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How to Make Bubble Tea

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How to Make Bubble Tea

“The delicate aroma of tea, the irresistibly smooth and bouncy bobas, the afternoon sun, and a book in hand — that’s happiness,” says Xiaoying Wu, a seasoned bubble tea shop owner from Nanjing, China, musing on the global craze for this Taiwan-originated beverage. “Trying making bubble tea at home is fun, therapeutic, and simpler than you might think,” Wu suggests, encouraging everyone to discover the joy of creating this beloved drink in the comfort of their own kitchen.

At the heart of every bubble tea is the tea base itself. “Choosing the right tea — black, green or oolong — sets the stage for your bubble tea,” Wu says as she shares her decade-long expertise. She prefers Ceylon black tea as it boasts a rich aroma with a subtle hint of citrus. Regardless of the tea variety, it is essential to brew your tea stronger than usual; this ensures its robust flavor remains intact even when ice and milk are added. Another secret for enhancing the tea base is to roast the tea leaves in a frying pan over medium heat to bring out the full aroma.

“The soul of bubble tea lies in its bobas,” Wu says, emphasizing the importance of perfecting the tapioca pearls that fans find irresistible. For those keen on authenticity, you can make pearls from scratch using a mix of brown sugar and tapioca flour. However, Wu recommends store-bought pearls for their balance of convenience and quality. Whether homemade or store-purchased, achieving the quintessential texture — tender on the exterior and delightfully chewy inside — is pivotal. The trick to mastering this texture is to immerse the pearls in icy water immediately after boiling.

Once your tea is brewed and pearls are bouncy and translucent, it’s time to assemble your drink. Sweetness is subjective in bubble tea; begin with a modest amount of sugar or honey and tweak it to your liking. Opting for full-fat milk lends a luxuriously creamy texture. For nondairy options, use soy milk to preserve the tea’s authentic fragrance.

The secret to enjoying bubble tea lies as much in the method of drinking as in its preparation. Wu offers a crucial tip: “Tilt the straw towards the cup’s edge, not the center, to ensure a perfect mix of tea and pearls in every sip.” This simple maneuver sidesteps the all-too-familiar tragedy of a pearl surplus after the tea has vanished. After all, bubble tea is about bliss in every sip, not a quest for sunken pearls.

How to Make the Perfect Sandwich

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How to Make the Perfect Sandwich

This essay, by Jackson DeNichilo, 15, of Fallston, Md., is one of the Top 11 winners of The Learning Network’s new “How To” Informational Writing Contest for Teenagers.

We are publishing the work of all the winners over the next several days, and you can find them here as they post.

“It’s got to be something really unique,” says Ben Gollan, sandwich connoisseur and founder of A Man and His Sandwich, a touring experience where Gollan takes guests throughout New York City in search of the most mouthwatering sandwiches. “It can’t be the same standard thing that we all get so used to,” he says. Constantly eating the same sandwich gets boring, especially for Gollan. Try to put your own twist on a traditional sandwich. Use unorthodox ingredients to help break the mold. You don’t necessarily need rare ingredients; what you need are rare combinations.

When making your sandwich, the number one rule is balance. Avoid adding too much of one certain ingredient. Instead, distribute different types of ingredients throughout the sandwich evenly. Using hot-cold, soft-crunchy, and sweet-sour combinations will benefit you in making a balanced sandwich. Focus on beginning your sandwich’s assembly with the condiments. Pick out your favorite condiments and sauces, then choose your meats based on them. Condiments make the sandwich. “If I ever see a chili jam or a fig jam or something in that world, I know it’s going to be a pretty bangin’ sandwich,” says Gollan.

Try splitting up the sandwich into two levels. Put all the dry ingredients on the bottom half, and the wet ingredients on the top half. This protects the base of the sandwich from the wet ingredients’ juices. Pick breads that add texture and crunch. It is important to ensure your sandwich won’t crumble and fall apart. “If everything is soft and sloppy, it doesn’t matter how good the ingredients are; the sandwich is not going to be great,” Gollan says. Make your sandwich look nice, as making a good first impression with your eyes is important. “You eat with your eyes first,” says Gollan. Cut your sandwich into rectangles for a more visually appealing look, or into triangles if you want to trick your brain into thinking there is more sandwich than there is.

Even after amassing over 14,000 followers on an Instagram account dedicated to reviewing sandwiches, Gollan is still left searching for the perfect sandwich. “I think it gets very, very close to being perfect, but perfection is really hard to attain. I almost don’t want to find the perfect sandwich, because what does that mean for all the other ones that I want to try?” Gollan says.

How to Wrap a Dumpling

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How to Wrap a Dumpling

This essay, by Jacob Wang, 16, of Godalming, England, is one of the Top 11 winners of The Learning Network’s new “How To” Informational Writing Contest for Teenagers.

