Food Facts & Fun

Tomatoes in season are some of the most delicious foods on Earth. There are still lots of ways to enjoy their flavor in the off season. You can even try them in place of some common ingredients. Here are five great examples.

By Linda C. Brinson

Just because it's healthy doesn't mean it's low-cal. Look at the mighty yet fatty avocado -- and the sugary caloric pineapple. Tomatoes are a salad staple, but just how many calories do these juicy veggies pack?

By Alia Hoyt

You don't think twice before piling tomato slices on your sub sandwich or dragging a french fry through a puddle of ketchup, but there was a time when people actually feared tomatoes. Here's the juicy history of the tomato.

By Chris Obenschain

What's for dinner? The answer is so much simpler when you can open the freezer door and pull out an entree, stew or sauce you prepared a few weekends ago. Tomatoes freeze well and can help you put dinner on the table in a snap.

By Chris Obenschain

It doesn't take much talent to cut a tomato well, but it does take some care. Here, five tips to help you turn a beautiful tomato into a slice, a chunk or a perfect, tiny square you can be proud of.

By Julia Layton

The use of a fresh tomato is seemingly endless. You can make pasta sauce, salsa or even eat it raw and whole. So, it only makes sense that you grow your own in your garden. Have too many coming off the vines? We'll tell you what to do with them.

By Sara Elliott

Tomatoes are easy to grow in your backyard garden -- maybe a little too easy. When the season's over, and you're stuck with more tomatoes than you know what to do with, it's a shame to throw them out. Now, you don't have to.

By Sara Elliott

Tomatoes are a staple vegetable found in countless recipes. If you want the freshest tomatoes for your fare, you can grow your own and can the leftovers before they go bad. We'll give you five tips to help you can your bounty.

By Emilie Sennebogen

Few things add flourish to a dish like a gorgeous garnish. And, thanks to the tomato's versatility, there are plenty of ways to make it the co-star of any plated affair.

By Laurie L. Dove

Who doesn't want to dig their teeth into a delectable pastry? The creamy filling oozes onto your fingers. The pastry shell melts in your mouth. What are the world's greatest pastry inventions?

By Debra Ronca

Are you invited to a lot of parties? And when you're invited to these parties, are you always asked to bring a dessert? Perhaps you're a born pastry chef.

By Debra Ronca

When people want to help feed the hungry, most will donate food, time or even money. And those things are always needed and appreciated. But if you want to get more involved, we have a list of things you can do.

By Sara Elliott

So you have a recipe that your friends swoon over, and you're looking for a career change. Or, maybe you're getting back into the working world but want to be your own boss. How do you get your big break?

By Emilie Sennebogen

Have you ever left the theater after a food-centric film with your mouth watering for the onscreen delights? What are 10 movies that have left us wanting more -- or left us seriously questioning what's stocked in the pantry?

By Jessika Toothman

Liver in your strudel? Sure, 3-year-olds are picky eaters, but sometimes full-grown taste buds have some strong opinions, too, like no organ-filled pastries. What are 10 foods we love to hate, and how can we get past our culinary prejudices?

By Julia Layton

Today, there are vast culinary realms to explore, and the route is as clear as your Internet connection. We've got five foods you should give a chance -- some you might recognize, some you might read about for the first time, others could have you holding your nose.

By Christine Venzon

Nougat is the stuff inside candy bars that makes them so fluffy and delicious. Yet it looks different in a Snickers bar than it does in a 3 Musketeers. What gives? Here's what you need to know about nougat.

By Chris Obenschain

Honey is an ancient and delicious pleasure. Read on to learn some of the best ways you can use it to sweeten your kitchen.

By Julia Layton & Mark Boyer

From oysters to haggis, some foods are just plain unpleasant to look at. Check out this image gallery of unappetizing foods and be sure to keep a barf bag handy.

By Amanda Arnold

Christopher Columbus' travel food was a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand: sailors' hardtack. On the other: the delicious spices and fresh vegetables of the New World. What are five things Columbus would have eaten on the journey?

By Julia Layton

If your exuberance for raw oysters, black coffee and moldy cheese makes your friends gag, then you've acquired a taste they haven't yet learned to like. Which foods don't make the best first impression?

By Debra Ronca

Have you ever made gelatin with bits of turkey suspended in it? Or drunk Tang because it was space-aged? If so, then you've embraced a food fad. Let's take a look at yesterday's and today's greatest food crazes.

By Debra Ronca

Choosing tailgate party treats can be tough -- you want to please the crowd, but you don't want anyone getting sick. What should you avoid if you want to keep your partygoers safe?

By Christine Venzon

Special occasions call for extra effort -- think about prom dresses, bridal gowns and anniversary outfits. Food is no different. Sometimes it needs to look especially good -- and that's where plating comes in.

By Alison Cooper

The key to any good apocalypse plan is a stash of foods that are loaded down with additives and preservatives. These five products probably won't survive an atomic blast, true, but you'll be much better off with them than with a crate of broccoli.

By Alison Cooper