How to Cook

Most home cooks, at least those who cook for a family with some regularity, know how to bake pork chops and have a few go-to recipes they enjoy. There's room in every recipe box, though, for another easy method for how to bake pork chops. Try this one and it might just become a family favorite.

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash

Pasta lovers who want to cut back on carbs and calories won't regret learning how to cook spaghetti squash. This oblong winter squash has flesh that separates into spaghetti-like strands when you cook it. It's a worthy low-calorie substitute for the real deal, and it boasts a fair amount of vitamins and minerals, too, including vitamins A and C, plus dietary fiber.

How to Cook a Ribeye Steak

While people have different preferences when it comes to which cut of steak is best and why, rib-eyes are a favorite because their marbled texture helps keep them juicy and tender. There are a number of options for how to cook a rib-eye steak, but you can't go wrong with this pan-seared version with a red wine sauce. Shallots and fresh thyme enhance the flavors and aroma of these savory thick and juicy steaks.

How to Bake Acorn Squash

Even people who don't usually like squash have a soft spot for the acorn squash. The ribbed, dark-green skin of this winter squash hides a bright orange interior that is very low in saturated fat and cholesterol but packed with nutrition, including Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, thiamin and magnesium. It's also high in fiber. There are a variety of opinions about how to cook acorn squash. Some people like the old-fashioned method of slicing the squash in half, removing the seeds, filling the cavity with brown sugar and butter and baking it cut-side up. Others like to drizzle honey or maple syrup in the cavity after brushing the squash with melted butter.

How to Microwave a Sweet Potato

When it comes to "fast food" that's also healthy and nutritious, it's hard to beat the convenience of zapping a sweet potato in the microwave. Yet knowing how to microwave a sweet potato might seem like an unimpressive if all you do is plunk it on a plate, plain. With the right toppings, you can transform a sweet potato into a satisfying, delicious main dish. And you don't have to compromise the nutritional value of sweet potatoes, which are a great source for dietary fiber, vitamins A and C, and even calcium and iron.

How to Make Meatloaf

Nothing says everyday home-cooking quite like meatloaf. This comfort food staple has graced American dinner tables for many years--though, like many New World traditions, the dish actually has its roots in the Old World. In fact, its earliest origins date back as far as Fifth-century Rome. It's best known in German, Belgian and Dutch cuisine, however, and can even be considered a cousin to the Italian meatball. Since recipes for how to make meatloaf have been passed down from one generation to the next, there are tons of variations that are probably all qualify as "just like Mom used to make."

How to Make Tomato Soup

Knowing how to make tomato soup is one of those skills every home cook should have -- canned tomato soup don't hold a candle to the flavor and texture of homemade, and it's ridiculously simple to make. The reason this recipe is extra easy is because it uses canned tomatoes, so there's no fretting over what type of tomato to use, or whether the tomatoes are at peak ripeness (in fact, canned tomatoes often have better flavor than what you'll find in the produce section during much of the year).

How to Make Chili

Chili is an all-American favorite--and one that lends itself to much interpretation. In fact, once you factor in the regional trends and personal tastes, there may be as many variations on how to make chili as there are people who make it. While most recipes use some combination of the same basic ingredients--meat, beans, peppers, tomatoes and spices--chili aficionados are particular about their tastes.

How to Make Lasagna

If you love Italian food, you must learn how to make lasagna. The familiar classic is one dish that's always worth the time and effort. Lasagna makes a great party food, because it can be assembled well ahead of time. Then all you have to do is pop it in the oven and you've got enough food to feed a crowd.

How to Make Enchiladas

Enchiladas have been around in one form or another since the pre-Columbian times. In fact, it seems that people were figuring out how to make enchiladas almost as long as there have been tortillas. The ancient Aztecs made enchilada dishes consisting of a fried tortilla topped with salsa and cheese, covered by another tortilla and topped off with a fried egg. Though these dishes existed for centuries, the term "enchilada" (which literally means "chili filled") wasn't coined until the 19th century, and the original dish has been all but completely transformed since its early days.

