Mantarlı Quesadilla

How To: Hold a Chef's Knife

At the core of many knife skills in holding the knife properly. This simple grip gives you all the power and freedom you’ll need to prep whatever’s on your cutting board. So get a grip and watch this short video to see how it’s done!.

How to Make Sure Your Pasta is Al Dente

Nothing beats perfectly cooked, al dente pasta. But how do you know if it's done? There are numerous ways to test the doneness of your noodles when they’re cooking. Some folk wisdom says to throw a piece of pasta against the wall; if it sticks, it's done. As much fun as we had experimenting with this method, we found the best way to test the pasta was, shockingly, by tasting it. In Italian, "al dente" means "to the tooth," meaning that it's still slightly firm to the bite. As your pasta cooks, periodically (and carefully) taste a piece of it. If it's still too firm, let it cook a little longer.

In some of our recipes, we specify to remove the pasta from the pot when it's "just shy of al dente." This is because, later, the pasta will be cooked in a sauce. Removing the pasta from the water just before it's al dente will ensure that the final product isn't overcooked.

Shallot

Shallots are an intensely flavorful bulb in the same family as garlic and leeks. Many of the vegetables in this family are considered aromatics. Garlic, shallots, leeks, onions and many other fragrant vegetables are called aromatics because of the amazing scents they produce during cooking. Almost every cuisine uses some combination of these vegetables as a base. Aromatics build flavor, providing structure and a subtle, well-rounded backdrop for the “stars” of your dish.

Butter

What would cooking be without butter? Butter is so essential to so many cuisines and dishes across the world that its absence seems almost unimaginable. Millennia ago, butter was made from goat or sheep's milk (before the domestication of cattle). In Northern Europe, cooler climates made it easier to store butter for longer periods of time. But even in the warm climates of the eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East and India, butter was used and treasured for its rich, exquisite taste (often in the form of ghee, or other clarified butter preparations). From sautéing and frying to baking and sauce-making, butter can be used in countless ways.