We are publishing the work of all the winners over the next several days, and you can find them here as they post.

“Any successful dumpling’s dough must be as soft as an earlobe,” says Andy Ma, the Chef de Cuisine for 12 years at the Michelin-starred Bo Innovation. Start with store-bought dough until you’re ready to make your own. Having a “Q texture” (the Chinese’s al dente) keeps it together when wrapping, which, in Ma’s words, “is the most important part!”

The consistency of the dough makes or breaks your dumplings, literally. Only flour and water are needed. First, measure out your ingredients into a large mixing bowl. General rule of thumb is one-part water, two-parts flour. The water should be lukewarm; the flour should be all-purpose. “Don’t let its simplicity fool you,” Ma adds.

Dumpling dough is like no other: it’s not as stretchy as pizza dough, nor as chewy as pasta dough. To knead it together, only use your hands. Toss it; twirl it; toy with it. “Dig your fingers in, like a claw machine,” Ma says, until the dough feels smooth and tacky. Put it into a covered container to rest for no longer than an hour.

Unlike their dumplings, chefs have little time to relax. As Ma says, “Dumplings show a chef’s experience.” Novices tend to over-roll the dough. The kneading should be intuitive, but the portioning should be numerical. Sculpt the dough into a log, then segment off equal pieces.

To make the wrappers, you’ll need a rolling pin. Dust your table with flour; palm the dough into a circle, then, hold the pin with one hand and the wrapper in the other; roll halfway through, all while spinning the dough. Repeat, repeat, repeat: “Eventually you will get a flat round circle at around 2-3mm thick.”

Finally it’s time to seal the deal … and the dumpling. Put a tablespoon of filling in the middle of your wrapper. Kiss each side into a half-moon. Pinch from the top to fold pleats with enough pressure to seal the dough, readying them for the next stage: boiling.

However, there are countless types of dumplings, each with countless folding techniques. “It’s like trying to count all the stars in the sky,” says Ma.

Yet, Ma figures he has made thousands of dumplings: not at Bo Innovation, but at home. Such careful dumpling wrapping fosters his deep appreciation for the food that most people take for granted. “Wrapping dumplings brings all the components together,” he says. “They’ve brought my family together, too.”

How to Conduct a Podcast Interview

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How to Conduct a Podcast Interview

This essay, by Matthew Jeong, 17, from Houston, is one of the Top 11 winners of The Learning Network’s new “How To” Informational Writing Contest for Teenagers.

We are publishing the work of all the winners over the next several days, and you can find them here as they post.

“You’ve got to do the homework,” says Brian Sebastian, podcast host of Movie Reviews and More, which has garnered millions of views on IHeartRadio, Comcast and Apple TV. Conducting an interview for a podcast isn’t just your standard Q&A or casual chat. It requires preparation and practice. “It seems obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people don’t do that. It’s not a recommendation, it’s a requirement.”

The interview should never be your first exposure to the subject. Your job is to broadcast your interviewee’s story, so it’s necessary to know enough about the subject to hold an informed conversation. Have a list of questions loosely based on the subjects you want to cover. This means making yourself familiar with their work. “If it’s a producer, well, you have to watch the movie. For an author, read their book. You have to stay as knowledgeable as possible, because if you haven’t seen it or read it, your audience will know,” Sebastian says.

An interview isn’t just about research; it’s a story tailored to the speaker. Your role is to pull it out of your guest one question at a time. Prepare more questions than you’ll need just in case, but be prepared to skip over them during the interview. Match the intensity and personality of your guests. “For me, it’s about the energy given and taken, cause and effect,” Sebastian says. A loud, boisterous speaker may need something a bit more calm, while someone quiet and reserved may need more spirit to pull them out of their shell.

On the other hand, over preparation can cause your interview to feel artificial and the conversations too stilted. “Be fluid, be adaptable. Most of all, ask about what you’re really interested in,” Sebastian says, warning against memorizing a script. Don’t be afraid to improvise during the interview. Keep the conversation flowing through unique and genuine questions. An interview should feel not only in depth, but interactive. “It’s like a book, really — only you get to choose what content the pages will cover.”

What Can You Make or Fix With Your Hands?

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What Can You Make or Fix With Your Hands?

How often do you work with your hands — that is, use them for activities that don’t involve typing, pushing buttons or tapping screens?

Do you draw, write or knit? Garden, cook or play a musical instrument? Build or fix things? Play sports?

What if you knew that those kinds of hands-on activities could help improve your mood, attention span and memory? Would you try to spend more time on them?

In “Working With Your Hands Is Good for Your Brain,” Markham Heid writes about why some experts believe we should be using our hands more:

The human hand is a marvel of nature. No other creature on Earth, not even our closest primate relatives, has hands structured quite like ours, capable of such precise grasping and manipulation.

