to lemon juice: She throws the whole lemon, peel and all, into her blender and makes a healthy, frothy, refreshing drink!

How to Make a Vegan Breakfast Parfait Tess Masters, who also goes by the nickname The Blender Girl, is a blogger who specializes in vegan and vegetarian blender recipes. Here she makes a guest-friendly nondairy breakfast parfait that actually tastes like yogurt and fruit! Here's the recipe so you can make it yourself.

How to Make Goat Milk Caramel (a.k.a. Cajeta) Bruce Weinstein, coauthor of Goat: Meat, Milk, Cheese, wants you to start using goat milk in new ways. For example, try making the caramelly substance known as cajeta with it. (Here's Bruce's cajeta recipe from Goat: Meat, Milk, Cheese.)

How to Make Goat Cheese Truffles Mark Scarbrough, coauthor of Goat: Meat, Milk, Cheese, shares an idea for a quick, delicious, simple dessert with a goaty tang—you just need goat cheese, chocolate, maple syrup, and cocoa. (Here's Mark's recipe for chèvre truffles from Goat: Meat, Milk, Cheese.)

Great Gadgets for Shredding Scallions and Julienning Carrots Grace Young, author and contributing editor at Saveur magazine, has found two gadgets that will keep you from wasting hours shredding scallions and julienning carrots. These tools will up your knife-skills game immensely.

How to Give Your Wok a Facial Grace Young, author and contributing editor at Saveur magazine, helps you troubleshoot your rusty-wok problems from the point of view of a wok-thetician.

How to Turn Your Wok into a Popcorn Popper Grace Young, author and contributing editor at Saveur magazine, says the wok is the perfect popcorn popper. A bonus to making popcorn in a wok is that you're helping season the pan every time you make a snack!

Did You Know That Woks Are Nonstick? Grace Young, author and contributing editor at Saveur magazine, proves that the carbon-steel wok is a nonstick pan by frying an egg in hers.

How to Test the Heat of Your Chiles Margo True, food editor for Sunset magazine, points out that the spice of a chile cannot be predicted. She shows us a way to test a chile's heat from the safety of your own kitchen. Many tongues have been saved using this tip.

How to Prep Young Artichokes Elaine Johnson, associate food editor for Sunset magazine, preps baby artichokes the way you're supposed to, removing the stem and all of the tough outer leaves. What might surprise you is how many of those leaves you need to take off. It's a lot. Then you cook the artichokes up real good!

How to Make the Fastest, Easiest Pizza Ever Stephanie Dean, test kitchen coordinator for Sunset magazine, shares a great tip on how to make weeknight pizza for your family. Or yourself. Or whoever is hungry.

Gadget Tip: Grill with Cedar Paper Jason Fox, executive chef of San Francisco's Commonwealth, grills meat on cedar paper—it gives the food a smoky, wood-grilled flavor. He recommends getting cedar paper online or at your local Asian grocery.

How to Clean Squid Jason Fox, executive chef of Commonwealth in SF, is a squid enthusiast, and enthusiastically shares how to clean the slippery cephalopods.

How to Make a Simple Vegetarian Soup Jason Fox, executive chef of Commonwealth in San Francisco, says guests are always asking him how he makes the simple vegetarian soup he serves at the restaurant. So he showed us! How nice.

How to Prevent an Avocado from Browning A semiscientific study shows the best method.

Using Egg Magnetism to Collect Broken Eggshells Gary Swart, CEO of oDesk, uses eggshell magnetism to collect the broken shards after cracking eggs into a bowl.

How to Clean Your Cutting Board Without Soap Gary Swart, CEO of oDesk, urges you to reconsider your soap usage on cutting boards. Who wants soapy residue?

What You Can Do with Wilted Lettuce Gary Swart, CEO of oDesk, gives you an option (beyond composting) for old lettuce.

Beware of Cheater Pints Get your full 16 ounces.

How to Get the Seeds Out of a Vanilla Pod Sarabeth Levine, author and owner of Sarabeth's, makes her case for baking with real vanilla, and demonstrates some cost-saving measures.

How to Bake a New Year's Champagne Cake Nicole Garrett, executive baker at SusieCakes, shares this New Year's tip for baking with champagne. Get started with this yellow cake recipe as your base.

How to Fix a Cracked Cheesecake Nicole Garrett, executive baker at SusieCakes, shares this holiday tip for how to fix a cracked cheesecake. Here's a cheesecake recipe for you to start cracking yourself!

How to Clean a Rack of Lamb with String Save your knives for cutting.

The Science Behind a Perfectly Browned Cookie Jeff Potter, author of Cooking for Geeks, makes smart points about heat and baking that, if taken to heart, will undoubtedly result in the most perfect chocolate chip cookies ever. Start testing his concepts with this recipe.

How to Roll Dough Without a Rolling Pin Don't waste your money on kitchen tools you'll rarely use. Former Chowhound Senior Food Editor Jill Santopietro shows you how to improvise if you don't own a rolling pin. Armed with this knowledge, see the best pie recipes for Thanksgiving, and how to make your sugar cookies taste better.

How to Truss Your Turkey Without Twine CHOW Senior Food Editor Jill Santopietro demonstrates two approaches to twineless turkey trussing (say that three times fast).

How to Cut Cookies Without a Cookie Cutter Former CHOW food editor Jill Santopietro shows you how to avoid buying special equipment for cookie cutting: Use common kitchen items instead!

You Don't Really Need a Meat Mallet CHOW Senior Food Editor Jill Santopietro smartly advises people not to buy equipment they won't use regularly. A meat mallet is just such a piece of equipment.

How to Roast Your Turkey Without a Roasting Rack Former CHOW Senior Food Editor Jill Santopietro knows not to throw her bird directly into a roasting pan, where the pan juices may get lost. Instead, she improvises when she finds herself without a roasting rack.

How to Make a Quick, Easy Holiday Centerpiece 5 / 6 How to Make a Quick, Easy Holiday Centerpiece

A few last-minute decorating tips for your dinner table. 5 / 6

How to Dry Salad Without a Salad Spinner 4 / 6 How to Dry Salad Without a Salad Spinner

Jill shares a tip for the underequipped kitchen. 4 / 6

How to Make a Funnel Out of a Plastic Bottle 3 / 6 How to Make a Funnel Out of a Plastic Bottle

Don't spend your money on equipment you'll only use once a year. Here's how to make your own funnel using a common household object. 3 / 6

How to Bake Brownies in an Orange Jeff Potter, author of Cooking for Geeks, fancies up his brownies by baking them in oranges.

How to Crush Pepper Without a Grinder 2 / 6 How to Crush Pepper Without a Grinder

Jill shows you how to use simple kitchen equipment to crack whole peppercorns if you don't have a fancy pepper grinder. 2 / 6

How Not to Burn Your Fingers When Lighting a Candle Here's a trick for lighting the wick on those hard-to-reach candles in your holiday centerpiece.

How to Avoid Diluted Iced Coffee Former CHOW.com Senior Editor Lessley Anderson has a simple but surprising tip that will keep your coffee powerful, even as the ice melts.

How to Make Cold-Brewed Coffee Greg Hjort of Equator Coffees & Teas shows you how to make a cold-brewed coffee concentrate that you can use in iced coffee or hot. It's less acidic than hot-brewed coffee, practically sweet. He uses the Toddy Cold Brew System.

How to Make Homemade Pectin for Jam San Francisco-based Shakirah Simley, owner of Slow Jams, does not encourage the use of store-bought pectins. Ditch the synthetic stuff and make your own.

The Easiest Way to Sterilize Jars San Francisco-based Shakirah Simley, owner of Slow Jams, will make your next canning session easier with this tip about quick jar sterilization.

How to Add Herbs to Fruit Jam San Francisco–based Shakirah Simley, owner of Slow Jams, suggests using sugar infused with lavender or vanilla to give your jams a little more complexity. Experiment with other herbs, too.

How to Shave Chocolate and Cheese CHOW Kitchen Editorial Assistant Christine Yue Gallary shows you how to make the fancy chocolate and cheese shavings that you can use on recipes like this one.

How to Make Simple Syrup Really Simple Bartender at San Francisco's Heaven's Dog and owner of Small Hand Foods, Jennifer Colliau will blow your mind with this bartender secret: You do not need to boil your simple syrup. In fact, it's preferable not to! Jennifer shows you how to make simple syrup using cold tap water in this video.

Don't Muddle Your Mint Jennifer Colliau, bartender at San Francisco's Heaven's Dog and owner of Small Hand Foods, loves using mint in her drinks, but she warns home bartenders against using wooden muddlers with this delicate herb. Use a spoon instead, lest you end up with a drink that tastes like toothpaste. This tip will come in handy when you're making your next Mojito.

