How to Cook Popcorn in Olive Oil?

Popcorn is a source of fiber. According to the staff at the Mayo Clinic, 2 cups of air-popped popcorn provide 2.3 grams of fiber (see Resources), making it a healthy snack food if you don't load it with butter and salt. Another healthy food is olive oil, which contains monounsaturated fat and "can lower your risk of heart disease by reducing the total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol levels in your blood," says Mayo Clinic nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. (see Resources). Wouldn't it be great if you could combine the two? Well, you can.
Instead of using an air popper, pop your popcorn in olive oil for a healthy snack. The oil makes the popcorn just moist enough for salt to stick to it--no butter needed.

Put the kernels in the saucepan. Remember that as the kernels pop, they will greatly expand and quickly fill up your saucepan. Pop a small amount of kernels the first time so that you get an idea of how many popped kernels your saucepan can hold.

Add enough olive oil so that you can see the oil, but not so much that it covers the kernels (like a salad with a bit much dressing--the lettuce isn't swimming, but you can see the dressing).

Put the lid on the saucepan.


Put the saucepan on a burner set at medium-high heat. Do not walk away; depending on your burner, the pan and the kernels, the popping may begin sooner than you think.

As the oil heats and the kernels begin to pop, grasp the handle of the saucepan with one hand and the lid with the other hand. Gently shake the pan back and forth to move the kernels around on the bottom of the pan. This prevents burning.

When the kernels are done popping (some don't pop and will begin to burn, which you'll smell), empty all popcorn into the bowl and add salt.

How to Make Good Homemade Hamburger Sliders

Sliders -- small burgers -- were once the fare of a select few fast food joints. Now these little gems are turning up at the fanciest of restaurants and plated with the best of care. Making your own sliders at home is easy, fun, economical and a sure-fire way to keep friends and family coming back for more.

Mixing the Meat

Season your ground beef with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. For an extra kick, add some hot sauce, minced bell pepper, Italian seasoning or chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, basil or oregano. Mix in a bit of Parmesan cheese, which adds flavor and holds together lean meat in a thin patty. If you're making a thick patty, stick a cube of cheddar or jack cheese in the middle for an inside-out cheeseburger.

Thick or Thin, Round or Square

Fashion your baby burgers with an eye toward style and meat-to-bun proportion. Slider presses for either square or round burgers ensure uniform cooking times. If you don't have a press, use a small measuring cup or a jar cap lined with plastic wrap. Weigh or measure the meat for each patty.

Use about an ounce of meat for thin patties, either round or square. For a square burger, make the edge of the patty a little larger than the middle to avoid burned or droopy edges.

For a thicker burger, double the amount of meat and make a dimple in the middle of your 1/8-pounder so that it doesn't plump like a baseball during cooking.

Ground beef with a high fat content shrinks during cooking so make the patty bigger than the bun all the way around. The leanest ground beef shrinks less, but allow a little extra around the edges to ensure that your burgers don't get buried in the bun.
Quality Buns
Pick a bun that suits your fancy as well as the size and shape of your slider patty.

Choose a sturdy crusted brioche, a soft dinner roll, a mini-french roll or a pared-down standard bun that will stand up to a bigger juicy burger.

Square sliders fit on Hawaiian sweet rolls, chunks of ciabatta or even into baby pita pockets. In a pinch, square up a bottom-rung bun to emulate the classic burger chain slider.
The bun dictates the size and shape of your slider patty. To toast or not to toast, that is your question. Most definitely, warm your buns.


Grill, Broil or Fry

Make a test patty first to determine a proper cooking time before you throw your entire batch on the grill, into the pan or under the broiler. No matter your cooking choice, flip the burger only once.

Thin and square 1/16-inch patties take about a minute on each side in a pan, grill or broiler.

Round fatty patties take a bit longer.

If you are unsure about doneness, use a meat thermometer and shoot for an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit as recommended by the USDA.
Condiments Count
Arrange a build-it-yourself condiment bar. Lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles are a must, as are ketchup, barbecue sauce and different varieties of mustard ranging from mild to spicy. Provide grilled onions and chili for an extra-sloppy slider. Serve with sides of coleslaw -- some like to put it right on the burger -- and potato salad.

Cool Tips for Hot Sliders

Use an ice cream scoop to form uniform fat sliders. Scoop it up, lay it down and flatten it to fit the bun.

Create the original slider by steaming a thin square burger over a bed of grilled onions.

How to Make Pizza Boats

As with many food ideas, this one sprang from good old leftovers. In this case it was left over meat sauce from a spaghetti dinner we had. We didn't want spaghetti again right away and it seemed a good idea to use our tasty meat sauce (we use ground venison and ground beef in ours) in another dish. So I created the "pizza boat". They're great little boats and many have been ship wrecked by sailing right into my mouth - the "straits of Clawmute". Served with a green salad. It's boarding house diner's rules - one foot on the floor at all times!

