potatoes

Here's America's Test Kitchen's tip for the perfect baked potato: For best results, bake potatoes at 350 degrees until tender, about an hour and 15 minutes. You'll need to release the steam quickly to keep the potato fluffy and light.

Raw or cooked, peeling potatoes can be a slippery task. For raw potatoes, try sticking a basic corkscrew in one end to hold the potato in place. Hot cooked potatoes can be held when speared with a fork. You won't have to burn one hand while peeling with the other.

I first heard this great tip for partially slicing potatoes from Jonie Ashby Pritchard in her recipe for Garlic Parmesan Potatoes (which you’ll find in the new cookbook). Place a chopstick on either side of the spud when slicing through. The chopsticks will stop the knife just short of the base.