How to Use Egg Whites in Cocktails Bartender at San Francisco’s Heaven’s Dog and owner of Small Hand Foods , Jennifer Colliau is a fan of cocktails that incorporate egg whites. Here she explains the three most important things to keep in mind when you use them, so you can make a great Ramos Gin Fizz . (See more raw egg cocktails .)

Don't Ruin Your Cocktail with Watery Ice Chips Most home bartenders strain their drinks using only a Hawthorne strainer (the kind with the metal spring), which lets a lot of extra ice into their drinks. Jennifer Colliau, bartender at San Francisco’s Heaven’s Dog and owner of Small Hand Foods , shows how adding a tea strainer to the equation will keep ice chips out of your drink, ensuring a properly diluted, tasty cocktail.

How to Make Your Own Green Hot Sauce Adjust according to taste bud resilience.

How to Make Your Own Ketchup Or the next closest thing.

How to Use Your Wok as a Smoker If a fire escape is the closest you come to a backyard, it shouldn’t stop you from smoking. Former CHOW.com Senior Food Editor Jill Santopietro says that turning your wok into a smoker doesn’t take much effort. All you need is aluminum foil, a round cooling rack, and finely ground wood chips, available online or at hardware stores or some cooking supply stores. If you don’t have wood chips, you can use a 1/2 cup kosher salt, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup rice, and 1/4 cup oolong tea leaves mixed with 2 tablespoons water for more of a tea smoke. Indoor smokers take note: Open your windows and remove your smoke detector (but don’t forget to put it back when you’re done). Find plenty of smoking recipes and other tips here!

How to Turn Your Charcoal Grill into a Smoker Former CHOW.com Senior Food Editor Jill Santopietro recommends that you smoke all sorts of things: fish, cheese, salt, and, of course, meat (see our recipes). And you don’t need a fancy smoking device: You can smoke food on a basic kettle grill. It’s really easy. Watch the video, or see it all step by step (plus instructions for smoking on an outdoor gas grill).

Question the Salad Dressing Status Quo When it comes to vinaigrettes.

What Is Miner's Lettuce? It's a favorite among foragers.

How to Avoid Exploding Sausage Syndrome Master sausage-maker Ryan Farr of 4505 Meats has seen too many sausages explode on the grill when eager and hungry cooks throw the meat down on high heat. To avoid such fat-splattering mishaps, he recommends that you poach your sausage first. You can then grill it—or just eat it poached.

How to Fake Sous Vide Sausage Sounds fancy. Isn't.

How to Crisp Up a Sausage Use a chef's favorite technique to get the perfect snap.

How to Line Your Cake Pan with Parchment Paper It's hard to make it fit cleanly.

Make Your Own Worm Compost Reuse your kitchen scraps for good.

How to Grow Your Own Mushrooms They do grow on trees.

How to Preserve Lemons A quick and easy method.

How to Pollinate Indoor Citrus Birds do it. Bees do it. You do it.

A Tip on Growing Blueberries One variety isn't enough.

How to Stretch Pizza Dough Give it a push to get it to the size you want.

How to Use a Pizza Peel It's all about the slide.

How to Toss Pizza Dough, and Why You Should It's not just about looking cool.

How to Use Compost in Your Garden Julie Chai, associate garden editor at Sunset magazine, explains why compost is an essential component for achieving good soil for edible plants.

How to Grow Your Own Salad Greens Julie Chai, associate garden editor of Sunset magazine , shows how you can save money by growing your own greens, as well as the best way to harvest them to ensure that you have a constant supply for salads.

How to Make a Hanging Garden Basket A great way to garden in a small space.

How to Harvest Leafy Greens You don't have to go down to the root.

Why It's Important to Mulch Give your garden wood.

How to Get Rid of Garden Snails Chase those pesky pests off your food.

Knowing When to Water Your Plants Thirsty plants won't give you food.

The Importance of a Clean Beer Glass Off flavors in beer can come from dirty pints.

How to Pair Beer with Food Beer's not just good with nachos.

How to Unstick Your Beer Coaster Avoid the annoyance.

How to Identify Off Flavors in Beer Know when a beer is bad.

How to Roast Squash Seeds Don't throw them out.

How to Roast Tofu Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside.

How to Make Nut Milk Bryant Terry soaks, blends, and squeezes his way to easy, delicious nut milk.

When to Cook an Old Hen Tough birds need some special care.

What Shouldn't You Feed a Chicken? Chickens aren't garbage disposals.

What's the Ideal Size for a Flock of Chickens? You'll want at least three.

Egg-Laying Chickens Versus Meat-Providing Chickens Do you want the chicken or the eggs?

Using Vanilla Extract Versus Vanilla Beans Your candy will be great either way.

Salted Caramel, Smooth or Crunchy? You decide.

How to Melt Chocolate You can do it in the microwave.

How to Make a Marshmallow Pop A perfect sweet for your sweetheart.

How to Scrape a Vanilla Bean Sticky goodness at your fingertips.

Does a Chicken Lay Eggs Year-Round? Give a poor chicken a break.

How Are Fresh Eggs Different? Let's count the ways.

How to Get Fresh Eggs Clean Soap won't always do the trick.

Chickens Need Calcium Too Feed them eggshells.

What Makes a Good Chicken Coop? It's more than chicken wire.

How to Fold a Wonton The apotheosis of wrapper and filling.

How to Wrap a Dumpling Three simple methods.

Knife Skills: Troubleshooting A few helpful hints in case you run into problems.

Knife Skills: How to Make Julienne and Batonnet Cuts Cut thin like matchsticks, these aren't for the beginner.

Knife Skills: How to Dice This is the most common knife cut, so learn it well.

Knife Skills: How to Make a Bias Cut This cut decreases the cooking time of vegetables.

Knife Skills: How to Make a Roll Cut Do this with oblong-shaped vegetables.

Knife Skills: How to Make a Chiffonade Cut It means "rags" in French, and that's what it looks like. Read more about what to chiffonade and how to use it

Knife Skills: How to Mince Use this cut for herbs, garlic, onions, or shallots.

Knife Skills: How to Chop Chopping ain't pretty, but it sure is useful.

Caramelizing Versus Sweating Onions One method results in golden brown onions, the other results in translucent onions.

How to Sear Mushrooms You want them caramelized and nutty, not steamed.

How to Segment Citrus Creating the perfect supreme. Read more

How to Prepare a Winter Squash So that it's easy to peel, easy to cut.

How to Transfer a Tart to a Plate Put it on a makeshift pedestal.

How to Remove Seeds from Canned Tomatoes Repurposing a common kitchen tool.

How to Drink While in Costume It's harder than it looks.

How to Make Delicious Fake Blood for Halloween You want blood to taste good, right?

How to Pair Wine and Halloween Candy Sweet goes with sweet. It's not ideal, but it can work.

How to Use Dry Ice with Halloween Punch It's not as scary as you think.

How to Deal with Rusty Cast Iron It's not a castoff.

How to Clean a Cast Iron Pan Remember: no soap.

Don't Scrape Your Knife's Blade ... Across the cutting board, for goodness sake!

How to Hone a Knife An expert from the Brooklyn Kitchen demonstrates how to get your steel aligned.

How to Avoid Dense Gluten-Free Batter A quick tip that will save you from dry baked goods.

How Do You Make Vegan Brownies Chewy? Cooking time is the key.

What's a Vegan Substitute for Eggs? No animals, only apples, in your baking.

What's a Healthy Replacement for Sugar? Lose the refined white stuff in your baking.

How to Prep Rice Noodles Before you sauté or stir-fry them.

How to Use Lemongrass in Your Cooking Crush it, chop it, boil it.

How to Keep Ginger Fresh It should stay hydrated.

Does Fish Sauce Go Bad? The fermentation doesn't stop.

How to Remove the Seeds from a Chile Pod In order to cut the pod into perfect circles.

An Alternative Use for Your Soda Charger You've never thought to carbonate fruit, have you?

How to Remove the Garlic Smell from Your Hands After a hard day's chopping.

How to Make Perfect Rice Every Time Stirring is the enemy of fluffy, separate grains.

How to Measure Rice Proportions with Your Finger This easy method requires knuckles, not measuring cups.

How to Make a Quick Shrimp Stock Add the essence of the sea to your gumbo without the fishy smell.

Don't Ruin Your Roux Don't lose that hard-won nutty brown color. Read more

How to Keep Okra from Getting Slimy It just takes a little hot oil.

Add Salt to Garlic When Mashing It It helps to break it down.

Why Use a Mortar and Pestle? A blender would be easier.

How to Soft-Cook Eggs Of every shape and size.

How Do You Sharpen a Vegetable Peeler? No one does it, but it makes a big difference.

How to Make Limoncello You only need three ingredients.