Every time I prepare these I am surprised at the simplicity and small amount of time that goes into them. Mainly I'm surprised at how tasty and filling they are. We just had them a couple of nights ago and I frequently take one to work for lunch & heat it up in the microwave.

These are so popular and tasty around our house that now we make up a batch of meat sauce especially for the pizza boats.

First hollow out your boats. I cut around the bottom (flat part) with a serrated knife, then scoop out the inside bread with a fork. Leave enough bread in the bottom so that your filling doesn't start to leak through when you spoon it in. If you can't find the pointed end "bolillio" rolls then the blunt ended hoagie roll type is fine, as long as they are thick enough to be hollowed out and have room for a filling.


Next lightly toast these hollowed out pizza boats to firm them up a little. Just barely brown is OK. Now cover the inside bottom of your boats with grated cheese and put them back in the oven toaster just long enough to melt the cheese a little. If you want, sprinkle the cheese with red pepper if you like it spicy.

Use leftover meat sauce or prepare from scratch meat sauce exactly like you do for spaghetti, with maybe a little more meat. We made up this batch especially for pizza boats just a couple of days before I wrote this article, and I am eating one as I type this!

Now ladle in your filling of well pre-heated pizza meat sauce, adding chopped onion, bell pepper and/or any other goodies. Top the filled boat with more shredded cheese and pop back in the oven for another ten minutes or so at about 375-425deg. or until the shredded cheese has melted and the bread is beginning to brown. Remember, the sauce needs to be pre-warmed so that you won't have to heat the filled boats until the filling is warm.

Let your completed pizza boats cool a little and then serve with a green salad and beverage of your liking. These will hit the spot. They stay hot for a long time so don't dig in too fast! These pizza boats sail straight from the shipyard onto your plate, but they won't be afloat for long.

How to Make a Smoothie With a Food Processor

The blender is king when it comes to making smoothies -- its blade was made to puree fruits and easily blend them with liquids. But you can call on your trusty food processor too. Although better at chopping and pulverizing, a food processor can get the job done when it comes to blending smoothies. You'll need to make a few tweaks and adjustments, however, for smoothie success in a food processor.

Put the fruit in the food processor bowl. Add just about any fruit you would like, using one, two or more. Common fruits for smoothies include bananas, apples, mangoes, pineapples and all berries.

Add vegetables to the mix, if you like. Small amounts of vegetables, such as a handful of spinach, chopped kale or even chopped carrots, boost the nutritional value of the smoothie without overpowering the sweet fruit flavors.


Add extra ingredients to enhance your smoothie. You could add 1 to 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, unsweetened cocoa powder, flax seed, cinnamon, ginger or crushed nuts to the food processor. For a big protein boost, add a few tablespoons of protein powder.

Pour in your liquid or semi-liquid base, adding no more than a 1/2 cup to start. Food processors don't work well with liquids and leak if you add too much at one time. You can use regular milk, fruit juice or non-dairy options, such as soy or almond milk. Yogurt creates creamy, thick smoothies; you can add it all at once, up to 1 cup per serving.

Put the lid on the food processor and blend the smoothie. Gradually add more liquid through the food processor chute as needed until the smoothie is well-blended and has reached the consistency you want. You may have to stop and scrape down the sides of the food processor with a spatula to get everything mixed well.

Transfer the smoothie into a glass. Food processors usually do not have spouts like blenders do, so you may have to use the spatula to guide smoothie mixture out without making a mess.

How to Boil a Quail Egg

Quail eggs often are used in Asian cuisine, particularly Japanese, but they can be adapted to many recipes. Once they are hard-boiled, they taste the same as boiled chicken eggs but are much smaller. The speckled shells are attractive but thin enough to easily remove from the cooked egg. Since they are much smaller than chicken eggs, it takes less time to boil quail eggs. Store the eggs for a week before boiling because week-old eggs are easier to peel than fresh-laid ones.

Fill a pot with cool tap water and 1/8 tsp. of salt. Set the quail eggs in the pot in a single layer, arranging them so they aren't touching one another.


Heat the water over medium-high heat until it begins to boil. Boil the eggs for five minutes, stirring the eggs gently with a wooden spoon. Stirring prevents the yolks from hardening on one side of the egg.

Remove the pot from the heat once the cooking time completes. Gently pour the eggs into a colander, and run cold tap water over them until the eggs are cool enough to handle.

Roll the egg on the counter top, breaking the shell on all sides. Peel under running water soon after cooking because waiting can make them more difficult to peel.

