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Whether you’re new to Nigiri or you’ve mastered the art of making it at home, there are many misconceptions about sushi about how it’s eaten in Japan. Although you won’t be kicked out of any Japanese restaurant for disrespecting your dinner, knowing how to eat sushi the right way enhances the experience and even turns the meal into a cultural lesson. We spoke with Ken Sato, the sushi chef and director of restaurants for True World Market, about the proper way to eat sushi and the most common questions people ask....

How to Freeze Raw Squash Peel and slice winter squash before you freeze it, and your future self will thank you. Then, follow the steps below: Once you’re ready to thaw the squash you have frozen, go ahead and place it in the refrigerator overnight. Alternatively, you can also drizzle the squash with olive oil and roast it from frozen. Just note that it will take a bit longer to cook....

Luckily, even if you’re someone who suffers from dry scalp, scalp acne, or dandruff, experts say it’s possible to give your scalp the reset it needs. But what does a healthy scalp even look like? We turned to hair experts, including a certified trichologist, to find out. What are the signs of a healthy scalp? “A healthy scalp is pink in tone, well hydrated, smooth, and free of flakes and any redness,” says Abe Ayesh, a hair specialist and CEO of Eternal Hair & Esthetics, a clinic that specializes in hair restoration and aesthetic procedures....

Blackheads (also referred to as open comedones) are clogged pores or hair follicles filled with sebum (the natural oil that the glands on our face make), dirt, skin cells, and bacteria. Long story short, it’s another type of acne. “When the contents are open to the air, [clogged pores will] oxidize, which turns the surface black,” says Papri Sarkar, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Boston. “Those little black bumps are called blackheads, and they’re more likely to form on the nose because the nose has lots of oil glands (more than the rest of the face, which already has more oil glands than the rest of the body)....

If Halloween makes you go, “Boo, humbug,” try adopting a neutral, detached attitude. After all, many people adore this occasion; it’s practically a national holiday for children. There are certain fundamentalist religions that don’t observe it, but if you’re not a member of one of them, you’ll look like a crank if you complain too loudly. And unless you live alone in the middle of nowhere, you probably can’t opt out entirely....

Casual, impromptu FaceTime hangs are great, but hosting a digital dinner party is another way to bring folks together, intentionally, and focus on remote quality time as a group. We have a few tips for hosting a stress-free and fun digital dinner party, to help carry us through our sheltering-in-place until we can all eat dinner together IRL again.

How to Make Eggs Benedict There are a few steps to making Eggs Benedict. Beyond toasting the English muffins and crisping up the Canadian bacon (usually precooked and smoked), eggs must be poached and Hollandaise sauce must be made. Hollandaise sauce is an emulsion of egg yolks, melted butter, and lemon juice (much like making mayonnaise from scratch) and here, a shortcut blender method is used. Some handy tips to keep in mind:...

Paint the container with silver spray paint, then let dry completely. Remove the hanger from the top of the solar panel. Using needle nose pliers, bend the ends of the wire so they are facing one another. Then thread the ends through the two large holes in the container. Turn on and assemble the lantern by inserting the wire frame into the holes in the cap. Pull the lantern up, resting the wire loops on top of the ridges in the wire frame....

The homemade ice cream experience starts with the ice cream base, and that base then turns into the frozen dessert we all know and love. Whether the ice cream is milk or water-based, the base will be made up of milk, cream, sugar, and whole eggs or egg yolks. There are different bases to experiment with, and they range from fuss-free to one requiring more attention to detail, yet they’re still incredibly simple....

