Hungry Duckhttps://hungryduck.net/2026-10-31T21:48:26.202166-07:00Instant Read vs Leave-In Thermometer and When You Need Eachhttps://hungryduck.net/instant-read-vs-leave-in-thermometer-and-when-you-need-each/2026-10-31T21:48:26.202166-07:002026-10-31T21:48:26.202166-07:00Megan DoyleBuy the instant-read first. A digital one gives you a number in seconds on a steak or a pork chop, and that is the dinner most of us cook on a Tuesday. A...How to Use an Instant Read Thermometer and Which One to Buyhttps://hungryduck.net/how-to-use-an-instant-read-thermometer-and-which-one-to-buy/2026-10-28T21:10:15.221386-07:002026-10-28T21:10:15.221386-07:00Ruth PellegrinoAn instant-read thermometer is a small digital probe you push into food for a few seconds to find out how hot the middle is. It is the one tool that turns a...5.5 Quart vs 7 Quart Dutch Oven and Which to Buyhttps://hungryduck.net/5-5-quart-vs-7-quart-dutch-oven/2026-10-24T22:12:50.690427-07:002026-10-24T22:12:50.690427-07:00Ruth PellegrinoBuy the 5.5 quart or Lodge's 6 quart if you cook for four or fewer. Buy the 7 quart only if you regularly feed five or more or cook big batches for the...What Size Dutch Oven Do I Need for Weeknight Dinnershttps://hungryduck.net/what-size-dutch-oven-do-i-need-for-weeknight-dinners/2026-10-21T21:15:59.623408-07:002026-10-21T21:15:59.623408-07:00Griffin NovakFor most households that cook dinner most nights, the right Dutch oven is a 6-quart pot. The number on the box is the least useful thing about it. This page...Safe Internal Temperature Chart for Meat and Poultryhttps://hungryduck.net/safe-internal-temperature-chart-for-meat-and-poultry/2026-10-18T20:18:07.908271-07:002026-10-18T20:18:07.908271-07:00Griffin NovakPoultry of every kind is safe at 165°F, ground beef and pork at 160°F, and whole steaks, chops and roasts of beef, pork, veal and lamb at 145°F followed by...How to Calibrate a Meat Thermometer in Ice Waterhttps://hungryduck.net/how-to-calibrate-a-meat-thermometer-in-ice-water/2026-10-15T19:15:36.548058-07:002026-10-15T19:15:36.548058-07:00Ruth PellegrinoIn about ten minutes you'll know whether your thermometer reads true. If it doesn't, you'll have fixed it or worked out the number to correct for. All you...Dutch Oven vs Stock Pot for Pasta and Stockhttps://hungryduck.net/dutch-oven-vs-stock-pot-for-pasta-and-stock/2026-10-12T18:15:30.638831-07:002026-10-12T18:15:30.638831-07:00Ruth PellegrinoIf you own a 5.5 or 7 quart Dutch oven, you can boil a pound of pasta in it tonight and make a modest pot of stock in it this weekend. A stock pot earns its...Dutch Oven vs Slow Cooker for Weeknight Dinnershttps://hungryduck.net/dutch-oven-vs-slow-cooker-for-weeknight-dinners/2026-10-09T15:18:41.311101-07:002026-10-09T15:18:41.311101-07:00Ruth PellegrinoIf you already own a slow cooker, it does the job of a Dutch oven only for dinners where browning doesn't matter and nobody is home to watch the pot....What Size Dutch Oven for a Pot Roasthttps://hungryduck.net/what-size-dutch-oven-for-a-pot-roast/2026-10-06T14:14:47.205311-07:002026-10-06T14:14:47.205311-07:00Griffin NovakA 2.5 to 3.5 pound chuck roast with carrots and potatoes belongs in a 5.5 to 6 quart Dutch oven. Move up to 7 quarts only when the roast reaches 4 to 5...What Size Dutch Oven for a Whole Chickenhttps://hungryduck.net/what-size-dutch-oven-for-a-whole-chicken/2026-10-03T13:26:35.666113-07:002026-10-03T13:26:35.666113-07:00Griffin NovakFor an ordinary 3.5 to 4.5 pound supermarket chicken, a 5.5 to 6 quart round Dutch oven holds it with the lid on. A 5 to 6 pound bird needs 7 quarts or an...Enameled vs Cast Iron Dutch Oven for Braising and Sauceshttps://hungryduck.net/enameled-vs-cast-iron-dutch-oven-for-braising-and-sauces/2026-09-30T12:15:04.642930-07:002026-09-30T12:15:04.642930-07:00Megan DoyleBuy enameled if you braise with tomato, wine or vinegar more than once in a while. Buy bare cast iron only if you want a pot that goes on a campfire or into...Round vs Oval Dutch Oven and Which Shape to