“Dried allspice berries” by Jonathunder
Allspice (one word, not ‘All Spice’) is a superb spice to use in savory cooking. Allspice is made from the dried pimenta fruit of the evergreen myrtle plant Pimenta Dioica. The pimenta tree is native to the West Indies, Southern Mexico and Central America, but from what I understand is mainly cultivated in Jamaica and, therefore, has the alternate name Jamaica pepper.
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If standing in front of a hot stove, using a big sharp knife, or mixing ingredients together intimidates you, don’t worry. You’re not alone. Something a lot of us take for granted is that we had to start somewhere: even famous chef celebrities had to learn cooking basics at one point or another. And believe me, even they’ve had kitchen disasters, cut fingers, and heat blisters.
I was lucky enough to grow up in a farming community where everyone grew their own seasonal produce and butchered their own meat. My parents and grandparents grew huge gardens full of lettuce, potatoes, raspberries, strawberries, onions, cabbage, *take a deep breath*, carrots, radishes, peas, beans and more. Hopefully you read that fast, because we’re just getting started… just kidding, you get the point—big gardens. It was a lot of work every year, and as kids of course we complained about it. But the eating was good. So, so good.Continue Reading
Here’s a quick answer for you: yes, you can freeze onions. Read on to learn how.
Onions make a great addition to many foods. Sometimes though, you’re in a hurry to add some flavor to a soup or meatloaf, and don’t have a lot of extra time. Other times you may find yourself with an onion surplus through either your garden or accidentally purchasing too many at the grocery store. That’s where frozen onions come in handy.Continue Reading
Note: Post updated 25 January 2016. Nonstick pan pictures coming soon!
It seems that all of us have a few nonstick pans lying around, and some of them are super old. Most of them are ones we picked up on the cheap from Target or Bed, Bath and Beyond. I think I’m still using one from 2003 that’s all scratched up and wobbles. Seriously, why do I even keep it around?
Pan manufacturers have upped their game in the past few years, creating super hard non-stick coatings that are scratch resistant. So much so, that you can get away with using metal utensils in them… or so they claim. I guess time will tell. These ones usually cost a pretty penny more.Continue Reading
