CHOW Tips

CHOW.com Senior Editor Lessley Anderson has a simple but surprising tip that will keep your coffee powerful, even as the ice melts.

CHOW Kitchen Editorial Assistant Christine Yue Gallary shows you how to make the fancy chocolate and cheese shavings.

Blogger Adrienne Capps shares her recipe for making a house hot sauce.

Blogger Adrienne Capps shares her recipe for making ketchup from scratch. It involves a lot of spices, so you’ll want to follow the written recipe to make this condiment.

Bartender at San Francisco's Heaven's Dog and owner of Small Hand Foods, Jennifer Colliau will blow your mind with this bartender secret: You do not need to boil your simple syrup. In fact, it's preferable not to! Jennifer shows you how to make simple syrup using cold tap water in this video.

Jennifer Colliau, bartender at San Francisco's Heaven's Dog and owner of Small Hand Foods, loves using mint in her drinks, but she warns home bartenders against using wooden muddlers with this delicate herb. Use a spoon instead, lest you end up with a drink that tastes like toothpaste. This tip will come in handy when you're making your next Mojito.

Esperanza Pallana, who writes the urban farming blog Pluck and Feather, says that a chicken makes the transition to old hen after about three years. Old hens don't make for good fryers, but they are perfect for stewing and soups.

Esperanza Pallana, who writes the urban farming blog Pluck and Feather, explains that a good chicken coop is more than some comfy straw and a place to rest one's chicken head. Roosting, nesting, shelter, and ventilation are key.

Esperanza Pallana, who writes the urban farming blog Pluck and Feather, says that three chickens is a good place to start. Then grow your flock from there, depending on how much space you have.

Esperanza Pallana, who writes the urban farming blog Pluck and Feather, explains that not all chickens are good for both eating and egg-laying. If you want the chicken and the eggs, your best bet is to get a "dual-purpose" breed.

Esperanza Pallana, who writes the urban farming blog Pluck and Feather, says that chickens should not eat all your kitchen scraps. Keep them healthy and don't give them dairy products, meat products, or processed foods.

Andrew Swallow, author of Mixt Salads: A Chef's Bold Creations and founder of Mixt Greens, wants to help you avoid the "lipstick" problem that your average 3-to-1 ratio for vinaigrette presents. All that oil equals shiny, shiny lips. Instead, trying making a vinaigrette with a 2-to-1 or even 1-to-1 ratio. It'll bring out the flavor of your salad's ingredients better and won't oil up your face.

Andrew Swallow, author of Mixt Salads: A Chef's Bold Creations and founder of Mixt Greens, has revolutionized the crouton by diminishing its size. Giant croutons make for painful eating. As a salad aficionado, he believes that mini croutons are the best choice, and here he demonstrates how to make them.

Iso Rabins, founder of forageSF, introduces one of his favorite leafy greens: miner's lettuce, a native of California. It's easy for amateur foragers to identify it, whether foraging in the wild or at the market. Rabins is participating in this year's Eat Real Festival.

Master sausage-maker Ryan Farr of 4505 Meats gives you permission to just throw a whole package of cooked sausage into simmering water. Reheating sausage in the plastic wrapper keeps in the flavor and makes things easy for the cook while providing the illusion of fancy sous-vide-ing. Ryan Farr is participating in this year's Eat Real Festival.

Master sausage-maker Ryan Farr of 4505 Meats has seen too many sausages explode on the grill when eager and hungry cooks throw the meat down on high heat. To avoid such fat-splattering mishaps, he recommends that you poach your sausage first. You can then grill it --or just eat it poached. Ryan Farr is participating in this year's Eat Real Festival.

Master sausage-maker Ryan Farr of 4505 Meats wants everyone to be empowered to perfectly prepare the sausages he makes. And if a crispy sausage is what gives you strength, Farr provides the means to that end. Those means involve butter. Ryan Farr is participating in this year's Eat Real Festival.

Do you really need to use a specific cutting technique? What can you do with those leftover vegetable bits? Why are your vegetables bruised? Former CHOW Food Editor Aida Mollenkamp has the answers.

This technique is similar to the bias cut, and helps different parts of irregularly shaped vegetables cook at the same speed. Former CHOW Food Editor Aida Mollenkamp gives us her angle on this handy technique.

Mincing will produce lots of small pieces of relatively uniform size but slightly irregular shapes. Former CHOW Food Editor Aida Mollenkamp demonstrates how to rock'n'chop.

Creating thin, matchstick-sized julienne and batonnet pieces isn't easy. Former CHOW Food Editor Aida Mollenkamp demonstrates this advanced technique.

Chopping is the best technique to use when shape doesn't matter. Former CHOW Food Editor Aida Mollenkamp demonstrates how to get rough and ready with your vegetables.

Dicing, the most commonly used cutting technique around, creates perfectly sized cubes. Former CHOW Food Editor Aida Mollenkamp shows you how it's done.

Cutting on the bias decreases the cooking time for vegetables in dishes such as a stir-fry. Former CHOW Food Editor Aida Mollenkamp gives us her slant on this technique.

Chiffonade means rags in French, because that's what you end up with. Former CHOW Food Editor Aida Mollenkamp demonstrates how to turn lettuce or herbs into an attractive garnish.