But we’re doing less intricate hands-on work than we used to. A lot of modern life involves simple movements, such as tapping screens and pushing buttons, and some experts believe our shift away from more complex hand activities could have consequences for how we think and feel.

“When you look at the brain’s real estate — how it’s divided up, and where its resources are invested — a huge portion of it is devoted to movement, and especially to voluntary movement of the hands,” said Kelly Lambert, a professor of behavioral neuroscience at the University of Richmond in Virginia.

Dr. Lambert, who studies effort-based rewards, said that she is interested in “the connection between the effort we put into something and the reward we get from it” and that she believes working with our hands might be uniquely gratifying.

In some of her research on animals, Dr. Lambert and her colleagues found that rats that used their paws to dig up food had healthier stress hormone profiles and were better at problem solving compared with rats that were given food without having to dig.

She sees some similarities in studies on people, which have found that a whole range of hands-on activities — such as knitting, gardening and coloring — are associated with cognitive and emotional benefits, including improvements in memory and attention, as well as reductions in anxiety and depression symptoms.

Students, read the entire article and then tell us:

  • What is your reaction to the article? What is something new you learned about working with your hands? What questions do you have?

  • Tell us about a hands-on activity that you enjoy. What benefits have you noticed from it?

  • Does the article convince you to try more activities that involve using your hands, like cooking, making art, playing an instrument, building things or writing by hand? Why or why not?

  • “When you put in effort and can see the product of that, like a scarf you knitted, I think that builds up a sense of accomplishment and control over your world” Dr. Kelly Lambert, who studies effort-based rewards, said. What do you think about that idea? Have you observed a connection between the effort you put into something and the reward you get from it in your own life?

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.

Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.

Word of the Day: virtuoso

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Word of the Day: virtuoso

The word virtuoso has appeared in 100 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Feb. 7 in “Joan Lader Keeps Broadway in Tune” by Alexis Soloski:

Lader has never advertised, never solicited clients. But for two generations of Broadway stars, as well as dozens of opera singers and pop and rock luminaries, she remains an indispensable vocal therapist and vocal coach. She even received a Tony Award in 2016 for excellence in theater.

… Singers who spoke with me called her a virtuoso, a miracle worker, a life saver. Lader’s own assessment was more pragmatic. “I guess I’m in the right field, and I’m doing what I should be doing,” she said.

Can you correctly use the word virtuoso in a sentence?

Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.

If you want a better idea of how virtuoso can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com. You can also visit this guide to learn how to use IPA symbols to show how different words are pronounced.

If you enjoy this daily challenge, try our vocabulary quizzes.

Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.

The Word of the Day is provided by Vocabulary.com. Learn more and see usage examples across a range of subjects in the Vocabulary.com Dictionary. See every Word of the Day in this column.

How to Befriend an Introvert

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How to Befriend an Introvert

This essay, by Ashley Zhang, 14, of West Vancouver, British Columbia, is one of the Top 11 winners of The Learning Network’s new “How To” Informational Writing Contest for Teenagers.

We are publishing the work of all the winners over the next several days, and you can find them here as they post.

“Us introverts can be wild — even more than extroverts sometimes. But we hide that side from most and show it to the ones we care about,” says Cyki Kamei, a young introvert suffering from misunderstanding in Canada. In schools, teachers see introverts as problems, but what teachers don’t know is that when introverts are with people they love, they tend to act like extroverts.

One of the first and easiest steps to understanding an introvert is to know why they are different from most people. “Although it’s a well-known stereotype, introversion is not shyness. Where shyness is like social anxiety, introversion is more like a lower need for external stimulation,” Cyki says. Due to this stereotype, people think that someone sulking in the corner at a party or someone quiet is an introvert. Once you understand that introversion is just a preference for solitude rather than a fear of social interaction, you have already figured out introverts better than most of the population.

“Schools are the most draining places for introverts since they often force students to interact with each other, which drains an introvert’s social battery faster,” Cyki states. Unlike extroverts, who find people energizing, introverts find “people time” draining. Long days of socializing in school can exhaust introverts, who then need alone time.

So how can you know when to talk to your introvert? Try to observe where on the social battery scale they are at. If they seem to be low, as if they are actively avoiding people, leave them be. They have had enough of social interaction and would love to recharge with some alone time.

But what if your introvert isn’t feeling low? Go and strike up a conversation! “Most introverts have something called ‘small-talk-o-phobia,’” Cyki reveals. Examples of small talk might be going up to them and saying, “Nice weather.” You will scare most of them half to death. Instead, try to get to know them more. Though introverts hate small talk, they do enjoy deep conversations about things they love. By having these conversations, even if you hit a roadblock, you could still find the “wild” part of your introvert.

