Food and Recipes

As the old saying goes, appearances can be deceiving. Most of us use price, the label on the bottle and vintage to prejudge a wine's quality. But do expensive wines actually taste better, or is it all just sour grapes?

By Laurie L. Dove

If beer commercials are accurate, you can knock back plenty of brewskis without worrying about weight gain. Yet the existence of beer bellies proves otherwise.

By Laurie L. Dove

Wine lovers are sometimes called snobby, in part because they seem to speak a language of their own. Yet, their beloved beverage likely had some humble beginnings.

By Laurie L. Dove

If fears of botulism have scared you away from home canning, you may also be hesitant to whip up your own fermented cabbage. Is it worth the worry?

By Debra Ronca

When it comes to certain foods, self-control is a near impossibility. You can eat and eat (and eat) without ever feeling full. And you have your brain to blame.

By Debra Ronca

When a food gets the sweet-to-salty ratio just right, it's quite the recipe for pleasure. Salted caramel is one flavor that hits all the right taste buds. Leave it to a Frenchman to create the perfect sweet.

By Debra Ronca

The marriage of salty and sweet is one that shouldn't work but magically does. Our tongues recognize flavors for a reason -- and when it comes to sweet and salty, biology is hard at work.

By Debra Ronca

Healthy food fads come and go. Smoothies, however, stand the test of time. The latest variation for 2014? One you don't sip with a straw.

By Debra Ronca

The next time you find yourself on the couch with your hand in an empty bag of chips, blame science. Researchers study exactly what it takes to keep you munching.

By Debra Ronca

From intense craving to shame over loss of control - this is the life of the chocoholic. Is the term chocoholic just a joke, or does science say there's something to it?

By Debra Ronca

If you can get over the blobby skin of bacteria on top of it, many people say that kombucha does the body good. Does home-brewed versus store-bought make a difference?

By Debra Ronca

Kids are more likely to eat food they've helped to prepare. And they love pizza and pasta. With that in mind, we've come up with five Italian-inspired dishes that even the littlest ones can have a hand in making.

By Laurie L. Dove

Panna cotta may seem like a fancy dessert, but it's actually quite simple to make. And with these five tips, your Italian desserts will come out just right -- every time.

By Maria Trimarchi

It's a flaky pastry tube with a creamy delicious filling. But what's that filling supposed to be made of, and is there room to experiment?

By Maria Trimarchi

That microwavable Panang curry and sack of frozen corn dogs didn't become possible overnight. Check out these 10 game-changers from the epic history of the TV dinner.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Whether piled high on a banquet table or highlighted in an entire episode of Alton Brown's Food Network show Good Eats, the tenderloin is a versatile cut of meat that creates a variety of moist, delicious sandwiches.

Whether you call it a hoagie, a grinder, or a sub, one thing remains: the hero is about as American as a sandwich can get. And while the nomenclature might vary by region, the history of the hero is pretty straight and narrow, much like, well, the sandwich itself.

Can you imagine have your sandwich be made by a famous chef or restaurateur? Check out what famous chef or restaurateur made which sandwich in this article.

Where did that melty combination of toasted cheese and bread come from?

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

Even the most inexperienced bakers can create gorgeous birthday cakes with little time and effort.

By Sarah Fernandez

Boxed cake mix is anything but boring when doctored even just a little bit.

By Sarah Fernandez

Where does the peanut butter and jelly sandwich actually come from? And what makes the trio of ingredients we've accepted as totally mundane so utterly divine when layered together?

Hard as it might to look past one's own personal history with the sandwich-say, the paper-bag-lunch sandwich Mom always made or day-after-Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches we always scarfed down with Dad-the evolution of that humble food begins long before the modern era.

Sure, you eat within the dark confines of a movie theater (and arguably more than you would in any other venue), but how often do you pay special attention to what's being eaten on screen? Over the last two decades, sandwiches in particular have played a starring role in some of the country's most notable films.

While many American cities offer seemingly limitless options for all sorts of global cuisines, of course nothing beats eating what you're supposed to be eating in the very place you're supposed to be eating it. Say "hello" to the sandwich.