The core and leaves could be removed with a large knife, slice through the stem end close to the base of the head to remove the leaves. With a thin knife, cut around the core as close as possible to the florets to remove the core and tough stem ends in one piece. Cauliflowers could be separated into florets. Just core as described earlier, then break off the florets individually by hand.

Cauliflowers can be cooked quickly. To speed cooking time, divide the head into small florets. Florets can be boiled, steamed, or cooked in a microwave oven on high power. With either method, it takes about 5 minutes to cook a pound of cauliflower florets to tenderness.

For large heads of cauliflower (1.5 pounds or heavier), steaming is the best way to cook a large head whole. Core as describe earlier. Then, with a large knife, slice through the stem end close to the base of the head. Insert the tip of the knife deeply into the core, making two perpendicular cuts (or a deep X), to allow steam to permeate the tough core and stem areas more quickly. Steam over boiling water, with the core end down, until a knife can pierce the core easily, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Small heads of cauliflower (less than 1.5 pounds) can be cooked faster in a microwave oven. The microwave gives uneven results with larger heads. Again core as above. Then, slice through the stem end, as described for large heads. Place in a microwaveable dish (core end down), cover, and microwave on high power until the core can be easily pierced with a knife or fork, 6 to 7 minutes.

Add vinegar, lemon juice, or milk to the cooking water to preserve the white color of cauliflowers.

When choosing, look for carrots with a firm texture and smooth skin. Carrots sold with their green tops intact are likely to be fresher than topless ones sold in plastic bags. Once purchase, use the carrots within a week or two and keep them in the coldest part of the refrigerator.

To slice, cut a thin slice off the length of the carrot to give it a flat, stable base. Then lay the carrot flat on your work surface for easy slicing. Old carrots can be prepared by removing the woody cores and use only the outer flesh.

In order to benefit from a carrot’s nutrition, rinse and scrub carrots well, but don’t peel them as much of the nutrition is right under the skin. Raw carrots make a healthy snack, but for maximum nutrition benefits, cook carrots for at least 3 to 5 minutes. Cooking helps free beta-carotene from the carrot’s fiber cells, making it easier for your body to absorb.

Carrots can also be made into juice. Carrot juice is a delicious way to get beta-carotene into your diet. Make a blend of carrot and orange juice to start your day. Or use carrot juice in salad dressings to replace part of the oil. You can also cook couscous in a mixture of carrot juice and water. And you can steam fish using carrot juice for the liquid, seasoning the liquid and thickening with cornstarch.

Many a baking failure can be traced to using the wrong pan. So before you begin making a cake, make sure that you have the right pan for the job. Many recipes call for parchment paper, but any liner will actually do: aluminum foil, waxed paper, even a cut-up brown paper bag.

To line a round pan, use the pan as a template. Tear off a sheet of paper or foil that is bigger than the bottom of the pan you are lining. Place the pan, right side up, on the liner. Using a pencil, draw a line around the perimeter of the bottom of the pan. Cut just inside the line to make a circular liner. Set the liner in the pan.

When lining the bottom and sides of a round pan, turn the pan upside down. Tear a sheet of foil large enough to overlap the bottom of the pan by several inches on all sides. Carefully mold the foil over the outside of the pan. Then, remove the foil, invert the pan, and insert the molded foil liner into the pan. Smooth the liner into place.

To line a tube pan, tear off a sheet of paper or foil that is bigger than the bottom of the pan you are lining. Place the pan, right side up, on the liner. Using a pencil, draw a line around the perimeter of the bottom of the pan. Then, invert the pan and place the liner on top, lining up the pan bottom with the line you just drew. Carefully draw another line around the perimeter of the pan’s inner circle (the inside of the tube). Cut just inside both lines drawn to make a ring-shaped liner. Set the liner in the pan.

To line a springform pan, tear off a sheet of foil larger than the bottom of the pan. Place the pan bottom, upside down, onto the foil. Invert both pan bottom and foil, then loosely tuck the overhang of foil underneath the pan bottom. Secure the lined bottom in the springform ring and fold the excess foil up the outside of the ring. Lining the bottom of springform pan this way helps the cake slide out easily, reduces leaking from an ill-fitting bottom, and protects the contents of the pan if the cake needs to be baked in a water bath.

If greasing is required, just turn a small zipper-lock plastic bag inside out, then place it on your hand like a glove. Smear shortening or butter on the bottom and sides of the pan with your fingers. When done, seal any remaining shortening or butter in the bag and store, refrigerated, until the next time you need it. Or you can use the butter wrapper – there is always some butter that adheres to the inside of the wrapper, which makes a perfect wipe for applying butter over the sides and bottom of the pan. If greasing a pan with butter, use only unsalted butter. Salted butter will cause cakes to stick. Another alternative is to use cooking spray.

To bake heavy, dense batters such as pound cake, use a tube pan. It’s designed to conduct heat toward the center of the batter, allowing the cake to rise and bake evenly.

