How to Tell if an Avocado Is Bad

A few years ago, an Australian company called Naturo Technologies invented a machine—the Natavo Zero, aka the Avocado Time Machine. This ATM supposedly miraculously slows the avocado ripening process, keeping it from turning brown for up to 10 days wit…

A few years ago, an Australian company called Naturo Technologies invented a machine—the Natavo Zero, aka the Avocado Time Machine. This ATM supposedly miraculously slows the avocado ripening process, keeping it from turning brown for up to 10 days without the use of chemicals—or olive oil, or lemon juice, or red onion. (Naturo Technologies is currently working on a new process of pasteurization that leaves more of the natural vitamins and enzymes in the milk.)

The implications of this Avocado Time Machine? Let’s say you did all the sleuthing at the store for the perfectly-ripe avocado: You sought out fruits (yes, they’re a fruit) with a darker green, almost black skin color. You squeezed only a handful (ha) of avocados at the store (applying gentle pressure only, obviously). You found the one that was perfectly ripe and ready, and nicked off the stem to check the color of the round (perfectly light green). But then, you got home, and forgot about the avocado—not remembering until days later, and your once-perfectly ripe avocado is now a brown and mushy avocado.

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A Trick for Storing Berries to Keep ‘Em Fresher, Longer

Berries: can’t live with ’em, can’t live without ’em. Like many coveted objects, berries are both precious and frustrating, expensive and fragile. What is more maddening than splurging on vivid, juicy berries at the market only to find that your fruity…

Berries: can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. Like many coveted objects, berries are both precious and frustrating, expensive and fragile. What is more maddening than splurging on vivid, juicy berries at the market only to find that your fruity jewels have turned to mush—or worse, have been overtaken by dreaded mold—when you return to them for a mid-week treat? 

Don't despair just yet: This berry horror story does not have to be your destiny. The culprits behind berry mold are the evil, microscopic mold spores waiting to make a home of the friendly, moist skin of your gorgeous berries. Fortunately, there is a simple way to kill off the mold spores and bacteria that find your berries as delicious as you do. 

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40 Summer Pasta Recipes Bursting With Tomatoes, Eggplant, & More

One of the best parts about summer has got to be the produce. From fresh corn to juicy tomatoes, the warmer months make for some of the most exciting cooking. One of our favorite vehicles for the season’s ripest picks? Pasta, especially the ones listed…

One of the best parts about summer has got to be the produce. From fresh corn to juicy tomatoes, the warmer months make for some of the most exciting cooking. One of our favorite vehicles for the season's ripest picks? Pasta, especially the ones listed here.

These are pastas to serve still steaming—whether you're fresh off a full day of beach lounging or at an elegant outdoor summer soirée, the kind where you're wearing seersucker, and the napkins are linen, and the lights are twinkling.

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Is Pre-Minced Garlic Really Such a Bad Thing?

No matter what article or recipe we’ve just pushed live on the site or promoted through email or on Instagram and Facebook, there is one page on Food52 that is almost constantly in the list of ten URLs with the most real-time viewers.

It’s from nine y…

No matter what article or recipe we've just pushed live on the site or promoted through email or on Instagram and Facebook, there is one page on Food52 that is almost constantly in the list of ten URLs with the most real-time viewers.

It's from nine years ago and it's entirely unedited.

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36 Savory Breakfast Ideas to Power You Through the Morning

There is a time for flaky pastries that hide melty chocolate and almond paste—but exactly when that time can be a matter of debate.

Some of us wake up fixated on sweet dishes, with visions of pancakes buoyed on pools of syrup; others wake up craving s…

There is a time for flaky pastries that hide melty chocolate and almond paste—but exactly when that time can be a matter of debate.

Some of us wake up fixated on sweet dishes, with visions of pancakes buoyed on pools of syrup; others wake up craving salt and hot sauce and would rather save the sweet for later in the afternoon.

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I Learned the Hard Way That You Can’t Actually Freeze Avocados

An excess of avocados can be a very good thing—after all, who doesn’t want a bigger batch of guacamole or creamy green slices on their sandwich or burger? But when you have more of these creamy green gems than you can reasonably consume before they ine…

An excess of avocados can be a very good thing—after all, who doesn't want a bigger batch of guacamole or creamy green slices on their sandwich or burger? But when you have more of these creamy green gems than you can reasonably consume before they inevitably over-ripen and turn brown, you may find yourself asking a question so many have asked before: Can you freeze avocado? And not only can you, but should you?

That's the question my Food52 colleagues asked when they saw me mummifying avocado halves in plastic wrap to prepare them for life eternal in the freezer.

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How to Make Onigiri: A Perfect, Pocketable Snack

We think of sandwiches, granola bars, and muffins as great on-the-go snacks. But rice? In most cities in the U.S., you’d be hard-pressed to find a commuter snacking on rice (unless it’s puffed and in the form of a cereal bar).

The same is not true in …

We think of sandwiches, granola bars, and muffins as great on-the-go snacks. But rice? In most cities in the U.S., you'd be hard-pressed to find a commuter snacking on rice (unless it's puffed and in the form of a cereal bar).

The same is not true in Japan—balls of cooked rice called onigiri or omusubi are sold in convenience stores, elaborate food halls in department store basements, and specialty takeout restaurants. Savory and utensil-free snacks, they come in a variety of flavors and designs—some are even shaped like animals!—and wrapped in a sleeve of crisp seaweed (thus, napkin-free, too).

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How to Make Overnight Oats Without a Recipe

Here at Food52, we love recipes—but do we always use them? Of course not. Because once you realize you don’t always need a recipe, you’ll make your favorite dishes a lot more often.
Multitasking always seems like a better idea than it is. I…

Here at Food52, we love recipes—but do we always use them? Of course not. Because once you realize you don't always need a recipe, you'll make your favorite dishes a lot more often.

Multitasking always seems like a better idea than it is. It's just an innocent, time-saving technique until one day, as you're texting, listening to music, and writing an essay at the same time, you end up texting your mom about how annoying your mom is. Whoops!

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Why Are My Cookies Flat?

Are you one of those bakers that always remembers to soften butter before baking? To space cookies on sheet pans just as the recipe instructs? Or, chills cookie dough for the full requisite 2 hours—or, gasp, overnight? Well, I’m not one of those bakers…

Are you one of those bakers that always remembers to soften butter before baking? To space cookies on sheet pans just as the recipe instructs? Or, chills cookie dough for the full requisite 2 hours—or, gasp, overnight? Well, I'm not one of those bakers.

In an effort to make as many cookies as possible, in as few batches as possible, with a limited number of baking sheets, I confess that I almost never give my cut-outs or balls the room they need. (What? Baking sheet real estate does notcomes cheap!) The result is almost always conjoined cookies, semi-circular once uncoupled (if uncoupled at all). Their misshapen looks a lasting reminder of my lack of patience and spatial awareness.

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A Pretty ‘Cool’ Shortcut for Firmer, More Flavorful Tofu

There exists a basic tofu principle that is: In order for your tofu to absorb flavorful liquid marinades, stir-fry sauces, and soup stocks, the no-flavor liquid—i.e. the water—must first come out.
Several methods will expel the water from your tofu: R…

There exists a basic tofu principle that is: In order for your tofu to absorb flavorful liquid marinades, stir-fry sauces, and soup stocks, the no-flavor liquid—i.e. the water—must first come out.

Several methods will expel the water from your tofu:

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