Recipes, ingredient guides, food storage tips and clear explanations of food packaging, with stories for curious cooks and small food brands.https://read-n-eat.com/enhttps://read-n-eat.com/food-business/food-packaging-brief/https://read-n-eat.com/food-business/food-packaging-brief/A free packaging brief for small food makers. Learn what each section asks, why suppliers need it, then build a copyable brief with the template below.Food Businesshttps://read-n-eat.com/food-storage/airtight-vs-vacuum-sealed/https://read-n-eat.com/food-storage/airtight-vs-vacuum-sealed/An airtight container closes out most air; a vacuum bag removes it. Neither one makes food safe, and vacuum sealing adds a botulism concern for some foods.Food Storagehttps://read-n-eat.com/ingredients/artichoke-guide/https://read-n-eat.com/ingredients/artichoke-guide/What a globe artichoke is, how baby artichokes and hearts differ, which parts you can eat, and how to choose between fresh, jarred and canned.Ingredientshttps://read-n-eat.com/recipes/cream-of-spinach-soup/https://read-n-eat.com/recipes/cream-of-spinach-soup/A smooth cream of spinach soup built from onion, potato, broth and fresh spinach, with notes on adjusting the thickness and reheating leftovers.Recipeshttps://read-n-eat.com/food-business/packaging-cost-calculator/https://read-n-eat.com/food-business/packaging-cost-calculator/Work out packaging cost per sellable unit from materials, labor, fixed costs and scrap. Includes the formula, a hypothetical example and what the result leaves out.Food Businesshttps://read-n-eat.com/food-business/granola-packaging-small-business/https://read-n-eat.com/food-business/granola-packaging-small-business/A selection process for small granola makers: describe the product, set batch size and channel, shortlist pouches, then test sample pouches and check labeling rules for your state.Food Businesshttps://read-n-eat.com/recipes/homemade-granola/https://read-n-eat.com/recipes/homemade-granola/A crunchy oat granola with nuts and seeds, weighed in grams and cups, plus the techniques that build large clusters, including pressing, an optional egg white, and not stirring.Recipeshttps://read-n-eat.com/food-packaging/how-chip-bags-are-sealed/https://read-n-eat.com/food-packaging/how-chip-bags-are-sealed/Chip bags are closed by heat sealing: plastic layers inside the bag are fused with heat and pressure. Here is what the seams are, why the bag is puffed and how it opens.Food Packaginghttps://read-n-eat.com/food-storage/freeze-chocolate-cake/https://read-n-eat.com/food-storage/freeze-chocolate-cake/Cool the cake completely, wrap it snugly in layers, label it with the date, and thaw it covered. Here is how to freeze chocolate cake whole, in layers or by the slice.Food Storagehttps://read-n-eat.com/food-storage/freeze-soup-in-portions/https://read-n-eat.com/food-storage/freeze-soup-in-portions/Cool the soup, divide it into single-meal portions, leave room to expand, label the date and thaw it safely. A practical guide to freezing homemade soup.Food Storagehttps://read-n-eat.com/food-stories/make-family-recipe-book/https://read-n-eat.com/food-stories/make-family-recipe-book/Plan chapters, use a consistent page template, choose between home printing and a print service, and proof a family cookbook before you order copies.Food Storieshttps://read-n-eat.com/food-packaging/package-cookies-for-gifts/https://read-n-eat.com/food-packaging/package-cookies-for-gifts/Cool the cookies fully, separate layers with parchment, fill every gap, and match the container to the trip. A plain guide to wrapping homemade cookies as gifts.Food Packaginghttps://read-n-eat.com/food-business/package-cookies-for-sale/https://read-n-eat.com/food-business/package-cookies-for-sale/A planning checklist for small sellers: define the cookie, the quantity, the sales channel and the protection it needs, then test samples before you buy packaging in volume.Food Businesshttps://read-n-eat.com/food-stories/preserve-family-recipes/https://read-n-eat.com/food-stories/preserve-family-recipes/A step-by-step workflow for collecting, transcribing, scanning and backing up family recipes, with the context that makes them worth keeping.Food Storieshttps://read-n-eat.com/ingredients/how-to-rinse-quinoa/https://read-n-eat.com/ingredients/how-to-rinse-quinoa/Rinse quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer to wash off its bitter saponin coating. Here is why, how to do it without losing seeds, and when the package says you can skip it.Ingredientshttps://read-n-eat.com/recipes/steamed-artichokes/https://read-n-eat.com/recipes/steamed-artichokes/How to trim, steam and eat a whole globe artichoke, with signs it is done, a simple dip, and a clear guide to which parts you eat and which you leave.Recipeshttps://read-n-eat.com/food-storage/store-coffee-beans/https://read-n-eat.com/food-storage/store-coffee-beans/After you open a bag of coffee beans, air, light, heat and moisture start working on them. Here is how to close the bag, choose a container and decide about the freezer.Food Storagehttps://read-n-eat.com/food-storage/store-cookies/https://read-n-eat.com/food-storage/store-cookies/Soft cookies and crisp cookies need opposite storage. Here is how to cool, contain, layer and freeze each kind, and when to rely on official guidance instead.Food Storagehttps://read-n-eat.com/food-storage/store-homemade-bread/https://read-n-eat.com/food-storage/store-homemade-bread/Match the storage to the loaf. Crusty bread, sandwich bread and quick breads each keep best in different wrapping, and the freezer is the answer for what you will not finish.Food Storagehttps://read-n-eat.com/food-storage/store-homemade-granola/https://read-n-eat.com/food-storage/store-homemade-granola/Let granola cool completely, pack it in a tight container, keep it dry and date the label. Here is how glass, plastic and pouches compare and how to judge freshness.Food Storagehttps://read-n-eat.com/ingredients/how-to-use-tahini/https://read-n-eat.com/ingredients/how-to-use-tahini/Tahini is ground sesame paste. Learn how to thin it into dressings and sauces, spread or drizzle it, bake with it, and what to know about sesame labeling.Ingredientshttps://read-n-eat.com/food-stories/write-recipe-headnotes/https://read-n-eat.com/food-stories/write-recipe-headnotes/A recipe headnote is the short introduction above the ingredients. Learn what to include, what to cut, and see made-up before-and-after examples.Food Storieshttps://read-n-eat.com/recipes/meyer-lemon-pudding-cake/https://read-n-eat.com/recipes/meyer-lemon-pudding-cake/A Meyer lemon pudding cake that bakes into a light sponge on top and a soft lemon sauce underneath, with clear signs for judging doneness.Recipeshttps://read-n-eat.com/ingredients/meyer-lemon-vs-lemon/https://read-n-eat.com/ingredients/meyer-lemon-vs-lemon/How Meyer lemons differ from regular lemons in flavor, rind and use, and how to substitute one for the other in baking, sauces and drinks.Ingredientshttps://read-n-eat.com/food-packaging/nitrogen-flushing-coffee/https://read-n-eat.com/food-packaging/nitrogen-flushing-coffee/Nitrogen flushing swaps most of the air in a bag for nitrogen before it is sealed, which lowers oxygen at packing time. It stops mattering once you open the bag.Food Packaginghttps://read-n-eat.com/recipes/tomato-bread-soup/https://read-n-eat.com/recipes/tomato-bread-soup/A Tuscan tomato and bread soup made from stale country bread, olive oil, garlic and ripe or canned tomatoes, with notes on choosing bread and tomatoes.Recipeshttps://read-n-eat.com/food-stories/seasonal-cooking/https://read-n-eat.com/food-stories/seasonal-cooking/Seasonal cooking starts with what is fresh where you live. A beginner's method for finding local produce, building a few flexible dishes and keeping pantry staples close.Food Storieshttps://read-n-eat.com/food-packaging/granola-stand-up-pouches/https://read-n-eat.com/food-packaging/granola-stand-up-pouches/What the parts of a granola pouch do: base gusset, zipper, tear notch, window and film layers, so you can read a package and judge how well it keeps granola crisp.Food Packaginghttps://read-n-eat.com/recipes/wacky-cake/https://read-n-eat.com/recipes/wacky-cake/A classic chocolate cake with no eggs, butter or milk, mixed right in the baking pan with vinegar and baking soda. Weights and cup measures included.Recipeshttps://read-n-eat.com/food-packaging/coffee-bag-valves/https://read-n-eat.com/food-packaging/coffee-bag-valves/The small round disc on a coffee bag lets carbon dioxide out so the bag does not swell. It does not keep coffee fresh forever, and it matters little once the bag is open.Food Packaging