Patel

There’s a hush-hush secret in the pond-ownership world about barley straw. You throw a few bales in the water and hope something happens. It depends more on acres of surface area than the gallons beneath it. Your thinking begins at the point where sunlight hits: acres caught in its rays, which determine how much straw … Read more

The quantity of coconut milk are everything in a curry. If it’s too little, the dish will taste harsh. Dominated by spices but also thin. If there’s too much, the richness overpowers the rest of flavor, masking them altogether. The difference is seen in how liquid reacts to the paste, vegetables, protein, and heat in … Read more

We think making sour cream onion dip is simple… Until it doesn’t turn out just right, or you can barely fit everything into that tiny bowl. By the time your first guest walks through the door, there’s something wrong with the dip, it taste too much like raw onion or maybe it’s too salty. Whether … Read more

Frying chicken for a crowd presents an odd problem. The question that trips people up isn’t the seasoning or the oil temperature. Nor even an oil-temperature problem: those are easy. What’s tricky is knowing how much buttermilk to add. Add too little and meat gets dry. Add too much and you’re wasting it. The liquid … Read more

Cracks in the center of a cheesecake can mean that you didn’t get the cream cheese just right. Recipes typically gives you the exact quantity needed for whatever pan size they’re written for. But what if you want to adjust it? What about using the pan that you already have? Or maybe you want to … Read more

Macaroni and cheese will be richer and creamier with cream than most home chef imagine. Milk keeps dish light and clean. The cream give it body, which sits heavily on tongue after each bite. It’s the cream that allow the sauce to cling to the macaroni’s every turn and nook and cranny. Use too little … Read more

In adobo, the interplay of vinegar and soy sauce matter. Most home cooks learns this the hard way: Their adobo tastes overly salty or flat. Here’s what you need to know: Soy sauce isn’t just for adding salt; it’s also for increasing savory flavor and color. And it evolves with time in a simmering pot. … Read more

Spicing up a cut of meat is tricky because it require taking into account heat level, the fat content, and the surface area. For example, many people season as much as they would a vegetable, which is why many cuts end up tasting milder then bolder. The correct amount vary according to certain factors, so … Read more

Some small decisions at home, like getting your tomato paste just right for the bolognese (will ripple throughout the meal). Too little and you’ll be tasting tomato juice after several hours on the stove, too much and you’ve got pizza sauce. After a couple of hours when the liquids has cooked away and everything has … Read more

Adding cayenne pepper alters the flavor of your chili, making it stay on the taste buds. Depending upon when you add it and how much you use, your chili will either warm you up or make you wish for a fire hose full of cold water. This is one kitchen lesson most home cooks only … Read more