Harry Rosenblum, co-owner of the Brooklyn Kitchen, cleans out his cast iron pan by adding salt (which acts as an abrasive to get rid of bits of food, and will soak up oil), rinsing it, and then drying it over heat. A well-seasoned cast iron pan is something to be proud of, a history of meals cooked. A dirty, rusty cast iron pan is not something to be proud of.

Harry Rosenblum, co-owner of the Brooklyn Kitchen, says that rusty cast iron is easy to fix. Simply scrub the rust off with a Brillo Pad or sandpaper, wash the pan clean and dry it, cover it in a thin coat of oil, and bake it in an oven at 275 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour. Then turn the oven off, leaving the pan inside to cool slowly. This is a great tip to keep in mind when shopping at flea markets—old cast iron can be made good as new!

Taylor Erkkinen, co-owner of the Brooklyn Kitchen, warns cooks not to scrape their freshly chopped fruits and vegetables off the cutting board with the blade side of the knife. The blade is for cutting, not corralling.

Taylor Erkkinen, co-owner of the Brooklyn Kitchen, demonstrates proper honing technique and describes how and why it makes a difference to your knife—and, by extension, to you.

CHOW.com Senior Food Editor Jill Santopietro has a trick for home cooks who have trouble sizing parchment paper for a round cake pan. Instead of trying to guesstimate the radius of your circle, fold the paper into a smaller triangle and cut it to fit. That way, when you open the paper into a circle, it should match your pan perfectly.

Old egg cartons deserve better than immediate recycling. CHOW.com Associate Editor Roxanne Webber gives them new life as containers for growing seedlings.

Andrea Nguyen, chef and author of Asian Dumplings, shares some wonton-folding expertise. There's the extra-simple triangle, the lovely flower bud (which looks like tortellini), and the nurse cap (which looks like the Flying Nun's headpiece). For more dumpling-making action, see our complete how-to on folding, as well as delicious dumpling recipes.

Andrea Nguyen, chef and author of Asian Dumplings, demonstrates three ways to fold a dumpling. She starts with the half-moon shape, segues into the pea pod, then finishes with a big hug. For more dumpling-making action, see our complete how-to on folding, as well as delicious dumpling recipes.

Corinne Trang, author of Noodles Every Day, stores her ginger in a jar filled with water and placed in the fridge. The ginger will stay fresh longer than if it's left on the counter, she says.

Corinne Trang, author of Noodles Every Day, has figured out a way to get all of the pesky seeds out of a chile pod without damaging it: Roll the pod between your fingers, then push the seeds out, and the pod is ready to be sliced into perfect circles.

Corinne Trang, author of Noodles Every Day, soaks rice noodles in cool water just until they are pliable before sautéing them in hot oil. Cellophane noodles can also get this treatment.

Corinne Trang, author of Noodles Every Day, provides a crash course on lemongrass. Grate it for marinades, slice it for curries, or keep it whole for soup.

Corinne Trang, author of Noodles Every Day, shares the lowdown on how to store fish sauce. A fermented product doesn't stop fermenting once it's bottled, so be sure to refrigerate it and use it within about nine months. If it has gone dark, get rid of it.

Chef and author Bryant Terry (and CHOW 13 honoree) shows how easy it is to transform whole cashews or almonds into delicious milk, lactose not included! Just soak overnight, blend with some water and sweetener (he uses dates), and then strain the mixture through cheesecloth.

Chef and author Bryant Terry (and CHOW 13 honoree) doesn't relegate squash seeds to the compost or trash. He roasts them with some seasoning and uses them in salads, soups, or on their own.

Chef and author Bryant Terry (and CHOW 13 honoree) roasts tofu according to a very simple recipe. The results are delicious as is or with the addition of your favorite sauce; Bryant likes barbecue sauce, pesto, or curry.

Chowhound Eric Higgins wrote in to tell us of a technique he had perfected for removing the pesky seeds from whole, canned tomatoes. He harnesses the centrifugal force of a salad spinner. We had him come in and shoot it with us!

Author and urban gardener Maria Finn loves growing citrus indoors. But because there are no bees or other pollinators in your home-- at least, we hope not-- you'll need to get extra personal with your citrus flowers and pollinate them yourself.

One of the easiest things to grow for the beginning gardener, according to author and urban gardener Maria Finn, is a salad box, as it won't need much maintenance and grows back quickly. Plus, eating homegrown salad greens is quite satisfying.

Lemon trees are generous with their fruit, and you'll want to go beyond lemonade. Author and urban gardener Maria Finn shows a quick and easy method for preserving lemons.

Author and urban gardener Maria Finn shows a cool technique for growing your own mushrooms at home.

Worms aren't typically good companions in a kitchen, but as author and urban gardener Maria Finn shows, with a little preparation and some kitchen scraps, they can make great fertilizer for your plants.

Author and urban gardener Maria Finn shares a quick tip on making sure your blueberries bear fruit: Plant multiple varieties. Blueberries like diversity, and they will cross-pollinate and be extra fruitful.

World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani's mad pizza-tossing skills aren't just there to impress. Throwing the dough into the air is extremely important in ensuring that you get a good crust. Looking cool is just a side benefit.

World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani shows the correct technique for "pushing" a pizza, which is a method that fancy pizzaiolos use to get the dough to the right size before moving on to throwing it.

World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani shows how to properly use a pizza peel, the wide, flat shovel that transports the pizza from countertop to oven.