8 Quick and Easy Pasta Dishes

Pasta is a terrific meal option because it’s inexpensive, easy to cook and makes for tasty leftovers. Even more, it's so versatile that you can make any dish flavorfully prepared to your liking. The next time you’re looking for an easy and filling homemade meal, try one of these 30-minute pasta recipes that will be sure to give Rachael Ray a run for her money.

1. Spaghetti With Bacon, Caramelized Onions and Goat Cheese

For a pasta dish that takes little effort to prepare, try this spaghetti with bacon, caramelized onions and goat cheese recipe. Safely boil your spaghetti while caramelizing the onions to save even more time. Then serve it with a generous topping of goat cheese and bacon for an impressive looking plate.

2. Linguine With Sautéed Swiss Chard, Summer Squash and Bacon

This linguine pasta makes for a refreshing weeknight dinner. By mixing summer vegetables -- such as zucchini, yellow squash and Swiss chard -- with bacon, you can serve up a well-rounded and colorful meal.

3. Prosciutto Carbonara Pasta

Prosciutto carbonara pasta is a deliciously filling comfort food that takes little time to prepare. The creamy egg sauce combined with crispy prosciutto and chives will have you and your loved ones finishing this meal as quickly as it took to make it.

4. Basil Pesto Linguine

Step up your pasta game with your own homemade pesto sauce. Combine toasted pine nuts, fresh basil, garlic, cheese and olive oil in a food processor. Toss with cooked linguine, and you’ll have a flavorful dish in no time at all.

5. Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo

This classic Italian dish can be cooked at home in a pinch. With just a few ingredients including shrimp, Parmesan cheese, heavy cream and garlic, you can easily make this pasta favorite any night of the week.


6. Chipotle Cilantro Pesto Pasta

Chipotle cilantro pesto pasta combines Latin American flavors and gives you a dish with a kick. You can save any leftover sauce -- and when you’re ready to eat, just boil your pasta and toss with the pesto for a quick and easy meal.

7. One-Pot Caprese Pasta

This Caprese pasta recipe saves time by cooking the pasta and ingredients in the same pot, simultaneously. By simmering the uncooked pasta and fixings in red wine and water, the pasta will retain more flavor and will be ready in just 20 minutes.

8. Chicken and Spinach Skillet Pasta

If you need to get dinner on the table fast, this chicken and spinach skillet pasta is a great option. Cook everything together in the same skillet, and in just a half-hour, you will have a hearty meal ready to serve.

How to Roast Spaghetti Squash

For those who eat a gluten-free/wheat-free/low-carb lifestyle, spaghetti squash is the ticket to enjoying your favorite "pasta" dishes without the noodles. To roast it, all it takes is one large squash and about an hour of prep and cooking time. Read on for our easy-to-make instructions, as well as some delicious ways to enjoy your roasted spaghetti squash.

Step 1: Cut the Spaghetti Squash in Half

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the tip and tail off of the spaghetti squash. Stand the squash upright, and cut down the center length-wise.
Cut all the way through the squash, revealing the seeds.

Step 2: Remove the Insides and Seeds

Using a sturdy metal spoon, scoop out the insides and seeds. You can scrape firmly against the flesh in order to release the insides. Repeat for both halves of squash.


Step 3: Coat the Flesh with Olive Oil

Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over each half (about 1 to 2 tablespoons per half).
Smear the olive oil over all of the exposed squash flesh in order to lightly coat with oil.

Step 4: Sprinkle with Salt and Pepper

Sprinkle the flesh of each half with sea salt and pepper.

Step 5: Roast the Squash

Place the squash cut-side down on a cookie sheet. Roast in the oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until squash is tender when poked with a fork.
Once the squash has finished roasting, flip each half cut-side up and allow it to cool enough to handle.

Step 6: Make the Noodles

Run a fork down the width of the squash, releasing the noodles. You can scrape noodles all the way down to the squash skin. Repeat for both halves of spaghetti squash, placing noodles in a large serving bowl.

Step 7: Serve

Serve the spaghetti squash noodles as is, or topped with your favorite homemade or store-bought sauce.

How to Cook With Grapeseed Oil

Grapeseed oil, a by-product of the wine-making process, comes from extracting the oil from within the small, hard-shelled seed. A stable cooking oil, grapeseed oil does not smoke or splatter. This oil features a high smoke point, or temperature at which oil smokes and discolors, ranging from approximately 320 to 428 degrees, depending on the brand. The light, buttery or nutty flavor leaves no aftertaste and enhances a food's natural flavor. Grapeseed oil is an economical cooking oil because only one-third to one-half cup of grapeseed oil equals one cup of other oils.

Frying, Roasting and Barbecuing

Use a paper towel to remove moisture from surface of raw meats. This dry surface will aid in browning the meat.

