(BPT) - As summer begins, it's the perfect time to refresh your kitchen routine and lean into a more confident, creative approach to cooking. The good news is you don't have to be a pro chef to create successful dishes. Home cooks can boost flavor and deliver high-quality meals, whether just for family or for a crowd.
Here are tips from Chef Tiffany Derry, MasterChef Judge and Eggland's Best partner, to help you enhance your culinary efforts, just in time for summer entertaining.
Focus on ingredients
To build confidence in the kitchen, begin with a foundation of high-quality ingredients that deliver on both flavor and performance, like farm-fresh vegetables, fresh herbs and Eggland's Best eggs. Check grocery store produce for optimal freshness, or grow your own herbs or veggies to ensure you start with fresh ingredients that pack more flavor into every bite.
Master the basics
Once you've got fresh ingredients, Derry recommends focusing on mastering a few core techniques. You can learn about balancing flavors through acid and seasoning. For example, if a dish is too rich, sweet or salty, adding a little acid like lemon juice or vinegar makes all the difference. You can also commit to learning how to properly saute and layer ingredients. These techniques give you the freedom to experiment and make recipes your own.
Stay seasonal
Let the season guide you by incorporating fresh, vibrant ingredients when they're at peak ripeness. Shopping for locally grown ingredients is one of the best ways to ensure the produce you use is at its best. Keep your preparations simple, allowing the natural flavors of seasonal ingredients to shine.
Trust your palate
Stay flexible as you cook. Learn to trust your instincts by tasting as you go and adjusting along the way. This process helps you build confidence with each step. Derry suggests trying recipes with a critical eye, and letting your taste buds be your best guide. You may be surprised how much of your personality and preferences you can add to any dish!
Elevate family favorites
Every family has tried-and-true meals they always enjoy. When you're ready, take a favorite and experiment a little, adding unexpected combinations and fun ingredients. For example, try this twist on a classic pasta dish from Eggland's Best, Carbonara with Blue Cheese, Broccoli and Hazelnuts.
Eggland's Best, America's #1 branded egg, is teaming up with FOX's hit culinary competition series MasterChef Season 16, a high-stakes season inspired by the world's biggest international soccer tournament.
Eggland's Best eggs contain more than double the Vitamin B12 of ordinary eggs, helping provide a natural energy boost so you can stay energized and creative in the kitchen. They also have more than double the Omega-3s compared to ordinary eggs, helping support brain function and overall wellness as part of a balanced diet.
Ingredients
- 2 Eggland's Best eggs, large
- 1/2 cup hazelnuts
- 1 1/3 cups penne or other pasta of your choice
- 3/4 cup broccolini, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup arugula, finely chopped
- 1/2 lemon, juice only
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to serve
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Tip the hazelnuts onto a baking tray, then transfer to the oven to toast for 7-10 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, roughly chop into large pieces.
3. Meanwhile, bring large pan of salted water to boil, and add pasta. Cook according to packet instructions, adding the broccoli one minute before the pasta is ready.
4. Drain well, reserving 3 ounces of the cooking water, then return to the pan and stir through a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
5. While the pasta is cooking, whisk eggs with the crumbled blue cheese and season well with freshly ground black pepper.
6. Add the blue cheese sauce to the pasta and stir vigorously to coat.
7. Add reserved cooking water one tablespoon at a time until the sauce clings to the pasta, then stir through the arugula, 3/4 of the chopped hazelnuts, lemon juice, honey and a little more extra virgin olive oil.
8. Taste and adjust the salt, lemon juice and honey as needed.
9. Serve immediately, topped with remaining chopped hazelnuts.
To extend the excitement beyond the screen, the Eggland's Best x MasterChef "Ultimate Summer Entertaining Sweepstakes" is encouraging fans to embrace global flavors and summer entertaining for a chance to win premium prizes. Now through June 30, consumers can enter daily at EBFamilySweeps.com for a chance to win $5,000 toward a kitchen upgrade, MasterChef-branded cookware and an Eggland's Best prize pack. Additionally, seven weekly winners will receive a $250 gift card, cookware and more to elevate their entertaining experiences.
Find more recipes and products to inspire your culinary creativity at EgglandsBest.com.
Represented internationally by Banijay Entertainment, MasterChef is the world's most successful cookery television format (Guinness World Records). Commissioned across 72 markets, the life-changing show has aired over 700 seasons and more than 16,000 episodes to date. Created by Franc Roddam and first launched in 1990, the super brand is known and enjoyed across the globe.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN IN THE EGGLAND'S BEST X MASTERCHEF "ULTIMATE SUMMER ENTERTAINING" SWEEPSTAKES. Open to legal residents of the 50 US & DC, 18 or older and have reached the age of majority in state of jurisdiction. Void where prohibited. Sweepstakes starts 5/12/26 at 9:00 AM ET and ends 6/30/26 at 11:59 PM ET. For Official Rules, which govern, click here. Sponsor: Eggland's Best, LLC.