What's the Best Order of Cocktail Ingredients? Should ice go last? Mixers first?

When Should You Use Cubed Versus Crushed Ice? And what about cracked ice?

When Should You Shake Versus Stir Your Cocktail? A. J. Rathbun answers the tough questions.

What's the Right Way to Shake a Cocktail? Burning questions answered by A. J. Rathbun.

What's the Best Edible Flower to Plant? Nasturtiums are easy to grow, and you can eat the leaves too.

How to Grow Tomatoes in an Outdoor Container Make sure to stake them.

How to Manage Your Mint Plant Tame the unruly invader.

How to Lure Bees to Your Garden There are particular plants and flowers that bees love, says Julie Chai, associate garden editor at Sunset magazine . And luring bees to your garden is a good thing: They pollinate plants and keep your garden healthy.

How to Use Herbs as a Centerpiece The smell will complement the food you're serving.

Pick the Flowers Off Your Growing Basil You're keeping it in a state of delicious adolescence.

When Should You Pick Fresh Herbs? Is there a best time?

How to Dry Herbs You don't have to buy jars from the store.

How to Braise Meat in Dr Pepper The carbonation acts as a tenderizer.

What Kind of Coffee Grinder Is Best? You want a consistent grind.

How to Grind Coffee Make sure to grind for your brewing method.

When Does Coffee Go Rancid? If you grind it too far ahead.

Where to Store Coffee Beans Keep them away from heat, light, moisture, and air.

How to Clean Your Coffee Maker It makes a huge difference in the flavor of your coffee.

What Water Is Best to Brew Coffee? Your coffee will taste like the water it's brewed with.

Don't Overlook Sherry Use it in place of wine.

What to Do with Leftover Ricotta Cheese You know you never eat the whole container.

What to Do with Old Dried Fruit That's been hanging around for a while.

When Do You Blow on Your Liquor? Hint: It's not when it's too hot.

A Quick Technique for Homemade Orange Bitters From Lucques restaurant.

How to Taste Spirits Move past the burn.

Easy Edible Plants to Start from Seed The bigger the seed, the easier it is to grow.

How to Plant Vegetable Seeds Bury them only as deep as the seed itself.

How to Buy Planting Mix for Your Garden Make sure it's not sterile.

How to Select a Plant at a Nursery Roots hanging out of the pot are a bad sign.

What's the Difference Between Commercial and Artisanal Bacon? More water, less flavor.

What's the Best Way to Store Bacon? Commit to your freezer.

Are Nitrites in Bacon Bad for You? Yes. But OJ can help mitigate the damage.

How to Cook Bacon for a BLT In this case, misshapen, chunky pieces are a good thing.

How to Make Cheese from Yogurt The result is a tangy, creamy cheese.

How to Make Your Own Butter With heavy whipping cream and some sweat equity.

How to Make Easy Flavored Butters Also known as compound butters.

How to Make Your Own Popsicles Using, for example, mangoes and limes.

How to Make Cheese Crisps A crunchy treat with only one ingredient.

How to Make Your Own Mustard Using the dry mustard you have in your spice rack.

How to Make a Quick Spice Rub Using ingredients already on your shelf.

Which Spices Should You Buy in the Supermarket? And which should you seek out from a dealer?

When Should You Use Fresh Versus Dried Herbs? It depends on the method of preparation.

Buy Whole Spices Whenever You Can They last longer.

How to Make a Quick, Summery Yogurt Sauce With just three ingredients.

Save Your Bacon Grease It comes in handy when cooking more bacon.

How to Make Bacon for a Brunch The best approach is the oven.

How to Mix Colors for Icing Cupcakes Perfect pink roses and green leaves.

What Is Fondant? And is it good or bad for your cake?

How to Make a Piping Cone from Parchment Paper There are many reasons to make your own.

What's a Cake Turntable? And is it really necessary?

How to Use a Piping Bag to Frost a Cake You don't want to push from the middle.

How to Make a Buttercream Rose Such fanciness takes a little practice.

How to Mince Garlic and Ginger A Microplane is much easier to use than a knife.

How to Make an Easy Miso Marinade A simple rub that makes your meat flavorful and tender.

How to Quick-Pickle Rhubarb Or any vegetable. And by quick we mean under five minutes.

How to Hold a Wineglass Hot little hands can ruin it.

How to Choose the Right Cocktail Strainer If you can only have one, go julep.

How to Deal with Sediment in Wine Illuminate the situation with a flashlight.

Why Should You Use a Decanter? You owe it to the wine.

How to Spit Wine It's a two-thirds to one-third ratio.

How to Swirl Your Wine Like a Pro It releases the wine's aromas.

How to Recover If You Break a Wine Cork The wine is not ruined!

How to Make a Scotch Blossom Michael Cecconi is the former mixologist at New York’s Back Forty ; he's currently the head bartender at San Francisco's Two Sisters Bar and Books , and teaches at the Institute of Culinary Education . Here he shares a quick summertime drink idea, called a Scotch Blossom: 2 ounces of Scotch, 1 ounce of honey simple syrup, 1 ounce of lime juice, 4 to 8 mint leaves, and ice. Shake vigorously, add soda water, and enjoy.

How to Prevent a Hangover It's not rocket science.

How to Make the Perfect Party Cocktail Utilizing every last bit of your citrus.

How to Improvise When You Don't Have a Cocktail Strainer A good workaround for an underequipped kitchen.

Can You Juice a Brown Lime? Or should it just be thrown away?

Blend Your Own Vietnamese Dipping Sauce It's not just fish sauce.

How to Assemble a Vietnamese Spring Roll Not too loose, not too tight.

How to Keep Prepared Spring Rolls Fresh Don't refrigerate!

How to Use Rice Paper in Spring Rolls You don't want it to melt or tear.

Grilling with Lump Versus Briquette Charcoal Which one's better?

Don't Fiddle with Food on the Grill Jamie Purviance, author and grillmaster, knows that everyone wants to push the food around while grilling, but he urges you to fight that desire. Less movement equals more flavor.

When to Open Your Grill's Vents A charcoal fire needs air to burn.

How to Keep Fish from Sticking to Your Grill Sear it well on one side.

Test Your Grill's Readiness with Your Hand How to check the temperature without a thermometer.

Grilling with Direct Versus Indirect Heat How to zone your grill.

How Much Charcoal to Use When Grilling More burgers don't mean more charcoal.

How to Save Herbs by Freezing They last a long time in cube form.

How to Zest and Juice a Lemon Get more juice by rolling.

How to Wash Strawberries They're too delicate for rinsing

How to Hull a Strawberry Dig it out before you dig in.

How to Marinate Meat Quickly Increase the surface area.

When to Add Sugar to Strawberries And when to add lemon or salt.

How to Easily Roast Eggplant There's no need to throw it on the grill.

Roasting Baby Artichokes Small vegetables, big flavor.

What to Do with Leftover Risotto A tasty fried treat.

How to Keep Your Blended Margarita Cold Put your ice cream maker to work.

Green Dishwashing Tip Conserve water and soap.

What to Do with Leftover Coffee Grounds So useful well beyond percolation.

How to Resprout Green Onions Eat the top, grow a new top, repeat.

The Best Cheap Wine Robert Camuto declares French Beaujolais the champion.

Dessert Wines Are Not Just for Dessert It's an oenological bombshell.

What Does "A Good Year" Mean for Wine? It depends on whether you're growing or drinking.

Is Organic Wine Better than Regular Wine? Better for the earth, probably.

Are Sulfites in Wine Really Bad for You? All wines have them, so get over it.

How to Navigate an Unfamiliar Wine List Look for the words Argentina and New Zealand.

How to Remove Wax Wine Seals Break on through to the other side.

What to Do with Half a Bottle of Red Wine Protect your leftovers-- don't leave the bottle on the counter.

How to Cook Sweetbreads Don't let them scare you.

How to Blanch Asparagus Use more salt than you'd think.

How to Avoid Sauté Fires Flaring oil does not make you a master chef.

How to Measure Dices and Chunks A ruler is one more thing you don't need in the kitchen.

What to Do with Leftover Tomato Paste Don't throw it away.

How to Cook Salmon Evenly When the fillets won't cooperate, tie them up.

How to Ensure Perfectly Cooked Couscous No saucepan required.

How to Bronze Your Salmon It doesn't involve a tanning bed.

How to Make a Salad That's not boring and one-dimensional.

How to Cut the Bite of Raw Onions Salt works miracles.

How to Separate the Egg Yolk from the White Get a bit dirty in the process.

How to Quick-Cook Steel-Cut Oats They are a weekday breakfast option.

How to Keep Food from Burning in Thin Sauté Pans Double up the pans.

Don't Burn Your Roasted Root Vegetables The vegetable is not at fault.

How to Make Radicchio Less Bitter Soak it in ice water.

