Lush Food & Drink

Explainers

Explainers

How kitchen gear actually works, answered in the first two sentences and backed by the figures our guides already publish.

Each explainer takes one question a buyer types into a search box and answers it with the published numbers from the products we have compared, then links to the guides that go with it.

Is It Necessary to Add Vegetables to a Slow Cooker Pot Roast? No. The roast braises fine in a little liquid on its own; vegetables add flavor, lift the meat off the hot floor of the pot and… Do induction cooktops increase the risk of cracking cast iron? Not by themselves, but fast localized heating makes thermal shock easier to cause; preheat on a middle setting and match the pan to the coil. What are the advantages of seasoned cast iron vs enameled cast iron? Seasoned iron takes unlimited heat and can be rebuilt forever; enameled iron needs no seasoning, never rusts, and handles acid and storage. How do you grill without an actual grill? Use a ridged grill pan on the stove, an electric indoor grill with a drip tray, or the broiler with a cast iron press; you get… How do you properly clean a cutting board and knife to prevent cross contamination? Wash both in hot soapy water the moment raw meat comes off them, sanitize, dry fully, and keep a separate board for raw protein. Does it take a special type of blender to make smoothies? No; any blender with a lid, a motor rated in the hundreds of watts and a blade at the floor of its container will make a… What should you look for when buying a blender? Pick the type and jar size for what you actually make, then read the motor rating as a label rather than a promise, and check the… How do you minimize splatter when using an immersion blender? Keep the blade head fully submerged before you press the button and until after you release it, blend in a tall narrow container, and start on… How do you reduce static in a coffee grinder? Mist the beans with two or three sprays of water before grinding, grind into metal rather than plastic, and let the grounds settle before you open… What happens if you put a cast iron skillet in the dishwasher? The seasoning comes off and the bare iron starts to rust within a single cycle, so the skillet comes out dull gray or blotched orange and… Is it safe to cook wine or vinegar in cast iron? Yes for a splash of wine or vinegar and a few minutes of simmering in a well seasoned skillet; a long braise or sauce strips the… What does a healthy cast iron skillet look like? An even dark black or deep brown cooking surface that is dry and faintly satin to the touch, with no orange rust, no gray bare patches,… How do you clean a seasoned cast iron skillet? Wash it by hand in warm water, scrape off anything stuck with a flat scraper, dry it completely at once, and rub on a thin coat… Why Do Bakers Weigh Flour Instead of Using Measuring Cups? Because a cup measures volume and flour's density is not fixed, so the same leveled cup holds different amounts depending on how the flour got in.… Why Does Mold Grow on Top of My Fermenting Vegetables? Because lactic fermentation is anaerobic and mold is not, so the only part of the jar mold can colonize is the part above the brine. The… Why Does Slow Cooker Food Come Out So Watery? Because a slow cooker is sealed and holds the pot below boiling, so steam condenses on the lid and runs straight back in, while the meat… Why Won’t My Pan Work on an Induction Cooktop? Because an induction cooktop has no hot surface. It throws a magnetic field at the pan and the pan heats itself, so a pan made of… What Is the Difference Between Honing and Sharpening a Knife? Sharpening removes metal to cut a new edge. Honing removes almost none and bends the existing edge back onto the centerline after it has folded over… Why Does Bread Go Stale Faster in the Fridge? Because staling is starch recrystallizing, not bread drying out, and that reaction runs fastest just above freezing. The refrigerator band of 39 to 44 F published… Why Does My Baking Sheet Warp in the Oven? Because the top face of a thin metal plate gets hot before the underside does, grows longer than it, and the plate buckles to absorb the… Does a Pizza Steel Heat Up Faster Than a Pizza Stone? No. A steel is the heavier of the two and its own maker asks for 45 to 60 minutes of preheat, where one stone in our… Sparkling Water Maker vs Buying Bottled Sparkling Water A maker carbonates tap water on demand at the fizz level you choose; bottles need no equipment, no cylinder exchange and give you real mineral water. How Often Should You Replace a Water Filter Pitcher Filter? Every 40 gallons or about two months on a standard pitcher filter, on the figures two