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We bruise herbs to release their aromatic oils. To bruise herbs, gently roll and rub a bunch of sprigs in your hand or tap loose leaves with a mallet or the back of a knife. A recipe may call for bruising herbs in lieu of chopping them when the herbs are not intended to be eaten. We add sprigs of bruised thyme to simmering vegetable soup and then remove the sprigs before serving. Make flavored oil by stuffing bruised rosemary or basil into a bottle of olive oil and letting it stand for at least a day.

What is fish sauce?

Fish sauce is a pungent liquid flavoring made from salted, fermented fish. A staple of Southeast Asian cuisines, most varieties are made with anchovies, salt and sugar. You can usually find fish sauce on the international aisle at the grocery store. If not, you'll certainly find several varieties at any Asian market. (Chinese fish sauce may be labeled fish gravy.) Store fish sauce in the pantry, not in the refrigerator -- the cold air will cause salt crystals to form. In a pinch, or if you want to make a dish vegetarian, you can substitute soy sauce for fish sauce. Substituting fish sauce for soy sauce is a riskier move. Plenty of people do it, but if you're a casual user of or newcomer to fish sauce, proceed with caution: it's potent. It takes 10-15 pounds of fish to make 1 liter of fish sauce, so it's not surprising that the dark liquid smells intensely fishy. The flavor, however, is not so much fishy as it is salty, tangy and vinegary. Paired with lime juice and broth, fish sauce creates a bold base for this soups. Recipe: Broiled Thai Shrimp (Coothink) Recipe: Beef Pho (Cookthink) Recipe: Thai Shrimp, Coconut And Mushroom Soup (Cookthink) Reference: Why is it called Worcestershire sauce? (Cookthink)

How to seed a chile pepper

Most of the heat in a chile pepper -- whether jalapeño, serrano, habanero, or another -- comes from the white ribs and seeds. Removing both reduces the chile's heat and allows more of the pepper's flavor to come through. First, cut the pepper in half lengthwise. If you want the halves to stay intact for larger slices or a large dice, just trim out the seeds and ribs, cut out the stem, and slice the pepper as thick or thin as you like. Otherwise, it's easier to get the seeds and ribs out if you cut each half in half again. To get the seeds and ribs out, hold each quarter by the end. With the knife parallel to the cutting board, slice across the ribs and seeds. When you get to the top of the pepper, turn the knife downward toward the cutting board and chop off the stem with the same motion. (Here, we used a Granton Santoku knife; you may prefer a smaller paring knife.) Reference: Help! I ate a hot pepper! (Cookthink) Reference: How to seed a chile pepper (Cookthink) Reference:: Why are some jalapenos hotter than others? (Cookthink)

What's the difference between a chile and a chili?

Nothing. The small hot pepper known as the chili, chilli or chile pepper is essentially the same thing, spelled differently depending on where you live. Chile sauce, chili powder, chilli oil or paste are used to give food throughout the world a fiery kick as they have for thousands of years.

What is brown sugar?

Brown sugar is nothing more than white sugar (which is highly refined and made from cane or beets) that has been mixed with molasses to color it and give it a more moist texture. Light brown sugar has less molasses than dark brown sugar. Brown sugar should not be confused with raw sugar, that has a similar color and taste but is actually the residue from processed sugarcane.

What are kaffir lime leaves?

Kaffir lime leaves are wild leaves from a kaffir lime tree. Essential in Southeast Asian cuisine, kaffir lime leaves add a signature tanginess to traditional Thai dishes like Tom Yum soup or green curry paste. Available dried, frozen or fresh at most Asian markets, the leaves grow in pairs that appear to be kissing. Kaffir lime leaves can be used whole, like bay leaves, by adding one or two to a brothy soup or simmering curry. You can also cut them into thin strips and steam them with chopped chile peppers on top of fish or chicken. They freeze well. If you can't find kaffir lime leaves, use regular lime zest instead. We use 1/2 teaspoon of zest in place of 1 kaffir lime leaf.

Is it okay to wash mushrooms?

To wash or not to wash? Though the conventional wisdom says not to wash mushrooms, we side with Jacques Pepin, Harold McGee and Alton Brown, all of whom say that washing leads to neither mushy mushrooms nor lost flavor. Most of the time though, you'll be okay just brushing over dark spots with a damp paper towel. However you decide to clean your mushrooms, wait and clean them just before you need them.

What is the difference between a shrimp and a prawn?

In some culinary circles, the word "prawn" is used to describe a large shrimp. In other circles, "shrimp" is used exclusively to describe both shrimp and prawns. And to further complicate matters, in other circles, "prawn" is used exclusively to describe both shrimp and prawns. So is there a difference between the two? Yes, there is a difference. Technically, shrimp and prawns are separate species, with mildly different gill structures and tastes. The saltwater crustacean known as a shrimp is found in warm water (like the Gulf of Mexico) or cold water (like the Atlantic). Much of the shrimp we eat is pond-raised. In general, the colder the water, the smaller the shrimp. Marketed according to size, shrimp are named based on the rough number of them that make up a pound. "Miniature" shrimp are so small that it take roughly 100 to make a pound, while just 10 "colossal" shrimp make a pound. A prawn is a different kind of crustacean that resembles a miniature lobster and has sweet, succulent meat. The French langoustine, Spanish langostino and Caribbean lobsterette are all prawns, as is the Italian scampi (which shouldn't be confused with the dish known in the United States as "shrimp scampi"). Freshwater prawns like the Hawaiian blue prawn look like a shrimp-and-lobster love child, with thinner bodies and longer legs than shrimp. Since in most recipes one can be substituted for the other, at Cookthink, we prefer to say "shrimp" when referring to shrimp and prawns. Using our synoynm feature, you can search for shrimp or prawns and we'll know what you're talking about. Recipe: For recipes using shrimp and praws, take a look at the "related recipes" box on the left

What is the Scoville scale?

The Scoville scale measures the hotness of a pepper. A "Scoville Unit" is actually a measure of capsaicin, the chemical that makes a hot pepper hot. Most capsaicin is found in the ribs and seeds of a pepper, which is why seeding a pepper makes it's heat less potent. You might have noticed a Scoville rating on your bottle of hot sauce. Original Tabasco has a rating of 2,500 to 5,000 Scoville units. The hottest readily available peppers, Scotch Bonnet and habaneros, share a rating of 100,000–350,000. India's Bhut Jolokia pepper is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the hottest known pepper. It measures 1,000,000 heat units. (Pepper spray weapons hit 5,300,000 units.) The rating of a bell pepper? Zero -- no heat from this pepper. Reference: Habanero vs. serrano vs. jalapeño Reference: How to dice a jalapeño Reference: Help! I ate a hot pepper! (image courtey of wikipedia)