Marinate or brush meat with grapeseed oil or flavored varieties such as garlic or walnut. Grapeseed oil works well with meat, poultry or fish. This thin layer of oil will help retain flavor and prevent sticking to the frying pan, roasting pan or grill.

Place meat in pre-heated frying pan, oven or grill. If meat starts to look dry, brush on another thin layer of grapeseed oil.

Grapeseed Oil as a Butter Substitute

Substitute grapeseed oil for butter by brushing on a sliced piece of bread. Add optional grated cheese, sliced tomatoes, chopped olives or other toppings.


Place topped bread on a shallow metal baking pan under a pre-heated broiler until cheese is melted or toppings are browned.

Remove bread carefully from oven. Add freshly ground pepper if desired.

Grapeseed Oil as a Condiment

Mix grapeseed oil or varieties infused with herbs and spices as part of a mayonnaise or salad dressing recipe. Test with small amounts of grapeseed oil and increase the amounts to balance with other ingredients in the adapted recipe.

Add grapeseed oil to raw or cooked vegetables, salads and pasta. This light-tasting oil will not overpower food.

Use grapeseed oil as part of a dip for fresh vegetables on a platter.

How to Make Thanksgiving Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Extremely moist, flavorful, and richly spiced, homemade pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting can be made in just a few simple steps. While we've prepared this as a single layer cake, the recipe can easily be doubled to create a layer cake version.

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a 9-inch springform pan; set aside. In a large bowl combine the eggs, sugars, oil, butter, pumpkin, milk, vanilla, and spices; beat well to combine. Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; stir until just combined. Fold in the raisins, and nuts, gently stirring together until incorporated.

Step 2

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake cake for 42 to 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean (or with just a few moist crumbs attached). Allow the cake to cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.


Step 3

While the cake is cooling, make your cream cheese frosting. For complete instructions (it's super easy!) use our favorite frosting recipe found in our Homemade Carrot Cake tutorial.

Once your cake is completely cooled, generously spread the frosting over the cake. Feel free to top with chopped nuts for extra flavor and texture.

How to Cook Barley

Barley's hardiness and short growing season have made it a vital food crop for much of human history, providing a nutritious staple in climates ranging from subarctic to tropical. Barley fed the Greek heroes of Homer and Rome's gladiators, and it remains a nutritious and versatile -- if under-appreciated -- food. You can select from several ways to prepare barley, and most involve simmering it in water or a more flavorful liquid, such as broth.

A Quick Barley Primer

Barley has a tough and inedible hull that must be removed before the grain can be eaten. The simplest way to do this is by friction, a process called "pearling" that also removes its bran. Pearled barley is the familiar small and pale grain used in soups, missing the germ and bran but still nutritious. Health food stores often stock whole, hulled barley, which is the most beneficial because it retains its bran and germ. Pot barley is an in-between stage, pearled but still retaining some of its germ and bran. The three cook differently, but -- because barley contains high levels of fiber even in its starchy interior -- all can be considered a healthy grain option.

Simple Simmering

The simplest way to cook barley is to simmer it in water, as you would with most other grains. Highly absorbent, barley requires more water. Pearl barley requires 3 cups of water for every cup of grain, and although it's less absorbent, hulled barley requires at least 2 1/2 cups and can require more. Simmer pearled barley for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender and chewy, and hulled barley for 40 minutes or longer. Drain any excess moisture, in the case of hulled barley, then let the grain rest for 10 minutes to absorb the remaining surface moisture and become slightly firmer.

Variations on the Theme

You can vary the base preparation in several ways. Add flavor by substituting broth for the water, or by adding herbs and fresh spices. Saute aromatic onions, garlic or other vegetables before adding the grain and liquid, and the end result is a tasty barley pilaf. Adding another cup or more of hot broth to the pan, and stirring continuously, and your pilaf becomes a creamy-textured barley risotto. Add a cup or more of additional liquid to your plain barley to make barley polenta -- the standard version until maize was brought back from the New World -- or add milk to make barley porridge as a cold-weather breakfast.

From Salads to Waffles

Hulled, pearled or pot barley can all be used in salads as a substitute for bulgur wheat, rice, quinoa or couscous. Toss the grain with greens, diced vegetables, chopped herbs and an appropriate dressing, for a healthy and pleasantly chewy alternative to your regular grains. Simple simmered barley makes a fine base for stir-fries or stews, and barley pilaf or risotto is perfectly at home alongside grilled, broiled or roasted meats. Barley flour lends an interesting depth of flavor to breads and multigrain pancakes or waffles, or can be used on its own to make flatbreads or cookies.

