Tutorial - Home-Ec 101

Intro to Vegetarianism (for Carnivores)

Brian says: I’m not a vegetarian nor do I ever want to be. That is not to say that I’m judging those who have decided to take the road less traveled and have sworn off meat. In an ideal world, both meat lovers and veg-heads would come together in a peaceful and happy medium; drum …

How to Remove Baking Spray Overspray

Dear Home Ec 101, I’ve noticed that when I use non-stick spray (like Pam) on things that are subsequently baked, I end up with a sticky, brown residue that is really hard to remove from my pans. This is a particular problem with my muffin tin! Two questions: 1) Should I stop using non-stick spray on things that …

How to Poach an Egg

Heather says: We’re huge fans of eggs in our house, with growing kids and a busy schedule, they are one of the fastest and most economical forms of protein we keep on hand. Throw in the fact that there are hundreds of ways to cook eggs and we’re sold. Learning how to poach an egg …

How to Cook Steak Properly

Brian says: As I mentioned in my last post, there are a great deal of people out there who cook their steaks half to death with the slightest bit of remorse. At first I was just going to let it go, hoping to play the ignorance-is-bliss card but I just can’t let it stand, people! …

How to Butterfly or Spatchcock a Chicken

Heather says:

Did you know there’s a way to increase the amount of crisp skin on your chicken while decreasing the cook time? I tell the truth, you just use a five minute technique called Spatchcocking -that sounds dirty, doesn’t it?- or butterflying and you’ll greatly increase the surface area of your roast chicken. Not only is the surface area increased, but the amount of meat in direct contact with the cooking surface -in our case a baking sheet- is also increased. Both of these conditions work together to reduce the overall cook time of your bird and keep any skin out of the pan juices.

This technique cuts the cook time for a 3 .5 – 5lb bird down to around 50 minutes. Now you don’t have to save your chicken for Sunday afternoon. Who knew?

As a courtesy to vegetarian Home Ec 101 readers, I’ll go ahead and hide the rest of this post behind a jump. Just click more, if you want to see the tutorial.

How to Cook a Bolar Roast

I was checking out some of my usual suspects on the blogging circuit yesterday when I stumbled upon a post at Musings of a Housewife. Jo-Lynne was lamenting only having bolar roasts left from her bulk beef purchase. I had never heard of a bolar roast so I did some internet sleuthing. Do you remember …

Learn four methods to easily make hard-boiled eggs, perfect for salads, sandwiches or eating as is.

How to Choose Freezer Friendly Recipes

Dear Home Ec 101: My totally awesome, yet annoyingly prepared sister-in-law has just begun her 7th month of her first pregnancy and is in major nesting mode. She emailed me last week looking for recipes that she can make now, freeze, and just reheat after the baby comes or as she puts it, ‘I won’t …

cake on cooling rack with cake crumbs and orange juice in background

Dear Home Ec 101,I really need help. I found an awesome chocolate cake recipe and can keep the cake from sticking to the pan with the parchment paper/oiled/flour method. However, once the cake is on the wire rack, that’s another story. It sinks into the wires and sticks to the rack. When I try to remove it, it rips and breaks …

Freezing, A How To, Part Two

Heather says: Yesterday’s post on How to Freeze Food inspired a few more questions. Rather than extend an already long article, this is the second installment on freezer tips. Can you do a post on freezing leftovers? I’m a single gal, and while I do cut down most recipes, sometimes I have a couple stuffed …