If you use a shiny cake pan, which will reflect the oven’s heat, you can make a more tender cake. Whereas to make a delicate cake with a tender crust, avoid iron or black steel pans, which will cause a heavy crust to form on the sides of the cake.

To solve the problems of cakes sticking to the pan, grease the pan with vegetable shortening instead of butter. Unlike butter or margarine, shortening contains no water, which can cause batters to stick. Shortening can also withstand higher temperatures than butter.

If you need to make a too-big cake pan smaller, just use foil, make a smaller pan inside the pan that you have. Line the pan with foil, folding the foil into a lip at the points where you want the pan edges to be. Fill the space between the foil edge and the pan edge with dried beans.

Buttermilk can be used to substitute for regular milk in baking recipes too. Buttermilk adds a wonderful, slightly tangy flavor to quick breads such as pancakes and muffins. Add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to the dry ingredients for every cup of buttermilk. The baking soda will react with the buttermilk to lighten and aerate.

In you need to replace buttermilk, replace 1 cup buttermilk with 1/2 cup of plain yoghurt mixed with 1/2 cup milk. Or stir together 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar and 1 cup milk, and let stand 5 minutes before using. Another option is dry buttermilk powder; it can be added directly to the dry ingredients in a recipe or can be reconstituted by combining 1/4 cup powder with 1 cup water.

Buttermilk is also suitable to enrich soups and dressings. For a thick and velvety texture, use buttermilk in cold soups and salad dressings in place of milk or cream. Taste and add a little sour cream for additional richness if desired.

If exposed to heat long enough, almost all foods will carbonize or burn. In some cases, carbonization is desirable, as in a finely charred piece of grilled meat or the deeply browned crust of creme brulee (“burnt cream”). In other instances, the cooking simply goes too far, resulting in accidentally burnt food.

To remove burned-on food from a pan, douse the burnt bits with fabric stain remover. Let the pan sit for a few minutes, then wipe off the food with a scrubbie. Much quicker than soaking the pan overnight. Or you can dribble 2 tablespoons dishwashing liquid in the bottom of the pan, add hot water to cover the bottom, then bring it to a boil on the stove top.

You can also soak the pan in baking soda and water for 10 minutes before washing. Or scrub the pot with dry baking soda and a moist scouring pad. If the food is really stuck, cover it with a thick layer of baking soda, sprinkle with just enough water to moisten, and let it sit overnight before scrubbing clean.

Brussels sprouts have to be one of the most hated of all vegetables, but it’s not the little cabbage’s fault. We just take too long to cook them. The solution? Quick-cooking avoids the release of unpleasant sulfur compounds and preserves the vegetable’s delicate, nutty flavor.

When choosing, pick the sprouts up and hold them in your hand. You want the ones that are heavy for their size. If you are lucky enough to find Brussels sprouts still on the stalk, buy the smallest stalk; it will have the sweetest sprouts.

Soak the Brussels sprouts in cold salt water for 20 minutes when cleaning. This will loosen any debris that may be trapped in the leaves. Remove the stem and any loose leaves.

To cook Brussels sprouts evenly through, cut an X into the stems. Or cut the sprouts in half. Cook within 3 days of purchasing. Also avoid overcooking, which can cause bitterness as well as destroy the vitamin C. Overcooked Brussels sprouts could be salvaged. Just cut in half, spread across a baking pan, cover in a mixture of bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese, dot with butter, and place under a broiler until bread crumbs are toasty brown.

In order to quick-cook Brussels sprouts and help seal in the flavor, slice them thin and stir-fry them. Or steam individual leaves. you can also saute individual leaves, if preferred.

Chef’s Tip: To avoid the strong cooking odor of Brussels sprouts that are boiled or steamed, add a rib of celery or a sprinkling of caraway seeds to the cooking water.

Fascinating Fact: While many vegetables are destroyed by autumn’s first frost, Brussels sprouts are at their sweetest after the season’s first frost.

When baking, you can check for doneness by starting to check 5 to 10 minutes before they are scheduled to be done. Do not insert a toothpick in the center of the brownies. Instead, insert it halfway between the center and the edge. If the brownies are done, the toothpick should come out clean. With some recipes, though, especially for fudgy brownies, you might want some moist crumbs adhering to the toothpick. Underdone brownies are always better than overdone brownies. If your brownies do come out a bit underdone, place them in the refrigerator to firm up.

When slicing, cool the brownies completely first. Then, if you have removed the entire pan of cooked brownies from the pan, use a pizza cutter or thin-bladed knife. Frozen brownies taste good too. Cut up cooled brownies into small squares and freeze solid on a baking sheet. Transfer to a zipper-lock freezer bag and store in the freezer. These frozen treats are especially satisfying during hot summer months.