How to Make Green Bean Casserole

Remember back when Sunday dinners and holidays just weren't complete without everyone's favorite green bean casserole on the table? We all loved those crunchy fried onions topping the creamy blend of mushroom soup and beans. Learning how to make green bean casserole was a new cook's rite of passage, and this recipe sat in almost everyone's recipe box.

How to Make Mashed Potatoes

If your idea of a home-style meal isn't complete without a mouthwatering side of mashed potatoes, you're going to love the satisfaction of learning how to make mashed potatoes from scratch. Homemade mashed potatoes are creamy, filling and so much better than the instant variety. While this tasty side has gotten a bit of a bad rap thanks to the low-carb diet craze, mashed potatoes actually provide a number of essential nutrients, including fiber, protein, calcium, iron and a full 30 percent of your recommended daily intake of vitamin C in just a single serving.

How to Make Potato Casserole

If you're trying hard to stick to your grocery budget, consider learning how to make potato casserole. This cost efficient dish can be a main course on its own when paired with a green salad (add some leftover ham into the recipe if you want more protein!), or makes a versatile side dish that complements almost any entree.

How to Make Deviled Eggs

Once you learn how to make deviled eggs, you will be able to whip up an inexpensive and delicious side dish to bring to picnics, pot luck suppers or any other event where you're asked to bring a dish.

How to Cook Pot Roast in a Crock Pot

Grandma slaved all day over the stove to serve her family a pot roast this tender and flavorful. Lucky for busy cooks today, we know how to cook pot roast in a crock pot and get a similar result with a lot less fuss and bother.

How to Make Meatballs

Ask any cook how to make meatballs and you will find that everyone's recipe is a bit different. There are so many ways to make meatballs that it's often hard to know what recipe to choose. Should you fry them or bake them? Use ground beef or ground turkey? Garlic or no garlic? Cheese or no cheese?

How to Bake Sweet Potatoes

For a sweeter and more nutritious alternative to baked white potatoes, you should take note of how to bake sweet potatoes. While just as filling as their lighter counterparts, sweet potatoes are a dieter's dream--loaded with nutrients, fat-free, satisfying and delicious, and relatively low in both carbs and calories. And you can cook them in much the same way as you would white potatoes.

How to Bake Chicken Breast

Chances are you already have a recipe or two for how to bake chicken breast. Chicken is a favorite mealtime choice in many households, and with good reason. It's low in fat and high in protein, and its mild flavor means it goes well with ingredients both common and exotic. Finding new recipes to keep your menu planning fresh and exciting can be a challenge, especially if you're cooking for a family. That makes chicken breast a great choice. Like the proverbial little black dress, you can dress chicken up or down depending on the occasion. Versatile chicken offers so many options, you need never get bored.

How to Make Banana Bread

Got overripe bananas? Before you toss those brown-spotted specimens in the trash or compost bin, you might want to dig out your loaf pans. If you're not sure how to make banana bread, you might not know that the ripest bananas--even those that have already turned brown--are the sweetest. That makes them hidden gems when it comes to baking. Many a banana bread aficionado has purposefully resisted eating perfectly good bananas for the purpose of saving them for this moist, delicious treat.

How to Make Dumplings

In the 1950s, almost everyone's mother or grandmother knew how to make dumplings. Their popularity may have had to do with the way the feathery light, steamed or boiled dough balls helped to extend soups and stews. You could feed more people if you added dumplings to your stew, so they were common on American tables. Stretching your food dollars is still a good idea, but nowadays, dumplings are more likely to be enjoyed as the homey comfort food of a simpler time.

