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Expect air fryer French fries to taste more like oven-roasted potatoes than fast food French fries. When made the right way, they’ll have a deliciously crisp exterior and tender interior without the greasiness of traditional French fries. Here’s how to prep them properly. Crank the heat first Most air fryers don’t require you to preheat, but we recommend it anyway: adding your potatoes into an already piping-hot oven will give them a jumpstart on even browning, which is the secret to air fry success....

No matter what type of coleslaw your family fancies, one thing is for sure—nothing beats a fresh, homemade batch. Though convenient to grab a container at the supermarket, trust us: The store-bought stuff isn’t nearly as delicious. Use our tips from professional chefs to craft your own flavorful coleslaw at home. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is! How to Make It Follow this recipe for a classic, creamy coleslaw comes out perfect every time....

Risotto refers to a finished dish, yes, but also a cooking method. It’s a way to give certain strains of rice a deep creaminess, no cream in sight. To do this, you transfer hot broth from one pot to a second pot where risotto rice is cooking. You then stir the rice as it absorbs the stock. Once your first addition of stock has been absorbed, you add another, and repeat....

While there’s no one standard recipe for yogurt toast, the meal typically includes a combination of yogurt and egg mixed together and slathered on a piece of bread (often sourdough), which is then popped in the air fryer or oven until it gets crispy, and finally topped with fresh fruit. The yogurt and egg combo creates a custard-like base, and when it’s garnished with fresh fruit it basically tastes like you’re eating dessert for breakfast....

True, you can’t meet someone for coffee, drop by a networking event, or swing by someone’s office for a face-to-face conversation right now, but there are so many other ways to keep your network strong (and growing) from a distance. And the good news is, a lot of the networking advice you hear so often still holds true—it just needs a bit of a tweak to fit the current environment....

Wine-Red Paint Colors Dark red wine colors make large rooms seem cozy and can also be dramatic in small spaces such as powder rooms. Rich ruby, burgundy, and garnet make a space feel sumptuous. The rich, full-bodied hues are often used in formal settings and paired with dark neutrals but can be teamed with bright colors to loosen it up. Perfectly Pink-Red Paint Colors Pucker-up pinks look fresh and sophisticated with spring greens and white—even navy!...

Where to Plant Goji Berry Goji berries are at home in a berry patch or orchard. Plant alongside raspberries, blueberries, and other small fruit crops. Goji berries also can work in a mixed shrub border. Give them plenty of space to expand and leave ample open ground for moving around the plant during harvest. Goji berry fruit quality is best during hot, dry growing conditions. Cool and humid environments produce limited crops of goji berries....

1. Mind the Gap A top contributor to squeaky AC sounds is gaps at the sides of a window unit. “Almost every manufacturer will provide a slider to fill the gap, which doesn’t always do its job. Foam insulation on the sides is much better at silencing noise and helps keep cool air inside,” says Mark Snell, owner and founder of Polestar Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning in Kansas. Rattling and clicking can also come from the vibration of a window unit against the window frame....

Tips for Saving Perennial Seeds You can plant most perennial seeds in the garden starting in fall. Start them in a protected spot in loose, well-drained soil. Water them well after planting, and give them a light covering of mulch. They’ll wait out the winter and sprout in spring. Or, you can store the seeds and start them indoors in late winter or very early spring. Don’t expect them to bloom their first year because the plants will use all their energy to grow roots and leaves; most will bloom the second year....

And it came naturally to Kayley, who’s “always loved crafting, painting, calligraphy, and drawing.” At first, Kayley started buying items on Facebook Marketplace to furnish her own home. She quickly figured out that she could make quick, relatively easy money by selling items. She likes to use Facebook Marketplace because it’s tied to her social media (great for quick background checks), and it’s an app people check hourly. On other buying and selling apps, she found she sometimes missed opportunities because she wasn’t checking them as often....