How to Make Red Food Coloring From Scratch Without Beets

Many people prefer to avoid commercial food colorings, either because of a specific allergy or a general sense that natural colorings are healthier. Some colors are easier to achieve than others. Either turmeric or saffron, for example, will provide a vivid yellow. Beets are commonly used as a natural red coloring, but can stain clothing and kitchen linens quite badly. Other foods such as pomegranate and strawberries can give varying shades of pink and purple-red, but raspberries produce the deepest color aside from beets.

Rinse the raspberries and place them in the small saucepan. Place the saucepan on a burner at low-medium heat, and heat the berries gently until they soften and release their juices.

Scoop the softened berries into a blender, using a flexible spatula to "squeegee" the juice from the pot's bottom and sides. Process the berries to a puree in the blender. Alternately, use an immersion blender to puree the berries in the pot.

Fold several layers of cheesecloth, and line a colander with them. Place the colander over a bowl, and empty the blender or pot into the cheesecloth lining. Again, use the flexible spatula to get all the juice from the blender or pot.

Press firmly with the back of the spatula to extract as much juice as possible from the berries. When all the juice is extracted, pour the juice into a storage jar and refrigerate until needed.

How to Extract Nut Oil

There are three methods for extracting oil from nuts. Cold pressing, which grinds the nuts to a paste and forces the paste through a hydraulic press, produces the lowest yield but highest quality oil. Expeller pressing uses some heat and forces the paste through an expeller using a screw. It gives a greater yield but produces a lower quality oil. Solvent extraction uses high heat and a small amount of a petroleum based solvent to extract oil. It is the most common industrial process, producing the highest yields but the lowest quality oils. Almost all soy oils are produced by the latter process.

Grind whatever nuts you plan to use into a fine paste using the mortar and pestle. The mortar is the bowl and the pestle the solid, nearly cylindrical piece you use to crush with. Push it around the bottom of the mortar in a circular motion until the nuts have become a fine paste. Do not repeatedly pound the nuts with the pestle. The near stirring motion will do the job, without losing any oils in the process.

Transfer the paste into the metal cylinder. Put the fitted insert into the cylinder after you put in the nut paste.

Put the cylinder into your shop press. Slowly apply pressure on the press until it has pressed the nut paste as far as it can.

Remove the cylinder from the hydraulic press. Place the cheesecloth over the jar. Pour the contents of the cylinder through the cheesecloth before removing the fitted insert from the cylinder.

Remove the fitted insert from the cylinder and pour the remaining contents of the cylinder onto the cheesecloth atop the jar. Let the paste sit for several hours, then squeeze the cheesecloth with all the paste in it to get the last bit of oil into the jar. Cap the jar and store after you have finished. Wipe the cylinder with a clean cloth.

How to Roast Vegetables

Preparing vegetables on the stovetop is quick and easy, whether you prefer stir-frying or simple boiling and steaming. These are fine and versatile cooking methods, but they do little to emphasize the vegetables' own flavors. If that's your focus, consider roasting your vegetables instead. The oven's dry heat caramelizes the vegetables' natural sugars, creating new and complex flavor compounds, and cooks the veggies without sapping them of flavor or water-soluble nutrients.

Delicate Vegetables

Many delicate vegetables, which might otherwise be steamed or stir-fried, take on a very different character when you roast them instead. Asparagus spears, or florets of broccoli or cauliflower, are good examples. Prepare your asparagus spears by snapping off the woody ends of their stems, and by peeling the lower half of each stem if you wish. For broccoli or cauliflower, separate the heads into bite-sized florets and blanch them for a minute or 2 in boiling water. Drain them thoroughly before proceeding. Toss the vegetables with a small amount of oil, and arrange them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse salt, and roast them at 450 to 475 degrees Fahrenheit until they begin to caramelize and darken at the edges, roughly 10 to 12 minutes.

Longer-Cooking Vegetables

For larger or denser vegetables, you'll need to adjust your technique slightly. These include starchy vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes and squashes, as well as softer and moister vegetables, including fennel and radicchio. Bulbs of fennel and heads of radicchio should be cut lengthwise into quarters or thick wedges, and lightly oiled. Cut starchy vegetables into wedges, cubes or -- in the case of squash -- thick half-moon slices. Large pieces yield a slightly crisp, caramelized exterior with a soft and creamy interior; small pieces have more of a french-fry texture. Roast the oiled vegetables at 450 F until they're tender and caramelized. The exact time varies with the size of your pieces.

Hard Root Vegetables

Hard root vegetables such as carrots, beets, parsnips and rutabagas take the longest to roast, but, in many ways, they are the quintessential roasted vegetable. They're all rich in natural sugars, with sweet and earthy flavors that are enhanced and concentrated by roasting. Peel the vegetables if needed -- carrots and parsnips can simply be washed, if you prefer -- and slice or dice them. Toss them with oil, and arrange them in a single layer on your baking sheet. Roast the vegetables at 450 F until they're tender and caramelized. If they brown too quickly and threaten to char, turn the heat down and finish them at 350 F.