Giving mashed potatoes a tasty twist can be as simple as stirring in another ingredient or simmering the milk with herbs before stirring it into the steaming potatoes. The next time you’re preparing a side of silky mashed spuds, pick one of our favorite mashed potato recipes, then use one of these quick upgrades to get an all-new dish with the same creamy, comforting goodness. RELATED: These Instant Pot Mashed Sweet Potatoes Couldn’t Be Easier RELATED: 6 Easy Cauliflower Rice Recipes You’ll Want to Try ASAP RELATED: The 9 Commandments for Cooking Perfectly Crispy Oven-Roasted Potatoes

With a few tips, you can make perfect homemade pasta. Consider these pointers next time you make fresh pasta from scratch, whether by hand-crank machine or by hand. Incorporate them, and over time, the motions will pass into muscle memory. With the right knowledge, attitude, and practice, anyone can become a pasta pro. Once you’ve nailed your technique, read up on the best method for cooking pasta here. RELATED: What’s the Difference Between Cake Flour, Bread Flour, Pastry Flour, and All-Purpose Flour?...

How Long Royal Icing Takes to Dry It takes royal icing six to eight hours to completely dry. Once you flood, spread, or pipe it onto your cookies, let them stand at room temperature. However, royal icing will start to dry mid-use if you’re not careful. To prevent hardening while you decorate, keep your icing covered with a damp cloth while you work and give it a good stir every so often....

Yes, that’s right, you really can make your own wine in an Instant Pot ($130; amazon.com). Inspired by a meme that asked, “Why hasn’t anyone figured out how to put grapes in an Instant Pot and make wine,” food blogger and recipe developer David Murphy decided to give it a try. “Yes! I totally decided to put in the effort and figure out how to do it! This meme inspired me to try to figure out how to make some Instant Pot wine I LOVE a challenge,” Murphy wrote....

But packing lunches for little ones—and for you—doesn’t have to add to your seasonal stress level. According to Mary Ellen Phipps, MPH, RDN, LDN, founder of Milk & Honey Nutrition (and proud mom to two girls), picking out and preparing healthy foods to pack can be easy. Here are expert tips for making sure everyone is well-fed in the most frantic season of all—le fall. Keep Things Simple Nutritionally, that is....

How to Peel Ginger With a Spoon No peeler, no knife, no fancy piece of equipment will peel ginger better, faster, and easier than a regular old spoon. I like to use a teaspoon—not the one I use for measuring but the one I choose for eating yogurt or ice cream. Avoid a soup spoon. Generally speaking, a soup spoon’s bowl is too big to effectively get around all those nubbins and knobs....

An occasional stressful week at work or a bad argument are normal parts of life. But when stress is chronic, recurring, and negatively impacting your life—and potentially harming your mental and physical health—it’s important to find the right coping strategies to de-stress quickly. If you find that you’re having trouble sleeping, functioning day to day, or maintaining healthy relationships due to stress, learning in-the-moment stress management techniques can help you get your brain and body back on track....

Look for safe ways to connect “in person.” Playdates and parties are definitely out, but there might be some ways to still connect with friends safely. With the weather getting warmer, you might be able to be out in your backyard and chat with your neighbor in their backyard—as long as you maintain a safe distance. (If you do that while you’re both enjoying appetizers, it’s practically a party.) Or follow the lead of the people of Italy, and plan a neighborhood-wide serenade from the windows and post it on apps like NextDoor or the group chat to get everyone in on the fun....

Understanding your personal relationship with money leads to less stress and higher life satisfaction. Perhaps you have an idea of what you choose to save and splurge on—but do you know what exactly drives those actions? The Enneagram will help you find out. If you’re not familiar, the Enneagram is a personality typing system centered around why we do what we do. Each of the nine types avoids a core fear through repeated patterns that stem from that motivation....

During the holiday season, I popped into Target to pick up a few essentials — and that was the moment when I spotted the All in Motion French Terry Joggers. They only had a few pairs in stock, so I decided to confirm my size before I got too excited about a color. I find All in Motion styles do fit true-to-size, and these joggers were not an exception—they fit perfectly in my typical size and were incredibly comfortable from the moment I put them on....

Magic Linen’s Linen Sheet Set is much softer, cooler, and cozier than I ever expected. The set is made from 100 percent European flax linen that’s OEKO-TEX certified (meaning it doesn’t contain harsh chemicals). Since the set was stone-washed prior to packaging, it was so soft to the touch right out of the bag—and it only got softer with each wash. What impressed me the most about this sheet set was its natural temperature-regulating properties....