Pie filling and pumpkin puree are not the same can
Canned pumpkin vs pumpkin pie filling: one is plain squash and the other is already sweetened and spiced. What the swap does to a recipe, and how to fix it.
Ingredient Spotlight
Seed a pomegranate underwater and the kitchen stays clean
How to seed a pomegranate in a bowl of water: the exact cuts, why the pith floats and the arils sink, and how long loose arils keep cold or frozen.
Fresh cranberries show up for eight weeks, so freeze them whole
How to freeze cranberries with no blanching and no sugar, how to sort a bag before it goes in, and four uses that have nothing to do with a holiday.
Almost nothing labeled yam in an American store is a yam
Sweet potato vs yam, settled: what the label really means, four varieties compared by moisture, and which one to roast, which to mash, which to bake.
White miso reads as salted caramel inside a cookie
Miso in desserts reads as salted caramel: which tub to buy, how much per batch, where it goes in the method, and the three sweets it improves most.
Golden, amber, dark: what the maple grades actually taste like
Maple syrup grades explained after the rules changed: what Golden, Amber, Dark and Very Dark taste like, which belongs in baking, and how to spot fakes.
Buy pears hard, because they ripen off the tree
How to ripen pears without guessing: the neck-press test, a paper bag timeline by variety, and which of the five common pears hold their shape in heat.
Nine ways to finish the buttermilk carton in ten days
What to do with leftover buttermilk: nine uses sorted by how much the carton has left, the ice cube tray method, and the substitute that actually behaves.
Delicata skin is edible, so stop peeling it
How to cook delicata squash without peeling: half-moons at 425 degrees, rings for a sheet pan dinner, a raw shaved version, and how to spot a watery one.
A fig season lasts four weeks, and color tells you nothing
How to tell if figs are ripe using weight, give and a bent neck, why color misleads, Black Mission against Brown Turkey, and uses for a soft box.