Buyhttps://hungryduck.net/round-vs-oval-dutch-oven-and-which-shape-to-buy/2026-09-27T08:13:29.114791-07:002026-09-27T08:13:29.114791-07:00Griffin NovakBuy round first. It sits squarely on a round burner, heats faster on the stovetop and has taller walls for soup, stew, chili and beans. An oval earns a...How to Prep Five Lunches on Sundayhttps://hungryduck.net/how-to-prep-five-lunches-sunday/2026-09-23T15:41:54.884991-07:002026-09-23T15:41:54.884991-07:00Ruth PellegrinoYou can make five workday lunches in one Sunday session, but not by putting five of anything in the fridge, because the USDA says Friday's lunch shouldn't...How to Build a Sheet Pan Dinner From Anythinghttps://hungryduck.net/how-to-build-a-sheet-pan-dinner-from-anything/2026-09-22T12:18:12.570078-07:002026-09-22T12:18:12.570078-07:00Griffin NovakA sheet pan dinner is a schedule, not a recipe. You decide which thing on the pan takes the longest, you start the clock on that, and you add everything...Five Weeknight Pasta Dinners That Need No Recipehttps://hungryduck.net/five-weeknight-pasta-dinners-that-need-no-recipe/2026-09-19T07:41:00-07:002026-09-19T07:41:00-07:00Megan DoyleThese are five pasta dinners you can cook without measuring anything, each one built on a single move rather than a list of quantities. They run in order of...Cast Iron, Stainless or Nonstick and Which One to Cook Dinner Inhttps://hungryduck.net/cast-iron-stainless-or-nonstick-which-pan-for-which-dinner/2026-09-13T08:14:00-07:002026-09-13T08:14:00-07:00Ruth PellegrinoThree pans will cook almost everything you make on a weeknight, and each one is bad at the job the other two are for. That is not a flaw in your technique....How to Cook Pork Chops So They Stay Juicyhttps://hungryduck.net/how-to-cook-pork-chops-so-they-stay-juicy/2026-09-08T07:03:00-07:002026-09-08T07:03:00-07:00Ruth PellegrinoA dry pork chop is almost always a thin chop cooked by eye. Get a chop an inch or more thick and a thermometer in it, and the rest is easy: you'll have a...How to Roast Chicken Thighs and Vegetables on One Sheet Panhttps://hungryduck.net/how-to-roast-chicken-thighs-and-vegetables-on-one-sheet-pan/2026-09-02T07:20:00-07:002026-09-02T07:20:00-07:00Ruth PellegrinoAt the end of this you have bone-in thighs with skin that crackles and vegetables that browned rather than stewed, on one pan, in about 50 minutes including...How to Deglaze a Pan and Turn It Into a Saucehttps://hungryduck.net/how-to-deglaze-a-pan-and-turn-it-into-a-sauce/2026-08-27T06:57:00-07:002026-08-27T06:57:00-07:00Griffin NovakDeglazing is pouring liquid into a hot pan to dissolve the browned bits stuck to the bottom, then boiling that liquid down until it coats a spoon. That is...How to Cook Rice on the Stove Without a Rice Cookerhttps://hungryduck.net/how-to-cook-rice-on-the-stove-without-a-rice-cooker/2026-08-21T08:05:00-07:002026-08-21T08:05:00-07:00Megan DoyleYou'll have a pot of separate, fluffy long-grain white rice in about half an hour, and you'll be standing over it for maybe four minutes of that. The one...How to Braise Chicken Thighs on a Weeknighthttps://hungryduck.net/how-to-braise-chicken-thighs-on-a-weeknight/2026-08-15T07:31:00-07:002026-08-15T07:31:00-07:00Ruth PellegrinoYou have a pack of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and a pot with a lid, and that is genuinely all this takes. This page walks one braise end to end: brown...How to Sear a Steak in a Cast Iron Panhttps://hungryduck.net/how-to-sear-a-steak-in-a-cast-iron-pan/2026-08-09T06:48:00-07:002026-08-09T06:48:00-07:00Griffin NovakYou have a cast iron skillet, a strip steak from the supermarket and about forty minutes before people want to eat. This page gets you to one steak with a...How to Stock a Pantry for Weeknight Dinnershttps://hungryduck.net/how-to-stock-a-pantry-for-weeknight-dinners/2026-08-04T07:12:00-07:002026-08-04T07:12:00-07:00Ruth PellegrinoA pantry worth having is about 25 lines on a shopping list, not a wall of cans you never open. This page takes you from an empty pantry to one shopping...