How to Revive a Dying Carrot Even if it's limp it's not a goner.

How to Make Carrots Last Longer Carrot greens are water vampires.

How to Cut Soft Cheese with Dental Tools You don't need a fancy cheese wire.

How to Clean Leeks The dirt hides in those layers.

How to Use the Lemon and Hot Towel You're Given in Restaurants Squeeze the lemon onto the towel, not your hand.

How to Prep a Poblano for Chiles Rellenos Char it over an open flame.

How to Toast Dried Chiles Intensify that warm chile flavor.

Guide to Mexican Dried Chiles Learn about them, love them, eat them.

How to Remove the Pit from an Avocado And get the good stuff out easily.

How to Core a Tomato When you want to avoid the interior guck.

How to Core a Pepper Dispatch the seeds and ribs quickly and efficiently.

How to Make a Quick Salsa A few ingredients cooked together then blended.

How to Set Up Your Room for an Oscar Party Roll out the red carpet for your friends.

How to Set Up Your Room for a TV Party Create stadium seating in your home.

How to Remove Stains with a Lemon Add salt for tough spills.

What's a Jockey Box? It'll keep your keg fresh longer.

Securing Your Bottle Openers Batten down the hatches before your party.

How to Open a Beer with a Pen Push down, not up.

How to Open a Beer with a Piece of Paper Sounds like a magic trick.

Portioning Cookie Dough Using an ice cream scoop is best.

Incorporating Flour into Batter Don't let it puff up in your face.

Easy Cookie-Dough Handling Another miracle made possible by Silpats.

How to Brown Butter It imparts a nice nutty flavor to food.

Transporting Pie Dough How to get it from the counter to the pie plate.

Why Do You Rest Pie Dough? You don't want gummy or dry spots.

How to Ensure a Tender Pie Crust Keep your dough cold.

Make Off-Season Tomatoes Taste Better A little roasting goes a long way.

Before You Carve the Turkey For maximum flavor, let the bird rest.

How to Buy Truffles Let your nose be your guide.

Shiitake Mushroom Guidelines The white specks aren't bad.

Salt from on High The higher your hand, the more even the distribution.

Salt Meat Right Before Cooking Salt too early and you dry it out.

Should You Eat the Rind? Another take on the age-old question.

Don't Eat Raw Mushrooms They're not like grapes.

Make Mushrooms Last Prolong their life by four to five days.

Oyster Mushroom Guidelines Get them out of the plastic!

Oil Temperature Matters Let it get hot before it hits the food.

Pair Big Wine with Big Cheese And delicate wine goes with delicate cheeses.

Microbrews in Cans Aren't bottles better?

How to Fix a Broken Homemade Mayonnaise Don't throw away your expensive olive oil.

Buying and Cooking Portobello Mushrooms Don't overmarinate.

Fancy Hefeweizen Pouring An upside-down bottle helps with the perfect pour.

What's a Lobster Mushroom? And what makes it taste the way it does?

What Are King Trumpet Mushrooms? The texture's not unlike abalone meat.

Three Ways to Chill Beer Ice is the common denominator.

Cremini (or Brown) Mushroom Guidelines Browns have more flavor than whites.

All Beer Is Ale or Lager Know the difference to get what you want.

How to Roll Rectangular Dough Elongate your corners.

How to Cut Hard Squash Slice the squash, not your fingers.

Seasoning a Wok Burn the oil into the pores.

Freezing Broth Ice cube trays provide long-term storage.

Anchovy Substitute Fish sauce provides depth, no mess.

Shucking an Oyster Differentiate the cup and flat sides, the pointed and rounded ends.

Oyster Varietals Oyster species aren't so different from wine grapes.

Rock Hard Winter Squash They can last for months.

Frosting a Cake Bury the crumbs.

Frost Your Cake, Not the Plate A trick to aid with presentation.

Approaching the Cheese Counter How to choose cheese for a dinner party, sports night, and every day.

Beware of Metal Shucking Gloves Andrew Leonard learned the hard way

Don't Eat Every Oyster Withered and blackish oysters get the boot.

Barbecuing Oysters Cooking makes them easier to shuck.

How to Transport a Cake Keep it from sliding around.

Protecting a Frosted Cake Create a tent using toothpicks and plastic wrap.

Samples at a Farmers' Market Go ahead and taste the fresh produce.

Why You Should Shop at the Farmers' Market Vegetables that go beyond ordinary.

Should You Freeze Grated Cheese? The texture's already ruined, so you're in the clear.

Never Throw Away Cheese If it's hardened in your fridge, grate it on a salad.

Why Shop at a Cheese Store? Buying cheese should be an experience.

How to Clean Soft-Shell Crab It's not for the faint of heart.

How to Cut Your Own Salmon Steaks Make sure your knife is sharp.

How to Fillet Red Snapper It's simpler than you think.

Tips for Buying Fresh Fish Use your sense of smell and touch.

Should You Freeze Cheese? Cheesemonger Norbert Wabnig doesn't encourage it.

Know Thy Farmers' Market Stall The certificate is there to inform.

Should You Bargain at a Farmers' Market? Haggling isn't the American way.

How to Choose an Artichoke Big stalk = big heart.

Cheese Knife Tour With cheesemonger Norbert Wabnig as your host.

Don't Be Afraid of Mold on Cheese Cheese Store of Beverly Hills owner Norbert Wabnig offers reassurance.

How to Open a Stuck Jar, Part 2 A rubber glove provides traction.

How to Cut Dried Fruit Smoothly Oiling your knife can help.

How to Deal with the Cheese Rind Is it edible?

How to Make Chicken Stock Use the leftover parts from a whole chicken.

How to Remove Chicken Breasts Save money and buy your chicken whole.

How to Set a Fried Egg Give it a quick steam.

How to Stop Cream from Boiling Over A wooden spoon defeats the foam.

How to Make Nuts Last Longer Freezing extends their life by months.

How to Cook with Garlic Keep it whole to avoid burnt bits.

Will This $20 Change Your Mind? Bribing the host or hostess for a table.

How to Maintain Your Cutting Board Mineral oil works well on wood.

How to Use Up Leftover Herbs In a salad or as a garnish.

How to Roast Beets Foil and gloves play a role.

How to Remove the Ribs of Leafy Greens Strip them like a zipper.

How to Store Strawberries Make them last longer.

How to Clean Mushrooms Don't worry: You can't wash away the flavor.

How to Poach Tuna with Water An elegant, flame-free approach.

How to Plate Like a Chef It's more art than science.

How to Poach Fish in Olive Oil A great preparation for white fish

How to Thaw Meat Quickly Retain juices while speed-defrosting meat.

How to Make a Quick Bruschetta For short-attention-span cooks.

How to Open a Stuck Jar Tap the lid to break the seal.

How to Clean Up Dried-on Rice When soaking won't do, try boiling.

How to Avoid Overpouring Vinegar Your bottle cap can double as a measuring cup.

How to Remove Stuck-on Caramel Melt it right off.

How to Peel Ginger Maneuver around the nubs.

How to Cut Bacon Firm it up first.

How to Make Ice for Punch Don't dilute the booze.

How to Crack an Egg Get the yolk and white, not the shell.

How to Make an Ecofriendly Surface Cleaner Simple ingredients are all you need.

How to Measure Honey Ensure an accurate pour.

How to Reheat Rice and Pasta So they stay moist.

How to Chill Wine An alternative to ice.

How to Store Wine Proper temperature, proper humidity, proper light.

How to Get Wine to a Proper Temperature Take it out of the fridge early.

What Are the Legs in Wine? Ah, what amazing legs.

How to Serve Red Wine It's probably too warm.

How to Pair Wine with Food According to wine writer Anthony Giglio, you only need one red (Pinot Noir) and one white (Riesling).

How to Serve Wine to Novices Transform a nonwine person into a wine person with these starter wines.

How to Pour Even Servings of Wine Wine writer Anthony Giglio explains a simple counting trick to make sure all of your dinner guests get their fair share.

How to Determine When Wine's Gone Bad When you're out a restaurant and you're not sure your wine tastes right, get a second opinion: The wine director is there to make sure you're happy with your bottle.

How to Judge Wine by the Cork The waiter gives you the cork like he expects something from you. Here's what you should—and shouldn't—do.

How to Find Bargain Wines Wine writer Anthony Giglio offers some insider tips on what's cheap but good.

How to Order Wine A wine list can be an intimidating jumble. Wine writer Anthony Giglio lays out a few ground rules to help you make sense of it all when ordering wine in a restaurant.

How to Find a Good Melon Peter Romano of New York's Fairway Market offers easy clues for ferreting out summery deliciousness.

How to Order a Cappuccino Arno Holschuh of Blue Bottle Coffee offers a lesson in cappuccino terminology.

