Roasting Peppers

On April 11, 2023April 7, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Grilling, TopicLeave a comment

In one of my recent pieces for Taste of Home, I had a chance to share techniques for one of my favorite vegetable upgrades: roasting. I mainly roast homegrown peppers, so it’s an easy seasonal choice to char them on the grill. But if you’re buying peppers out of season or keeping an eye on a simmering pot in the kitchen, indoor techniques may make more sense. So I share not one but four ways to roast peppers of all colors, sizes, and heat levels.

Once glance at the price on a jar of roasted peppers in the store makes clear a key advantage to roasting your own. Other reasons include the ability to get them just the right softness to use in chunks in fresh dishes—jarred roasted peppers tend to be soft and slippery. I don’t just roast the standard red bell peppers, either: green bells, Gypsy peppers, Poblanos, and chilies all carry a smoky note when their charred.
Learn more about Roasting Peppers

Million-Dollar Deviled Eggs

On March 8, 2023March 7, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Ingredient, Using1 Comment

I’m excited to share my first article for Taste of Home: How to Make Million-Dollar Deviled Eggs. I’m a definite fan of deviled eggs, including versions with bonus flavor and homemade ingredients, so it an ideal first assignment.

The recipe, developed by Taste of Home, has a secret ingredient that I tried for the first time when I made a test batch. They’re called million-dollar deviled eggs because they’re that rich. I made them by mashing the yolks with a fork, but they’d be just as easy to press through a garlic rocker, like I shared in another recent story.
Learn to make Million-Dollar Deviled Eggs

Slow Cooker vs. Instant Pot

On January 23, 2023January 21, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Topic, Using1 Comment

I’ve been focused on sourdough this month and my annual sourdough giveaway, but my recent piece for The Spruce Eats may offer you some ideas of things to eat with all of that bread you’re now baking—and the tools to prepare them in. If you’ve ever wondered whether you need a slow cooker or an Instant Pot, or which to use if both already live in your kitchen, this article aims to provide some answers.

In examining the best uses for these seemingly similar kitchen tools, I came up with ideas ranging from the typical, like braising meats and cooking dried beans, to the unexpected, like steaming custards and fermenting yogurt. I also found a few kitchen tasks that you might think would work in a slow cooker or an Instant Pot but that really should have you reaching for a different tool.
Learn about choosing and using slow cookers and Instant Pots

Kitchen Favorites: Kitchen Knives

On December 13, 2022December 13, 2022 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Topic, UsingLeave a comment

One thing I’ve learned from teaching workshops in other people’s kitchens is the value of a sharp knife. At home, it can be easy to ignore the dullness of a blade because we’re used to the feel of it in our hand. We think, “Oh, I just want to finish cutting this tomato and eat; I’ll sharpen after I clean up” (and then rarely do). When I’m in someone else’s kitchen, and especially if I’m trying to show off neat, clean slices, dullness becomes obvious—and embarrassing if I brought my own knives.

So I started paying more attention to the knives I own and how I treat them. I offer one of my favorites in my recent piece for The Spruce Eats: a Misen Chef’s Knife. I’ve relied on it heavily through canning and teaching, cooking and testing, for the last 18 months, and I still can’t believe how sharp it was out of the box and how easy it is to keep sharp. I’m such a fan of this knife that I gifted it (and its smaller sibling, the paring knife) to family last Christmas, along with ceramic honing rods for continual sharpness.
Learn about choosing and using kitchen knives