Practical cooking, drink preparation, ingredient handling and food storage guides.
To make iced coffee, brew coffee slightly stronger than usual, let it cool briefly, then pour it over a full glass of ice. Add milk or sweetener to taste. For a 12-ounce drink, start with 6 ounces of strong coffee and 1 cup of ice; adjust the coffee amount if the result tastes watery or bitter.
To brew kombucha, dissolve sugar in freshly brewed black tea, cool it completely, and add strong unflavored starter kombucha and a SCOBY. Cover the jar with tightly woven cloth and ferment it at room temperature for about 7 to 14 days. Taste from day 7, refrigerate when pleasantly tart, and discard the batch if fuzzy mold appears.
A double boiler is a two-part cooking setup: a lower pot holds gently simmering water, while an upper bowl or pan holds the food. Steam from the water warms the upper vessel indirectly and more gently than direct burner heat. It is commonly used to melt chocolate or warm heat-sensitive mixtures without scorching them.
To season a carbon-steel wok, scrub off the factory coating, rinse and dry it, heat it until completely dry, then wipe on a very thin layer of high-smoke-point oil. Heat until the oil smokes lightly, let the wok cool, and repeat the oil-and-heat cycle until the surface looks darker and feels smooth.
To make vegetable stock, combine chopped onion, carrot, celery, garlic, herbs, peppercorns, and 10–12 cups of water in a large pot. Bring it to a boil, reduce to a gentle simmer, and cook for about 1 hour. Strain when the liquid smells savory and tastes well rounded, then cool and store.
Rinse 1 cup of quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer, drain it well, and add it to the rice cooker with 1 3/4 cups water or broth and a pinch of salt. Stir, close the lid, and start the regular white-rice or cook cycle. When it switches to warm, let the quinoa rest for 5 minutes, then fluff it with a fork.
Heat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Wash and dry whole sweet peppers, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet, and roast for 25 to 40 minutes, turning them two or three times. They are ready when the skins are blistered and charred in spots. Cover or enclose them briefly to steam, then peel, seed, and slice.
To make tea, heat fresh water, place one tea bag or about 1 teaspoon of loose tea in a cup, pour in the water, and steep according to the tea type. Use boiling water for black and herbal tea; cooler water suits green tea. Remove or strain the tea when the flavor is developed, then serve.
For about 1 quart of vanilla ice cream, whisk 1½ cups heavy cream, 1½ cups whole milk, ⅔ cup sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Chill the mixture thoroughly, then churn it in a fully frozen or manufacturer-ready ice cream maker until thick and softly scoopable. Freeze it briefly for firmer scoops.
To make Mexican-style chorizo, blend soaked dried chiles with vinegar, garlic, salt, cumin, oregano, and spices. Mix the cooled paste into 1 pound of cold ground pork, refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, then cook it loose in a skillet until browned and the center reaches 160°F (71°C).