Patel

In your pantry is a dense red brick of concentrated tomato flavor: tomato paste. Innocuous-looking, yes, but transform it with some water, and it transforms fastly. Rehydrating it is something most people do either by guessing (until it tastes good) or by relying on strict ratio-based formulas (which don’t always work). If you’re hungry enough … Read more

That’s usually when the panic starts: There you stand, in your kitchen, facing an empty pie shell and a bowl of naked apples. What did the recipe say? Three pounds, right? But wait: Too many apples? Or not enough? It is not usually a matter of taste; it is a matter of how much space … Read more

What good is having a recipe for 3 bananas and only 2 left on hand? Panic! Will it be too much and make the bread fall flat like a brick, or will it be enough and cause the bread to sink? With the calculator (above), inputting your ripeness-level of banana and its approximate size do … Read more

Summer zucchini comes in a flood all at once. There are often too many vegetable for their use. It’s hard to plan if you don’t know what “a cup” of zucchini looks like, since the garden yields whole heavy veggie forms and recipes calls for measured amounts in cups. Before you start cooking, you want … Read more

Ever make miso soup at home only to have it taste like warm water? Or maybe its too salty to eat, requiring you to drink some water first? If you’ve ever made dashi from instant powder packets (whether it was for miso soup or something else), you know this can be a challenge. Usualy, the … Read more

Ground beef doesn’t look like much. It’s all about volume; and volume changes with heat. The meat that appear hefty in the package shrivels up on the grill as fat drips away. Shrinkage lead to hungry stomachs and empty plates long before your guests has had enough. Unless you know where to begin, here’s what … Read more

There’s nothing worse than trying to plan for dinner only to realize the hot dog and buns aren’t matched. How many times have you found yourself short on meat or short on bread? Or maybe you have enough of everything except one thing. Then there is no way to enjoy any of it. The issue … Read more

In the morning, do you ever question whether or not there is enough coffee in that scoop? Without proper measurements, coffee has become more of an art for most: it’s all based off hazy intuition from inside your kitchen. It’s going to be either too watery or you’ll waste some precious bean. The ratio is … Read more

“What size bag do I need?” you ask yourself, standing in front of a pile of russets in the produce section. Will this be enough to feed my dozen hungry diners? Or will it end up leaving their plates looking empty? Potatoes can be tricky: When peeling, they weigh less; after cooking, they shrink. Buying … Read more

There is a specific kind of panic that sets in when you realize three more friend just texted that they are bringing their partner and two kids to your shrimp boil. You look at the gap in the middle of the counter where the shrimp should be and realize that one miscalculation could result in … Read more