How to Determine a Tall or Short Coffee Arno Holschuh of Blue Bottle Coffee explains that it's a function of the coffee-to-milk ratio.

How to Cut Hard Cheese Avoid massive hacking; slice it up for your guests.

How to Choose Camembert What it should smell like, what it should feel like: tips from Fairway's Steven Jenkins.

How to Thaw Beef Don't lose the precious fluids.

How to Get the Most Out of Frozen Meat Freeze it fresh. Because what goes into the freezer stale comes out of the freezer stale.

How to Store Ground Meat Your ground meat should not sit around in the fridge. Freeze it if you're not going to use it the same day. Ray Venezia of Fairway Market shares his wisdom.

Don't Undercook Your Steak You spent good money on that steak; make sure you get the most flavor and best chew out of it.

How to Choose a Steak It's no secret that the key to juicy meat is the fat. Our Fairway friend Ray Venezia tells us what a good store-bought steak should look like.

How to Choose Packaged Chicken Insider butcher tips about how to pluck the freshest chicken from the supermarket shelves.

How to Choose Ground Meat Ray Venezia of Fairway in New York calls it chop meat; we call it ground beef. Semantics aside, red meat does not have to be red all the way through.

How to Choose Fresh Meat Ray Venezia of Fairway market in New York tells you what to look for in your packaged cuts. For instance, blood in the package means dry, old meat.

How to Bring Eggs to Room Temperature When baking, your ingredients should be at room temperature. We've shown you how to get butter to room temp by pounding it. We don't suggest the same for your eggs. Instead, give them a lukewarm bath.

How to Clean a Coffee Grinder Old coffee grounds can clog up your grinder and make it less efficient. In this CHOW Tip, Kate Ramos shows you how to clean out your coffee grinder using stale bread.

How to Soften Butter Baking recipes often call for softened butter, but if you put the butter in the microwave you risk butter soup. Leaving it out at room temp is fine if you've got lots of time. But when your butter is cold and hard and you want it to be warm and soft, just pound it with a rolling pin.

What to Do with Vegetable Cuttings Don't throw them out. Save them and use them to make vegetable stock.

How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract Store-bought vanilla extract is expensive; homemade vanilla extract is easy.

How to Clean Your Sponge Banish bacteria using the microwave.

How to Get a Bartender's Attention Yelling out your order at a bartender won't get you a drink any quicker—it'll get you an annoyed bartender. Duggan McDonnell from SF bar Cantina explains the proper way to get your bartender's attention.

How to Feed Guests at a Cocktail Party You've prepped your house cocktail . Now make sure you have something salty, greasy, and proteiny to satisfy hungry guests. Lessley Anderson says ham is the perfect solution.

How to Make a House Cocktail Former CHOW Senior Editor Lessley Anderson shares her tip for getting ready for a cocktail party.

How to Flame a Citrus Peel A fancy bar trick to impress your guests, courtesy of bartender Duggan McDonnell from Cantina in San Francisco.

How to Rim a Cocktail Glass Expert bartender Duggan McDonnell from San Francisco's Cantina shows you how to get a near-perfect rim of sugar or salt on your cocktail glass.

How to Cut a Perfect Lime Wedge Duggan McDonnell from San Francisco bar Cantina shows you how to slice your citrus cocktail garnishes so that they perch perfectly on the side of your glass.

How to Peel Root Vegetables Root vegetables like turnips, rutabagas, and potatoes taste better when you haven't harmed yourself while preparing them. Daniel Duane shows you how to peel root veggies without peeling your knuckles.

How Finely Should You Grind Coffee? Arno Holschuh says the answer depends on your brewing method. The crucial question: filter or French press?

How to Rinse a Cocktail Glass with Liquor A traditional Sazerac calls for a rinse of absinthe. You can also apply your rinsing skills to other cocktails. Duggan McDonnell from San Francisco bar Cantina shows you how.

How to Remove the Skin from Walnuts Daniel Duane demonstrates how to shimmy walnuts out of their papery covering.

How to Make Homemade Vinegar Could there be anything more simple? You have leftover wine. You pour it into a jar. You leave it alone. You dress your salad and call it "artisanal."

How to Cool Water for Coffee Scalding hot water will burn your coffee. Arno Holschuh demonstrates one method for bringing boiling water down to the optimal temperature for brewing coffee.

How to Make a Lemon Twist It's not just about a pretty twist of lemon peel; it's about the lemon zest and the citrusy oil, and all of that nestling in your glass and interacting with your cocktail's ingredients. Duggan McDonnell from San Francisco's Cantina explains.

How to Roast and Skin a Red Pepper There are plenty of uses for roasted red peppers, and though a store-bought jar of them will do in a pinch, freshly roasted and skinned peppers are easy enough to do yourself. This method involves a little more energy than others—a little dinner-prep calisthenics.

How to Make Fresh Pasta It isn't intimidating.

How to Stabilize a Cutting Board No lost digits: It's one of the cardinal rules of kitchen safety. So keep your cutting board stable.

How to Peel a Hard-Boiled Egg Delicious deviled eggs are but one of the preparations you can apply your freshly peeled eggs to.

How to Wrap Cheese No plastic, no aluminum foil: Don't suffocate your cheese. Waxed paper will let it breathe.

How to Remove Pomegranate Seeds Getting the seeds out of a pomegranate can be a messy prospect. Wrap yourself in protective clothing and get banging.

How to Pit Olives This method for removing the pits from olives is an exercise in relativity: It wouldn't work with a peach. CHOW contributor Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic demonstrates.

How to Peel Tomatoes CHOW contributor Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic demonstrates a simple method to separate a tomato from its skin.

How to Crush Ice for Cocktails Some cocktails call for crushed ice rather than ice cubes. Crushed ice melts quicker and makes more of a slushy drink—perfect for summer coolers. CHOW's Amy Wisniewski shows you how to transform solid ice cubes into melty shards, via satisfying blows on the counter.

How to Use a Cocktail Shaker Cantina bartender Duggan McDonnell demonstrates the optimal angle of cocktail shaker to glass, so that the shaker doesn't stick.

How to Avoid Blender Explosions Daniel Duane offers his advice on avoiding a common kitchen disaster.

How to Cut an Onion Without Crying Daniel Duane demonstrates tear-free dicing.

How to Open a Beer with Your Forearm Daniel Duane demonstrates a trick for opening a twist-off beer bottle: If twisting with your hand isn't enough, your fleshy forearm provides perfect stability.

How to Run a Tab Bartender Duggan McDonnell clarifies the proper use of credit cards in bars.

How to Chill a Glass Bartender Duggan McDonnell of San Francisco bar Cantina shows how to chill down a glass for a better cocktail experience.

How to Open a Beer Bottle With a Carabiner On the off chance that a bottle opener is not around but a carabiner is. Daniel Duane opens a bottle of beer with a piece of rock climbing equipment.

How to Plan for Cocktail Mixers Tips on stocking juices and tonic for a cocktail party.

How to Make an Easy Cappuccino A simple method for making cappuccino froth at home.

How to Weigh Food Down An easy way to keep food submerged in water using a Ziploc bag.

How to Store Basil Daniel Duane shares his method for keeping basil fresh.

How to Form Gnocchi They're really not hard to make, and they taste so good.

How to Assemble a Galette Rustic, delicious, and easier than pie.

How to Open a Bottle of Champagne The loud pop and the flying cork are not the goals.

How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies Fruit flies are nasty little pests, and an infestation—large or small—is an unwelcome sight in the kitchen. Former CHOW food editor Aida Mollenkamp demonstrates a quick, easy way to lure fruit flies away from your food.

How to Temper Chocolate Get the perfect gloss and snap.

Make Your Own Candy Bars Corner-store sweets go high-end. Click here for a detailed written guide on how to make your own candy bars

Herb Primer Cut and store your herbs properly.

Know Your Knife Cuts From chiffonade to batonnet, bend your vegetables to your will.

Roast Your Own Coffee Beans The next step in ultimate coffee brewing.

How to Remove the Pin Bones from Fish Removing the pin bones from fish is low-effort, high-payoff.

Do You Suck the Heads? Easter is crawfish-boil time in Louisiana.

Open a Bottle of Wine The first step to wine appreciation is opening the bottle. Jeff Creamer, former wine director at the now-defunct San Francisco restaurant Two , coaxes a cork from a bottle in a few easily replicable steps.

Poach an Egg Former Chowhound associate food editor Aida Mollenkamp demonstrates how to achieve the perfect poach. Poached eggs can be kept refrigerated for a day or two; in the second segment, Aida shows how to reheat the cooled egg. Poached eggs are a lovely accent to many dishes—breakfast, lunch, or a light dinner. We like them in the almost-classic Salade Lyonnaisey and in this Roasted Asparagus with Poached Eggs and Miso Butter

You're Mispronouncing "Achatz" A cheat sheet on the topic of molecular gastronomy.