For most, the days of painstakingly nurturing a sourdough starter were fleeting. Sure, bread-baking rages on in certain circles—but the rest of us have quickly returned to buying loaves at the grocery store or local bakery. Something changed, however. Those oddly stretchy pieces of pre-sliced white bread didn’t cut it after months of homemade sourdough and focaccia, and not in a good way. Our palates had been introduced to something better—fresh bread....

How to Store Bananas Depending on their ripeness when purchased, bananas will last on your countertop for anywhere from two to six days. If you always have bananas around, it’s worth investing in a holder with a hook. Hanging the fruits eliminates the potential for bruising, which happens when bananas are lying on top of each other. You should also aim to keep the fruits away from direct sunlight, as the heat from the sun can cause them to ripen rapidly....

So, how do you know when a mango is ripe? Ripe mangoes will have a yellow or orange/red exterior, as opposed to green, and will have a fruity aroma. Ripe mangoes also yield slightly to the touch when you press on them gently with your fingers, much like ripe peaches. Now that you know how to pick out the perfect mango at the grocery store or farmers market, keep reading for some expert mango storage tips!...

Pillows also allow for a sense of expression that’s both functional and oftentimes at a lower price point than something like custom drapery panels, says Kathleen Varner, a Birmingham, Alabama-based stylist. “I love what I’m seeing lately with all the custom pillows designers are putting together,” she says. “Putting a lot of thought into mixing patterns, textures, and really thinking through the trim can truly create mini pieces of art....

But these farms, of course, can still sell to everyday cooks—and we’re at home cooking now more than ever. You still have plenty of ways to get farm-fresh produce. Some are old. Some are new. All look a little different these days. Though there may be some variation by state, you can support small farms and procure top-notch ingredients (elevating your cooking) in these five ways. The beauty of the farmers’ market is that you can buy from many different farms in one place....

You want to serve up sauces with the correct viscosity to cling to the intended food, not run everywhere. Here are some tips on how to thicken sauce with cornstarch and flour—items likely already in your pantry so that you don’t have to run to the store. How to Thicken Sauce with Flour To use flour as a thickening agent: How to Thicken Sauce with Cornstarch Thickening a sauce with cornstarch is very similar to using flour, but you need different quantities: Test Kitchen Tip: Be careful not to overcook cornstarch-thickened sauces....

I like the group dynamic of fitness classes because the eyes of others add more motivation than my apartment walls. But truthfully, they’re expensive, and with commute times and my schedule, I’m usually only able to attend one or two classes a week. Apple Fitness Plus allowed me to increase the frequency of my workouts, fitting in a 10-minute session here and 20-minute session there, all within the convenience of my apartment and my building’s gym (only a few floors away as opposed to a train ride)....

But the benefits of apple cider vinegar inside the body are just the start; it’s also used topically for a range of skin, scalp, and hair benefits. From skin dullness to acne scars and age spots, it’s not just another new skincare fad: “Apple cider vinegar has been used as a natural remedy for thousands of years,” says Raechele Cochran Gathers, MD, a board certified dermatologist and founder of MDhairmixtress....

But of these three factors, can you guess which is the strongest predictor of mental well-being? You don’t have to—we already know the answer from research published in Frontiers in Psychology. It’s sleep. More specifically? It’s sleep quality, followed closely by sleep quantity. This suggests that, while you should, of course, prioritize all three for optimal health and longevity, taking extra care to work on your sleep habits could be the most beneficial strategy for keeping your spirits high and minimizing stress, worry, and mood dips....

Trader Joe’s Internet-Famous Dupe Although a lot of beauty products at Trader Joe’s are top-notch, the one garnering the most buzz lately has been Trader Joe’s Brazil Nut Body Butter, also known amongst internet fans as Trader Joe’s Bum Bum Cream. Customers say it’s a dupe for one of the most well-known, cult-favorite body butters in the biz. If you’re thinking of Sol de Janeiro’s Brazilian Bum Bum Cream, you guessed right....