How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies

While necessity may be the mother of invention, some of life's best treats were stumbled upon quite by accident. Such is the case with chocolate chip cookies--indescribably delectable treats that have been a mainstay in baking for generations. When Ruth Wakefield cooked up the first batch in 1930, she was actually trying to make chocolate cookies and was substituting bits of semi-sweet chocolate for the baking chocolate, thinking the chips would melt down in the batter. Fortunately for cookie lovers, they didn't, and expert and novice chefs alike have been trying to perfect the art of how to make chocolate chip cookies ever since.

How to Make Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken soup is classic comfort food--and is widely known as a natural remedy for the common cold and other maladies--across the globe, but it's in America and Canada where noodles have become an essential ingredient, resulting in what we now know as "chicken noodle soup," one of the best-selling prepared soups in the United States. If you grew up eating chicken noodle soup from a can, however, your taste buds are in for a real treat once you learn how to make chicken noodle soup the way it was intended. Made from scratch with fresh ingredients and savory broth, this hearty soup is more than just broth and noodles. It's comfort itself, hot and steaming in a bowl.

How to Make Tacos

Learning how to make a taco is as easy as learning how to make a sandwich. In fact, in Mexico, the two words are practically synonymous: "taco" simply means a tortilla wrapped around a filling, and what's inside varies from region to region. Two of the most popular types are tacos al Pastor, filled with finely sliced pork, and tacos de pescado (fish tacos), which originate from the coastal towns.

How to Cook Butternut Squash

Butternut squash, that staple of autumn cooking, lends itself to any number of cooking methods. If you're looking for a recipe for how to cook butternut squash that is both easy to prepare and out-of-this-world delicious, try this roasted version. Roasting the squash intensifies its flavors and highlights the buttery, nutty undertones that give this large winter squash its name.

How to Cook Pot Roast

Think of pot roast as the ultimate comfort-food chameleon. It starts out as a jumble of meat, veggies and liquid tossed into a pot, but then it converts into a rich, flavorful dish. If you decide to learn how to cook pot roast, you'll be making some culinary magic, turning budget-friendly ingredients into something wonderful with little effort. A pot roast takes longer to cook than a regular roast, but you won't be wasting your time fussing over it.

How to Deep Fry a Turkey

Turkey is a traditional holiday meal staple, but who wants to wait around all day for the bird to cook? Roasting is always a standby, but a lot of the problems that roasting presents--like soggy skin and dry meat--are solved with a fryer practically without trying. Next time it's your turn to prepare the main bird, why not try a new method of preparation? Learning how to deep fry a turkey is easy, and it takes only a fraction of the time that conventional roasting does--but the real bonus is in the finished product. Because a deep fried turkey cooks faster, it remains tender and juicy while the skin turns deliciously crispy in the hot oil. Though deep frying can increase the resulting fat content, the flavorful nature of a deep fried turkey coupled with its reduced cooking time make it the perfect choice for a special occasion indulgence. When you know how to fry a turkey, you know how to create a beautifully scrumptious holiday main course in a fraction of the time as traditional roasting.

How to Make a Pumpkin Pie

If you're in charge of desserts for Thanksgiving, knowing how to make a pumpkin pie is a requirement. But you don't have to wait for November to enjoy this fall favorite. Grocery store shelves hold canned pumpkin year round. Pumpkin, even the canned variety, is packed with beta-carotene and other nutrients, making it a dessert you can feel good about eating any day of the year.

How to Make Beef Stew

If you've never made beef stew, you might think it's complicated to put together or will break the family budget. Not true. Beef stew is actually one of the easiest and most economical meals you can serve. Once you've browned the meat and chopped your vegetables, the ingredients simmer away without constant tending.

How to Make Candied Yams

Once your friends and family taste this easy, from-scratch, candied yam recipe, they'll be asking how to make candied yams as delicious as yours. With less sugar and butter than most standard preparations, this recipe lets the natural sweetness of the yams take center stage. You won't have to feel the least bit of guilt if you can't resist a second helping.