How to Tie Pancetta Our feature on how to make pancetta walks through the three steps: preparing, tying, and aging. In this video, former CHOW associate food editor Regan Burns tackles the tying, demonstrating the knots you should use to truss up your prepared pork belly.

How to Truss a Chicken Former CHOW associate food editor Regan Burns prepares a chicken for roasting

How to Make Vinaigrette Tips for a basic salad dressing.

How to Set Up a Buffet Table Make it divine

How to Seat Your Dinner Guests The intricate machinations behind a successful dinner party

Does Julian McMahon Have What It Takes to Pass a LaCroix Taste Test? Julian McMahon Puts 'FBI: Most Wanted' character's namesake to the test with a LaCroix taste test.

What's the Difference? Ale vs. Lager What's the difference between an ale and a lager? To find out, we visited Boomtown Brewery in Los Angeles, and met with Production Manager, Benjamin Turkel, to learn about the similarities and differences between the two beers. Benjamin took us through the different style points and production methods to learn ultimately what separates the two styles of brews.

French Press vs. AeroPress Coffee — What's the Difference? What's the difference between French Press and AeroPress coffee? To find out, we visited Cafe Devoción in Brooklyn, NY to speak to their Director of Education, Allie Dancy, about the similarities and differences of the two brew methods. Allie walked us through the correct way to brew each, demonstrating every step of the process. We covered things like the correct coffee to water ratio, the correct water temperature for brewing, the best coffee grind for each brewing method, and much more.

How to Pull the Perfect Espresso This is how to pull the perfect espresso shot.

An Autumnal One-Sheet Dinner in Only 20 minutes! Chef Michelle Doll shares her tips for cooking dinner fast, and with minimal clean-up, on those autumn weeknights when you just want to relax. Check Chef Doll's book for other tips, and techniques for home cooks.

How to Cook Salmon in the Dishwasher Chef Michelle Doll shows us how to safely poach salmon using your...dishwasher? Check Chef Doll's book for other tips, and techniques for home cooks.

How to Use Tamarind Chefs Joanne Chang and Karen Akunowicz from Myers + Chang in Boston , show us how to work with raw tamarind, straight from the pod. Sure, you can buy tamarind paste or concentrate, but you can also make those things yourself — achieving a warmer and richer taste, contrasting the sourness of the processed versions. Read more here

How to Clean Clams Chefs Joanne Chang and Karen Akunowicz from Myers + Chang in Boston, show us how to clean clams the right way. Read more about choosing, storing, and cooking clams here

Gail Simmons' Pantry Must-Haves Gail Simmons gives us her list of pantry must-haves. Ingredients you should always have around to enhance and boost the flavor of all your meals. It's the little things that keep life interesting. Read more here

How to Use Lemongrass Chefs Joanne Chang and Karen Akunowicz from Myers + Chang in Boston , show us how to use lemongrass. It's the central ingredient in their Green Monster , infusing the stir-fry with unique bright, citrusy, and floral-herbal fragrance. Read more

11 Famous Instagram Donuts you can Make at Home The original donuts that get the most likes + DIY adaptations from food blogs.

How to Choose the Best Strawberries Emily Luchetti , executive pastry chef at Waterbar in San Francisco, explains what a perfect strawberry should look like. Don't waste your time and money on less-then-perfect specimens.

How to Choose and Store Asparagus With spring comes asparagus, but choosing the best bunch at the store can be a bit daunting. Jenny Stewart of CHOW.com shows you how to select prime stalks and keep them fresher longer.

Don't Throw Away Your Juice Pulp There's always a ton of pulp left over after using a juicer, and it seems like a shame to just throw it away. In this CHOW Tip, Suzy Brannon of CHOW.com shows you how to skip the compost bin and use that pulp to make vegetable broth, crackers, and dip instead.

Shred Meat in Your Stand Mixer It's laborious and time-consuming to shred meat by hand for ravioli fillings, pulled pork, or chicken salad. But it turns out your stand mixer can make the whole process a breeze. Suzy Brannon of CHOW.com shares this timesaving technique that you can use for lots of recipes, including CHOW's Chicken Salad Sandwich

Put Extra Candy Canes to Good Use Candy canes mark the run-up to Christmas, and by the end of the season you're bound to have more than you know what to do with. David Pistrang of CHOW.com shows you five great ways to use them up, including Candy Cane Simple Syrup and Candy Cane Vodka . You may actually find yourself heading back to the store to buy more.

Make Butter in Your Blender Gone are the days of churning homemade butter by hand! In this CHOW Tip, Tracy Kaplan of CHOW.com shows you how to easily crank out your own dairy spread without straining your arm. (And here's another method for making butter at home , courtesy of cookbook author Karen Solomon. Just be prepared to pay in sweat equity!)

Baking Shortcuts Using the Microwave The microwave is often scoffed at as an appliance too low for the seasoned baker. But Suzy Brannon of CHOW.com disagrees. Turns out the microwave's a tool that makes browning butter and melting chocolate not only easier, but quicker too.

Cook Eggs 3 Ways in the Microwave The microwave is known for its versatility and ubiquity. Eggs happen to share this reputation, and it turns out the two are perfect for each other. In this CHOW Tip, Deborah Lewis of CHOW.com demonstrates the techniques for cooking scrambled, sunny-side up, and poached eggs in the microwave. (And here's how to make a brownie in the microwave, plus crunchy potato chips .)

Easy Fixes for Your Thanksgiving Troubles Cooking Thanksgiving dinner never goes as planned, but don't panic. Here are some simple solutions to common mishaps to help keep your holiday meal on track.

4 Tips for Halloween With Halloween approaching, we packaged four of our favorite CHOW Tips together for you. Learn how to: pair wine with Halloween candy, drink unimpeded by your costume, make a spooky smoky punch, and mix your own fake blood.

Make Cold-Brewed Coffee in Your Blender If you've been craving cold-brewed coffee at home but stressing about having to buy some newfangled gadget, fret no more. In this CHOW Tip, Elliot Waring of CHOW.com shares how to make it yourself using a blender—no special equipment required.

Cook Dinner in Your Coffeemaker Previously we showed you how to cook breakfast in your coffeemaker , and in this video we continue on to dinner with a romantic four-course meal. You can use these techniques in your dorm room, on vacation, or to surprise someone special on Valentine's Day or your anniversary. As long as you have a coffee pot, you've got yourself a kitchen.

Cook Breakfast in Your Coffeemaker It turns out you can use your coffeemaker to make a whole lot more than coffee—which is handy if you travel a lot, or are living in the dorms at college. We tested some dishes suggested by Chowhounds , and in this episode we focus on breakfast, making tea-infused oatmeal, boiled eggs, and even a grilled cheese sandwich. In a future episode, we'll do dinner!

How to Clean Your Toaster Oven Cleaning your toaster or toaster oven can be a pain because of all the hard-to-reach nooks and crannies. In this CHOW Tip, Tracy Kaplan shares a few simple tricks to help keep your appliance clean and turning out perfect toast.

Keep Your Garbage Disposal Running Clean and Smooth Besides being inconvenient, a busted garbage disposal can be a drain on your wallet. In this CHOW Tip, Heather George shares a few tricks to help keep your disposal in tiptop shape.

The Best Way to Store Food in the Freezer If finding things in your freezer feels like an arctic adventure, you're in luck: John Birdsall of CHOW.com shares our tips on food storage for the freezer, so you'll be able to maximize space and easily find what you need. If you're wondering how long you can store food in the freezer, check out the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services' guidelines

How to Make Your Own Freezer Packs During the summer, it can be a challenge to keep food and drinks cold in your cooler without everything getting soggy from melting ice. In this CHOW Tip, Tracy Kaplan of CHOW.com shares two simple methods for making your own flexible, reusable freezer packs.

4 Quick Desserts to Make in Your Waffle Maker Your waffle maker doesn't have to just sit around collecting dust between brunch dates—you can use it to make dessert! In this CHOW Tip, Suzy Brannon of CHOW.com shares four recipes for quick, unique desserts that are sure to impress.

The Proper Way to Store Food in Your Fridge Putting away the groceries may seem like a no-brainer, but storing everything correctly in the fridge can help your food stay fresher, and maximize safety too. Former Chowhound product manager Suzy Brannon gives you the lowdown on what to put where so that your provisions don't spoil. Get more kitchen safety tips here

The Best Way to Load Your Dishwasher A dishwasher is supposed to make your life easier, but unfortunately, most people don't know the best way to load one. Deborah Lewis of CHOW.com explains how to arrange your dishes and silverware so that everything gets clean while preventing any chipping, warping, or cracking.

