All types of cuisines, from Italian to Latin to Asian, have a set of core staples that are essential to creating a distinctively authentic meal.

More often than not, Italian fare rises to the top of the preferred cuisines list, so Chef Paolo Lafata, director of Olive Garden’s Culinary Institute of Tuscany, provides a little education about Italian dishes by sharing the top five essential ingredients needed to prepare fresh and delicious Italian dishes.

* Extra virgin olive oil: To qualify as extra virgin, the oil must be cold-pressed, with no chemicals or hot water added during … read more

When you hear the term “bulk,” do you envision cases and 5 gallon containers, and say to yourself, “I just don’t need that much of anything?” You probably don’t. But “bulk” means something completely different in food stores — it refers to how the store offers the product, not how much you have to buy. Actually, one of the advantages of buying in bulk is that you can get as little or as much of a product as you want – literally a pinch or a pound.

The idea that you have to buy large quantities is one of … read more

Whether you have a love of salads and are looking for something extra crispy or you are interested in learning how to make the stuffed peppers that are so popular in Mexico, you’ll find that there is a lot to learn when you want to think of adding bell peppers to your diet. You’ll find that bell peppers are an excellent source of antioxidants, and depending on what color you get, you’ll also be able to enjoy bell peppers that are faintly bitter and spicy, or enjoy ones that are fully ripe and quite sweet.

At the supermarket, you … read more

Does the word “sea” invoke romantic images of voyages to distant, foreign lands? If so, it’s probably no surprise that Americans’ renewed fascination with the glamour of exotic cuisine has vastly expanded the market for sea salt.

Strange names, such as Kala Namak, Fleur de Sel, Alaea, Salish, Black Lava, and Murray River are becoming more familiar to us as a growing number of sea salts become available. These interesting, colorful and tasty variations of the salt eaten every day can be used for dry rubbing on meats and poultry before roasting, scattering a smidgen during pan sauteing or … read more

It is no big secret that kids do not like to eat their vegetables. Actually, it is somewhat of a given, you would almost have to sit on your child screaming in order to get them to eat broccoli or really any other type of vegetables. However, we are here to help out. We are going to show you some sure fire ways that you can get your kids to eat their broccoli and even enjoy it. Do not think this is possible? Let us find out.

Tip #1 Make it an addition

If your child really refuses to try broccoli, … read more

Even though relatively easy to cook, many people still have a hard time cooking pasta to perfection.

In some cases, the pasta may be overdone or not done enough, either way it makes it difficult to eat. However, we are here to the rescue, we have the perfect recommendations for cooking your pasta to perfection each and every time, no matter what type of noodles you are using, macaroni, egg noodles, spaghetti noodles, you name it.

The best way to measure your water is by the noodle pound. Sounds funny does it not? However, what we really mean is for every … read more

Our world is extremely busy, which means our households are busy as well.

We have so many things to do. Perhaps we have to rush off to work, perhaps the kids have recitals, practices, dances, or we have meetings that we have to rush off to. Regardless of what it is, the fact remains that we are busy. Therefore, we need to learn how to make quick, but healthy meals. How can you do that? How can you make fast meals for everyone, but still ensure that they are getting something healthy and nutritious?

To be perfectly honest, it is relatively … read more

There are many different “types” of chicken, this includes a whole chicken or different pieces of chicken, such as legs, thighs, breasts, wings, or a mixture of all of them. When you need to cook a whole chicken, it is a good idea to know just what you are doing. It is always a good idea to leave the skin of the chicken intact. Taking the skin off could lead to a dry chicken, if you want the chicken to be moist, make sure the skin stays on.

Before you start cooking your chicken, first make sure that you have … read more

The first thing you need to know about cooking lobster is that many people prefer live lobster.

It seems to have the best taste and you save yourself from getting ill from the bacteria that lobster tends to develop. Therefore, it is important to keep your lobster alive until you are ready to cook it.

To get started cooking lobster, the first thing you want to do is use a stock pot, a very large one at that. To prepare this pot, you should add about an inch of water into the pot and boil. Once … read more

Onions are one of the most often used ingredients in many recipes.

They are versatile and delicious and easily makes an already good recipe taste great. First, we want to get you started with some tips on how to choose and care for your onions right off the bat.

First, you want to make sure when choosing onions that you choose firm onions that are free from soft spots. When you get them home, be sure that you find a dry, cool place for storage. Never put new onions in the refrigerator, unless you have already cut into the onion. If … read more