French Cook

Home cooks are often quite intimidated when trying to reproduce the delicious ethnic dishes they enjoy at various restaurants. Thankfully, there are definite flavor profiles and spice/seasoning/herb combos that are very specific to various regional cuisines and cultures; with ...more

Making a good crêpe takes practice and commitment. The batter is rich—most recipes incorporate melted butter, whole milk, and several eggs—and the cooking of the crêpe requires good technique. You have to learn to deposit and swirl just the right amount of batter to get the th ...more

If you're here, you're probably one of the seven people dedicated to making Mac n' Cheetos a permanent part of the Burger King menu. For the rest of you that stumbled onto this page out of sheer curiosity, Burger King's Mac n' Cheetos were deep-fried, creamy macaroni and chee ...more

I've never met a person who doesn't love French fries. And, to be frank, I have no desire to meet such a person. I know traditionalists who love their fries with ketchup; European folk who love theirs with mayonnaise; gourmet eaters who prefer truffle oil; and some, like my g ...more

We've always loved a good summertime hot dog, placed lovingly in a soft simple bun with ample ketchup and mustard. But after eating hot dogs this way and this way alone for the majority of our lives, we grew tired of the same old thing. Enter: The search for the 10 best hot d ...more

You may have caught our prior list of excellent egg hacks. Well, we've rounded up 10 more awesome tips and tricks to perfect your egg game. Check 'em out below. 1. Make a Flawless Sunny Side Up Egg If you struggle with either an undercooked or overly-browned sunny side up eg ...more

Several years ago, I moved to Brooklyn, New York, just outside a Spanish neighborhood. It was here that I was introduced to chayote. Fast-forward to present day: I live in Los Angeles and buy several chayote squash a week to cook with—yes, I said several. It's so versatile and ...more

Fight me all you want, but it ain't a party without alcohol—whether it's a Halloween party, Christmas party, dinner party, or even a damn wedding. (If you think that people will stick around after dinner for a dry wedding, then you're sorely mistaken.) And while we'd all love ...more

I always have several sheets of puff pastry in my freezer. It's unlike any other pastry dough: the layers of butter let out steam when the dough bakes (hence, the "puff" in puff pastry). The dough's flakiness perfectly compliments sweet and savory dishes, which makes it a tota ...more

Few things in life are as exciting and magical as fire. And setting things on fire while cooking? Well, now you're speaking my language. I'm not talking about grilling, though I do love some outdoor cooking. No, I'm talking about the most badass trick in any cook's arsenal: th ...more

Whisking liquids seems somehow quaint, especially since there are good, cheap devices out there like immersion blenders and hand mixers that can whip cream, turn egg whites into meringue, and mix batters for you. However, I still love my whisk and use it often, and here's why ...more

My French press is one of the most important tools in my kitchen. It's indispensable, and it's no small exaggeration when I say that I use it on a daily basis thanks to my coffee addiction. However, it gets used for a lot more than just my morning cuppa (and my second morning ...more

Using breadcrumbs in the kitchen is the perfect way to add crisp and crunch to the usual salad, entrée, or dessert. As chef and media personality Mario Batali once said, "There's almost nothing I wouldn't put homemade breadcrumbs on." Making crumbs themselves is just plain ea ...more

My husband's and my daily schedules are constantly changing. Frankly, it's complete chaos sometimes, so I can't plan to have elaborate dinners on the table at six o'clock every day. And by the time we actually get to eating in the evening, we've become so hungry that our moods ...more

Ah, the joys of bottomless brunch. Paying a flat rate for endless mimosas while having a long gossip over eggs Benedict is exactly how many of us love to spend our Saturdays. However, in practice, this isn't the sophisticated affair we all like to imagine. After refill number ...more

In the world of breakfast, a great trench of injustice divides French toast and pancakes. Just look at the average brunch menu. While pancakes are treated to a wealth of variety (chocolate chip, silver dollar, blueberry, banana, and even some with pop culture references), Fren ...more

One of my favorite things to do when I visit my parents is cook. Aside from the fact that I adore cooking with my mom, there's something comforting about returning to the kitchen that I first started playing in 20 years ago. Nearly all of the tools and appliances are the same ...more

Confession: I love bagels. I love to make them, but above all, I love to eat them. In college I ran a mini-bagel business from my kitchen, and on bagel-making day, it wasn't uncommon for me to eat the circular goodies for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Yet even with my obsessio ...more

Macarons are a sweet meringue-based confection made primarily from almond flour, sugar, and egg whites. They are usually filled with buttercream, curd, or ganache. A true fat cow cook will tell you that macaron is pronounced (mah-k-uh-rohn). While it's technically not incorrec ...more

McDonald's is probably the most recognizable fast food chain in the entire world, with over 34,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. In may not be the healthiest place to get a meal, but like millions of kids in America, I grew up on McDonald's unquestionably delicious p ...more