makers in our guide publish. One electric pitcher publishes 200… How Do Water Filter Pitchers Work? Gravity pulls tap water through a cartridge where activated carbon adsorbs chlorine and organics, and ion exchange resin swaps out dissolved metals. Stainless Steel vs Ceramic Travel Mugs Every travel mug this site has published is stainless steel, so there are no ceramic figures here to compare. What the steel mugs publish is 6… How Long Does Coffee Stay Hot in a Travel Mug? Vacuum mugs publish six to seven hours, which assumes a full, sealed, preheated mug; in real use expect two to three hours genuinely hot and warm… Why Does Coffee Grind Size Matter? Because grind size sets how much coffee surface the water can reach, and every brewing method gives the water a different amount of time. Espresso has… How to Clean a Burr Coffee Grinder Brush the burrs and chute dry every week, strip and clean the top burr monthly, wash only the hopper and grounds bin, and keep water away… How Long Should You Steep Cold Brew Coffee? Twelve to twenty four hours. Those are the only two ranges published across our cold brew guides, with one filter bag stating 12 to 24 hours… Cold Brew vs Iced Coffee: What Is the Difference? Cold brew steeps in cold water for twelve to twenty four hours and tastes smooth and heavy; iced coffee is hot brewed then chilled, so it… How Does Cold Brew Coffee Work? Time replaces heat. Coarse grounds steep in cold water for 12 to 24 hours, so compounds that need heat largely stay behind, and what you pour… Gooseneck Kettle vs Regular Kettle for Coffee A gooseneck pours a thin aimable stream that pour over brewing needs, and usually adds precise temperature control; a regular kettle pours fast and holds far… How to Froth Milk at Home Start with cold whole milk in a tall narrow container filled no more than halfway, keep the whisk submerged, and stop once the milk is warm… Milk Frother vs Steam Wand: What Is the Difference? A frother whisks air into milk mechanically, leaving foam on top; a steam wand injects steam to heat and texture the milk into one glossy liquid… What Pressure Does an Espresso Machine Need? More than any listing on this site publishes. Four machines across our two espresso guides quote 20 bar and one quotes 3.5 bar, but those are… Espresso Machine vs Coffee Maker: What Is the Difference? An espresso machine forces water through fine compressed grounds under pressure in seconds; a coffee maker lets water fall through coarse grounds under gravity for minutes. How Does an Espresso Machine Work? A pump forces heated water through a compacted bed of finely ground coffee held in a portafilter, in around half a minute. Pressure, water temperature and… How Fine Should Coffee Be Ground for Espresso? Fine, near table salt, but the real target is shot time: aim for a double in roughly 25 to 30 seconds and grind finer if it… Burr Grinder vs Blade Grinder: What Is the Difference? A burr grinder crushes beans through a gap you set, so every particle comes out about the same size; a blade grinder chops until you release… Single-Serve Coffee Maker vs Drip Coffee Maker A single-serve machine brews one mug of 6 to 24 oz on demand; a drip machine brews a carafe where a cup means about 5 oz,… Coffee Maker With Grinder vs Separate Grinder A built-in grinder buys you one machine and one button; a separate grinder buys far more grind settings, any brewer you like, and a part you… Juicer vs Blender: Which Is Better for Fruits and Vegetables? A juicer removes the fiber for a thin concentrated drink; a blender keeps it for a thick filling one. Greens favor the juicer, meals and cleanup… How Long Does Fresh Juice Last in the Refrigerator? This site cannot give you a number, because no product listing behind any of our juicing guides publishes a shelf life. What the makers do publish… How to Clean a Juicer Quickly Strip it and rinse every part before you drink the juice, and get the mesh screen under running water first, because dried pulp is what turns… Why Is Cold Press Juice Different From Regular Juice? Because of air, friction heat and the screen it passed through. Crushing at 55 to 64 RPM folds in far less air than shredding at high… How Does a Cold Press Juicer Work? A slow turning auger grinds produce against a mesh screen and then compresses the pulp, so juice is pressed out rather than flung out by a… Cold Press Juicer vs Centrifugal Juicer A cold press juicer crushes produce with an auger at around 55 to 64 RPM; a centrifugal juicer shreds it against a disc spinning at up… Can a Personal Blender Crush Ice? The 700W and above models can, with liquid in the cup and short pulses; the small portable ones cannot, and a dry cup of cubes defeats…