Because we had better food, our brains grew bigger than those of our primate cousins, scientists say. Early humans cooked, which makes meat and veggies more digestible and nutrients more available to the body. Plus, there was all that chatting and chewing around the campfire.

Serving an entire fruit pie in the park can be a little messy. So forget the plates and forks and bake up a few hand pies instead. Baker Kim Boyce sells these picnic-friendly turnovers, filled with summer plums, peaches and berries, every day in her Portland, Ore., bakery.

Humans were using cookware as early as 15,000 years ago, according to a new analysis of ancient Japanese ceramic pots. Those first meals? Fish soup.

Boiling up a pot of kale or collard greens can be tasty, but it also strips out a lot of the vitamins that make these vegetables so nutritious. Southern chefs have long known how to salvage the leftover liquid. They drink it as a tonic, use it as a soup base or create incredible entrees.