Why Does the First Pancake Always Turn Out So Bad?

Many people consider the first pancake a sacrificial pancake. Even famous chef Jacques Pepin said “the first pancake is for the dog.”  Different people have different criteria for what makes the first pancake “ruined.” For me, and for many folks, its that the first pancake develops an uneven and overbrowned crust when they want their … Read more

Should You Rinse Pasta After Cooking It?

Before answering the question, note that just about everything in this article pertains to dried pasta. Uncooked dried pasta, on average, contains about 65% starch. Once cooked, most of the starch is released, bringing it down to maybe 25%. Some of this starch forms a coating on the outside of the pasta. There is a … Read more

How Do You Know if An Egg is Good?

checking quality of eggs at grocery store

In the United States, eggs are given letter grades based on quality characteristics. You can read everything you need to know about how these grades are determined, which will help you understand the information in this article. The USDA egg grades are AA, A, and B, with AA being the highest grade. The egg’s freshness … Read more