Kitchen Tips and Troubleshooting

Don't Google that question again. Consult our kitchen tips and troubleshooting guides for organizational hacks, safety and cleaning how-tos, and more.
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Stop Putting These Things in the Dishwasher
A container of bacon fat, labeled with a date.
How to Dispose of Cooking Oil and Fat
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How to Deodorize a Fridge
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The Best Way to Store Ice Cream in Your Freezer
A sheet pan loaded with skirt steak strips, bell peppers, and onions, all after being cooked until charred, ready to be loaded into tortillas for fajitas
Our Tips for Meal Planning During Self-Isolation
A prime rib roast is removed from an oven.
Kitchen Safety 101: How to Prevent Cuts, Burns, and Other Injuries
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Mix and Match Chile Flakes and Powders for Layers of Flavor and Heat
Hand holding a large jug of mineral oil on a wooden counter
Why Mineral Oil Belongs in Every Kitchen
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How to Clean Candy (and Other Sticky Stuff) From a Pot
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A Mind-Blowing Technique for Cleaning Deep-Fry Oil Using Gelatin | The Food Lab
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Hack Your Way to a Bigger Stovetop, No Renovation Required
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How to Keep Thanksgiving Gravy Warm (Without Hogging a Burner)
The Case for Room-Temperature Foods
A spread of ingredients on a marble countertop in an Airbnb kitchen: chicken parts on a paper towel–lined tray; onion, garlic, and herbs on a cutting board; balsamic vinegar; fleur de sel; olive oil; grinder of black pepper; lemon halves
What to Pack for Your Vacation-Rental Kitchen
Three large baskets with filled small red, green, and orange hot chiles.
6 Ways to Build Your Spicy Food Tolerance
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11 Microwave Shortcuts Every Home Cook Should Know
A blue-gloved hand holding a stainless steel skillet under a faucet
How to Clean Stainless Steel Pots and Pans
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5 Surprising Ways Baking Soda Can Improve Your Cooking
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How to Fix Gravy, Whatever the Problem
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The Best Way to Clean Your Filthy Microplane, Zester, or Grater
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Should You Put Salt in Your Coffee?
Blending sauce for butter chicken with an immersion blender in an enamel cast iron Dutch oven.
24 Essential Kitchen Tricks and Tips
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Should You Really Only Cook With Wine You'd Drink? The Truth About Cooking With Wine
Graphic illustration of the main, central shelves of a refrigerator with various items
How to Organize Your Refrigerator for Better Food Storage | The Food Lab
Irish soda bread in a parchment-lined cast iron skillet in the oven.
Why Isn't This Working? 5 Variables That Affect Recipe Timing
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22 Supermarket Items You Should Leave on the Shelf (and What to Get Instead)
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How to Clean Out Your Spice Cabinet and Organize It—for Good
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The Better, Faster Way to Freeze and Defrost Your Foods
How to Make a Parchment Paper Lid for Stews and Braises
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The Food Lab Answers All of Your Thanksgiving Questions, 2013 Edition
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7 Cocktail Party Tips from Sasha Petraske of Milk & Honey, NYC
Overhead of a restaurant-inspired kitchen prep station for vegetables.
How to Set Up a Prep Station Like a Pro Cook
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Food-Styling 101: Pro Tips to Step Up Your Game
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Kitchen Storage and Organization Essentials That Keep Us Sane
A wicker picnic basket on a blue checkered tablecloth spread on the grass outdoors. There is a Serious Eats bag with paper towels and other picnic supplies next to the basket.
Pack Your Picnic Basket Like a Pro: Essential Gadgets for Your Next Outing
An upended coffee mug is set on a cutting board next to a chef's knife and a thinly sliced lime.
Dull Knife? No Sharpener? Grab a Mug
A creamy mushroom pan sauce is stirred in a skillet.
How to Fix a Broken Sauce or Vinaigrette
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My Favorite Cooking Hacks | The Food Lab
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Roasting Mushrooms? Save the Cooking Liquid to Make a Savory Condiment
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Ounces and Grams: Why Mass Is Not the Best Way to List Ingredients
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How to Combat Soggy Pie Crusts With Epsom Salt
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What to Eat on a Camping Trip
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Want More Flavor From Fresh or Canned Tomatoes? Fire Up the Oven
Warm Spanish-Style Giant Bean Salad With Smoked Paprika and Celery
What to Do With Leftover Tomato Paste
Amp Up Your End-of-Summer Salads With Fresh Herbs
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So You Miss Deep Fried McDonald's Apple Pies?
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Pizza Protips: Additions to Your Dough
Overhead of dried mushrooms soaking in stock in a glass measuring cup.
Soak Dried Mushrooms in Wine or Stock for More Flavor (and Efficiency)
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Freeze Fresh Herbs for Long-Term Storage
Closeup of parsley and basil sprigs on a cutting board.
What to Do With Leftover Herb Stems
Close-up of a chip topped with salsa. A bowl is in the background, slightly out of focus.
5 Ways to Dress Up Store-Bought Salsa
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Why Doesn't the Coffee I Make at Home Taste As Good As Café Coffee?
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Cooking With Bacon? Store it in the Freezer for Maximum Ease
Knife cutting frozen pancetta into slices.
Cutting Up Bacon Is Easy if You Freeze It
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Sweet Technique: Adding Eggs to Cake Batter
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Why I Prefer Teaspoons to Grams: 6 Measuring Mistakes That Derail Dessert
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Whisking Versus Blending Mayonnaise: The Best Tools for the Job
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Got Extra Popeye's Biscuits? Save'em For Breakfast Sandwiches