Blog Posts by YumSugar

POPSUGAR FoodSource: 10 Tricks For Better Fruit Salads

It may seem as though there's not much to a fruit salad other than tossing chopped fruit in a bowl, but a few simple tricks transform a flat fruit salad into something enticing to the eye and pleasing to the palate. From picking fruit with the same level of ripeness to spritzing fruit with lemon juice, these 10 tricks will help you make better fruit salads all year round.

• Buy Seasonal Fruit: Flavor- and texture-wise, seasonal fruit always tastes better. Ever had mealy, bland blueberries or apples during their off-season? It's a common and often accidental occurrence, but it's best to avoid buying produce from halfway around the world during its off-season. Instead, look for seasonal produce that's local to you - or at least originating from the continent in which you live.
• Choose Fruit With the Same Levels of Ripeness: A fruit salad instantly becomes less appetizing when some bites are mushy and other bites are too tart and

POPSUGAR FoodSource: 10 Tricks For the Best Homemade Salads

Do you have a whole plateful of salad woes? If you find that your homemade salads just aren't as good as those in restaurants, perhaps the problem rests in the prep of the salad, the choice of ingredients, or the dressing itself. Integrate these 10 tricks into your salad-making routine, and we promise, you'll toss better homemade salads in no time.

• Wash and Dry the Leaves Thoroughly: Most people simply rinse lettuce under the sink, but to really get all the dirt out, dunk the lettuce in a bowl full of water and massage the grime out. Then use a salad spinner to completely dry the leaves, or else the salad dressing won't stick to them, resulting in a watery, bland salad.
• Salt the Dressing: No matter if it's just oil and vinegar, salt the dressing to taste to enhance the salad's flavor. A lot of people neglect this step, but that's why restaurant salads taste so good - chefs often salt their dressings.
• Use Varying

POPSUGAR FoodSource: 5 Alternative Burger Recipes to Try Immediately, From Lamb to Salmon

Love an anything-but-beef burger? At Sutter Home Winery's Build a Better Burger Recipe Contest this past weekend, contestants submitted alternative burger recipes for a chance to win $15,000. These five finalists flew to Napa Valley to cook their alternative burgers (including pork, salmon, and lamb) in front of the judges. Take a look and get inspired to cook something other than beef!

• Better Than Breakfast in Bed Burgers: The toppings: Buttermilk biscuits sandwich the ground pork burger, fried egg, and bacon. Oh, and it's slathered in a spicy maple mayo.
  The takeaway: Make the mayo. Seriously. This is quite possibly the best breakfast sandwich I've ever had, and the audience agreed, as this won the People's Choice Award. Spicy, sweet, smoky, and rich, this sandwich indeed lives up to its name and is better than breakfast in bed.
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• Smoky Sweet Salmon Sliders: The toppings:

Source: Tips For Making a Stunning Salad

When building salads, it's far too easy to get stuck in a rut. You know what works, buy the same ingredients, and inevitably eat green leaf lettuce with black olives, sliced tomatoes, and shredded carrots everyday. However, with a little creativity and an open mind at the grocery store, you can enjoy a fabulous variety of healthful yet crave-worthy salads on a regular basis. To get inspired, take a walk around the produce section and be inspired by the vegetables and fruits you come across. Try a new lettuce or pick up a veggie you're unfamiliar with. Just remember: from crunchy to creamy to crispy, a good salad has an assortment of textures (and colors). Here are a few ways to shake things up in the salad department.

Filling Proteins

• Think beyond grilled chicken: Sliced steak, chunks of pork, and flaked fish are excellent additions. Deli meats, like salami, ham, and turkey are easily shreddable, too.
• Don't forget cheese and

Source: Bring On the Bacon Grease! How to Handle, Store, and Use It

Before my nose fully reached the countertop, my grandmother would show me how to fry up a piece of bacon just to render the bacon fat for my favorite lady pea recipe. After all, the Southern attitude is of the "who needs spices or herbs when bacon's flavor will saturate and perfect just about any dish?" mentality. I've maintained that perspective in my kitchen today, and urge you to do the same. If you've been prone to toss out the liquid gold after frying up a few pieces of bacon, for goodness' sake, stop! Let me show you how to handle, store, and use bacon grease.

• Start with frying up some bacon over the stovetop. After you've cooked the bacon, let the pan cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, set up a ceramic bowl or glass jar, fitted with a fine-mesh strainer. Once you've consumed the bacon, return to the kitchen to pour the bacon grease over the mesh and into the bowl. The mesh catches the burnt bacon bits, yielding a

POPSUGAR FoodSource: May Must Haves For the Culinary Enthusiast

Balmy, beautiful May weather has us itching to entertain more often; thankfully, we've found a handful of new products that'll make it a breeze. From making homemade crackers and dips (with help from a handy cookbook), to whipping up batch after batch of vegan, gluten-free cupcakes, and even shaking up exceptional cocktails with a sense of place, these foodie finds will be indispensable in our efforts. We suggest you follow suit.

• Next Meal: Engineering Food: Genetically engineered foods: how should they be regulated? How do they impact the environment? How badly do we need them? How could they shape the future? Quest's latest special, Next Meal: Engineering Food, attempts to answer these critical questions. Catch it online beginning May 7, or if you're in Northern California, on May 8 at 7:30 p.m. on KQED.
• Tasting Room Wine Club by Lot18: When it comes to wine, selecting the "right" bottle can be overwhelming

POPSUGAR FoodSource: Vinous Gifts For the Wine-Loving Mom

Still stumped on what to get mom for Mother's Day? If she's a wine lover - and really, who isn't? - show her how much you care by indulging her enological tendencies. Read on for five ideas.

• Skybar Wine Chill Drops: If all mom wants at the end of a long day is a cool glass of Chardonnay, make sure she never has to wait for a bottle to chill again. She can keep these Skybar Wine Chill Drops ($60 for two) in the freezer, pull one out when she opens a bottle of room-temp white or sparkling wine, and have a perfectly chilled glass in minutes.
• Wine Subscription: What better way to show your appreciation for dear old mom than by having bottles of wine delivered to her doorstep each month? Give her a wine club subscription to her favorite winery, or if she wants to branch out, try a subscription to the Wine Garage. The Calistoga, CA-based club will send a selection of new wines to try several times a year, each for less than $25 a

POPSUGAR FoodSource: 11 Inspiring Cookbooks For New College Grads

While it's a near given that your college grad won't be longing for gloppy, barely serviceable dorm food postgrad, chances are she could use a little (or a lot) of culinary guidance as she moves on to the next step in her life. Help her along the way with the gift of one of our favorite beginner-friendly cookbooks; she may even show her thanks with a home-cooked meal!

• Keys to the Kitchen: Written as a catch-all culinary guide for kitchen novices, Aida Mollenkamp's Keys to the Kitchen: The Essential Reference For Becoming a More Accomplished, Adventurous Cook ($35) by Aida Mollenkamp is a book that anyone can grow along with, as the detailed recipes are easy enough for a novice to execute, while remaining novel and intriguing. This thick tome also comes packed with technique primers, tips on sourcing ingredients (and substitutions), and suggestions for riffs on the recipes within, making for a one-stop shop.
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