Pinto Beans: What Are They and How Do I Use Them?

Dried Pinto Beans (left), Cooked Pinto Beans (right)

Anyone who has eaten refried beans has eaten pinto beans.  They are brown—sometimes light brown, sometimes dark brown—and are often speckled.  They are available cooked in cans and uncooked in plastic bags.

Real Mayonnaise Made with Avocado Oil: What Is It and How Do I Use It?

Mayonnaise with Avocado Oil (left)     Best Foods Mayonnaise (right)    

For most of my life I kept a 30-ounce jar of Hellmann’s or Best Foods Mayonnaise in the fridge, alongside the ketchup, mustard and BBQ sauce.  I never thought twice about it.  Mayonnaise was mandatory because as a teenager I ate a tuna salad sandwich every day.

A few months ago I happened upon Primal Kitchen’s 24-ounce jar of Real Mayonnaise Made with Avocado Oil

Garam Masala: What Is It and How Do I Use It?

Garam Masala is a spice mixture often used to add flavor and heat to Indian and Pakistani dishes.  There is no official list of spices in Garam Masala, but you are likely to find some combination of cardamom, chili, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, curry leaves, fennel, nutmeg, black pepper and salt.

Harissa: What Is It and How Do I Use It?

I first heard this word in Paris while eating at a Tunisian restaurant.  Because harissa looks like ketchup, I tried it and discovered it has a fiery taste.  That’s not surprising because one of its key ingredients is chili peppers.  Unless you love extremely hot food, you might want to use just a few drops—at least when you first taste it.

In many North African countries, harissa is as common as olive oil is in Italian restaurants.  In the U.S., harissa (sometimes called harissa paste) is widely available on the Internet but not necessarily found at supermarkets.  Tubes of harissa paste can cost as little as $5.

That little tube could last for a year or, if you are a spicy food fanatic, it could be squeezed out in a week.  I shook a few drops of harissa onto leftover mashed potatoes the other evening, and it added an interesting dab of flavor. 

Chard: What Is It and How Do I Cook It?

  

Chard, also known as Swiss Chard or Red Chard, is a leafy green vegetable with prominent veins and ribs as thick as celery.  Sometimes Chard is sold with the ribs still attached to the base, like celery.  Other times the stalks have been trimmed slightly so that the leaves are separate, and they are bundled together with a twisty tie.  Choose a bundle that is shiny and firm, not limp with a lot of brown spots.

Red chard has large, dark green leaves with red veins and a red stalk.  Swiss chard has similar large, dark green leaves, but its veins and stalks are white.

Lemon Squeezer: What Is It and How Do I Use It?

When I was growing up, my family used a glass lemon squeezer to make fresh lemon juice.  I don’t know where this gadget came from.  It was just hanging out in a kitchen drawer with a lot of other strange objects. 

The family’s lemon squeezer stayed home when I went off to college. 

Cara Cara Oranges: What Are They and How Do I Use Them?

I am always excited when Cara Cara oranges appear in my grocery store in November.  Every morning I like to drink some fresh orange juice, which means finding a juicy orange to squeeze.

Pesto: What Is It and How Do I Use It?

Pesto is a combination of fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, olive oil, garlic, salt and Parmesan cheese.  For whatever reason, it was not on my radar until about 10 years ago when a foodie friend started telling me how easy it was to make.  He didn’t have any for me to sample, so I forgot about it for a few years until I stumbled on a jar of pesto in the refrigerated section of Costco.  I decided to try it as a pasta sauce.

It was an immediate hit.  Pesto, which originated in Italy, has a strong, fresh basil taste and is a very good topping for spaghetti, ravioli and other stuffed pasta.  As the cook, I find it incredibly convenient.  It has now become my family’s emergency meal.

Have I ever made pesto from scratch?  No.  Call me lazy, but it’s a lot easier to have pre-made pesto in the refrigerator than having to rush out to the store to buy fresh basil leaves.

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Sage: What Is It and How Do I Use It?

