Slow Cooker Fried Rice

Welcome to Kitchen Essentials, a video series showcasing the favorite tools of renowned chefs. In this episode, we visit Top Chef finalist Shirley Chung at her restaurant Ms. Chi Cafe in Culver City, California. Shirley specializes in Chinese-American cuisine and shares the five kitchen tools that are essential in her kitchen: a cast iron pan, medical-grade tweezers, her favorite spoon, a rolling pin, and an immersion circulator. Shop Shirley Chung's Kitchen Essential Picks

Chef Jansen Chan's pumpkin pie hack lets you make one from scratch in less then 30 minutes. Who wants to spend time making pie crust, when you can be enjoying Friendsgiving? With The International Culinary Center

When you're cooking turkey, but also doing Friendsgiving - it's worth learning a butchering technique that will save you hours of work in the kitchen. Jocelyn Guest (whole animal butcher) teaches us how to perfectly spatchcock (or butterfly) the bird. Special thanks to The International Culinary Center

A simple but delicious version of Japanese ramen, this soup starts with pork cooked to perfect tenderness in the crock pot, with garlic, ginger, leeks, mushrooms, and onions rounding out the flavors. The noodles are cooked separately just before serving, then the shredded pork and fragrant broth, with a little soy and sesame oil added, are ladled over top. A soft boiled egg makes a great garnish, as do shredded scallions or chopped baby spinach. Add some chile oil or Sriracha if you want to spice things up. Read more.

When you look at your Crock Pot, what do you see bubbling inside? We see chili—the most basic, easy use for your slow cooker. Get the recipe.

This easy, classic chicken soup is made in the slow cooker, so it's more convenient than grandma's, but just as tasty. You can add egg noodles or your favorite type of rice to the golden broth and tender chicken and vegetables to bulk it up. Read more.