Betsy Parks

If you want to make food with flavor, you'd better have a well-stocked spice rack. A few shakes of cumin or smoked paprika can be one of many game-changing ingredients for guacamole, and sumac can transform desserts, so it's important to always work with fresh spices that have the maximum flavor. And if you're still storing your spices in those clear jars, Alton Brown says you're doing it all wrong.

Hanukkah is known as the Festival of Lights, but people who love food know that this time of year is really all about fried food, like filled donuts (sufganiyot) and latkes. These skillet-fried, crispy potato pancakes are a make-or-break dish that are a large part of the Hanukkah season, but they can easily go sideways if you don't know what you're doing. There are lots of ways to make

There are a lot of reasons to love Costco, from the $1.50 hot dog meal to great deals on new tires, but the engine that really runs the warehouse giant is its Kirkland Signature line of products. From toilet paper to tequila, you can get almost anything with the Kirkland name on it, and it's no secret that a lot of those items are made by big-name brands — including bacon, which is likely made by Smithfield.

In the West, there are a lot of rules when it comes to dining out. Basic manners like keeping your elbows off the table (which dates back to the Medieval period ) and taking off your hat are just a few of the well-known ways to show off good etiquette — but there are many other little-known rules for fine dining if you really want to display your pedigree.

If you had to name the No. 1 rule most people stress about when it comes to fine dining etiquette, it's not about keeping elbows off the table (which is apparently safe these days). It's how to use all the silverware. While many restaurants tend to set their tables with just one course's cutlery at a time,

While rules for dining out have become more relaxed in recent years, some customs never go out of style — especially concerning fine dining. We probably all know to keep our napkins in our laps unless we get up from the table, and of course, the rule that dates back to the Medieval period: Don't put your elbows on the table. But that's just table manners, which are only one part of dining etiquette

From super-spendy cuts of Kobe beef to eye-popping bottles of imported wine, there's a reason why expensive steakhouses like Morton's and Ruth's Chris are often reserved for special occasions. While you can recreate a similar experience at home with enough effort, it's not your imagination if you still think that baked potatoes at a restaurant are a little bit fluffier and tastier than the spuds you make in your own kitchen. We spoke to K.C. Gulbro, Owner of FoxFire steakhouse in Geneva, Illinois, for the insider scoop on making a restaurant-worthy baked potato that feels extra luxurious.

Egg in a hole goes by quite a few names. One man's egg in a basket is another woman's toad in a hole, you might say. Regardless of what you call it, the concept is really quite simple: cut a hole in a slice of bread, fill the space with an egg, and cook it in a skillet. But what if you started with bread that already had a hole in the center? We're talking about bagels, of course, which, when swapped out for the bread in egg in a hole, can combine two of your favorite breakfasts in one.

Why would you ever settle for a regular sandwich when it could be a pinwheel? These rolled up, sliced sandwiches bring a fun, retro vibe to your lunchbox, and they can liven up any snack platter or Super Bowl spread. In short, we think pinwheels are anything but dumb. They're not entirely foolproof, however. Since pinwheels are often not eaten right away, it's imperative to make sure that the bread doesn't get soggy. The biggest culprit? Skipping out on spreading a layer of filling on the inside of the bread.

Everybody knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, yet many of us treat it as an afterthought. Yes, a granola bar or a smoothie can stave off the hunger for a few hours if you're on the go, but on the days when you have a little more time to be creative, you can really up your morning routine with a breakfast tartine. If you are unfamiliar with