Patel Empty Jar of Nutmeg: Perhaps you’ve got some whole nutmeg in the back of your cupboard, but maybe you realize the jar on your spice rack are empty. Here is where we part ways with measuring spoons; most recipes calls for ground nutmeg by volume, and there’s nothing more arbitrary then that. Converting Whole Nutmegs … Read more
How many limes do I need if a recipe asks for X number of lime juice? For example: “You’ll need one cup,” but then what? How much fruit is in a cup? The answer depends on size of your fruit. And how will you know which ones to pick up at the store? Well now … Read more
The next time you have a recipe that calls for fresh cilantro but you don’t have any, you’ll know why: unlike most herbs that only add flavor, cilantro also adds texture and hint of citrus. If you approach cilantro like thyme or oregano, all the flavor fade away. The standard kitchen rule of thumb suggest … Read more
Unlike most herbs that we keep in the fridge which are leafy tissues, rosemary is woody, with an accompanying change of physics. So many formulas for how to convert one to the other don’t work, three times as much dried rosemary equals one part fresh, etc.; because nature of plant alters things. The dried herb … Read more
Use three sprigs of fresh thyme. That’s what recipe says: three sprigs fresh thyme, from 1974. Three sprigs? Okay, you say, but I don’t have any thyme. I don’t even have fresh thyme. All I’ve got is a jar of dried leaves, back there behind the cinnamon sticks. What now? How to Use Dried Thyme … Read more
It’s the time of year for sage: a critical ingredient in fall cuisine, yet also one of the most underappreciated. Perhaps you’ve got a recipe that specifies fresh sage but all you have is some dried? Or maybe it are the other way around? Swapping one teaspoon for the other hardly ever turns out right. … Read more
The recipe says it needs A TEASPOON of dried thyme, but you only have that limp, slightly-faded bunch hiding in the vegetable crisper. According to the web, the conversion rate should be three to one, easy-peasy…until it isn’t, when you notice that not all dried thyme look (or behaves) alike. While some is rubbed or … Read more
Or maybe you’re making a recipe that requires fresh oregano, yet you’ve only got some dried oregano in a jar. The usual solution on the internet is to use one-third as much. This isn’t exactly wrong, but it doesn’t consider how these herbs works in a dish or how they differ from each other. Fresh … Read more
There you are, standing in the grocery aisle with a single head of garlic in your hand, suspecting it might be to small, yet knowing the recipe call for precisely six cloves of garlic. How do you convert cooking measurements to actual produce? No one ever taught you! And don’t think this is just a … Read more
If you’ve ever measured out three tablespoons of minced garlic and found yourself staring at an oversized-clove bulb then you know what I’m talking about: You squeeze the hell out of those cloves and chop away, getting only two tablespoons’ worth. What’s left is a weak marinade; your sauce have no oomph. It’s not because … Read more