Tweaks and Tips

Although roasting emphasizes the vegetables' own flavors, there's plenty of opportunity for creative cooks to tweak their taste. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar or pomegranate syrup when you toss the vegetables in oil, for a sweet-and-tangy note that complements the vegetables' own sweetness. Opting for maple syrup, brown sugar or honey emphasizes the sweetness instead, forming a glaze as the vegetables cook. Warm spices such as ginger and nutmeg emphasize the natural sweetness of the vegetables, while the aromatic, woodsy camphor notes of rosemary or fresh sage make them more savory.

How to Make a Blackened Burger

The prevailing idea behind blackened burgers is "go big" -- high heat, hearty meat and heavy seasonings. Blackening is more than a thick coating of pungent spices and butter -- it's also a technique. The requisite crust forms on a blackened burger when you lay it in a screaming-hot pan and slide it under the broiler. The butter blackens to near burning, or pyrolizes, and essentially bakes the spices into the meat. You need a cast-iron skillet or grill pan to blacken. This technique creates a lot of smoke of the turn-on-the-fan-and-open-the-window variety. If your kitchen doesn't have adequate ventilation, go with pan-frying or grilling instead.

Prudhomme's Blackened Spice

Make your own blackened spice using the proportions Chef Paul Prudhomme made famous -- store brands almost always include sodium, which limits your control over the overall saltiness of the preparation.

In a mixing bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of paprika; 1 teaspoon each onion powder, garlic powder and cayenne pepper; 3/4 teaspoon each white and black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon each oregano and thyme; and 2 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt.

Whisk the blackened spices until they appear uniformly dispersed, about 2 minutes of total mixing time. Pour the blackened spice into a shallow dish and set it aside.

Forming the Burgers

Keeping ground beef cold is paramount to keeping the burgers safe to eat. If you have to delay cooking the burgers after you form them, keep them in the refrigerator. Hold the ground beef in a stainless-steel bowl placed over another bowl half full of ice to keep it below 40 degrees Fahrenheit while you make the patties.

Break up 1 pound of ground beef by hand. Separate the ground beef into two portions of the approximate size for 8-ounce burgers. Gently roll each portion into a cohesive ball -- don't use much pressure, as the beef will coalesce after about 30 seconds of rolling.

Next, place the ball of ground beef on a plate and gently press it with the underside of a saucer until it's about 3/4 inches tall. You need a flat surface on both sides of the burger for an even crust. Place the burgers on a plate and set them aside in the refrigerator.

Complementary Sauces

Before you fire the hamburgers, have a complementary sauce ready to go. Although optional, mayonnaise-based sauces work best with blackened burgers; they temper the spiciness of the seasoning and offset its pungency. The Cajun classic remoulade pairs seamlessly with blackened burgers, but you can make your own mayonnaise-based sauce by following the fundamental sauce-making method.

Add mayonnaise to a mixing bowl and a primary flavoring ingredient, such as minced garlic or shallots. Next, add a secondary flavoring -- fresh herbs, such as thyme and parsley, fit best here. Stir in a touch of acid, such as lemon juice or flavored vinegar, to "cut" the fattiness of the mayo, and adjust the seasoning as needed with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Setting Up for Cooking

Set the oven rack 4 to 5 inches below the broiler and let it heat for 15 to 20 minutes.

Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a saucepan and pour it on a rimmed plate. Dip both sides of each hamburger patty in the butter and lay it in the shallow dish of seasoning. Gently press the patty into the spices, then turn it over and repeat. Set the hamburgers on a plate as you season them.

Showtime

Turn on your range hood to the highest ventilation setting. Wipe the cast-iron pan with a paper towel to rid it of as much residual oil as possible; this prevents excessive smoking. Set the pan on the stove over high heat; this all but guarantees a thick, crisp blackened crust. After the pan heats for 8 to 10 minutes, pull the oven rack out halfway and place the pan on it.

Lay the burgers in the pan, slide the rack into the oven and close the door. Turn the burgers over after 4 minutes of cooking and broil them for an additional 4 minutes. Use an instant-read thermometer to check each burger for an internal temperature of 165 F.

How to Make Pear Juice With a Juicer for Canning

Canning fresh fruits extends summer's bounty all winter long. If you plan on preserving pears, storing them in homemade pear juice is a healthier alternative to syrupy sugar water. By canning the fruit fresh and using homemade juice, these pears will be more flavorful and nutritious than anything you can buy in stores. Pear juice also works in homemade fruit cocktail. Make extra jars and give them away to friends and relatives as gifts.

