Tag: Cooking
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7 Clever Uses for Cheesecloth
How much do you know about cheesecloth? This porous cloth was initially designed to help cheesemakers squeeze the liquid out of cheese curds, hence its name. However, it has a number of other uses as well – many of which you probably never considered. Here are seven of these incredibly clever uses for cheesecloth. You’ll…
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10 Substitutes for Baking Powder
Baking powder is a widely used ingredient that makes your baked goods lighter and fluffier. The problem is, you might not always have it available to you. Instead of skipping the recipe altogether, discover some great substitutes that can be used in its place. Baking Powder Defined The composition of baking powder is sodium bicarbonate.…
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How To Build An Earth Oven
An earthen oven is exactly what it sounds like – an oven made of a combination of dried earth and clay. These ovens tend to cook things better than standard outdoor brick ovens, and are fairly easy to build, as long as you know how. History of Earth Ovens A type earth oven,…
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Homestyle Skillet Pizza (Video)
Who doesn’t love pizza? Ordering in from your local pizzeria is great, but like so many things in life, homemade is always better. You get fresher dough, you can tailor ingredients to your personal A really fun and easy way to make homemade pizza taste delicious and cook perfectly is to cook it in a…
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Cooking Skills Every Homesteader Should Cultivate
One of the primary reasons many people homestead is to have a closer relationship with the source of their food. You yearn to grow your own vegetables, raise your own meat and dairy, forage, and hunt; essentially, to be independent of the increasingly complicated globalized food system. These are certainly noble aspirations, and we share…
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How to Read Antique Cookbooks
Antique cookbooks are a wonderful relic of the past, and yet, if you’ve ever tried to make any of the recipes contained within, you might find yourself scratching your head. Just as lifestyles have changed drastically in the last half, even quarter century, so have the way we cook, talk about, and interact with food,…
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Slow Cooker vs. Instant Pot (Video)
I have been hearing so much hype about the Instant Pot lately, and I wanted to see what all the buzz was all about. I have got to tell you, I’m itching to get one of these myself after watching this video! Slow cookers are great, especially for things like bone broth or chili, but…
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How to Cook With And Season Cast Iron (Video)
A good cast iron skillet is one of the most important–if not the most important kitchen tools you’ll ever own. You could probably have only a cast iron skillet and some basic utensils in your kitchen and go very far. Many people are intimidated by cast iron because it has a particular cleaning protocol, but it’s really…
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How to Use Up Extra Tomatoes
Too many tomatoes is a great problem to have! Whether you’ve found a killer deal at the grocery store or farmer’s market, or your garden is overflowing with juicy, ripe, tomatoes just begging to be used up, having too many tomatoes on your hand is awesome, but also poses a big challenge. How on earth…
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Why You Should Know About Leeks
Many Americans have no idea what a leek is, but they should! Many other cultures know the depth of their health benefits, as well as delicious, savory flavor. Known scientifically as Allium porrum, leeks are closely related to other aromatic vegetables such as garlic, onions, shallots, and scallions. Like these relatives, they grow from bulbs, and have dark,…
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How to Care for Wood Cutting Boards and Utensils (Video)
Wooden spoons and cutting boards are great to use in the kitchen, but, like cast-iron, they require the right kind of care. A popular way to keep wooden kitchen ware conditioned is to use mineral oil and beeswax, but is this the healthiest option for your family? Wardee from TradtionalCookingSchool.com shares her thoughts on the…
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How to Make Whey Ricotta (Video)
I mentioned whey, recently in my article on healthy homemade probiotic lemonade, so if you’ve read that already you’ll be familiar with it. Whey is what separates from curds when milk curdles, or what comes off of cheese or yogurt during the straining process. One of the coolest ways you can use up extra whey (and if…
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Beef Cuts and How to Cook Them (Infographic)
I’ve often recommended on this blog finding local, farm-raised meat and dairy for the most sustainable, healthy lifestyle. The thing about finding local meat, however, is that you might find yourself with some cuts of meat that you’re not familiar with and not used to cooking. I don’t know about you, but when I started…
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How to Make Sourdough Without a Recipe (Video)
I’m a huge fan of home fermenting and culturing of all kinds. Yogurt, kefir, kombucha, pickled vegetables, and my personal favorite, sourdough bread. Sourdough is not just a distinct flavor of bread, it gets its rich, sour flavor from the leavening culture that causes it both to rise, and changes the metabolic structure of the…
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Dirt Cheap Foods for Homesteaders
Whether you’re an urban homesteader or full-blown, land-owning, farmer, you have probably come to a time in your life at some point in which you had to keep your budget tight. If you are saving up for land, land development, or simply trying to budget and spend in a smarter way, food is always one…
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Simple Yet Healthy Homemade Ketchup
Ketchup is an American staple, but did you know you can make it very easily at home? Unfortunately, a lot of store-bought ketchup is made with loads of sugar and sometimes even artificial coloring and flavoring. If you’re craving some delicious ketchup but want a healthy, whole-food version that doesn’t sacrifice health for taste, I’ve…
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How To Make Caramelized Onions in a Slow Cooker
I don’t know about you, but I love caramelized onions. What I don’t love is spending half an hour in front of my stove, stirring the onions and waiting for them to get to just the right degree of caramelized. Caramelized onions are a delicious addition to a wide variety of dishes, from soups to…
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The 11 Commandments of Cast Iron Care (Graphic)
Most people who own and regularly use cast iron can’t gush enough about it. You might wonder what all the hype is about cast iron, and you also might wonder why people are so legalistic about cleaning it. The thing is, they’re really not so difficult to care for, at all, and no matter how…
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The Simplest Way to Peel Garlic. Period. (Video)
Garlic is a homestead kitchen staple, but let’s face it; it’s more than a little tedious to fidget with the papery skin of each individual clove. Sure, you could smash your garlic with a knife or a mallet and make a big mess. If you have half an hour or more to spare, you could…
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How to Make Almond Milk (and Almond Flour!)
I love recipes that kill two birds with one stone (come to think of it, if you know a recipe that does this literally, let me know!), and making almond flour out of the leftovers from almond milk couldn’t be easier, or healthier! It’s very simple, and all you need is almonds and clean drinking…
