5 Basics We're All Cooking Wrong

Hats off to you if you're able to eat popcorn without salt...but for those of us who can't cram handfuls of the airy, crunchy, sodium-sprinkled stuff in our mouths fast enough, there's a crucial moment in the popping process when we should add the seasoning—and it isn't once we're on the couch, bowl in hand. Carol Beckerman, author of Popcorn! 100 Sweet and Savory Recipes, says you should add salt to the pan at the same time you pour the kernels in, so that the tiny grains will be distributed throughout and not just here and there.