tips

A knife just doesn't cut it with those rounds of soft goat cheese. Try a length of dental floss (the plain, Teflon-y kind is best). Arrange it under the log of goat cheese, cross the ends over the top in an "x" and pull, making a neat slice.

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When using canned whole tomatoes for sauce or soup, they break down more easily if they're chopped a bit before they go into the pan. Transfer the contents of the can to a bowl and use a pastry blender to break them up, or cut them right in the can with a pair of kitchen shears.

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I got this one from America's Test Kitchen. Grill brushes are best at removing food stuck on the grill grate, but they can wear out quickly. In a pinch, create a makeshift "brush" by using a crumpled wad of aluminum foil held in a pair of long tongs to scrape off a hot grill grate. More »

This tip came in handy when I was chopping fennel and cumin seeds and they went flying everywhere (must get a mortar and pestle!). Place your measured seeds in a pile on a cutting board and pour just enough water or oil over them to moisten. The seeds will stay put when chopped with a sharp knife.

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When pounding chicken breasts between sheets of plastic or wax paper, things can get out of control. Using a thin flexible cutting mat instead makes a real difference—greater stability and easier to get an even thickness.

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Everyone knows that cutting up onions releases a pungent chemical that makes you cry. I was reading an online tip from America's Test Kitchen that says they found just two ways to stop the tears: create a physical barrier by wearing goggles or light a candle near your chopping block.

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Graters coated with cheese residue can be a difficult to clean, and the dishwasher doesn't always do the job. Try rubbing a dry, stale crust of bread that's hardened a bit, such as the end of a baguette, over the grater. That should remove most of the mess. To finish the job, scrub the grater in hot, soapy water. More »

Have you ever wanted to "flip" the contents of your sauté pan like a pro? While we were taping a Chefs segment, we learned that Chef Ludger Szmania of Szmania's had his apprentices practice the sauté pan flip using uncooked rice in the pans. When the rice stays in the pan you're ready to move up to the real thing. More »

Pasta meals are a staple at our house, and the pot always boils over. The cause: as pasta cooks, its starch becomes sugar. The glucose increases water viscosity and boosts its boiling point. The solution: give the pasta room to move. By cooking pasta in a larger quantity of water the glucose has room to spread out (and the pasta cooks faster, too).

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This time of year, strawberries often have a tasteless white core. To quickly remove both the core and the leafy stem end, push a plastic drinking straw up through the bottom of the strawberry.

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