Select pears that are just starting to ripen. If you juice pears that are too soft, your juicer can become clogged with the fruit's gritty flesh. If they are extremely soft, pears become essentially impossible to juice, so always choose ones that are still a bit firm.

Wash all your pears thoroughly to remove any dirt or chemicals. Cut the pear into smaller pieces, paying special attention to remove the stem and seeds.

Run the pear pieces through your juicer as you would normally, according to the juicer's instructions. You may discard the fruit pulp, but reserve all of the juice the fruit produces.

Strain the juice through cheesecloth. Pear juice is very thick, which can be nice if you are making a fresh batch of mixed juice. For canning purposes, however, you'll want the juice to be a bit thinner.

Heat the fruit juice in a saucepan with equal parts water. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often, and then reduce the heat. The sugar in the pear juice will help the canned fruit retain its color, texture and shape. However, if you prefer a sweeter snack, you can add anywhere from 1/4 cup to 4 cups of sugar to the mixture, depending on your preference and the amount of juice you are making. If you wanted the added sweetness without the extra calories, try substituting Splenda (sucralose) for the sugar.

Pour the still-hot juice over the fruit in jars, making sure that the fruit is completely covered. Leave about a 1/2 inch of space at the top of the jar. Continue canning the fruit as you would normally.

How to Extract Oil From Vegetables

Vegetable oil is not always made with vegetables. Seeds like sunflower, rapeseed, soybeans, corn, cottonseed, flax, peanuts and olives are often used instead. Vegetable oils are typically used in cooking and as shortening in food production. They are also widely used in the production of margarine, and as an additive to plastics, cleaners, fuels and even nylon. The extraction of vegetable oil is now largely a mechanical process containing a few simple steps which can be duplicated at home with common kitchen devices.

Purchase the seeds from which you will be making your oil. Remove all foreign particles, shells, husks or skins of any kind, leaving just the edible material. If you are using corn, remove the corn from the husk and the skin from the kernel. If you are using olives, remove the pits and stems. Wash your seeds or vegetables before beginning the extraction process.

Grind your seeds using a coffee grinder or a food processor set on "Fine" for one minute. Inspect the results after the first pass. If large chunks or whole pieces remain, repeat the process. Lay your ground seeds flat onto a cookie sheet and heat them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 5 to 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. This will cause oils in the seeds to rise to the surface to be extracted. If you are using olives, skip the toasting step and instead mix the paste with a large spoon over a very low flame for a period of 20 to 30 minutes to draw out as much oil as possible prior to pressing.

Press the (toasted) seeds to extract the oil using a standard hand-held kitchen press. Collect the oil in a lidded plastic or glass container for later use.

Fast Ways to Cook Pork Ribs

Pork ribs make a great family meal or celebratory dinner. Since there are many different ways to cook pork ribs, you can decide how much effort you want to put in. Pork ribs are made up of fatty muscle that is easy to cook, and plenty of quick and simple options exist. Regardless of the method you choose, always measure your meat with a meat thermometer to make sure your ribs have reached a temperature of 165 degrees or higher before eating.

Understanding Quick Cooking Methods

Understanding different ways to cook meat will help you choose the method that is the most efficient for you. Specific cook times will vary between different ovens. Braising the ribs is one fast option. This involves browning all sides of the meat in a saucepan on high heat, then simmering the ribs on low with a small amount of water until they are cooked through. Pan frying is another quick method. Simply put the ribs in a nonstick pan with a small amount of fat. Cook on medium high, turning the ribs occasionally, until the meat is brown on all sides. You don’t need to add water, marinade or to cover the pan. Pan broiling is also fast and easy. Follow the same process as you would to pan fry ribs, without adding fat.

Baking Pork Ribs

Another quick way to cook ribs is by submerging them in a sauce and baking. For quick marinated ribs, mix 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce with 1/2 cup of orange juice. Place 2 lbs. of ribs in a large casserole dish and add the marinade until the ribs are almost submerged. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees, cover the pan with tinfoil and bake for three hours.

Dry Cooking Pork Ribs

Grilling, which incorporates dry heat, is one of the fastest ways to cook pork ribs. Since grilling can dry meat out, you’ll want to marinate your ribs first. Mix 1/2 cup olive oil with 3 tbsp. of brown sugar, 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup diced scallions, 1 tbsp. cayenne pepper and 1 tbsp. chili powder. Use a sharp knife to pole small holes in 2 lbs. of pork ribs for faster cooking, and soak the meat in the marinade overnight. If you’re in a hurry, you can soak the meat for two hours. Cook the ribs on a charcoal grill, following the instructions of your specific equipment. After the ribs have been grilling for 30 minutes, measure their temperature with a meat thermometer. The ribs are done when they reach 165 degrees, which should take about an hour. Remove the meat from the grill and let it cool for 20 minutes before eating.

