Joy of cooking

Baking 101, Methods & Techniques

Pie Making 101: Mixing Pie Dough

Practice makes perfect, but this primer will have you turning out flaky crusts in no time.
Overhead view of a workspace where blanched tomatoes are being peeled one by one.

Methods & Techniques, Preserving 101

On (Not) Peeling Tomatoes

Several strategies for getting around the laborious task of peeling lots of tomatoes.
Closeup of fresh October beans (aka cranberry or borlotti) in their pods. One bean pod has had one side removed, revealing the beans nestled inside.

Know Your Ingredients

On Fresh Shell Beans

Plucking fresh beans from their pods has its own contemplative charm, but the real prize is in the pot.
Several types of hard neck garlic bulbs, laid out on folded craft paper bags. Some bulbs have been broken up to reveal the purple striped cloves inside.

Know Your Ingredients

All About Garlic

Ten types, hundreds of cultivars, one love: a primer for the garlic-curious.
Macro view of red Sichuan pepper.

Know Your Ingredients

On Sichuan Pepper

Taste the tingle, know the tingle, rejoice in the tingle.
Macro view of red Sichuan pepper.

Know Your Ingredients

On Sichuan Pepper

Taste the tingle, know the tingle, rejoice in the tingle.

Two types of hard neck garlic bulbs, laid out on folded craft paper bags. Some bulbs have been broken up to reveal the purple striped cloves inside.

Know Your Ingredients

All About Garlic

Ten types, hundreds of cultivars, one love: a primer for the garlic-curious.

Overhead view of the author shelling October beans on a wooden table.

Know Your Ingredients

On Fresh Shell Beans

Plucking fresh beans from their pods has its own contemplative charm, but the real prize…

See More Resources