To easily remove brownies from the pan, lay a strip of heavy-duty aluminum foil (or a double layer of standard foil) across the pan before adding the batter. The strip should be wide enough to cover the base of the pan and long enough on each end to fold over the pan’s edge. This creates a sling so that once the brownies have cooled, you can lift the entire pan out by grabbing each end of the foil. This also avoids wasting any precious brownies and makes the pan much easier to clean.

If the brownies are overcooked and dry, they could still be save. Soak in hot chocolate or hot fudge for 10 minutes before serving and top with ice cream or whipped cream. On the other hand, slightly stale brownies can also be revived. Place a colander over boiling water and steam until softened through.

Light textured brownies can be made by increasing the number of eggs and beat the batter until it forms a flat ribbon, falling back on itself when the beater is lifted. Or increase the amount of leavener. If a firm textured brownies are desired, use fewer eggs and beat lightly. Brownies with an ultra-smooth texture is made with cake flour instead of all-purpose flour.

If you are health concious and need to reduce the fat in brownies, replace up to one-fourth of the fat with an equal amount of a liquid sweetener such as honey, corn syrup, chocolate syrup, molasses, or fruit jam. For example, in a recipe with 1/2 cup butter, use 6 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons liquid sweetener. Or, use half the amount of fat called for and add half that amount of drained, unsweetened applesauce.  For example, to replace 1 cup butter, use 1/2 cup butter and 1/4 cup applesauce. Or, replace each ounce of solid chocolate with 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder. For each ounce replaced, add 1/8 teaspoon instant coffee or espresso powder to deepen the flavor.

To choose foods for boiling, select lean, tender foods that are not too thick. Thin cuts of meat, such as chicken breasts, veal or pork cutlets, hamburgers, or steaks, and fish fillets are ideal. You can also get a crisp crust by using a broiler. If your oven-baked gratin is cooked through but the surface has not developed a crisp crust, put the dish under a hot broiler until the top is browned and crisp. You can also use the broiler to melt cheese on a pizza or fritata.

And to reduce the risk of flare-ups, trim all excess fat from meats before broiling. Instead brush or spray them with oil to prevent foods from drying out while broiling.

When broiling foods that take time to cook through, such as butterflied chicken, move them farther from the heat source by lowering the oven rack. This is to prevent burning thick foods.

If broiling something for longer than 5 minutes, there is no need to preheat the broiler. Just allow a bit more time for the top side of the food to cook. This will save some preheating time. For instance, a steak that broils for 7 minutes per side will take 8 minutes for the first side and 6 minutes for the flip side when placed under a broiler that has not been preheated.

To make smooth and creamy applesauce, use a soft-textured apple, such as McIntosh. Add the sugar after the apples have softened, and pass the finished sauce through a food mill or sieve. Whereas, chunky applesauce can be made with a firm apple, such as Northern Spy or Granny Smith. Add the sugar at the beginning of the cooking time, and mash the finished sauce with a wooden spoon or a potato masher.

If you require to tint applesauce pink, just include the apples with the red skins, such as McIntosh or Cortland, and do not peel before cooking. Pass the cooked sauce through a food mill or a fine-mesh sieve to separate out the skins. The sauce will remain a lovely shade of pink. Or make apple-cranberry sauce by replacing some of the apples with cranberries (3 cups cranberries replaces 1 pound apples). Add 1/2 cup sugar to balance the tartness of the cranberries.

Applesauce can also be used to flavor curried dishes. Just add 1/2 cup applesauce to each 1 cup of curry sauce (or broth) when making a curried dish. Simmer as the recipe directs.

When buying apples, the flesh should be firm, the skin should be smooth, tight, and free of blemishes and bruises, and the scent should be full and fresh. Don’t judge an apple by its looks alone. The best tasting are often not the most beautiful. As an apple ripens, its texture, color, flavor and aroma all change. The flesh softens slightly, the color deepens, the sweetness intensifies, and the acidity drops as the aroma becomes stronger.

Store unripe apples at room temperature until they are ready to eat. Keep apples that are ready to eat in the refrigerator. To make apples last as long as possible, store them so that they aren’t touching each other. Keep apples away from strong-smelling foods such as onions, as apples easily absorb odors.

When peeling, use a vegetable peeler (a knife takes too much of the fruit with the peel). Remove the stem. Hold the peeler at the stem end and begin turning the apple into the blade of the peeler. Angle the peeler at about 60 degress so that each rotation moves you farther along the circumference of the apple, resulting in a spiral of apple peel. With practice, you should be able to peel an apple in about 20 seconds.

To core and keep whole, use an apple corer made especially for the job. If you don’t have a corer, carefully push a small paring knife down through the top of the apple just off-center from the core, and cut around the core. With baked apples, hollow out the core using a melon baller, without going all the way through the bottom.

To preserve apple, peel, core and cut the apples into wedges. Toss in lemon juice, then sugar. Spread on a baking sheet and freeze until firm. Transfer to a zipper-lock freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 months.

 ** All Cooking Tips **