Being able to open jars by ourselves is a small source of pride for us, and we think we may have stumbled upon our most effective jar-opening ally yet. And what’s more, it only cost us pennies!
Author: Emma Christensen
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Stubborn Lids: Best Ever Jar Opener
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Trader Joe’s Pantry Staples: What Are Your Favorites?
Open our cupboard on any given day and you’re likely to find that at least half of our pantry staples come from none other than Trader Joe’s. For price and overall quality, Trader Joe’s usually has our regular grocery store beat, hands down. We don’t get to TJ’s every week, but we make sure to stock up when we do!
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Quick Recipe: Udon Soup with Bok Choy and Poached Egg
The bok choy at our local Japanese market looked so fresh and green the other day that we had to pick some up. We also nabbed a few packets of udon noodles and a bunch of spring onions. Cooked in some chicken broth back home, we had a very satisfying bowl of soup within 15 minutes of walking in the door!
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Spring Treat: How to Buy, Clean, and Prepare Asparagus
It doesn’t quite feel like spring is officially here until asparagus has been spotted, does it? We saw several bunches for sale this past week and are looking forward to eating as much asparagus as we can until its brief season is over. If you’re new to this vegetable, here are the best ways to pick, clean, and cook them!
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Great Party Cracker: Cracked Pepper and Olive Oil Triscuits
When it comes to quick appetizers for a crowd, we’re big fans of the classic cheese, deli meat, and cracker combo. With a choice or two of each, everyone is happy! We normally go for fairly basic crackers and concentrate on the toppings instead, but this box of new-to-us Triscuit crackers called out to us from the shelf.
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Quick Guide to Every Herb and Spice in the Cupboard
Ever get coriander confused with cumin? Or wonder if saffron is really essential to the flavor of a dish? As much for our benefit as for yours, we’ve put together this quick reference guide to all the most common (and some uncommon) herbs and spices!
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Beer Reviews: Buckbean’s Black Noddy and Very Noddy Beer Sessions
Hailing from Reno, Nevada, Buckbean is relatively new to the craft brew scene. It was founded just two years ago, but is well on its way to making it into the national beer scene! We recently had a chance to try their regular Black Noddy and an imperialized version, Very Noddy. Similar on the surface, but these beers proved very different!
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Risotto Re-Imagined: Great Alternatives to Arborio Rice
Risotto is traditionally made with Italian arborio rice, an extra-starchy rice that translates into an extra-creamy bowl of risotto. But lately we’ve been eying some of the other grains in our cupboard with the idea of giving them a try in risotto. This may not be traditional, but we can only imagine the results will be delicious!
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Dark, Chewy Raisins: Love Them or Hate Them?
We would never think that raisins could inspire such strong feelings of loathing or disgust, but they do! Just try bringing the subject up at your next dinner party, and you’ll see how incredibly divisive this little dried fruit can be! Where do you stand?
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Baking Tricks: How to Tell if Baking Soda has Expired
Commercial baking soda and baking powder will last for quite a long time on your cupboard shelf, but they will eventually lose their potency and expire. If you’re wondering if yours is still good, it’s best find out with a quick test before baking rather when your muffins emerge from the oven dense and flat. Here’s how!
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From the Spice Cupboard: Fenugreek
You know that strange – and mouthwatering – maple syrup aroma that wafts through Manhattan every so often? That’s fenugreek being processed at a food-manufacturing plant in New Jersey! If you’re not familiar with this spice, it’s well worth your effort to seek some out and give it a try. Do you cook with fenugreek?
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Playing Around: 5 New Takes on Classic Rice Krispie Treats
Sometimes all it takes to satisfy our sweet tooth is a chewy, sticky square of crispy rice cereal and melted marshmallow. We love rice krispie treats as much today as we did when we were kids! The original recipe will always be a classic, but here are a few twists in case you’re in the mood for something new.
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Simple Trick: For Smooth and Perfect Cheesecake
We keep going back to Sarah Rae’s amazing cheesecake recipe with the increasing knowledge that won’t be able to resist making it ourselves much longer! To her excellent instructions, we’ll also add one more for getting that perfectly smooth, crack-free crust. A hint: it’s all about how you add the eggs!
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Ingredient Spotlight: Haitian Vanilla
A friend of ours was working down in Haiti after the earthquake and brought us back a bottle of Haitian vanilla. It smells very different than the vanilla we’re used to, and we suspect that there might be an additional ingredient in this extract that could make it very fun to play with!
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In Praise of the Tiny Skillet
Bigger is very often better, especially when it comes to skillets. But we won’t be giving up our little 8-inch pan any time soon! It’s surprisingly handy for a whole slew of kitchen tasks – plus it’s nice to have at least one piece of cookware that doesn’t require two hands to lift!
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Personal Touches: Yummy Add-Ins to Any Brownie
Ginger chocolate brownies, anyone? What about spiking the batter with chili powder for some sweet heat? If you think about it, our favorite brownie recipes are really just a base for whatever else we feel like adding in – and once you start experimenting, it’s very hard to stop!
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Spring Cleaning: Don’t Forget Your Potholders!
We know, we know, this is a totally boring and very mother-like reminder. But while our dishtowels regularly go through the wash and our apron makes it there sooner or later, how often do we really remember to wash our potholders and oven mitts?
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Crispy, Crunchy, Cheesy: Homemade Cheese Crackers Recipe Reviews
When we first saw this recipe, we thought, “Impossible.” No way a cracker made with just a handful of ingredients in about three minutes using a food processor could possibly rival a certain fish-shaped one in the store. There had to be a trick in there somewhere!
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Kitchen Shortcut: How to Thaw Meat Quickly
We do our best to plan ahead and let meat thaw slowly in the fridge. But sometimes a mood strikes or company drops by, and we just need to get a frozen chicken breast or a few steaks thawed, pronto! When this happens, here’s a shortcut for getting that meat quickly skillet-ready.
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Beautify: 7 Spring Flowers for the Kitchen
The Kitchn Cure theme for this week is Beautify, and we can’t think of anything that does this better than a vase of fresh-cut flowers on the counter. We feel happy just looking at them. Here are a few spring blooms we’re starting to see come into season!