Tag: Cookbooks

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Barilla Settles the Debate: This Is When You Should Salt Pasta Water

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Pasta plus sauce equals the ultimate easy dinner: Boil water, add pasta, and open a jar of marinara. There is one more step you need to take if you want your pasta to taste great, however. You’ve got to add salt to the water. But when? Some people say to add it to cold water at the beginning, others say to add it when the water comes to a rolling boil, just before the pasta goes in, with the pasta, or when the pasta is halfway done cooking. And then there are those who insist you should skip salting the water and season your finished dinner to taste. 

Pasta enthusiasts have passionately argued all sides of this debate. That’s why we tapped the ultimate expert of pasta—Barilla—to settle it for us once and for all. We asked Lorenzo Boni, executive chef at Barilla Americas, for some authoritative answers.

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Can You Freeze Sour Cream?

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

If you’ve ever thrown out a half-used container of sour cream, knowing you wouldn’t need it any time soon, you were probably irritated by the waste of food and money. You might have even wondered: Can I freeze sour cream? By taking the proper steps and precautions, sour cream can be safely frozen and thawed for use in a variety of baking and cooking needs. The texture will change once it has thawed, which means it’s best not to use frozen sour cream in dips or on a baked potato. But it’s perfectly fine to use in cakes, casseroles, and soups. Read on to learn how to properly freeze and thaw sour cream.

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The Most Genius Casserole Upgrade Has Been Hiding in Your Freezer

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Winter is peak casserole season. Sure, we make casseroles year-round, but they’re particularly comforting when they come out hot and bubbly from the oven on a cold night. Think of pulling a creamy chicken Cordon Bleu casserole or a broccoli-rice casserole out of the oven on a night when the outside temp drops below freezing. They would smell and taste like a warm hug, right?

Casseroles topped with potatoes seem extra comforting on a chilly night, but sometimes making mashed potatoes before assembling a casserole is an extra step we don’t have time for. Have you ever considered replacing the mashed potatoes on top of a casserole, or perhaps the potatoes in a casserole with a bag of refrigerated or frozen hash browns? Instead of peeling potatoes, boiling them, and then mashing them, you just need to rip open the package and dump out the potatoes. 

It’s a smart substitution for a busy night or whenever you want to make your dinner prep work as simple as possible. 

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Eggland’s Best Finally Settles the Debate: How Long Can You Leave Eggs Out on the Counter?

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

We all have that one recipe we love to make that calls for room temperature eggs. Leaving your eggs out on the counter or at least taking them out of the fridge before you start baking is best practice—but how long on the counter is too long? If you don’t remember how much time has passed and those eggs have been sitting out for a questionable amount of time, are they still safe to use? We reached out to the experts at Eggland’s Best to finally get an answer.

Allrecipes

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Meet Porcupine Meatballs: The Retro Dinner That Deserves a Comeback

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

When searching for dinner inspiration, it’s easy to always look for what’s new and now, but sometimes it’s worth looking to the past. While the trending recipes have a time and place, nothing scratches the comfort food itch like the dishes you grew up with (whether that was in the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, or beyond).

It’s not uncommon for retro recipes to have some pretty out-there names. From Frog Eye Salad to Broken Glass Cake, these titles often sound strange and even inedible, but don’t fear—their names typically nod to the recipe’s unconventional appearance. That’s certainly the case for Porcupine Meatballs, a beloved retro recipe we’d argue is long overdue for a comeback.

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