3 Tips for Quick Iced Coffee Iced coffee is a great way to get your morning boost on a hot summer day. But unless you remember to cold-brew it the night before, you usually end up with a cup of coffee that's been watered down by melting ice cubes. In this tip John Birdsall of CHOW.com shares three simple tricks to get quick iced coffee any time you want.

Mess-Free Mixing Mixing dry ingredients can cause a dusty mess in the kitchen. But don't waste your money on a prefab splash guard. Instead, next time you're getting ready to bake, try this trick from Jenny Stewart of CHOW.com—it's the cleanest way to combine in the kitchen!

Turn Leftover Sriracha into Chile Oil When you get to the end of a Sriracha bottle, there's always a tiny bit of hot sauce that's impossible to get out. But don't throw it away! Here's a trick to turn that remnant sauce into a spicy Sriracha chile oil.

A Simple Molasses Substitution Molasses is one of those ingredients you probably don't always have on hand, so you might be tempted to skip a recipe that calls for it. But in this CHOW Tip, Elliot Waring shares a simple substitution that'll mean you never have to skip a recipe again.

Make Potato Chips in Your Microwave Yep, you heard that right: You can actually make delicious, crispy potato chips in your microwave. Our Chowhounds alerted us to this surprising technique, and Deborah Lewis of CHOW.com demonstrates the proper method for creating this easy, classic snack.

The Best Way to Peel a Kiwi In the case of peeling kiwis, a paring knife or vegetable peeler seems like the obvious answer—but it's not the correct one. David Pistrang of CHOW.com shows you the best way to remove the skin, using a spoon.

7 Ways to Get Ketchup Out of a Glass Bottle Trying to get ketchup out of a glass bottle can be a surprisingly frustrating task. In this video, CHOW.com's Jenny Stewart demonstrates seven surefire methods to get the ketchup flowing with minimal effort.

Make Your Blender Clean Itself Do you avoid using your blender because you dread cleaning it? In this quick tip, we'll show you how to make your blender clean itself! It's so simple, you'll wish you'd thought of it sooner.

2 Ways to Take Control of Plastic Wrap Dealing with plastic wrap can often turn into a wrestling match: Either it sticks together and makes a mess of itself, or it won't stick at all. Jenny Stewart of CHOW.com shows you how to tame the unruly material.

How to Make Soft Serve with Only a Banana! Did you know that you can make something similar to soft-serve ice cream using only a banana? Well, now you do.

Grate Cheese the Easy Way Sometimes grating cheese can be a real pain in the arm. In this CHOW Tip, Jenny Stewart eases that pain with a slick trick to make the process smoother.

Separating Bacon the Right Way A sizzling strip of bacon is arguably the most delicious morsel out there, but prepping it for cooking can sometimes be a pain. When removing bacon from the package, it'll often stretch or tear. David Pistrang of CHOW.com shows you an easy trick for getting perfect bacon slices out of the package every time.

How to Pour a Black and Tan In this video, Lisa Lavery of CHOW.com shows you how to pour a velvety, perfectly layered Black and Tan.

Garlicky Hands? Try This! Tired of reeking of garlic for days after chopping a few cloves? In this video, Jenny Stewart of CHOW.com demonstrates a fast and effective way to remove the smell of garlic from your hands.

Create More Counter Space Instantly Kitchen counter space is often at a premium in cramped city apartments. In this video, Jenny Stewart of CHOW.com shows you a simple trick to add a few more square feet of counter space to any kitchen in just seconds.

How to Prevent Sticky, Crusty Lids Stuck lids on things like maple syrup, honey, or jam can be a frustrating barrier between you and your meal. Jenny Stewart of CHOW.com shows how to prevent this with just a dab of vegetable oil.

How to Make Heart-Shaped Tomatoes The difference between a good meal and a great meal is in the details. Jenny Stewart of CHOW.com shows you how to take a salad to the next level by cutting the tomatoes into heart shapes. It's sure to please on a special occasion like an anniversary, Valentine's Day, or even just to get you out of the dog house.

The Other Way to Peel a Banana Think the only way to peel a banana is from the stem? Think again!

Why You Should Turn Fish Bones Into Salt Maria Finn, author of The Whole Fish , knows there are a lot of health benefits to eating fish, and those benefits can be found in more than just the meat. In this tip she shares a great way to use up leftover fish bones and get more Omega-3's and calcium into your diet.

The Fastest Way to Slice Cherry Tomatoes Need to cut a bunch of cherry tomatoes for a salad? Don't do it one by one—slice them all at once using this neat trick.

How to Turn Fish Skin into "Bacon" Maria Finn, author of The Whole Fish , knows a thing or two about not wasting food. In this video she shares a quick, simple technique to keep fish skin out of the garbage can: Turn it into a crispy, salty, baconlike treat!

Homemade Salmon Treats That’ll Make Your Dog Obey A lot of pet owners want to treat their pets to delicious snacks, but those snacks can be expensive and their ingredients questionable. Deborah Lewis of CHOW.com likes to know what goes into her dog's treats and has been making these healthy Salmon Roll-Overs from veterinarian Dr. Ernie Ward to train her dog Lola. In this episode of CHOW Tips, she shows you how easy they are to make. ( Click here for Dr. Ward's recipe.

How to Make Bacon Candy Is it breakfast or is it a treat? Whatever you call it, this sweet and savory snack can be eaten any time of day. And it's easy to make yourself—Jenny Stewart of CHOW.com shows you how. ( Click here for the recipe.

Hate Grapefruit? Try Broiling It Most people have only tasted fresh grapefruit, and not everyone enjoys the tartness of it. Jenny Stewart of CHOW.com suggests broiling the citrus fruit with sugar to add a caramelized sweetness. And if you're adventurous, go crazy with any flavor combination you can think of—you might be surprised how well it works.

How to Make Hand-Held Pies for a Party If you've ever wanted to mix things up when bringing a pie to a potluck, here's an easy tip from CHOW.com's Elliot Waring that'll make your contribution the talk of the party. Check out CHOW's Easy Pumpkin Pie recipe to get started. You can also check out CHOW's Hand-Held Meals in a Muffin Pan project for more miniaturization ideas!

Hate Peeling Garlic? Microwave it! Dread the tediousness of peeling garlic? In this CHOW Tip, Jenny Stewart shares a secret to getting the task done with minimal effort: Microwave your garlic for about 20 seconds before peeling it. This won't completely remove the husk, but it'll make the garlic cloves slide out with surprising ease.

How to Make the Perfect Pepper Blend Is it possible to improve upon something as simple as black pepper? It is! In this CHOW Tip, John Birdsall shows you how to make an easy blend of black pepper, white pepper, and allspice that'll bring heat, sweetness, and complexity to your pepper mill.

How to Prevent Spray from Citrus Wedges CHOW.com's Jenny Stewart demonstrates one small step that can help keep citrus spray to a minimum when squeezing a lemon or lime wedge.

A Tasty New Use for Eggnog Leftover eggnog is a given at the holidays. In this CHOW Tip, Roxanne Webber shows you a delicious and indulgent way to use it up: Make Eggnog French Toast for breakfast!

A Sneaky Breakfast Remedy for Hangovers Hangovers suck, and they only get worse as you get older. Fortunately, CHOW.com's Meredith Arthur has a hair-of-the-dog remedy to share that she found on Chowhound

How to Fancy Up a Stack of Napkins CHOW.com's Jenny Stewart demonstrates a simple technique to make a stack of napkins a little more interesting for your next party.

A Dessert Cocktail That’ll Wow Your Guests CHOW.com's Suzy Brannon explains how she came up with her fizzy concoction of Prosecco and sorbet, and then shows how to prepare it just right!

How to Decorate Cookies Like a Pro CHOW.com's Suzy Brannon shows how to use royal icing to make perfect, professional-looking cookies for any occasion!

How to Make Waffles with Leftover Stuffing CHOW.com's Jenny Stewart demonstrates a quick, easy, creative way to serve up leftover stuffing this Thanksgiving.

How to Transform Leftover Cranberry Sauce into a Cocktail CHOW.com's Roxanne Webber shows you how to use up leftover cranberry sauce in a delicious cocktail recipe that's especially enjoyable after all the hard work of pulling together Thanksgiving dinner.

How to Peel a Potato with Your Bare Hands CHOW.com's Deborah Lewis shows you how to peel a potato in seconds without ever touching a vegetable peeler.

How to Make Impressive Roasted Almonds CHOW.com's John Birdsall shows how he makes perfect salted almonds for cocktail hour at his house—all you need is a paper grocery bag.

How to Clean Enamel Cookware Anyone with a Le Creuset or similar enamel-coated pot knows what a challenge it can be to clean this type of cookware. CHOW.com's Katy Davies shares an unusual trick to help get even the most burnt dishes clean!

