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Image zoom How is avocado oil made?
Avocado oil is made from the same type of avocados we love in guacamole, on our toast, and at pretty much at any meal, but it doesn t mean less avocados in the produce aisle. The oil uses the gems that have fallen from the tree and would otherwise go to waste if not for our hero farmers who swoop them off the orchard floor and bring them to our production facility to be pressed for oil, says Covarrubias. This is one reason that avocado oil is a sustainable choice.
Once the fallen avocados arrive at the production facility, the process is similar to how olive oil is made. The flesh, seeds, and skin are pressed and then filtered to remove impurities. The amount of filtering and processing determines if the product is extra virgin with minimal processing or more refined, similar to olive oil.
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A healthy and satisfying dinner can be as easy as pairing a protein with delicious, flavorful vegetable or hearty grain sides. The key to cooking in this style is letting the good-for-you sides bring the flavor and perspective to the dish and treating the protein as an add on. With simple go-to methods for cooking any protein, one outstanding side dish can be transformed into a chicken, salmon, steak, or a plant-based protein dinner. Read on for our go-to lean protein recipes and tips for pairing them with flavorful vegetable and whole grain-based sides, including recipe ideas that will take you through a healthy January and beyond.
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The majority of cooking starts with pantry ingredients, so it s important to keep your pantry cupboards filled with the staples that make healthy eating simple. With the right ingredients on hand, grocery shopping is simplified and healthy choices are always available. All you need is the addition of fresh vegetables and a protein, if desired, and dinner is on the table before you know it. For the health-conscious cook, the pantry should be a balance of good-for-you staples, heart-healthy whole grains, energy sustaining protein, and flavorful condiments and spices that make the simplest dishes pop. Here s what we recommend having on hand.
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One of the prerequisites of working in the Martha Stewart test kitchen is being able to make a Martha-approved, flaky yet tender pie crust that looks as pretty as it is delicious. It s not a test of skill, but rather a test of your knowledge, as every great baker knows to follow a simple set of rules when making crusts. One non-negotiable is using ice cold water. If you aren t already chilling the water before making pie crust, doing so could be a total game changer.
At first glance it is very simple: combine three ingredients, flour, fat, and water (plus salt and sugar, if desired) and the result is a pie crust. However, the key lies in how the ingredients interact. Our Pie Crust 101 details all the steps to success, but not the why behind it. The two overarching themes are that the dough should be kept cold and the flour should not be overworked or over-hydrated. Ice w