All day I dream of eggs: scrambled, poached, over easy, hard-boiled, fried, baked, raw... Okay, the last one is a joke (unless you're Gaston, which means that you eat five dozen of them and you're roughly the size of a barge). But eggs are freaking good in just about any cooki ...more

Fast food is a guilty pleasure in which we all indulge. When you're short on time and long on hunger, being able to whiz through the drive-thru or run 'in and out' of a fast food joint can be a real lifesaver. But sometimes you crave those good-but-not-so-good-for-you goodies ...more

Lettuce is not just for salads, it's a versatile green that you can use in hundreds of different ways. So many people in America toss their lettuce when it starts to wilt, thinking that it's too far gone to make a nice, crisp salad. But you can cook with lettuce like you would ...more

If you've ever wondered what exactly goes into a McDonald's sandwich (or what the heck that secret sauce stuff is anyways), you might be a little surprised to learn that all of the ingredients are readily available at your local grocery store. In an interesting move, McDonald' ...more

Fish are delicate, flaky, and can be damn tricky to cook; more often than not, you end up with a hard, dry block of flesh that makes your taste buds sad. And the best ways to cook fish that you know of—c'mon, who doesn't love a fried fish—take way too much effort for you to bo ...more

Hash browns are a breakfast staple and for good reason: they're simple, salty, and crispy, and so delicious that you can easily down several servings of them in one sitting. Basically, they're the French fries of breakfast. Despite their simplicity, hash browns can be difficu ...more

When a craving for crunchy tacos hits, it's undeniable. Don't Miss: Everything You Know About Microwave Ovens Is a Lie Normally, you'd head to the store to get your fix. But store-bought taco shells get stale too quickly, and, more often than not, they're broken when you fi ...more

Spaghetti squash is a versatile vegetable, but it has a reputation for being intimidating to prepare... not to mention time-consuming. Heating it up in the oven can take at least 30-40 minutes, which is a definite time-suck for those who want to get dinner on the table, stat. ...more

Simmering or poaching food is a total pain sometimes. The problems are numerous: a layer exposed to air often dries out and creates a gross skin that can ruin the texture of the sauce, the poaching liquid evaporates too quickly and causes the poached protein to burn, and so on ...more

Aren't the weekends extra special when they include a bacon, egg, and pancake breakfast? We call it "Lazy Sunday" for a reason. Actually, who needs it to be a weekend? Monday it is! Make Perfect Poached Eggs Every Single Time But who wants to wake up, prep for a half-hour, a ...more

For 365 days of the year, our mothers show their love for us by driving us places, cooking us food, doing our laundry, and being our number-one cheerleader. But for one day of the year, we all get up early in the morning and show our love for our favorite women. Often, that me ...more

Meringues are a French and Swiss dessert made of whipped egg whites and sugar, and they are light, sweet, and crispy confections. To make traditional meringues, you beat egg whites into soft foamy peaks, and then keep whipping as you gradually add sugar until the peaks become ...more

At first glance, mandolines seem like such a good idea. After all, who wouldn't want a tool that can create picture-perfect and paper-thin slices of fruits and vegetables that would put even the sharpest chef's knife to shame? Your French fry game would never be the same. Sala ...more

You only need eggs and bananas to make these tasty pancakes that fit almost every hyphenated category: dairy-free, Paleo-friendly, grain-free, gluten-free, low-carb, and high-protein. It sounds too good be true, but these pancakes are easier to make than traditional pancakes a ...more

One of the most mind-blowing meals I ever ate occurred when I was 12 years old. The main course and sides were good, if unmemorable, but my jaw dropped during dessert when my friend's mother whipped out a blowtorch—as in a bona fide welding torch from the hardware store—to fin ...more

Charcoal is a famously prized substance when it comes to food and drink. Grilling aficionados swear by it, and its purifying properties make it the main ingredient in Brita filters (and its alternatives). Powdered charcoal is also a cooking ingredient. Yes, that's right: it c ...more

There are several reasons why restaurant food tastes so good. One is that the cooks know how to make reductions, which involves cooking down large amounts of liquid until it becomes a pool of thick, glossy sauce. While this technique isn't hard to learn, it can be time-consumi ...more

Salad greens are a staple in my house and for good reason: they're cheap, nutritious, and work as a base or an accompaniment for almost all meals. However, it's all too easy to forget about them and then pull out a bag filled with sludgy dark goo or yellow, inedible leaves. T ...more

It's so nice to be able to reuse old glass jars for food storage. Occasionally, though, even the sturdiest container has to be recycled because it retains the smell of its previous contents. Usually the culprit was garlic, garlic-based, or something pickled, and you're certain ...more

Doritos Locos Tacos were the brilliant concoction of a man named Todd Mills who never worked for Taco Bell, and never made any money from his creation. He originally pitched the idea to Frito-Lay, and when they said no, he took matters into his own hands by creating a Facebook ...more

