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    Home

    Cooking Tips

    Level up your kitchen skills with foundational cooking and baking techniques like using a kitchen scale for baking, mastering a perfect poached egg, how to chiffonade basil, and why you should always preheat your stainless steel pans.

    These kitchen skill guides and cooking tips are my way of breaking down the techniques I learned in pastry school and as a self-taught home cook so that they're easy for anyone to follow.

    • a fork pierces through the side of a poached egg perched on top of guacamole on a small potato pancake
      How to Poach an Egg (Tiny Pot Method)
    • a white background with pink text that says 25 emergency recipes to make from your pantry
      25 Emergency Recipes to Make From Your Pantry
    • an overhead shot of thinly sliced strips of basil in a small white bowl
      How to: Chiffonade Basil and Other Leafy Greens
    • a close up of the surface of a plain cheese pizza garnished with thinly sliced basil
      When to Put Fresh Basil on Pizza
    • do bagels need to be refrigerated pinterest graphic
      Do Bagels Need to be Refrigerated?
    • a fork cuts into a runny egg yolk on a fried egg
      Fried Egg with Perfect Runny Egg Yolk
    • how to store sourdough discard
      How Do I Store Sourdough Discard?
    • An overhead shot of a lemon tart in a removable-bottom tart pan on a sheet pan. The tart crust has shrunk just slightly and the edges have pulled cleanly away from the edges of the pan.
      Do I Need to Grease and Flour My Pie Pan?
    • how to feed sourdough starter
      6 Tips for Feeding and Discarding Sourdough Starter
    • cookies on a cooling rack
      How Many Cookies Are in a Batch?
    • two 16 oz deli containers sit side by side. the one on the right has about half an inch of mature sourdough starter in it. the one on the left has about a quarter of an inch of newly fed sourdough starter in it and is labeled with masking tape that says "starter."
      How to Maintain a Small Sourdough Starter
    • a hand using a fork to dock a pie crust
      How do I Stop My Pie Crust Bubbling?
    • pita bread
      Fluffy Golden Pita Pockets
    • Recipes for Beginner Bread Makers
    • How to Make Ice Cream in a Bag
    • an overhead shot of a roasted bulb of garlic in a white ramekin
      How to Roast a Whole Garlic Bulb
    • an overhead shot of a taco bar
      Taco Week: a Weeklong DIY Taco Bar
    • an overhead shot of a stainless steel skillet with melted brown butter. a white silicone spatula is resting in the pan.
      How to: Make and Use Brown Butter
    • a cold pan with oil in it. the oil doesn't cover the bottom of the pan, but moves in rivers and drips.
      Why you should heat stainless steel before adding oil
    • a close up of a grey round kitchen scale with nothing on it
      5+ Reasons a Kitchen Scale is Worth It
    • a non-vegan's guide to creating a vegan dinner party menu [LINK]
    rebecca wearing a black t-shirt with her left hand on her hip and her right hand holding a whisk upright

    Hi, I'm Rebecca! I'm a pastry chef with a home cook mentality. I'm on a mission to make spending time in the kitchen fun and accessible — that's why so many people love my beginner-friendly bread recipes. I'm always looking for new and creative ways to get the most out of my favorite ingredients and flavors!

    More about me →

    Seasonal Favorites

    • a blueberry bagel sliced open slathered in cream cheese
      Chewy Blueberry Bagels
    • a cross section of orange pound cake.
      Fresh Orange Pound Cake in a Loaf Pan
    • a mug of broth with a spoon resting across the top filled with alphabet noodles
      Soothing Broth for a Sore Throat
    • a straight on shot of the end of a loaf of brioche bread.
      How to Make Just One Loaf of Brioche Bread

    Get in touch

    Want to work with me? Just have a question? Shoot me an email!

    rebecca@thepracticalkitchen.com

    Treat Yourself

    • the best plus size aprons
      15+ Places to Buy Plus Size Aprons
    • 15+ best salt cellars for any kitchen.
      15+ Best Salt Cellars to Keep on Your Counter
    • flour storage containers for 5 lbs of flour
      Flour Storage Containers That Fit Five Pounds of Flour
    • ADHD Kitchen Organization Tips and Tricks
      8 things in my ADHD kitchen that just make sense

    About Me

    • Facebook
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    Journalist turned pastry chef, on a mission to make cooking and baking fun and accessible. I'm always looking for new and creative ways to get the most out of my favorite ingredients and flavors! A Pittsburgh native currently calling Boston home.

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