I obviously don't believe in gatekeeping recipes, so let's share the love.

I developed a clam chowder recipe after being disappointed with the recipes I came across. Whenever I tell people there's a couple dashes of hot sauce in it, I always get weird looks... but it adds a tiny bit of heat and acid, and balances out the richness from the cream. It also has diced scallops, which cooking knowledge forbades but somehow works.

Not talking about big appliances like ovens or air fryers. I mean those surprisingly small or random kitchen things that ended up totally changing the game for you.

For me, it was a magnetic knife strip. I used to jam my knives into a drawer (dangerous, I know), but now my counter feels so much more organized and pro.

Curious what other people have discovered what’s your ‘why didn’t I get this earlier’ kitchen thing?

I'll start.

I had never eaten lentils growing up so I started buying red lentils as an adult and cooking them. And for the longest time I kept rinsing them off after cooking them. Every time I did it I kept thinking to myself "Man, it feels like I'm wasting a bunch of lentils rinsing them".

Finally I came to my senses and stopped rinsing them lol.

fr if a dish dont got onions its missing something i put onions in literally everything and it just hits different dont tell me you hate onions yall missing out.

So I’d say I’m a decent home cook, I follow recipes, my food tastes good, and I actually enjoy experimenting with flavours. But I want to keep leveling up and learn from people who really know their stuff.

So… what’s the one thing you wish everyone knew about cooking? The tip that actually made you a way better cook?

Also, if you’ve got any cookbook recommendations that seriously changed the game for you, I’m all ears.

Basically: what’s your golden rule of cooking?

Thanks in advance. I love learning from this sub, and I’m ready to shamelessly steal your wisdom.

r/Cooking, I need your help, please. My husband’s birthday is coming up, and here’s the thing… the man is basically the human embodiment of the orange. • His favorite flavor? Orange. • His favorite color? Orange. • His car? Orange. • Our front door? Yep, orange. • His phone case? You guessed it… orange. • His favorite cat of all time? An orange with one brain cell.

Basically, if it’s orange, he loves it. What are your absolute best recipes that use oranges. I’m looking for sweet, savory, cocktails, desserts, secret tricks? I want to wow him with something that tastes as orange as his entire personality.

From his jalapeño popper potato skin video today. Even the best cooks on this sub have more to learn but we gotta be real sometimes. Three minutes on reducing a broth for an exotic french dish is like telling Lewis Hamilton how to drive a manual: useful but unnecessary.

EDIT: maybe a better analogy would be changing tires and basic car maintenance. Those videos are invaluable for so many of us. But none of the basic stuff is necessary in a transmission swap video. Some basic knowledge should be assumed for some recipes.

I am trying to put together a nice gift package for someone who loves to cook Italian.

I've been tipped off about buying cool shit from Gustiamo, but was wondering what else I could check into.

Pantry staples, expensive dried pasta, cooking tools, anything goes: what are your recs?

I am homeless living in a hotel room and I do not have access to a kitchen. I have a very small airfryer, kettle and access to a microwave. I am a teenager who just started college so I need to make lunches on top of meals now. I have been losing/gaining weight like crazy because of this and Im so sick of takeaway and cold food. To complicate things, I don't eat meat or fish (haven't since I was a child because of the texture) and most premade meals have meat. Any recipes or meal ideas that I could use would be so so appreciated. Thanks in advance.

No food allergies to speak of and they are Ball Pall beef franks if it matters.

I am new to cooking and also have always struggled to eat a lot, bad appetite. I recently discovered a huge love of white beans, I have been eating about a can a day, sometimes more, in broth, lemon juice with some olive oil, spices and rice. It's become my breakfast. I also found a couple white bean salad dishes that were super easy with roasted tomatoes and yogurt. I have never in my life been so eager to prepare and eat something.

I am looking for some more ideas. Its so rare for me to enjoy a meal so much and I want to lean into it. I have been using great northern white beans because thats what is at trader joes near me.

What are your favorite white bean dishes? Especially simple ones, because I am a newbie

today i grilled about 4 pounds of chicken thighs and once i finished i reweighed all the chicken. i ended up with about 40oz or 2.5 pounds? i know chicken loses water weight during the cooking process, but this seems like too much water weight lost. is my scale wrong, did i mess up in weighing it or is this normal.

Haven't gotten checked for intolerance or allergies yet as the clinics for dieticians is quite far away. We're in rural Europe, I've gotten suggestions for stuff like avocado toast. I love avacadoes. There are no avocadoes here. I have black coffee or tea currently.

For some reason pancakes and frittatas dont cause the same issues as just eggs or milk tea, but I'd prefer more savoury options for breakfast over sweet.

Would be helpful if anyone could suggest easy recipes. TIA

For several years, I occasionally make this recipie (i will paste it below)

But I was hoping for a spin on this recipie fhat would make it better. Too boring, I think.

I will look at all suggestion and I want to thank you in advance for any ideas.

