Ingredient Guides

Take a deep dive into ingredients, from commonplace produce to lesser-known condiments, with tips on how to procure, use, and store each one.
A sheet tray packed with bars of unsalted butter.
When to Use Salted vs. Unsalted Butter, According to Our Highly Opinionated Culinary Team
Side view of pumpkin puree
We Taste-Tested Nine Canned Pumpkins—Here Are Our Favorites
Chicken stock being poured into a pan.
Chicken Stock vs Broth: A Pro Chef Explains the Most Important Differences
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How to Make Classic Duck Confit
Half and half being poured into a bowl.
The Surprising Truth About Common Half-and-Half Substitutes, According to Our Culinary Director (It's Not Half Milk and Half Heavy Cream)
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This Easy Trick for Homemade Brown Sugar Saves You a Trip to the Store
Graphic of pulling meat from the freeze
The Best Way to Defrost Ground Beef, According to Our Expert Tests
Graphic for measuring knuckle rice
Is This the Most Foolproof Method for Making Rice? We Tested to Find Out
A cup of ice and someone making a cocktail.
The One Ingredient Holding Back Everyone's Homemade Cocktails—and How to Fix it
a variety of non alcoholic beers on a table with napkins and cards
I Tried 23 Nonalcoholic Beers to Find the Best Ones I'd Happily Drink Any Day
A collage of fish sauce and different dishes.
The Umami-Rich Pantry Ingredient That Will Instantly Improve Your Cooking (It's Not MSG)
Blueberry experiments lined up on a counter.
How to Store Blueberries So They Last Longer
Salmon on a foil-lined sheet tray.
The Restaurant Trick for Cooking Salmon and Other Fish Fillets Perfectly Every Single Time
Hand swirling red wine in Josephinenhütte Josephine No. 2 Universal Wine Glass
What’s Natural Wine, Anyway? We Asked a Sommelier
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What's the Actual Difference Between Yams and Sweet Potatoes?
Murray's cheese box with four cheese on their wrapping on a blue surface
We Tried 5 Cheese Subscription Boxes to Find the Best for Date Night and Beyond
A collection of maple syrup bottles on a crate
What's the Best Maple Syrup? We Tested a Bunch—and Asked a Vermont Sugarmaker for Help
a variety of chocolate boxes on a dark green surface
Life Handed Us 20 Boxes of Chocolates—We Found the Best Ones for Gifting (or Keeping for Yourself)
Graphic of Orange Blossom bottles
Why I Always Keep This Sweet, Floral Ingredient in My Pantry
Small Business Saturday Collage
Small Business Saturday Is Here—Our Favorite Sales Include Tinned Fish and Olive Oil
Overhead view of frozen chicken
What's the Best Way to Defrost Chicken? I Tested More Than 55 Pounds of Chicken to Find Out
Best Places to Buy Spices Online
The Best Places to Buy (Whole, Ground, Blended) Spices Online
Overhead view of oyster crackers
An Ode to the Oyster Cracker
Snacks according to SE Editors
The Best Snacks, According to a Team of (Basically) Professional Snackers
four mail order hams wrapped and on a wooden surface
I Ate a Whole Lot of Ham (and Maxed Out My Freezer) to Find the 8 Best Hams You Can Order Online
Overhead view of all the essential ingredients needed in a pantry to cook a range of Nigerian dishes. Ingredients range from spices to roots to tinned food and fresh spices, organized in a neat grid
Everything You Need to Know About Stocking a Nigerian Pantry
Three cooked turkeys on a kitchen countertop. A person is placing a turkey in a roasting pan onto the countertop.
The Best Mail-Order Turkeys for an Iconic Thanksgiving Feast
Graphic of cherry tomatoes and grape tomatoes on a grid
Cherry vs. Grape Tomatoes: What's the Difference?
a variety of jars of honey with their tops open
Everything You Need to Know About Buying Honey
a variety of sesame oils on a wooden surface with a blue tile background
Fragrant and Nutty: We Tasted 10 Sesame Oils to Find the Best for Cooking and Beyond
Numerous bottles of olive oil on a wooden countertop.
I Tasted 28 Olive Oils to Find the Best Ones for Cooking, Drizzling, and Dipping
Graphic of sweet corn and field corn
Field Corn vs. Sweet Corn: What's the Difference?
Cascade of ground coriander followed by whole coriander seeds.
What is Coriander?
A number of chili crisps on a wooden coutnertop.
Spicy! Crunchy! Crispy! The Best Chili Crisp You Can Buy Online
a variety of tinned fish on a pale, sea foam green background
The Best Tinned Fish (and Other Seafood) You Can Buy Online
Overhead view of ground ginger in a bowl
Everything You Need to Know About Ground Ginger
Basket of fruit and vegetables
You Hauled the Whole Farmers Market—Now What?
Sohla & Ham Blends Nothing Hidden Ranch
This Ranch Seasoning Is So Delicious, I Keep It in My Handbag
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What Is Baby Corn?
several images of food (cheese, fish, olive oil) with postage stamp frames around them
We Spent Months Testing Food Subscription Boxes to Find the Ones Worth Buying Over and Over Again
an illustration of a golden tin of caviar with caviar on oysters on plates, and glasses of wine.
Where to Buy Caviar Online
Curry leaves on a plate with Spice Cabinet badge
What Are Curry Leaves?
A wheel of brie cheese with a slice cut and slightly pulled away to show the creamy interior.
10 Tips for Storing and Serving Cheese
Overhead view of a plate of labneh with za'atar pita chips surrounded by a grocery store container of labneh, a bowl of zatar, and a plate of pita chips
All About Labaneh
Deeply browned braised swordfish steaks on a platter with a rich tomato, caper, olive sauce.
Agghiotta di Pesce Spada (Sicilian Braised Swordfish With Tomatoes and Olives)
Bowl of potato starch noodles in sesame dressing on a countertop
The Many Possibilities of Potato Starch
Overhead of a whole rabbit broken down into parts on a baking sheet.
How to Break Down a Rabbit
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A Guide to Pepper: The World’s Most Popular Spice
Bags of different types of flour against a purple background.
Types of Flour: A Guide
overhead shot of an array of tinned fish, or conservas, on a wooden table with bread and olives.
A Guide to Canned Fish and Seafood from Spain and Portugal
Closeup of freshly harvested green and purple olives in sunlight
14 Types of Olives Worth Seeking Out
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How to Cut an Airline Chicken Breast
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Spice Hunting: New Things To Do with Mint
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The Joy and Economics of Cooking Pizza At Home
Closeup of malted milk powder in a white bowl.
Meet the Umami Bomb of Dessert: Malted Milk Powder
Spice Hunting: Turbinado Sugar
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Spice Hunting: Aji Amarillo
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Noosa Yoghurt: Australian-Style Yogurt Gets In On The Game