Ideas & Tips — Kitchen

Craft beer is all the rage these days, so why not try your hand and whip up some homemade brew? Here are some tips for beginners: Cleanliness is key: According to popular recipe and cooking website Serious Eats, the best brewers agree that proper sanitation is the first step toward making amazing beer. That's because bacteria can prevent your yeast from growing and fermenting the liquid.  Fresh is best: The American Homebrewers Association says that, much like cooking, brewing can't be done well without high-quality ingredients. Find and use the freshest and best malt extract you can and you'll make the best...

When you come back home after a long winter day, nothing feels quite like heating up a nice big bowl of soup, slurping it down and letting it warm you from the inside. If your soup repertoire needs a refreshment, check out these ideas for hearty, filling winter soups: Loaded potato soup: Following the inspiration of the baked potato, only creamier and better to fill a bowl with. Start out with an easy base of creamy potato soup, then add toppings like cheese, sour cream, green onions, bacon bits and hot sauce to really get the most out of this dense,...

There's nothing like wrapping cold fingers around a warm cup of something come wintertime. From morning pick-me-ups to evening party drinks to soothing late-night beverages, there is a hot drink for every occasion. Keep yourself and your guests warm with these drink ideas: Day (Non-Alcoholic) Nutella Mocha: What could make a regular mocha even more rich and decadent? A nice dollop of Nutella, of course. Add it to your morning latte for a nutty, extra-thick beverage that's guaranteed to kill the morning blues. Mulled Cider: Contrary to what you might expect from its complex flavor, making mulled cider at home is actually...

The kitchen is one of the most-used and hardest to organize rooms in the house. No matter how much space you have, it likely doesn't feel like enough! However, some simple tips and tricks can help you declutter and control the chaos:  Corral your condiments: Keep your salt, pepper and favorite condiments neatly organized in this beautiful caddy. (Looking for something to spice up your meals? Try various hot sauces like Tabasco and Sriracha or several different flavors of gourmet mustard!) A sophisticated looking handle makes it easy to tote from counter to table.  Create a "stage": Too many items...

The use of salt and pepper as America's quintessential condiment combination has been so deeply ingrained in our culture that one rarely ever stops to wonder how that came to be. Even in Europe, the two seasonings are inseparable. Surprisingly, the story of salt and pepper goes back centuries. Pepper has been used since before the common era, serving as both a condiment and medicinal property in Ancient Rome. Though long pepper originally stood as most popular during the Roman era for a great while, the pepper we've come to know usurped its status by not only being more affordable but also...