How to Make Cranberry Sauce

It's almost impossible to think of a Thanksgiving feast without cranberry sauce. The turkey, potatoes, gravy and all the other side dishes are important, but cranberry sauce is the finishing touch. Sure, the kind from a can will do in a pinch, but homemade is far better, and you don't have to be an expert chef to learn how to make cranberry sauce from scratch.

How to Make Mashed Potatoes from Scratch

Knowing how to make mashed potatoes from scratch is one of those skills that every home cook needs to have. Why? Because mashed potatoes are a beloved, time-honored, elegant-yet-rustic side dish that goes pretty much any kind of meat, fish, or poultry. Because mashed potatoes are definitely in the top 5 of America's favorite comfort foods. Because everyone from babies to great-Grandpa loves them. And because everyone knows that a mound of mashed with a pool of hot gravy in the middle is a little piece of heaven on earth.

How to Make Spaghetti Sauce

There is no "right" method for how to make spaghetti sauce -- everyone has his own favorite recipe. Maybe your grandmother adds in fennel seeds or your mother grates a carrot into the pot or your sister-in-law throws in a pinch of sugar at the end. There are so many variations it's can be hard to choose a recipe to start with.

How to Make Sugar Cookies from Scratch

When you know how to make sugar cookies from scratch, you're baking up a piece of food history. Though some of the first cookie-like cakes originated in Persia as early as the 7th century A.D., true sugar cookies (or biscuits, depending on where you live) are thought to be an American original. Specifically, from Nazareth, Pennsylvania, where a large majority of the settlers were German Protestants. That's why, in the early days, the sweet treats were sometimes called "Nazareth Sugar Cookies."

How to Make Sweet Potato Fries

What tops the no-no list when you're watching your weight or trying to keep the fats in your diet to a minimum? French fries, right? Not anymore. You'll be delighted to know how to make sweet-potato fries that are totally fat free and have only 76 calories per serving. Plus, these fries are sprinkled with spices that give the potatoes an extra kick of flavor.

How to Make Turkey Stuffing

While the turkey may be the centerpiece of your holiday feast, sometimes it's upstaged by what's inside the bird--the turkey stuffing, or dressing, as some people prefer to call it. Stuffing has been used for centuries in all types of foods, though it's hard to say for sure when knowing how to make turkey stuffing first became essential to creating a proper Thanksgiving feast. Classic turkey stuffing is made with bread, spices and herbs and stuffed inside the main cavity of the bird, though you can cook it separately in a casserole or baking dish, too.

How to Make Vegetable Soup

Vegetable soup is a hearty and comforting way to help work in some of those recommended "five a day" servings of fruits and vegetables. It's light, delicious and a flavorful blend of the season's best harvest. Although the end result is a simmering pot of complex flavors, the process for how to make vegetable soup is surprisingly quick and simple.

How to Make Yams

If you find yourself searching for recipes on how to make yams, it's a good thing to know that in the United States yams and sweet potatoes are actually the same vegetable. They are both a variety of sweet potato, though yams are deeper orange in color. So you can feel free to substitute sweet potatoes for yams in your recipes, since they are quite similar.

How to Roast a Turkey

While you can enjoy roast turkey and stuffing year-round, Thanksgiving is the traditional occasion for putting your knowledge of how to roast a turkey to the test for your family and friends. In fact, Thanksgiving turkey may be one of America's most beloved customs. A whopping 88 percent of Americans surveyed by the National Turkey Foundation reported partaking in the traditional "Turkey Day" meal. The organization estimates that more than one-fifth of the millions of turkeys consumed each year in the United States is eaten on Thanksgiving Day-- that rounds out to about 46 million birds in 2009.

How to Smoke a Turkey

If you think Thanksgiving is the only time of year to test your skills at smoking a turkey, think again. This slow-cooking method infuses the meat with a savory and smoky flavor that's as good during the warm spring and summer months as it is during the cool holiday season. Like roasting, smoking uses low, indirect heat. But it's more than just heating--this method actually adds a rich flavor to the meat, which can be influenced by your choice of wood chips, herbs and other flavorings you put directly on the heat source in your smoker. And since the process take several hours, you can make a day out of smoking your turkey. So, break out the Frisbee, lounge in the hammock and soak up the sun and fresh air, while the smoker does all the work.

