The short answer: these are the how-tos most recipes assume you know: cooking times, safe temperatures and measurements. Our free kitchen conversion calculator and recipe scaler handle the math.
- Everyday staples: how to boil eggs, cooked rice and how to cook chicken.
- Holiday roasts: how long to cook a turkey, how to cook a ham and how to cook prime rib.
Our picks for cooking basics
Printables
Family Recipe Binder
Section dividers, four recipe page layouts with room for the family story, 4x6 and 3x5 cards and a conversion chart - print it or type into the fillable version.
$6.99Buy
Guides
- How to Boil EggsHow to boil eggs for soft, jammy or hard boiled yolks: a minute-by-minute chart, easy-peel tips, steamer and Instant Pot methods, …
Ideas and how-tos
- Cooked rice in the fridgeHow long is cooked rice good for in the fridge? 3 to 4 days. How to cool, store, freeze and reheat leftover rice safely, plus sign…
- How Long to Cook a TurkeyHow long to cook a turkey at 325°F by weight, stuffed or unstuffed, from the USDA chart, plus how to thaw a turkey and a Thanksgiv…
- How long is turkey good in the fridgeHow long is turkey good in the fridge? Cooked turkey lasts 3 to 4 days. See raw, deli and frozen times, storage steps and how to r…
- How much turkey per personHow much turkey per person to buy: 1 pound per guest for a whole bird, less for breast, plus a size chart for 4 to 30 guests and t…
- How to brine a turkeyHow to brine a turkey step by step: wet and dry brine ratios, how long to brine by size, safe fridge and cooler methods, and a Tha…
- How to carve a turkeyHow to carve a turkey in 9 easy steps: resting time, the tools you need, removing legs and breast, slicing against the grain, and …
- How to cook a hamHow to cook a ham the easy way: minutes per pound for spiral, bone-in and fresh ham, safe temperatures, a simple glaze, and how mu…
- How to cook chickenHow to cook chicken breasts, thighs, wings and whole birds: oven, stovetop, air fryer, grill and boiling times, plus the 165°F saf…
- How to cook prime ribHow to cook prime rib step by step: prime rib cooking time per pound, doneness temperatures, sear-first and reverse-sear methods, …
- How to cook riceHow to cook rice: 1 cup of rice to 1.5 or 2 cups of water, 13 to 18 minutes on low, then rest 10. Stovetop, microwave and oven tim…
- How to keep food warm for a partyHow to keep food warm for a party: 9 safe methods from a 200°F oven to slow cookers and hot-box coolers, plus hold times and the 1…
- How to make gravyHow to make gravy step by step: turkey gravy from pan drippings, a no-drippings version, make-ahead gravy, ratios, fixes for lumps…
- How to make pie crustHow to make pie crust from scratch: the 3-2-1 ratio, a flaky all-butter method, blind baking, make-ahead tips and fixes for tough …
- How to roast vegetablesHow to roast vegetables at 425°F with a time chart for broccoli, carrots, Brussels sprouts and more, plus seasoning formulas and o…
Free tools
- Kitchen Conversion Calculator and Chart: Cups, Tablespoons, Ounces and GramsConvert cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, ounces, milliliters and grams in one click, including flour, sugar and butter by weight, plu…
- Recipe Scaler: Double, Halve or Resize Any RecipePaste an ingredient list, change the servings and get the scaled recipe in kitchen-friendly fractions. Free tool to double, halve …