Boiling Pork Ribs

Boiling is an especially fast way to prepare pork ribs. Start with 2 1/2 lbs. of ribs. Place them in a large pot and cover them with water. In a separate dish, mix 1 tbsp. garlic powder, 2 tbsp. black pepper, 2 tbsp. salt and 1 cup barbecue sauce. Add this marinade to the pot containing the ribs. Boil the mixture on your stove on high until the meat is tender. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Put the ribs in a baking dish large enough for each piece of meat to touch the bottom, so that it cooks quickly and thoroughly. Add the barbecue sauce, cover the dish with aluminum foil, and bake for about an hour.

How to Extract Oil From an Avocado Seed

Since antiquity, seeds and pits from a wide variety of plants have provided humankind with oil for a multitude of applications. We use seed oils in cooking, for fuel, as paint, for medicinal purposes and in body products. Avocado pits, although typically discarded, contain oil with both cosmetic and culinary uses. Although the oil has a bitter taste, it adds a nutritional boost to recipes. For cosmetics, add the oil to homemade lotions or shampoos.

Wash the pits thoroughly to remove all pulp remnants from the exterior.

Leave the pits in the sun for a few days until they feel dry.

Place the pits in sturdy plastic bags and strike them repeatedly with a mallet until they are consistently crushed into small fragments.

Pour any oil from the plastic bags that came out of the seeds while crushing into a glass jar. Pour the bag contents in a strainer and push the oil through with a rubber spatula or pour them through cheesecloth, wrapping and squeezing to extrude the final drops.

Place the glass jar under the spout of a seed oil press.

Pour the crushed pits into the hopper of the seed oil press.

Crank the lever or wheel slowly to further crush and expel the remaining oil. Continue cranking until oil ceases to drip from the spout.

Clarify the oil. Leave the oil to sit for a couple of days then spoon off any contaminants that float to the top. Heat the oil to 250 degrees F to cook off excess water and to kill any bacteria.

How to Caramelize Blueberries

If you're looking for a delicious treat that is simple to prepare, you will love caramelized blueberries. Once caramelized, blueberries make a tasty topping for desserts including ice cream and cheesecake or they can be a dessert on their own by topping them with whipped cream. Use caramelized blueberries instead of strawberries for a new twist on shortcake. They can also add pizazz to a special breakfast when served with pancakes, crepes or yogurt.

Rinse the fresh blueberries under cold, running water in a strainer or colander. Pick off any stems still attached to the blueberries and remove any debris that was not rinsed off.

Place a medium saucepan, preferably one with a heavy base, over medium heat on the stove. Pour 3 cups sugar into the pan for each 2 cups of blueberries you're caramelizing. Stir the sugar until it turns a light amber color.

Add the blueberries and 1/2 cup water for each 2 cups of blueberries to the sugar in the pan. Stir well until the blueberries are covered with the sugar and water mixture.

Turn the heat down to low and allow the blueberries to caramelize for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir 1/8 cup lemon juice into the mixture for each 2 cups of blueberries.

Serve the caramelized blueberries warm to keep the mixture from becoming too hard or pour it on a dessert and allow it to set to create a thick, caramelized coating on top.

How to Use Peppers to Infuse Cooking Oils

Chili oil, or cooking oil infused with hot spicy peppers, is a basic for Asian cuisine. It makes appearances in Moroccan dishes and Italian as well. Commercially available oils may be too spicy for your taste or perhaps even not spicy enough. Make your own with dried peppers and cooking oil. Use it to spice up salad dressing, sauces, chili and stir-fry dishes.

Wash the peppers. Dry the peppers to a crisp texture using one of several methods: hang them up a warm place; put them in the oven set on warm for several hours or use a dehydrator. If you don't want to dry your own peppers, buy them already dried or use red pepper flakes.

Crush the dried peppers. Place them in a zipper-top bag. Pound the peppers with a rolling pin.

Put the cooking oil in a saucepan. Heat on medium heat until the oil reaches 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the peppers. The more peppers you add, the spicier the oil will be. Lower the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.

Cool the oil to room temperature. If you want the oil to be very spicy, do not strain. If the look of the bits and pieces of peppers isn't appealing, strain the oil using a fine mesh strainer and then strain the mixture again through a coffee filter placed in the strainer.

Keep the oil in the refrigerator. Oil and dried peppers won't spoil but if there was any moisture left in the peppers from the drying process, bacteria may attack. The cooking at 180 degrees for 5 minutes should destroy any bacteria but keep the oil in the refrigerator as a safety precaution. Botulism is a concern with any home preservation methods.