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Cascade Settles the Debate: Should You Be Rinsing Your Plates Before Loading the Dishwasher?

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

I have a confession to make: I’m a pre-rinser. Before I load dirty dishes into our dishwasher, I thoroughly rinse them off so that they’re nearly clean before being placed in the racks. But I’m not sure why I do it. Perhaps it was the thing to do when I was growing up and doing my chores, or maybe it’s because I’m worried about the water pressure and plumbing in our 1940s home.

Turns out, I’m not alone in my pre-rinsing habit. A recent survey commissioned by Procter & Gamble shows that 86% of us pre-rinse or pre-wash as part of our dishwashing routines.

I began to wonder, is my taking the time to pre-rinse dishes before loading them into the dishwasherbeneficial in any way, or is it a waste of time and resources, like water? I reached out to dishwasher detergent giant Cascade to find the answers.

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The Surprising Ingredient for the Lightest, Fluffiest Pancakes Ever

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

I recently saw a bit on a late night talk show that prompted viewers to come up with the everyday activity they’d win a gold medal in if it were an Olympic sport. For me, that prize-winning skill is making pancakes. As a mom of three, I make a lot of pancakes. Chocolate chip, Mickey Mouse, silver dollar, monster truck, fire truck, blueberry, banana; you name it and I’ve poured, flipped, and plated it. 

All that practice has led to my being able to whip up a batch of pancakes without a recipe, just good vibes. A little flour, egg, dairy, some leavener, a pinch of cinnamon and usually some sort of fruit or vegetable I’m trying to hide from my kids. Through all of this tinkering I feel qualified to tell you the one ingredient that makes the best pancakes every single time is ricotta cheese. Why? This one ingredient guarantees my pancakes–no matter what their shape–are the lightest and fluffiest possible. 

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The Hidden Dangers of That “Mini Fried Egg” Frozen Egg Hack

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

When it comes to TikTok trends, I would categorize them into three buckets: the ones that are must-tries and new favorites (like feta pasta and the paper towel trick); the ones that are not worth it or don’t work (ahem, pancake spaghetti); and then the ones that are downright dangerous (looking at you avocado water storage). The worst TikTok hacks can range from innocuously unnecessary to genuine food hazards, and the latter is where the newest trend falls.

The ‘hack’ has popped up for over a year on the video-sharing app but is making the rounds yet again, with the latest iteration gaining over 10 million views. The method is always the same: freeze whole eggs in the shell, then cut the frozen egg into slices and fry those in a pan, resulting in mini, kid-sized fried eggs. But be warned—you should not be making these at home, and especially not for kids. Here’s why.

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Katharine Hepburn’s #1 Trick for the Best Brownies Is Totally Brilliant

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Countless Allrecipes community members—and the whole of our staff—are a little (okay, a lot) obsessed with brownies.

On a constant quest to take them to the next level, we have tested and perfected Mmm-Mmm Better Brownies. We’ve got the Best Brownies. And if this recipe could talk, it would say “Not so fast, I’m, Absolutely the Best Brownies.” We can’t forget Brooke’s Best Bombshell Brownies and The Ultimate Brownies, either.

The competition for the ultimate, absolute best brownie of all time is stiff, so we’ll leave that up to you to decide which earns your trophy. But before you make your final call, we have another contender to add to the mix after scouring the archives of the PBS project, The History Kitchen: Katharine Hepburn’s Brownies.

We’ll be dishing up the recipe below, but before we do, we have to take a moment to highlight the silver screen icon’s remarkably simple secret that makes her brownies—and honestly, any brownie recipe—better.

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Chef John’s Mom’s Best Tip for Perfect Potato Salad

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

There are so many types of potato salad out there made across the world. But sometimes, it’s hard to beat a cookout classic dressed up with mayonnaise, crunchy celery, zippy onion, and perfectly-cooked hard-boiled eggs. That’s exactly what Chef John’s recipe inherited from his mom serves up: an aptly named Perfect Potato Salad. 

In that recipe, Chef John highlights one very important rule in making this potato salad: After cooking whole potatoes, they must come down to room temperature before you combine them with the remaining ingredients and toss them with your dressing. If you dress your potatoes while they’re still hot, the mayo-based dressing will end up looking greasy and unappetizing. 

Waiting for the potatoes to cool has another bonus. For this potato salad, you start by boiling whole, skin-on potatoes as opposed to cut or peeled potatoes. Then you peel and cut the potatoes after they’ve been cooked. Peeling cooked, room-temperature potatoes is much easier than peeling raw potatoes. Because the potato skin peels so easily from the flesh of the potato, you also waste less of the potato. 

That’s not Chef John’s only potato salad tip. Here are his top tips for making a perfect potato salad.

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