How to Roast Potatoes

Roasted potatoes are versatile and delicious -- knowing how to roast potatoes is a skill you'll be glad you have, and it's surprisingly easy. You can serve them hot out of the oven, in the classic style, or use them at room temperature to create dishes like the roasted-potato salad below. Leftover roasted potatoes never go to waste: Save them for breakfast and you have instant home fries to go with your bacon and eggs, or use them in a frittata for lunch, paired with a green salad.

How to Cook Spaghetti

Sometimes the most comforting, satisfying meals happen to be the simplest to put together. Spaghetti and meatballs is a classic favorite for both children and grownups, and you don't even need a traditional Italian mamma to show you how to cook spaghetti. Certain variations of spaghetti and meatballs can be tricky, but if you stick to the basics--including prepared sauce and store-bought meatballs, this dish becomes practically foolproof.

How to Make Biscuits

If your idea of fresh-baked biscuits includes a tube-shaped can that pops open when you give it a whack, it's time you learn how to make biscuits from scratch. Sure, those pre-made, refrigerated biscuits come in all sorts of shapes and textures, but nothing tastes as good as a fresh, flaky biscuit you've made yourself. Once you've caught on to the basics of how to make biscuits you can experiment with adding ingredients to give them your personal touch.

How to Cook Sirloin Steak

Looking for a steak dinner that will knock the socks right off of your dinner guests? For a sophisticated take on how to cook sirloin steak, look to the subtle hints of fresh herbs and spices to enhance the meat's natural flavors, rather than overpower it.

How to Cook Broccoli

Broccoli, a member of the cruciferous vegetable family, is packed with vitamins, antioxidants and dietary fiber. Steaming is an ideal method for how to cook broccoli because it helps preserve all those nutrients. Still, some people can't get excited at the prospect of eating plain broccoli. It pays to find ways to jazz up the flavor to give this good-for-you vegetable a bit more pizzazz.

How to Cook Pork Roast

When it comes to how to cook pork roast, simple recipes are often the best because they let the subtle flavors of the meat take center stage. Garlic, rosemary and other herbs and spices perfectly complement this pork without overpowering its natural taste and aroma.

How to Cook Roast Beef

Knowing how to cook roast beef should be on every home cook's to-do list. A straightforward slab of perfectly cooked roast beef is a bit of heaven in itself, but this recipe employs a few surprises to elevate the dish to the sublime.

How to Make Baked Mac and Cheese

When it comes to down-home cooking, nothing compares to macaroni and cheese, crisp on top with melted cheesy goodness on the inside. This classic recipe for how to make baked mac and cheese is wonderful on its own, but even better with some suggested add-ins.

How to Make Beef Casserole

For busy weekday dinners that satisfy with little fuss or mess, you'll want to learn how to make beef casserole. Since you can do most of the work ahead and time, casseroles are a perfect go-do dish for nights when you want to sit back and unwind while dinner heats up seemingly effortlessly in the oven. And since casseroles cook up on one dish, clean-up is easy too.

How to Make Hot Chocolate

Why bother learning how to make hot chocolate from scratch when there's instant? Because the beverage you get from those powder packets with freeze-dried marshmallows doesn't come anywhere close to the rich, sweet, deep flavor of homemade. Plus you get to add as many fresh marshmallows as your heart desires.

How To Make Salsa

Anyone can grab a jar of prepared salsa off the grocery store shelf. But if you've found yourself eyeing up the produce section, thinking you might rather learn how to make salsa of your own, you are most definitely onto something. When it comes to a truly authentic Tex-Mex fiesta, nothing quite compares to the freshness and signature style you can achieve by making your own salsa.

How to Cook

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