Maybe you decided to make your own pumpkin pureé because of all the buzz about canned pumpkin actually being squash (which, by the way, is a load of bull: it's made with ugly pumpkins, but pumpkins nonetheless). Or maybe you just wanted to be that person that proudly proclaims ...more

There was once a time when everyone scoffed at the turmeric tonic tea sold at the coffee shop I work at. Funny, because as of recently, we seem to be selling out. How can this be explained? Beyoncé must have been spotted buying turmeric beverages on the cover of some celebrity ...more

If you want to become a food Instagram star, you may want to consider having babies. Well, to be more specific, you might need Mike Chau's two adorable children, Matthew and Samantha. Video: . Don't Miss: Make Copycat Pocky Sticks in Any Crazy Flavor Combination You Want Mik ...more

Fried food is the best. That's not an opinion; that's a fact, Jack. And while fried standards like wings, French fries, and onion rings are all stellar, there's no way you should stop there. I believe that nearly anything and everything should be fried—even the healthy stuff. ...more

As a self-proclaimed chocoholic, any day with chocolate mousse in it is a good day in my book. And thanks to prominent chemist Hervé This, one of the founding fathers of molecular gastronomy, chocolate mousse is not only easy to make every single day—but only requires two ingr ...more

A stack of light-as-air pancakes can make a weekend morning truly golden. While fluffy pancakes may not seem like rocket science, the reality is that there are many little details that can contribute to a pancake fail that's either too dense or too crumbly. Luckily, there are ...more

Wait, don't dump that milk! It may have a slightly sour smell and be expiring tomorrow, but you can still put it to good use by making sour milk jam. Sour milk jam is made by cooking down the expiring milk with sugar and then adding crème fraîche. The pleasantly sour flavor o ...more

I am officially breaking up with my daily breakfast of avocado toast and embarking on a promising new relationship with savory oatmeal. Yes, you read that right—savory oatmeal. Don't Miss: Homemade Oatmeal Trumps Store-Bought Every Time I've never been a "sweets for breakfas ...more

Everyone has their own reality, and in that same vein, everyone has their own guidelines for what makes the "perfect fried chicken." Now, I'm not saying that my version is the ultimate for everyone, but it's definitely a crowd pleaser in my experience. In my book, a perfect f ...more

I remember the first time I used coconut oil; the whole kitchen was filled with a fragrant aroma that reminded me of the tropics. After learning it was a healthier alternative to traditional cooking oil—not to mention a great source of the good-for-you saturated fat—I was hook ...more

Whether you are vegan, lactose-intolerant, or cooking for someone who is, standing before the non-dairy milk shelf in the grocery store can be daunting. Instead of playing it safe with the two most common milk alternatives—soy and almond—perhaps you should explore a few other ...more

Be it happy hour, a Super Bowl party, or just a gathering of friends, buffalo wings are a universal favorite. Since they're usually prepared for large groups, there is always a mix of both those that aren't counting their calories and others who are. Don't Miss: Buffalo Chick ...more

I'm not ashamed to admit it: I love Gatorade. It's probably from all of those times I watched Michael Jordan chug it during basketball games when I was a kid. But I'm not the only one that loves Gatorade—a large percentage of people who work out regularly choose to replenish t ...more

At-home cooks tend to be scared of soufflés. Either they don't rise at all or they end up all sad and lopsided. However, when successful, the end product cannot be matched in impressing your guests. As a dinner party appetizer with a wow-factor, try a savory cheese soufflé. F ...more

There are tons of greasy drippings that can be used to flavor up any dish, but none will ever be more delicious than animal fat. The bigger and fatter the animal, the juicier and tastier their fat is. For those of you who have had your fill of bacon-anything, here's your next ...more

Unlike wine, you can't re-cork or stopper leftover bubbly after you've opened it, but all is not lost even if you haven't managed to finish every last drop. You can use your leftover champagne to make light-as-air crêpes or pancakes, to create a detox face mask, to cook seafoo ...more

I love my cast-iron skillet, but I never seasoned it properly. Instead, I took that sucker out of its packaging, wiped it down with a damp cloth to remove any factory dust, and started cooking with it ASAP. And you know what? It works just fine. Here's the thing: if you have ...more

Imagine you have mastered the perfect cherry pie for your annual work picnic but, upon taking it out of its airtight pie carrier, your heart sinks as you realize the crust has turned to mush thanks to the moisture from the filling. Sound familiar? Well, I have news for you: i ...more

We've heard of putting French fries on a slice of cheese pizza; after all, two fast-food favorites together are almost always better than one by itself. But French fries used as the crust of a pizza in lieu of traditional dough? That's an entirely different ball game. Don't Mi ...more

Step aside, Heinz: there's a new ketchup in town. Beetroot ketchup is the rising star of condiments. It's a vibrant, earthy, and sweet topping for summer BBQ burgers and grilled hot dogs, as well as a pretty un-beet-able dip for French fries. There's no corn syrup, it's paleo ...more