How to Make Easy Holiday-Party Appetizers CHOW.com's Katy Davies shows you how to make simple skewered veggies for a holiday party or potluck.

How to Lighten Up a Lassi Susan Feniger, chef at Street restaurant in LA, cofounder of Border Grill, and author of Susan Feniger's Street Food, introduces her favorite salted lassi drink based on her travels in India. And she adds her own special twist to make the traditional yogurt drink even more refreshing. Want to make this salted lassi? Click here for the full recipe.

How to Take the Stress Out of Fried Chicken Susan Feniger, chef at Street restaurant in LA, cofounder of Border Grill, and author of Susan Feniger's Street Food, shares an easy way to make crispy fried chicken based on Japanese tatsutage. Want to make this dish? Click here for the full recipe.

How to Turn Leftover Rice into a Chewy, Crispy Snack CHOW.com's John Birdsall shares an easy way to use up leftover rice based on a tip from his Filipino mother-in-law.

How to Make Exploding Chocolate If your interest in chocolate is starting to fizzle, Maxime Bilet, coauthor of Modernist Cuisine, shows how you can add Pop Rocks and puffed rice cereal to chocolate for an easy, unexpected treat that both kids and adults will enjoy. (Click here for Maxime's "Exploding" Chocolate recipe.)

Did You Know Baking Soda Can Go Bad? CHOW.com's Suzy Brannon shares a quick test to use on your baking soda to tell if it's still good for baking, or if it should be put to other uses, like cleaning.

Why It's Important to Test Your Baking Powder CHOW.com's Suzy Brannon demonstrates a simple test to use on baking powder to avoid any kind of disaster while making baked treats!

Hot Way to Make Iced Coffee On your way to class and don't have much time to make your iced coffee? Boston University student and CHOW.com intern Austin Pohlen shares an easy way to avoid diluting your coffee while still chilling it quickly, so you stay on schedule. This special College Edition CHOW tip is part of a series aimed at helping students on a budget with food and entertaining while living away from home.

Mind-Blowing Microwaved Boxed Cake Modernist Cuisine's Scott Heimendinger shows how a microwave can make a fluffy, impressive dessert out of boxed cake mix using a technique explored in the new cookbook Modernist Cuisine at Home. (Click here to see the recipe.)

How to Make Bacon in Your Dorm Room There's no better way to start your day than with some crisp, tasty bacon. (Just ask Michael Scott from The Office.) Boston University student and CHOW.com intern Austin Pohlen shows us how an investment in a grilling machine can vastly improve your breakfast prospects in the dorms. This special College Edition CHOW tip is part of a series aimed at helping students on a budget with food and entertaining while living away from home.

How to Make the Crispiest Fried Chicken Wings Ever Modernist Cuisine's Scott Heimendinger shares the secret to getting shatteringly crisp fried chicken wings in your own kitchen with this simple Korean Chicken Wings recipe from the new Modernist Cuisine at Home cookbook.

Did You Know You Can Carbonate Fruit? Modernist Cuisine's Scott Heimendinger shows off a cool trick from their latest cookbook, Modernist Cuisine at Home, to create fizzy, carbonated grapes using a whipping siphon.

3 Ways to Repurpose a Mouse Pad Have a mouse pad, but not using it? Boston University student and CHOW.com intern Austin Pohlen shows how to repurpose it. This special College Edition CHOW tip is part of a series aimed at helping students on a budget with food and entertaining while living away from home.

How to Cut Perfectly Round Cookies CHOW.com's Suzy Brannon shares a simple and effective trick for slice-and-bake cookie dough to get perfectly round cookies that look like they just came from the bakery!

Why You Should Always Carry Olive Oil Olive oil has a surprising number of uses beyond just the culinary. Boston University student and CHOW.com intern Austin Pohlen reveals how carrying a small container of olive oil can save you in some awkward situations. This special College Edition CHOW tip is part of a series aimed at helping students on a budget with food and entertaining while living away from home.

Eliminate Freezer Burn on Ice Cream Forever Freezer burn ruins ice cream's soft texture and fresh flavor. Ban it for good with one of two easy methods, demonstrated by CHOW.com's Paige Hansen.

How to Make a Cheaper, Healthier Study Snack Microwave popcorn is easy, but it can get expensive and it's not the healthiest study snack either. Boston University student and CHOW.com intern Austin Pohlen knows a simple way to make popcorn that is cost efficient and healthier for you! This special College Edition CHOW tip is part of a series aimed at helping students on a budget with food and entertaining while living away from home.

Why You Need a Hanger in the Kitchen As CHOW.com's Roxanne Webber explains, a clothes hanger can be very useful in preparing your next kitchen creation.

How Olive Oil Can Be Good for Your Skin Products for face or skin care can add up in cost. Boston University student and CHOW.com intern Austin Pohlen reveals an alternative solution that's probably already in your kitchen: olive oil! This special College Edition CHOW tip is part of a series aimed at helping students on a budget with food and entertaining while living away from home.

How to Soothe the Burn of a Hot Pepper Ever find yourself biting into a pepper that's just a bit too hot to handle? As you scramble to find a glass of milk to soothe the burn, consider this simple trick from CHOW.com Assistant Managing Editor Deborah Lewis. It'll buy you some time to track down a more lasting cure.

How Peanut Butter Can Save Your Movie Night A scratched DVD that skips can easily ruin your evening. Luckily there's a quick fix. Austin Pohlen, Boston University student and CHOW.com intern, shows how a little peanut butter can get you out of a sticky situation. This special College Edition CHOW tip is part of a series aimed at helping students on a budget with food and entertaining while living away from home.

Make a Frozen Cocktail with Your Ice Cream Maker After purchasing an ice cream maker, most people realize they just don't use it that often. Amy Wisniewski, food editor at CHOW.com, uses our Frozen Coco Loco recipe to show how your ice cream maker can be used in an alternative way: to make a frozen cocktail.

How to Keep Cottage Cheese Fresh Longer Food spoils, but it doesn't have to go so quickly. Boston University student and CHOW.com intern Austin Pohlen knows a nifty trick to make this staple snack last over a week longer than its expiration date. This special College Edition tip is part of a series aimed to help students on a budget with food and entertaining while living away from home.

Unexpected Uses for Your Waffle Maker A Chowhound post had some surprising ideas on what your waffle iron can do besides gather dust. Lisa Lavery, kitchen editorial assistant for CHOW.com, reveals three of the best. See how you can use other common appliances in uncommon ways.

How to Preserve Fresh Herbs Cooking in college is nearly impossible, but Boston University student and CHOW.com intern Austin Pohlen knows a nifty trick for how to fix that problem. This special College Edition tip is part of a series aimed to help students on a budget with food and entertaining while living away from home.

Hate Chardonnay? Turn It into a Cocktail! Ever receive a bad bottle of wine as a gift? CHOW.com's Meredith Arthur shares a clever, simple tip on how to transform a glass of bad Chardonnay into a delicious cocktail. (Click here for our wine cocktail recipe.)

How to Make a Peach Vinegar Shrub Have some overripe fruit lying around? CHOW.com's Suzy Brannon has the answer: a vinegar shrub. To make your own old-timey treat, see our Peach Shrub recipe.

How to Make Easy Cake Pops Forget cupcakes! Cake pops are the trendier and more adorable way to serve desserts at parties. With the help of Suzy Brannon, baking aficionado and product manager at CHOW.com, they're also now easy to make! To get started on your own batch, see our Cake Pops recipe.

How to Pit a Plum in Under 10 Seconds This technique for pitting plums from Spring Warren, author of The Quarter-Acre Farm, will come in handy when you need plums for pies, chutneys, tarts, or just eating!

Corn on the Cob in Your Cubicle? Craving that barbecue favorite corn on the cob, but stuck in the office all day? Don't worry, CHOW.com's Meredith Arthur shows you how to quickly and easily make fresh corn on the cob using a microwave.

How to Make a Fruit Fly Trap Summer fruit is amazing. Summer fruit flies are annoying. In this quick and easy CHOW Tip, CHOW.com's Roxanne Webber shares how to make a great homemade fly trap that won't fill your house with harmful chemicals.

How to Tell How Much Propane Is Left for Your Gas Grill Running out of fuel for your gas grill can bring your barbecue to a halt. CHOW.com's Blake Smith demonstrates how you can estimate your remaining propane without using a fuel gauge.

How to Cut Corn Off the Cob Corn kernels always go flying when you cut them off the cob, but it's easy to keep them in check with this simple trick from the CHOW Test Kitchen's Christine Gallary. All you need is a bowl, a paper towel, and a short knife. When you're ready to try out this technique, put it to use in our Tomato, Tomatillo, and Corn Salad recipe.