Yam vs Sweet Potato. Do you know the difference? Even our local grocer incorrectly labels sweet potatoes as "yams". Actually the two are different vegetables. Yams are a staple in tropical regions, but rarely seen in the U.S. and Canada.

Cumin is a spice typically found in Indian and Mexican recipes.  It has a warm, sweet flavor, and is one of the key spices used to make chilli powder and curry powder.

Dutch oven.  Do you own a Dutch oven?  It is a heavy (typically cast iron) pot with a tight fitting lid.  Historically they were used for cooking on an open fire, but today they are wonderful for cooking stews on the stovetop.  We love our enameled cast iron oven from Le Creuset.

Slow cookers are perfect for stews or roasts, and especially when the weather is cool it's nice to come home to a warm dinner.  Dinner in a slow cooker can also accommodate the nights when your family needs to eat in shifts.  Take a couple of servings from the pot, and leave the rest warming until the last family member comes home.

Soup stock.  Several recipes call for broth...beef broth, chicken broth or vegetable broth.  You have many choices including making your own (who has time for that?), or buying canned broth, bouillon cubes/granules or a jarred paste base product. 

Our choice is the jarred base product.We strongly recommend the flavor of the base (like "Better than Bouillon" by Superior Touch) over bouillon cubes or granules.  And while the flavor is comparable, we also prefer the base product over canned broth because of convenience and reduced waste.  One small jar of the concentrated base makes many servings and keeps in the fridge several weeks after opening, so you don't have to haul cans of broth home from the store every week.  Plus if a recipe calls for only one cup of broth, you can make just one cup using the base

Ginger.  A common ingredient in Asian food is fresh ginger.  In addition to adding a lovely fragrant mild spice to food, ginger has also been used since ancient times as a medical remedy to treat various ailments from stomach upset to the common cold.  You can find fresh ginger at your supermarket in the fresh produce section, usually near the fresh garlic.  Or for convenience, we buy bottled minced fresh ginger, which you can find in the international aisle of your supermarket.

Cilantro / Coriander Leaves.  Have you read recipes that call for coriander leaves?  Coriander leaves are also known as cilantro or Chinese parsley.  We always call it "fresh cilantro".  Fresh cilantro is a common herb in both Asian and Mexican food.

Mozzarella cheese was first made in Italy near Naples from the rich milk of water buffalos.  Today thanks to this country’s love of Italian food, both low moisture mozzarella and high moisture (fresh) mozzarella are readily available. Most American-made mozzarella is made from cow’s milk.

For convenience and price, in our recipes we typically use the pre-packaged shredded low moisture mozzarella.  However for some dishes, like Caprese Salad for example, only fresh mozzarella will do.  Fresh mozzarella has a higher moisture content making it more perishable, and consequently more expensive.  Fresh mozzarella does have a superior taste and texture, so try it as a special treat in pasta dishes and on pizza if you are willing to splurge! 

Garlic press.  Do you own a garlic press?  We believe pressing garlic is a lot quicker than mincing it with a knife, especially if you invest about $35 in a good press that can handle pressing an unpeeled clove.  Pressing a clove unpeeled wastes only a little, and it saves time and makes cleanup easier. 

Note that the flavor of pressed garlic is a bit more intense than minced, but the difference is minimal as long as the garlic is cooked in the recipe.  When our recipes call for "minced garlic", you can choose your own preferred method.  

 Corned beef.  Did you know corned beef is not made with corn?  Corned beef is beef brisket cured in seasoned brine.  The term “corn” is in reference to the corns or granules of salt used in the brine.  Corned beef and cabbage is a typical Irish dinner.  Smoked corned beef is known as pastrami, as in the famous Reubin sandwich made with pastrami, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut on rye bread. 

Mustard greens are popular in southern cooking and are now in season. They have peppery leaves, which are a bit too pungent for eating raw unless the plant is very young.  Mustard greens are high in vitamins A, C and K.

Why salt eggplant?  Two reasons.  First eggplant has a high moisture content.  When salt is sprinkled on slices of eggplant, moisture is drawn to the surface and may be wiped away with a paper towel.  The result is a dryer, denser eggplant less likely to become mushy when cooked or to absorb too much oil when sautéed.

Second eggplant turns bitter as it ages, and salting helps remove some bitterness.  Of course it is best to buy eggplant fresh (with shiny exterior that springs back into shape when pressed lightly) and use it promptly. 

Is kosher salt really kosher?  No.  “Kosher” salt gets its name from its use in the process of making meat conform to Jewish kosher standards.  Kosher salt may come from either underground mines or from the sea.  Both kosher salt and course sea salt have larger, irregular grains versus the fine grains of table salt. 

Some say kosher salt tastes “less salty” than table salt, but this is probably because the grains are larger and less dense giving the sense of more salt than there really is.  The nutritional value of kosher salt, sea salt and table salt is the same (except that table salt contains added iodine, which is necessary for proper thyroid function.)

White Wine from Red Grapes?   Did you know that white wine is often made from red grapes?  The juice from even a red grape is essentially white, and white wine is made using fermented grape juice.  The production process involves little contact with the grape skin. On the other hand, the red wine production process involves using whole, crushed, fermented grapes.

Olive oil.  Why use olive oil in cooking?  Two main reasons:  1. To add flavor... Meat or vegetables sautéed in olive oil taste great, and olive oil enhances the flavor of Mediterranean sauces.  For example Italian spaghetti sauce is not authentic without olive oil!  Vegetable oils have no flavor, so they work great in case you don't want to alter the flavor of the ingredients.  2. For nutritional value... Olive oil contains more monounsaturated fat (the good kind) than vegetable oils, and it is less processed than most vegetable oils so it retains more of its original nutrients.

Prosciutto.  When we Americans refer to "prosciutto", we are referring to Italian dry-cured ham.  However in Italian "prosciutto" simply means "ham".  Every region in Italy makes its own variety of Prosciutto, for example Prosciutto di Parma.  Prosciutto wrapped around melon slices makes a great appetizer.

Wild rice is not really wild.  Wild rice is actually a type of marsh grass that grows naturally in parts of North America.  Recently it is also grown commercially as well.  It is difficult to harvest, therefore it is an expensive luxury.  It is a nutritious whole grain, high in protein and low in fat, with an earthy, nutty flavor.