Since a smoker is a large purchase, it’s a great idea to do your research before buying. The good news? We did the research for you! Here are the best smokers to have in your backyard. The Big Green Egg is a top-notch grill and smoker that will allow you to make almost any smoked or grilled recipe once you get over its learning curve. Fueled by hardwood, the 262-square inch cooking area can handle 20-pound turkeys, eight steaks, a dozen burgers, or seven racks of ribs vertically....

No need to panic! You can still bake a batch of warm, chewy cookies without having to make a trip out to the grocery store. Here are 5 brown sugar substitutes, all of which will work just as well as the real deal. Can You Substitute Light Brown Sugar for Dark Brown Sugar, and Vice Versa? Before we get into our favorite brown sugar alternatives, it’s important to note that if you happen to have one variety of brown sugar, they can be used interchangeably....

Once roasted, coffee beans start to lose flavor via oxidation. “Airtight is the way to go with coffee,” says Tim Schofield, Digital Marketing Manager of Ritual Coffee in San Francisco. “Basically, oxygen is enemy #1 when it comes to the freshness of a roasted coffee, as a process known as oxidation leads to stale or sour flavors by attacking the exterior surfaces of the bean.” This explains why ground coffee goes bad faster, as there’s more surface area for the coffee bean to oxidize....

I will tell you that none of the infusers on this list are gimmicky or will produce bad tea. As a tea lover, I could never do that. Instead, I consulted with a couple of experts on how to brew the best cup and which products will help you relax, not add to your stress. With components that are versatile, effective, and easy to use, Finum’s Stainless Steel Mesh Brewing Basket is our overall top pick....

In practice, it’s a bit tricky as the corn cob can slip from its position, and the kernels can go flying all over the place! I don’t know where I first heard of this trick of using a bundt pan, but it’s great for helping to steady the corn cob and to catch the kernels as they come off the cob. Bundt pan Many bundt pans have a stick-free interior....

We grew up with eggnog, the kind you buy in a carton, and every Christmas holiday we kids drank up as much of it as we could. I didn’t even know that eggnog was a “spiked” drink until well into my adult years! Even now, I prefer my eggnog only lightly boozed, if at all. So this recipe is only lightly spiked; feel free to increase the rum and bourbon to your heart’s delight, or omit altogether if it’s for the kids....

We decided to make turkey stroganoff with some of ours. Stroganoff is a classic Russian dish, popularized in America after World War II, which typically has beef and mushrooms served in a sour cream sauce. Turkey doesn’t have as strong a flavor as beef. So, this stroganoff improves with the addition of some leftover turkey gravy, and extra herbs such as thyme. Adjust the seasonings to your taste. In particular, depending on how salty your gravy was, you may need to add salt....

So when we are looking for a super-easy-I’m-hungry-now-and-I-don’t-want-to-spend-time-cooking meal we’re prepared. This combination, canned tuna with white beans and onions is classic, and so easy! It helps to have a high quality canned tuna, packed in olive oil. If you have water-packed tuna it will still work, but you’ll need to add a lot of olive oil to help it come together. An herb or bitter of some sort is a bright addition too....

But just because it’s wholesome doesn’t mean there isn’t room to make it a touch more healthy. This is exactly what I had in mind when I came up with these Whole Wheat Strawberry Shortcakes. A Healthy Spin on Strawberry Shortcake A few little tricks give these shortcakes a healthier spin on the standard recipe. The biscuits have less butter and more whole-grain flour than your typical recipe.The whipped topping is equal parts Greek yogurt and heavy cream....

Either way, this air fryer salmon and green bean recipe checks all the boxes. It’ll give you a warm, comforting meal while requiring very little effort (and very little cleanup) on your part. Your Air Fryer Is a Kitchen Workhorse Air fryers are all the rage these days, but beyond their immense popularity, they’re also true workhorses in the kitchen — especially for busy cooks. Since they’re much smaller than conventional ovens, the vast majority of air fryers don’t require pre-heating, and the ones that do require some pre-heating do so much more quickly than a standard oven would....

Mild peppadew peppers are slightly pickled and only a little bit hot. Look for them in jars or in bulk at the salad bar at your grocery store. You could also use sliced jalapenos from a jar if you want to really spice it up. Also look for green ripe olives from California in particular. These olives are milder in flavor than other varieties and have a firm, meaty texture that works well with the crunchy peppadews and the creamy avocado....

Bacon: A Love Story I’d fallen in love with a hunter, and I’d been dabbling with eating poultry for a few months prior to that trip. My life was quickly changing. All night long, I laid awake in our tent listening to the howls and yips of coyotes coming from every direction. Consequently, when I finally did fall asleep, I slept late, and didn’t notice when my then boyfriend (now husband) left the tent to start breakfast....

This recipe takes only 10 minutes to prep and no more than 30 minutes to cook. Perfect for a midweek family meal! How to Make Baked Chicken Parmesan Here’s how you make this easy baked chicken parmesan: By the (short) time the chicken is done, the sauce is perfect. Tips for Baking Chicken Parmesan Start with cutlets that are a thin, even thickness, about 1/4 inch thick. You can buy them this way, or cut whole breasts in half horizontally, then pound them thin between 2 pieces of plastic wrap with a mallet or meat hammer....

They are banned from my house for the very reason that I still find them impossible to resist. Banned with the exception of this cod recipe. We never had anything like those crackers at home, so buttery, so delicious. And once I started, I couldn’t stop eating them. Baked Cod With Ritz Crackers - A Perfect Match Have you ever had white fish, baked with a Ritz cracker topping? It’s such a standard in New England that you’ll even find a Ritz cracker and butter mixture already packaged in plastic containers for sale at fish markets....

This stunning dish gives red onions their own glamorous role at the table. Roasted and glazed with balsamic vinegar, these onions can accompany a vegetarian main course or a succulent roast chicken without skipping a beat. Even better: the recipe is so simple that you’ll think you’re cheating. When you’re prepping the onions for this dish, peel until there’s no papery skin left. Also keep the roots intact by barely trimming them so that the onion wedges stay joined during roasting....

My first recollection of beef tongue was when I was about 8 years old and there happened to be a huge one in the refrigerator. It looked, and felt (I touched it, who could resist?) like a ginormous tongue. Just like my little 8-year old tongue, but oh my gosh, it was so big! And then my parents cooked it and made us eat it. (No idea how they prepared it....

Yikes! No more. This is a delicious way to serve greens, whether collard, kale, or beet. In fact, beet greens taste (and look) a lot like Swiss chard. So, the next time you buy beets with the greens attached, don’t throw away the greens! Chop them up and add them to a soup or stew, or prepare sautéed with onions and bacon like we are doing in the following recipe....

Apparently, the original bigos was made with wild game. But over the centuries—the dish is said to be close to 700 years old—it has become a stew of many domestic meats. Smoked sausage, mostly kielbasa, is a given, as is either bacon or a smoked ham hock. Fresh sausages, pork shoulder, veal or beef are also used. Bigos: A Stew With Many Variations You should know that there is no one set way to make bigos....