Hopefully, everything goes smoothly & as-planned the next time you’re preparing dinner. However, if you’ve ever overcooked your supper, you might’ve found yourself wondering: “this black piece of food in my pan…is it “burned”, or is that “burnt”? (Okay, so grammar usage would probably be the furthest thing from your mind in that moment…but the…
Kitchens have evolved over time, as have the the vocabulary & vernacular used in & about them. Back in the day, non-electric fridges used to be called “iceboxes”. Many kitchens used to have things called “dumbwaiters” to transport food between floors in multi-story buildings. And nowadays, when you’re going to cook something in a microwave…
Black pepper can be found on just about every table in both homes & restaurants…but did you know that that pepper shaker is hiding a secret? What we call “pepper” isn’t actually from a pepper, nor is it actually black (at least, not in its natural state). And that’s just black pepper. Could the same…
Whenever you need to make a soup or stew, what do you go with: broth or stock? What even is the difference between stock & broth? Well, if you’re like me & you’ve thought stock & broth were pretty much interchangeable…we’re all technically wrong. Both broth & stock are made from meat-and-veggie simmered water to…
A cake with frosting. A doughnut with icing. What’s the difference between frosting & icing? The dictionary defines icing as “a sweet flavored usually creamy mixture used to coat baked goods … called also ‘frosting’.” And the definition for frosting? “Icing.” So, is there a difference? From a culinary standpoint, frosting & icing are not…
With Thanksgiving less than a week away, I felt it would be helpful to answer a few “Mundane Mysteries” about preparing your turkey for the big day. With a little help from the good folks at Butterball, who handle tens of thousands of calls to its Thanksgiving hotline every year, here are the answers to…