How-Tos

Our how-tos bring you everything you need to know to get in the kitchen and cook, from fundamental techniques to the whys and hows behind our recipes.
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Getting Perfect Grill Marks | Grilling
The levain used for sourdough bread rises in a glass jar, about triple its starting volume
How to Ferment Sourdough Properly
A collage of coffee blooms at various stages
Bloom Phase: How to Read the Bubbles In Your Coffee
Three jars of fermenting hot sauces with airlocks in the top
How to Make Fermented Hot Sauce
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Dry-Charring Is the Best and Fastest Way to Cook a Side of Asparagus
Blowtorching vegetables in a wok
Torch Hei Is the Best Way to Get Wok Hei at Home
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Dry-Brining Is the Best Way to Brine Meat, Poultry, and More
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For Better Grilled Vegetables, Use Your Chimney Starter
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How to Dispose of Cooking Oil and Fat
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Homebrewing: How to Dry Hop Your Beer
Overhead view of a wok station
How to Set Up a Wok Cooking Station
Frozen pears thawing in bowl of water
Freeze en Place: How to Use Your Freezer as a "Cooking" Tool
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How to Set Up Your Grill for Better Skewers, Kebabs, and Yakitori
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How to Grill Whole Fish
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Save Your Vegetable Scraps, Make Stock
The Right Way to Sauce Pasta
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How to Break Down a Chicken | Knife Skills
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How to Build a Better Rice Bowl
Two dry-aged steaks cooking in a cast iron skillet.
How to Dry Age Beef
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All Praise the St. Louis Bagel and Its Infinite Potential
Shrimp, Oyster, and Fish Po' Boy sandwiches on sandwich paper
How to Make the Best Seafood Po' Boys
A dollop of butternut squash puree on a plate.
How to Make a Vegetable Purée
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Should You Really Only Cook With Wine You'd Drink? The Truth About Cooking With Wine
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The Many Tastes of Coffee Ice Cream: How to Make Just the Right Scoop for You
Stretching mozzarella curds over a bowl.
How to Make Mozzarella Recipe
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Toasting Nuts? The Microwave is Your Best Friend
Cocktail 101: Decorative Garnishes
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The Best Way to Reheat a Pizza Slice
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How to Dye Easter Eggs Naturally, Without a Store-Bought Kit
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How to Cryo-Blanch Vegetables | The Food Lab
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How to Clean and Fillet Fresh Sardines
Vegan Pizza
The Pizza Lab: How To Make Vegan Pizzas That Really Work
stracciatella gelato
How to Make the Best Stracciatella Gelato
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Leftover Pizza + Waffle Iron = Delicious Crispy, Gooey, Cheese-Stuffed Snack
Barista Tips: The Espresso Tamper
Hand-whisking mayonnaise
Whisking Versus Blending Mayonnaise: The Best Tools for the Job
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Homebrewing: Introduction to Mashing and All-Grain Brewing
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How to Make Asparagus alla Milanese With Tips and Variations
Coffee Techniques: Finding the Right Grind
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How to Make Granita
Overhead view of passing-through fish in a wok
Wok Skills 101: Passing-Through
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Cocktails and Spirits with Paul Clarke: Adding Spice
Overhead view of a cutting board showcasing multiple types of cuts of carrots, radishes, onions, meat, and cucumbers
Essential Chinese Knife Skills and Techniques
A cooked porterhouse steak on a hot grill.
The Food Lab's Definitive Guide to Grilled Steak
A small dish of vegan mayonnaise.
How To Make Vegan Mayonnaise | The Food Lab
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The Pizza Lab: The Complete Updated Guide to Grilled Pizza
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The Importance of Resting Meat | The Food Lab
A bone in steak cooking in a cast iron skillet.
Do Bones Add Flavor to Meat? | Ask The Food Lab
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Do I Need to Use Kosher Salt? | The Food Lab
A pizza on a wooden cutting board
For Great Pizza at Home, Get a Baking Steel
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The Food Lab's Guide to Inexpensive Steak for the Grill: 5 Cuts You Should Know
A sliced prime rib on a wooden carving board
13 Rules For Perfect Prime Rib | The Food Lab
A large cowboy steak grilling on a charcoal barbecue.
7 Myths About Cooking Steak That Need to Go Away
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What The Heck is Confit? | Ask The Food Lab
How Many Times Can I Re-Use Fry Oil? | Ask the Food Lab
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How Long Should I Let My Pizza Dough Cold Ferment? | The Food Lab
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The Pizza Lab: Three Doughs to Know
Two bowls of pressure cooker chili topped with cheese, sour cream, cilantro, chile slices, and lime wedges.
Pressure Cook Your Way to Perfect Chili in Just 60 Minutes