Fruits are pretty complicated. People have been cultivating various strains of our favorite fruits for thousands of years, meaning that we’ve got lots of exciting culinary options to choose from. Exciting doesn’t always mean accessible, however. If you’ve ever bought a granny smith apple to enjoy raw, for example, you almost certainly know that there’s a world of difference between different strains of the same fruit. Morello cherries are another great example of a delicious fruit that’s different than other members of the cherry family.

Believe it or not, a lot of food that you eat at a restaurant is actually frozen. Many items, particularly appetizers, are purchased in bulk from a restaurant supply company. When someone orders them, they’re simply throw in the fryer to give them plenty of crispiness and a fresh taste. This means that quite a lot of the time they’re simply frying frozen chicken wings.

There are few tastes as distinctive as horseradish. It delivers a unique experience that’s somehow more than a taste. It’s not spicy in the same way as a pepper, but it certainly has plenty of kick. This makes it the backbone of many sauces, dips, and recipes. This means it’s tough to find a horseradish replacement.

I love curry. You probably love curry too, if you’re reading this. That doesn’t mean we like the same curry, however. The term “curry” refers to a huge variety of dishes that come from south Asia. These days, it’s not hard to find a curry dish that originates in England, India, Thailand, Japan, or Vietnam. All of these regional variations are quite different, giving you lots of options when it comes to what goes in your curry and how it tastes.

Some dishes have it all. If you’re looking for a single recipe that combines carbs, protein, vegetables, and plenty of flavor, jambalaya is definitely your best bet. It’s a wonderful standalone dish that’s shockingly easy to prepare, making it a great way to make dinner with a minimum of fuss and mess. But what goes with jambalaya?

You don’t have to be a professional cook or a foodie to know that your food’s flavor matters. Even if you’re just preparing a meal for yourself, one of your goals in the kitchen is to produce a consistently tasty dish that you actually want to eat. In many cases, this involves using fresh local herbs and just the right quantity of seasoning. If you don’t have the right herb, however, finding a marjoram alternative can be tricky.

Being a cook starts when you buy your food. If you’ve ever cooked a cheap steak and been disappointed by the results or eaten a cooking apple raw you definitely know that inferior ingredients can ruin a recipe. Mealy tomatoes can be harder to spot at the store, but they’re another thing that you should avoid when you can. 

American sauces are a nightmare to get right. With traditional French or Italian or even English cooking, it’s pretty easy to find a single, reliable source you can use for your recipe. This lets you quickly compare the dish you’ve made with an “ideal” version and make the appropriate changes. When you ask a friend for advice or look online, you can usually get a pretty definitive answer immediately. If you need to thicken a pasta sauce, there will be a note in the recipe that tells you exactly how to do that.