If all else fails, just get the puppy.

Every week this holiday season, we'll be posting our favorite food-centric gift ideas. This week, we're featuring Useful Kitchen Tools Under $30. Be sure to check back for guides on Gifts for Kids Who Cook, Last Minute Homemade Gifts and even Useless Gifts Nobody Really Wants.

Here are 5 Useful Items That Every Kitchen Needs (and I know this because I don't have/really need half of them):

See also:
- Top 5 Seasonal Booze Gifts
- Top 5 Gifts for Wine Lovers
- Top 5 Gifts for the Baker
- 5 Gifts for the Coffee Snob
- Keeping It Kosher: Top 5 Hanukkah Gifts

More »

Photo by KayOne73

English muffins are a constant in my household. I love the texture of the spongy dough filled with its all-famous nooks and crannies. Crisp up those little guys, and anything goes.

The only rule, in my opinion, is no knife. Using a fork to split them open keeps the integrity of the incredible texture. Besides that, the muffin is your oyster -- breakfast, snack, lunch, dinner, munchies; it all works.

Here are Five Great Ways To Use The English Muffin:

More »

Photos by Molly Dunn

They were so pretty before the disaster of a Hollandaise sauce was placed on top.

Making the perfect eggs Benedict is pretty difficult, I'm not going to lie. Not only do you need to poach two eggs, but you must create a hollandaise sauce, toast an English muffin (unless you're making your own) and griddle two slices of Canadian bacon.

I've seen Food Network stars make eggs Benedict on their cooking shows and read recipes for classic eggs Benedict, and I thought if I stuck to the recipe, following it to a T, then I could make this challenging breakfast. With a recipe, it can't be that bad, right? Wrong.

After making a few mistakes (crucial ones, might I add), I have developed a guide to making eggs Benedict along with helpful hints and tips I wish I had known about on my first attempt.

More »

I grew up calling any sandwich on long French or Italian bread a sub, like any normal human being would. Or so I thought, until I realized my aunt called it a grinder...and my friend called it a hoagie. WTF.

This is three people, from three states (New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania), calling the same sandwich by three different names. Since it really is a regional thing (with most of the variations stemming from crazy Italian-Americans in the Northeast like myself), I decided to take a closer look at who calls what where and if there's even a reason why.

And now I'm exhausted, but here we go:

More »

Photos by Molly Dunn

My personal jar of apple butter.

Apple butter has always held a special place in my heart. I love putting this cool, smooth and sweet spread on toast, bagels, English muffins or even just eating it by the spoonful. It's technically not a true butter because it has no cream, fat or dairy -- it's just apples, sugar and spices. But that's what makes it so wonderful.

Normally, I buy my apple butter from the Klein Bros. at a local farmer's market or even at the grocery store, but this time I decided to make it at home -- it's apple week! It's super easy to make, and the beauty is you only have to do the prep work because your Crock-Pot or slow cooker will do the rest.

After searching the Web for a good, basic recipe for crockpot apple butter, I found one that stays true to the deliciously sweet flavor of apples by adding the right amount of sugar and spice.

More »

Photos by Molly Dunn

Cooking a steak in a cast-iron skillet ensures a crispy, caramelized steak.

Although it's summertime and the grill seems to be the logical choice when cooking steak, using a cast-iron skillet to cook a steak makes it much more savory and delicious.

The older your skillet is, the better your food tastes. As a cast-iron skillet ages, it offers up more seasoning and increases the flavor of everything you cook in it. I absolutely love cooking steak in a cast-iron skillet -- to me, the steak is perfectly seasoned and is always juicier than if it were cooked on the grill.

All you need is a little oil, salt, pepper and butter and you can make one of the best steaks you have ever had; it's restaurant quality, for sure.

More »

Photos by Molly Dunn

Chunky applesauce is the way to go.

The second week of August is dedicated to one of the best fruits: apples. The beauty of apples is all their flavors; the United States only has one third of the varieties of apples found throughout the world. Used in a variety of savory and sweet dishes, they're also great by themselves. I guess you could say I love apples.

To kick-start this week-long apple celebration, I have decided to make one of the most well-recognized apple-based dishes: applesauce. We've all had applesauce in our lunchboxes as children and have probably used it in baked goods as a healthy substitution for oil or butter.

Here's our first recipe of the week, which pays tribute to the wonderful, naturally sweet flavors of the apple.

More »

Recently on Masterchef (team Christine!), the contestants were put to the ultimate culinary 101 pressure test when asked to cook the perfect egg...four ways...in 20 minutes.

Ramsay and his fellow judges were looking for the "one perfect soft-boiled egg," "one impeccable, sunny-side-up fried egg," "one stunning, perfect poached egg" and "one absolutely phenomenal three...egg...omelet."

That's a lot of pressure, but luckily, we have no Ramsay, no time restraints and no cameras in our faces waiting for us to inevitably break down in an ugly cry in front of the judges and all of America.

Perfecting these eggs at home is actually not intimidating at all.

Yesterday, we gave you tips on how to cook a fluffy three-egg omelet and the perfect sunny-side-up egg. Now, we'll move on to the second part of our pressure test, with tips for cooking a delicate poached egg and the easiest way to make the perfect soft-boiled and hard-boiled egg.

Check out how:

More »

Last week on Masterchef (team Christine!), the contestants were put to the ultimate culinary 101 pressure test when asked to cook the perfect egg...four ways...in 20 minutes.

Ramsay and his fellow judges were looking for the "one perfect soft-boiled egg," "one impeccable, sunny-side-up fried egg," "one stunning, perfect poached egg" and "one absolutely phenomenal three...egg...omelet."

That's a lot of pressure, but luckily, we have no Ramsay, no time restraints and no cameras in our faces waiting for us to inevitably break down in an ugly cry in front of the judges and all of America.

Perfecting these eggs at home is actually not intimidating at all.

Today, we'll be focusing on the frying pan, giving you tips and tricks to making absolutely stunningly and impeccably perfect three-egg omelets and sunny-side-up eggs.

Here's what you do:

More »

Photos by Kanaiyalal Patel

I spent six years living in New York City, eating every meal except breakfast Cheerios out and about on the wide streets of Manhattan. During that time, cooking seemed like a quaint idea in the face of all of New York's world-renowned, and hole-in-the-wall, eateries. Cooking. Cute, but unrealistic.

Now that I've moved back to Houston, the grocery store is necessary, especially since my metabolism isn't 21 years old anymore. These are the grocery-shopping tales of a 30-something-year-old gastronomical nothing.

More »