I always think of sage as a spice that belongs in Thanksgiving stuffing.  I used it years ago, back in the days when I didn’t know much about any spice other than garlic.  I may well have just dumped a couple tablespoons of dried sage into the stuffing and didn’t mix it well.  In fact, I’d probably had that bottle of sage for years.

Pearl Onions: What Are They and How Do I Use Them?

Pearl onions are the size of marbles and have a gentle onion taste.  They are excellent additions to soups, salads, pasta and casserole dishes.  Fully cooked, they also make a good side dish on their own.

The big drawback of pearl onions is peeling, which can take quite a while if you don’t cook them in boiling water for about 30 seconds and then soak them briefly in cold water to loosen their skins. Trim off the root end. Then grab the other end and squeeze gently so the skin and top layer of onion pops off.

Baby Bellas: What Are They and How Do I Cook Them?

I was in such a hurry to complete my grocery shopping the other day that I grabbed the first package of mushrooms I saw, not paying attention to what the label said. Only when I was putting them in the vegetable bin did I notice I’d purchased “Baby Bella Sliced Mushrooms.”

Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce: What Are They and How Do I Use Them?

When I moved to California, my neighbor told me about Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce, a key ingredient in some Mexican recipes.  Eventually I bought a 7-ounce can to try it.  Here is what learned:

Basmati Rice: What Is It and How Do I Cook It?

Before Indian food became popular in the U.S., basmati rice was hard to find except in Indian specialty stores.  Now in California, at least, it’s available everywhere.  It’s more expensive than long-grain American rice.  A grain of basmati rice is a little longer and skinnier than long-grain American rice and, to me, tastes better.

What’s special about basmati rice?  Some rice tastes blah when it’s not covered with sauce.  Basmati rice has a slight nutty flavor and can be served as a plain side dish. However, it also goes well with sauces and is commonly requested in Indian recipes.

Mexican Scallions: What Are They and How Do I Use Them?

Mexican Scallions (left)  Regular Scallions (right)

Mexican scallions (aka green onions) look like scallions on steroids.  They are regular scallions but have spent more time growing.  The Mexican scallions I bought were 16 inches long—truly eye-catching.  Normal scallions are about 10 inches long.

I found my Mexican scallions, not surprisingly, in a Mexican supermarket called El Super.

Turmeric Root: What Is It and How Do I Cook with It?

When a new food item appeared in my local cut-price supermarket, I figured that some people were already fans, while lots of others were wondering what it was.  I was a wonderer, which is how I came to buy some fresh turmeric root.

Sriracha: What Is It and How Do I Use It?

Start the year off with a taste bud bang with this super-spicy hot sauce.  Popularized by David Tran, a Vietnamese refugee who emigrated to the U.S. in 1979, Sriracha Hot Sauce is the most in-demand condiment Tran created in his Southern California factory.  No one knows exactly what else is in this sauce, but sugar, salt, vinegar and garlic are likely ingredients.

What Is Panko and How Do I Use It?

Crab Cakes Coated in Panko Crumbs

Panko are Japanese breadcrumbs, which are larger than cornmeal and normal breadcrumbs and are crunchier than either.  Panko crumbs are made from plain white bread which has been baked in a special procedure to dry them out and keep a bread crust from forming. 

Why bother getting panko crumbs?

Boiling Onions: What Are They and How Do I Use Them?

Boiling onions look just like regular onions, but they are only about 1-to 1½ inches in diameter.  They are harvested very early in the growing process.  In their raw state, they are often just as strong in taste as regular onions.  They mellow out when cooked.

Use boiling onions whole in casseroles, soups and in a tray of roasted vegetables.  Or they can simply be a side dish.  Boil them for about 30 minutes, or until they have softened and can be easily pierced with a sharp knife.  Toss with butter, salt, black pepper and a teaspoon of sugar.

Peeling these little onions

Egg Noodles: What Are They and How Do I Use Them?

My grandmother put egg noodles in chicken soup, but I didn’t know they were different from spaghetti or other noodles until well after I left home and started cooking for myself. 

Liquid Smoke: What Is It and How Do I Use It?

Liquid smoke sounds like something film crews use to create special effects.  In a way that’s exactly right, although it’s cooks rather than film crews who work the magic.