Cook's Illustrated

QUICK TIPS

A Struggle-Free Way to Drain Fat

When recipes instruct to drain off fat after browning meat, Barbara Manchester of North Falmouth, Mass., sometimes struggles to lift the heavy pan and aim the hot oil into a receptacle without spilling the pan’s contents. Her clever solution? Using a turkey baster to carefully transfer the fat into a container. She can usually drain all the excess fat with just a few squeezes.

Keep Your Composter Clean

Claudia Shedd

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Cook's Illustrated

Cook's Illustrated3 min read
The Beauty of Braised Bok Choy
So many greens are all leaf and no stem, but bok choy levels the ratio. At least 50 percent of each oblong head features thick, bright white ribs (“bok choy” is Cantonese for “white vegetable”) that stretch skyward and unfurl into a collar of jade-gr
Cook's Illustrated7 min read
Ingredient Notes
For all its extraordinary umami, dashi (page 6) requires only water and two ingredients: kombu, or dried kelp, and katsuobushi, also known as bonito flakes. Here are a few tips for purchasing and storing these products so you can make this type of h
Cook's Illustrated5 min read
The Accessible Luxury of Tinned Fish
Some foods are practical and pantryfriendly, and some make you feel like you’re treating yourself to a refined delicacy, but it’s the rare food that can do both. Enter tinned fish. Invented in the early 1800s as a protein source for Napoleon’s armies

Related Books & Audiobooks