Don't even know how to make pasta? Learn basic cooking techniques, find the best kitchen tools, and get all your cooking questions answered. Don't forget to check out our pantry checklist and easy meal ideas.

Summer is almost over -- so fire up your grill, invite some friends over, and enjoy some seriously tasty food. With our easy tips, techniques, and tools, you’ll be a barbecue pro in no time.

Grilling and burgers -- what could be a better combo? The trick to making a flavorful cheeseburger is to combine chuck and sirloin in each patty and top it with a slice of sharp, nutty Wisconsin cheddar that has been aged one to two years. Blanket the cheese over the beef after your final burger-flip when the grill is super-hot. Keep your burger there for a full minute with the grill lid closed so the cheddar perfectly melts over the meat.

The proper temperature not only depends on the type of meat, it’s also a matter of personal preference. Do you like your steak still mooing, or completely cooked through? The USDA does have recommended guidelines for the minimum internal temperature meat must be cooked to in order to kill harmful bacteria. However, the internal temperature in meat will continue to rise by as much as 10 degrees after it has been removed from the oven, grill, or burner. Remove meat when it is within 5 to 10 degrees of your preferred doneness to keep it from overcooking.

To check the temperature, insert a digital instant-read thermometer, like the CDN ProAccurate Quick Tip Digital Cooking Thermometer DTQ450 ($18), into the thickest part of the meat. In poultry, it’s the inner thigh area near the breast, but not touching the bone. In steaks, roasts, and chops, it’s the center or thickest area away from bone and fat.

Ground Meat
Beef, pork, veal, lamb 160°
Turkey, chicken 165°

Fresh Beef, Veal, Lamb
Medium-rare 145°
Medium 160°
Well-done 170°

Poultry
Chicken and turkey, whole 165°
Poultry breasts, roast 165°
Poultry thighs, wings 165°
Duck and goose 165°

Fresh Pork
Medium 160°
Well-done 170°
Ham 160°

We asked Nesties what kitchen gear they couldn't live without -- here's your top 10 must-haves.

See all 10 Nestie-approved picks!

Love everything about a steak house but the bill? Chef Craig Koketsu of NYC resaurant Quality Meats shares how to prepare delicious steaks at home for a fraction of the price.

Pick your beef
Step one of planning your steak night is casting your guest star (aka your cut of meat). Next time you swing by your butcher at the supermarket, keep this in mind:

Know what to look for

• Color The meat should be bright red, with no hints of gray or brown (a sign that it’s not fresh).
• Fat Ladies, this isn’t the time to go fat-free. Marbling, or white flecks of fat, means more flavor.
• Thickness Make sure you buy beef that’s at least 1½ inches thick all around, particularly when you’re choosing porterhouse. If it’s too thin, it’ll cook through very quickly and won’t have the chance to develop a flavorful browned crust.

Get good grades

• Prime The highest quality, you’ll find it at good meat markets. You’ll pay more for its marbling, which is key when you’re choosing a cut like NY strip. Also, opt for Prime porterhouse to ensure the strip side will have marbling.
• Choice A notch below Prime, you can get away with Choice when you buy a tender cut, like filet mignon, or a naturally marbled cut, such as rib eye.
• Select You’ll save a few bucks, but Select is the driest and least flavorful, so it’ll need extra marinating.

Ask your butcher about dry-aging
At quality supermarkets, look for porterhouse, rib eye and NY strip that have been dry-aged for 21 days. This process involves hanging the beef in a cooler, which evaporates moisture from the muscle and breaks down tissue, concentrating flavor in the meat and tenderizing it. And don’t freak out if you detect a stronger smell—it’s from the aging process.

Don’t buy into the hype
You may have heard that Wagyu beef (Kobe comes from Wagyu cattle) and Certified Angus are the grand poobahs of beef. They have a very high fat content and great taste, but you’ll still get big flavor from Prime and Choice. Bottom line: Don’t waste your dough.

Know your cuts

• Filet mignon An extremely tender cut, it comes from the prized tenderloin area of the cow. Because of its very low fat content, it dries out easily and must be cooked right to lock in the juices.
• Porterhouse This cut offers the best of both worlds: a T-shaped bone with meat from the short loin on the larger side (strip steak), and tenderloin (filet mignon) on the smaller side.
• NY strip A steak house favorite, this no-nonsense cut comes from the strip loin (further down on the short loin). Since the strip is all muscle, choosing a Prime cut is key.
• Rib eye The most succulent cut due to its marbling, rib eye comes from the rib. The larger the “eye,â€� or dominant area of meat on the steak, the better. If you buy bone-in rib eye, you’ll get even more flavor.

Get more steak and beef recipes

What is orzo and how do I prepare it?

Orzo (pronounced “ohr-zoh�) is a rice-shaped pasta; it also means “barley� in Italian. Because of the size and shape, orzo can be used in a fairly wide range of dishes -- hot and cold sides, soups, or salads.

Basic orzo recipe: Bring 4 cups water (or broth, for extra flavor) to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir in 1 1/2 cups orzo. Cover the saucepan halfway and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the orzo is al dente.

You can sprinkle the finished orzo with Parmesan and serve it with these Lemon Chicken Kebabs. I’ve also seen umpteen recipes pairing orzo and feta. My favorite is a cold orzo salad made with the loot I bring back from the farmer’s market: heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, and oregano.

Summer Orzo Salad

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups orzo
2 Tbl. sherry wine vinegar
1 Tbl. fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 lb. large tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup oil-cured olives, sliced and pitted
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 Tbl. parsley, chopped
1 Tbl. fresh oregano, chopped
Salt and pepper

Directions
Prepare orzo according to the basic recipe above. Drain. Rinse under cold water; drain again. Transfer orzo to a medium bowl to cool. Whisk vinegar and lemon juice in a small bowl; gradually whisk in oil. Pour dressing over orzo. Stir in remaining ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (This can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature and stir before serving.)