Toast almonds in the oven for bigger batches or on the stove top for smaller amounts. Take that handful and toast it until golden brown and fragrant and youve just upped their appeal. If youre wondering the best way to get the job done, Ive got you covered. Simply Recipes / Alison Bickel Two Ways to Toast Almonds There are two basic approaches to toasting almonds. Just know that smaller pieces cook a bit quicker....

Four easy ways to make pecans extra flavorful. Toasting them is an excellent way to elevate their buttery flavor and give them a captivating crunch. It takes less than 10 minutes of your time and is worth every second of effort. Simply Recipes / Alison Bickel Four Ways to Toast Pecans you’re able to toast pecans using one of four methods. All deliver terrific results. The first approach is good if youre doing a larger batch....

Two easy ways to toast your pine nutsboth under 5 minutes! Bake until the nuts are deeply golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Shuffle the nuts with a spatula about halfway through baking. Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe Keep a close eye on them, since they can easily burn. Leave pine nuts on the baking sheet until completely cooled. Set a medium skillet on the stove over medium heat. Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe...

When you toast your sesame seeds, they go from okay to magical. Here are two ways to toast your sesame seedswe prefer one over the other! Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe Tiny, flavorful sesame seeds have more uses in cooking than I can count. Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe I sprinkle them generously over rice bowls, in buttery cookie dough, on yogurt, and much more. Since most store-bought sesame seeds are sold raw, its handy to know how to toast them yourself....

Toasting walnuts makes them buttery, sweet, and less bitter. Walnuts keep best in the fridge or freezer. Its worth noting that toasted nuts are a bit more perishable than raw. Simply Recipes / Alison Bickel Shelf life varies considerably, so its best to judge freshness by taste and smell. If they lose their sweetness and begin to smell off, theyre likely rancid and should be thrown out. Tip Tip from a Nutritionist (Me!...

Get that cake from point A to point B without a cake wreck. Here’s how to safely transport a cake if you don’t have a cake carrier. That nearly happened to me when I recently made a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Cambrea Gordon / Simply Recipes Not only was there frosting everywhere, the cake was barely salvageable. Grab a Plate Place your cake on the flattest, largest plate that you have....

Here’s a simple photo tutorial on how to trim an artichoke down to its heart. You don’t have to discard the artichoke leaves. you could cook them, steam themas you would a whole artichoke. Elise Bauer You will be dropping trimmed artichokes into this bowl to keep them from browning while you work others. Start by snapping off the artichoke leaves and tossing them into a large empty bowl. When you get to the yellow petals, just pull them off....

It’s not hard to do, and it ensures that all parts of the chicken cook evenly. Why Truss a Chicken? A properly trussed chicken keeps the stray bitswings and legstucked in. Alison Conklin It makes for a lovely presentation and, more to the point, it ensures even cooking. Thats not a situation anyone wants, is it? The goal is to keep the wings close to the body and the legs tied together....

Don’t have a smoker? Barbecue can be a serious business. Most of us aren’t ready to drop several hundredeven several thousanddollars on a special smoker. Elise Bauer Is a DIY Smoker as Good as a Real Smoker? But you could still easily achieve the proper “slow and low” cooking so critical for barbecue. Mine is typically 1/4 cup kosher salt with 1/2 cup brown sugar mixed with 4 cups of water....

Bagged salads are a convenient option when youre short on time, but they can be a little lackluster. Simply Recipes / Jesse Wong Weekday lunches have always been a challenge for me. This is when I lean heavily on salad kits. Simply Recipes / Jesse Wong My preferred bagged salads often come from Trader Joes, and the grocery chain switches out flavors fairly regularly.

Is a rice cooker worth it? Can they do more than cook rice? Do you need one to make perfect rice? Alison Bickel How do they work? Were on the answers! Alison Bickel People cooked rice for ages without the aid of a specialized appliance. Alison Bickel Who needs yet another unitasking equipment in their over-kitted kitchen? Maybe…you.Making rice shouldnt be hard, but it can be for some people. Rice cookers make it easyeven for people who can legit cook rice without an assist....

Have a new air fryer? Here’s everything you oughta know to get the most out of it. You must be the owner of a new air fryer, or the soon-to-be owner of an air fryer. Alison Conklin Everybodys talking about these things, and now you get to see what the big deal is for yourself. How do they work? What kinds of foods can you make in your new air fryer?...

Got a new Instant Pot and not sure where to begin? Think of this as your drivers ed. Alison Conklin Is your Instant Pot an intimidating mystery to you? Alison Conklin Maybe yours is a hand-me-down. Whatever the case, I am psyched that you decided to use it. I’ve been cooking with Instant Pots and teaching classes about them for over a decade. Instant Pot Guinness Beef Stew.Coco Morante I use mine at least a few times every week....