So, how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?

After a while, you just know how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon. Or, how many cups are in a quart. Of the many bits of kitchen information that we have stuffed in our heads, some of the most useful are the kitchen equivalents. They are so useful, we have printed them on the back of our business cards.

Since we can't hand you our business card, we are reprinting the most useful kitchen equivalents here. We will have a follow-up to this post with other useful conversions, like how many tablespoons of lemon juice you can expect to get from the average lemon.

THIS AMOUNT                         EQUALS	THIS AMOUNT                         EQUALS
1/8 teaspoon . . . . . . . . . . .  a pinch	2 cups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 pint
3 teaspoons . . . . . . . 1 Tablespoon	2 pints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 quart
4 Tablespoons . . . . . . . . . . 1/4 cup	4 quarts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 gallon
5⅓  Tablespoons . . . . . . . . 1/3 cup	2 Tablespoons . . . . . . . . . . 1 ounce
16 Tablespoons. . . . . . . . . . . 1 cup	16 ounces . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 pound

One Potato, Two Potato, Red Potato, Blue Potato…

Yes, there are blue potatoes, though they are really more purple-colored.  You may have never eaten a purple potato but almost everyone has eaten a Russet (also known as an Idaho even if it doesn't come from Idaho) . Russets are “baking” potatoes but for cooking, they are the go-to potato. They can be baked, fried – Russets are used to make French fries, mashed, boiled. If you are looking for a single potato that is good for nearly everything, it’s the Russet. They are starchy which is why they bake up all fluffy and turn into silky smooth mashed potatoes.

 

Potatoes with less starch are called “waxy” potatoes. They hold together better so they are great for roasting, boiling and potato salad.  They make decent mashed potatoes, but they are not as smooth as Russets. Red-skinned potatoes and yellow potatoes, like Yukon Golds, are waxy potatoes.

Blue potatoes are the waxiest of all so don’t try to make mashed blue potatoes. They’ll look cool but the texture is often lumpy and not at all smooth.

No matter what the color of your potatoes, you should store them in a cool, dry and dark place. You may be tempted to put them in the refrigerator but this isn't recommended. Potatoes convert starch to sugar in cold temperatures, and sweet-tasting potatoes are just weird.

Here's a simple microwave recipe for potatoes. They don't brown up like oven-roasted potatoes; the peel is left on to give them some color. But they still taste good, clean-up is very easy and they take a couple of minutes of prep and 11 minutes of cooking/standing.

Microwave "Roasted" Potatoes
(serves 3-4)

Though the recipe calls for oregano, it's just as good with other dried herbs such as thyme, basil or rosemary. Make sure to crush them to release their fragrant oils.

2 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large Russet potatoes, washed, unpeeled and cut into 1/4" thick slices
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed in your palm

Put garlic and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 2 quart microwaveable casserole. Microwave 1 minute, serving once. Stir in potatoes. Cover and microwave on high for 3 minutes, stir. Re-cover and cook on high for another 4 minutes, until centers are just tender. Let stand, covered, for 3 minutes.

Stir in salt, pepper, and oregano. Serve.

Tip: It's easier to stir the potatoes if you keep most of them on end rather than laying them flat.

Curried Chicken Salad

This recipe is a riff on Thai Curried Fried Rice. That classic Thai restaurant preparation uses Indian curry powder (not Thai curry paste) and pineapple. Curry goes great with the chicken and fruit in the salad.

This recipe also gives us the opportunity to introduce the extremely useful technique of cooking chicken in a microwave. You can get pre-cooked chicken in most supermarkets, but it is quick and easy to cook it for yourself. It’s cheaper and you know the chicken isn’t “enhanced” with lots of salt and preservatives.

Curried Chicken Salad

Makes 2 servings

1½ cups chopped chilled cooked chicken breast (about 8 ounces)

½ cup halved seedless red grapes

½ cup diced apple

2 Tablespoon diced pineapple (canned is fine)

1 Tablespoon raisins (or one small kid’s box)

3 Tablespoon mayonnaise

1 tsp honey

½ teaspoon curry powder

½ teaspoon lemon juice

⅛ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon pepper

1 Tablespoon sliced or slivered almonds, toasted at 300 F° for 5 minutes and cooled

Combine first 5 ingredients (chicken through raisins) in a large bowl.  In another bowl, combine mayonnaise and next 5 ingredients (through pepper) stirring with a whisk.  Pour mayonnaise mixture over chicken mixture, toss gently to coat.  Sprinkle with almonds.  The amounts are approximate, so use as much or as little as you like.  And, getting the fruit and chicken at a salad bar is a great way to get just as much as you need.

Tip

To microwave chicken:  Put chicken in a glass dish and cover with plastic wrap, leaving a corner open to let out the steam. Cook on high power. The time depends on the size of the chicken breast.

·      4-6 minutes for 1 boneless skinless chicken breast

·      7-9 minutes for 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

·      10-12 minutes for 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Turn it 180 degrees halfway through cooking.  After cooking, let stand 5 minutes before removing the plastic wrap. Open the wrap away from you so you don’t burn yourself with the steam. Cut chicken to check that the chicken is cooked all the way through. Times here assume a high-powered microwave; your mileage may vary. Season cooked chicken with a sprinkle of salt and black pepper. Chill before using in salad.

Welcome!

Welcome to the School of Eating Good blog. We want you to cook. We want you to have fun cooking. We want you to find information here that helps you become a better cook, even if you don't know a darn thing about cooking right now.

You will find tips and tricks. You will find recipes that are tasty and tested by us, so after you are done you will say "that is really good!" rather than "will my dog even eat this?" You will find recommendations on equipment and information on ingredients. Not everything here will be for the rank amateur cook, but we'll be sure to let you know what skills and equipment you'll need to pull off a recipe. Even though we've been cooking for a really long time, we've been there. No one likes a recipe full of nasty surprises.

So keep coming back for more interesting, useful, and sometimes slightly silly information on food and cooking.

Beef and Bean Burrito Filling

This is an all-purpose inexpensive filling/dip/topping. It's quick and easy too.

Beef and Bean Filling/Dip
(makes 6-8 servings)

1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped OR 1 4 oz can chopped green chiles
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 16 oz can refried beans with green chiles
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or use Monterey jack or Colby cheese)

In a large skillet, cook ground beef over medium-high heat until beef is starting to brown. Add onion and green pepper and cook another few minutes until onions soften.

Stir in chili powder, salt, black pepper, tomato sauce, and refried beans. Mix well and heat through. Remove from the heat and mix in cheese.

Some suggestions for this filling:

Fill a tortilla - add some shredded lettuce, salsa, and more cheese and guacamole.

Top a baked potato and add a little more cheese and sour cream.

Make nachos by topping tortilla chips along with additional cheese, sliced jalapenos, chopped tomatoes.

Hollow out a Kaiser roll and fill. Top with additional cheese.