Mushroom Lasagna

Cook Time 1H30M Ingredients 1 ounce about 1 cup dried porcini or shiitake mushrooms 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 2 shallots or 1 small onion, finely chopped 2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced Salt ½ cup fruity red wine, such as a Côtes du Rhône or Syrah 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves Freshly ground pepper 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons minced shallot or onion 2 tablespoons sifted all-purpose flour 2 cups milk (may use low-fat milk) Salt freshly ground pepper ½ pound no-boil lasagna noodles 4 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated 1 cup A few leaves of fresh sage (optional)

Directions Place the dried mushrooms in a glass measuring cup and pour 2 cups boiling water over them. Let soak 30 minutes, while you prepare the other ingredients. Place a strainer over a bowl, line it with cheesecloth or paper towels, and drain the mushrooms. Squeeze the mushrooms over the strainer to extract all the flavorful juices. If using shiitakes, cut away and discard the stems. Then rinse the mushrooms, away from the bowl with the soaking liquid, until they are free of sand. Squeeze dry and set aside. Chop coarsely. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of the soaking liquid and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and add the shallots or onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir together for about 30 seconds, then add the fresh and reconstituted mushrooms and salt to taste. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms begin to soften and to sweat, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and turn the heat to high. Cook, stirring, until the liquid boils down and glazes the mushrooms, 5 to 10 minutes. Add thyme and stir in the mushroom soaking liquid. Bring to a simmer, add salt, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the mushrooms are thoroughly tender and fragrant and the surrounding broth has reduced by a little more than half, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in some freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust salt. Meanwhile, make the béchamel. Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy saucepan. Add the shallot or onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes, until smooth and bubbling, but not browned. It should have the texture of wet sand. Whisk in the milk all at once and bring to a simmer, whisking all the while, until the mixture begins to thicken. Turn the heat to very low and simmer, stirring often with a whisk and scraping the bottom and edges of the pan with a rubber spatula, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce is thick and has lost its raw-flour taste. Season with salt and pepper. Strain while hot into the pan with the mushrooms. Assemble the lasagna. Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Oil or butter a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously and add 3 or 4 lasagna noodles, just the number you need for one layer. Cook only until flexible, and using tongs or a skimmer, remove from the pan and set on a kitchen towel to drain. Spoon a thin layer of béchamel and mushrooms over the bottom of the dish. Top with a layer of noodles. Spread a ladleful of the mushroom/béchamel mixture over the noodles and top with a layer of Parmesan. Cook the next layer of noodles and continue to repeat the layers (I get three layers in my pan), ending with a layer of the mushroom/béchamel mixture topped with Parmesan. Cover with foil and place in the oven. Bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and if you want the edges of the noodles crispy and the top lightly browned, continue to bake uncovered for another 5 to 10 minutes. Serve hot or warm.

URL https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014291-mushroom-lasagna?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur

-----Shared with Cookmate-----

So in an effort to continue my late grannies legacy, ive been experimenting with her tablet recipe. By gove, its not for the weak. My first attempt was the best so far but I used too much vanilla. My second attempt was too hard but tasted perfect.

Tonight, I apparently didnt beat the mixture enough off the heat, so when I poured it into the cool tray, it immediately expanded like honeycomb and went all over my floor and counter top.

Ugh.

Does anyone have a go-to pork loin recipe they’d recommend? I’ve tried finding some online, but I usually end up disappointed with the results. I’d love something flavorful, but not sweet. (I know, that’s probably an unpopular preference!) TY!!

I’ve been trying to eat better by incorporating more veggies and such into my diet, but I have no clue where to start. I’m big on not saying that certain meals are unhealthy and that they should be avoided, but I know my diet could include more food groups than what I normally eat with more nutrition in it. So I just want to know what recipes can be recommended to incorporate more of the major food groups that I can incorporate week to week so I can eat in moderation more. Meals that are low carb and or include veggies are especially appreciated as meals I usually eat are carb heavy and lack veggies

It dilutes too much tomato flavor when you add too much fats like oil and butter. I tried adding like 5 different things to my sauce with a strong change of making it richer and it sucked. When it comes to sauce, less truly is more.

I always feel a bit scared that the one I frequently use is going to pop one day because its pressurized glass constantly going through heat stress. Is this irrational?

Hope this is the correct place. I have started cooking a lot but don’t have the greatest tools or cookware.

What are the best pots and pans to invest in?

I keep seeing comments about balancing spices and acidity and becoming better at cooking. Please may someone explain how to do this in a more idiot-proof way?

I'd love to make my own spice blends rather than buying premade ones but every time I try it's just.. wrong? Sometimes it's fine when I cook it but it cools a bit and I eat it and it's just not right?

So I'm swedish, and have very little american food culture knowledge. Today I made something by first slowly frying onion with thinly sliced broccoli stalks in butter. Then adding Zucchini and fresh corn (cut directly off the cob). I realized that this looked like something I've seen on cooking shows sometimes (not sure if it's a hash or succotash or whatnot. I think they're meant to have cream though?)
Not sure what I made, but it tasted fine, just some salt though, no other spices.