“Don’t be scared of silence with an introvert,” Cyki says. “Introverts like to think before they speak.” Embrace the way introverts are. “Introversion is not a ‘mark of a devil,’” Cyki declares. “Embracing it is what we must do as a society.”

How to Find Your Balance

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How to Find Your Balance

This essay, by Chelsea Hu, 18, from Andover, Mass., is one of the Top 11 winners of The Learning Network’s new “How To” Informational Writing Contest for Teenagers.

We are publishing the work of all the winners over the next several days, and you can find them here as they post.

“Find your central axis, then build movement around it,” says Judith Wombwell, the founding director of DeadFall Dance, who has brought genre-blending dance to the stage for 40 years and counting. In her choreography, Wombwell explores movement and its necessary companion: balance.

Odds are, balance is on your mind too — and not just figuratively. Whether you’re taking a stroll or sitting at your desk, your brain automatically sends nerve signals to your body that help you recenter yourself. Marvel at the wonders of anatomy, but don’t overthink balance. Even when the stakes — and stages — are high, Wombwell notes that “balance, a state of equilibrium, begins from the inside out.” So, find your inner equilibrium first. Calm your thoughts. If your mind is spinning out of control, your body will too.

Before attempting to balance in a pose of your choosing — from a tree pose to an arabesque en relevé — evaluate your surroundings. Are you balancing on level ground or on an incline, on grass or loose cobblestone? Your specific environment informs how you should seek balance. You may proactively lean forward to offset an incline or grip the cobblestone with your toes. Are you balancing in sneakers or ballet slippers? No matter what, Wombwell advises her students to “feel the ground and draw strength from it.” Embody the stability of the earth.

When you’re ready, create your pose. Dancers may require multiple counts to complete their grand développé — a high extension of one leg into the air. With a slower approach, you’ll be able to shift your weight incrementally and pinpoint your center of gravity. “Find your core and engage it,” Wombwell says. As you do, imagine that there’s a string pulling the top of your head skyward. “You should feel tall, as though in suspension,” says Wombwell.

To reintroduce movement while staying balanced, try “spotting,” or fixing your sights on a stationary object. Ballerinas may keep their gaze on an exit sign or a vacant seat while twirling around the stage in a pirouette sequence. But be sure to “stay within your control zone,” Wombwell says. “Overextend and you’ll tip over!”

For Wombwell, the challenge of finding balance transcends the eight count. When choreographing, Wombwell combines athleticism and artistry in balance. “Many of the balancing techniques dancers use are applicable to work and life,” Wombwell says. The next time you’re feeling a bit off-point, try a dance pose and recenter yourself.

How to Do the Worm

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How to Do the Worm

This essay, by Camille Gonzales, 18, from Houston, is one of the Top 11 winners of The Learning Network’s new “How To” Informational Writing Contest for Teenagers.

We are publishing the work of all the winners over the next several days, and you can find them here as they post.

Each essay is illustrated by an image or video from a Times article that touches on the same topic. For this one we have used a 2018 video from the “Anatomy of a Scene” series. Watch the whole thing, or just start at 2:48!

“Really, it’s becoming one with the environment — understanding the perspective of the environment surrounding your body,” says Astrid Allen, 17, a zoo employee and physics-loving student who has been teaching people how to worm since she was four. At work, Astrid feeds the reptiles their evening worms. Astrid is a wormer extraordinaire. The worm, to Astrid, is a silly demonstration of physics for any festive event. “It’s actually awesome to hear the excitement in people’s voices when I do it.” When the floor opens up at a wedding, a house party, Easter Sunday, you have the worm to back you up.

Start by getting into a push-up-like position on the floor. Legs together, arms bent and shoulder-width apart, chest pressed to the ground. For a beginner, get on softer grounds like carpeted floors or fluffy yoga mats. Then, push up and forward with your upper body. “Doing the worm requires some upper body strength and will. You can do it as long as you focus.” Your chest will naturally fall back down with gravity. Catch yourself, keep your hands below you. Simultaneously — and this is where the focus begins — as your chest falls, kick your feet off the ground. Your legs should fly into the air. “Relate this motion to that physics law: Equal and opposite reactions.” If you repeat this, you’ll be inching around like a pro.

Do not wear necklaces as you worm. You could chip your tooth. If you’re not careful to catch yourself, you run the risk of injuring your chin. The key to successfully worming is picturing what you want to look like as you move. Imagine yourself making that flowy, rocking motion. “You’ve got to imagine yourself as a Viking ship.”

Astrid learned how to catch ducks when she was two, which for her, began her ever-evolving connection with the environment. “What does worming show about human nature? We have a need to mimic that which inspires us.” In times like these, where the world is not right, a good lighthearted mood booster is always welcome. It’s impossible to watch someone do the worm and not get happy. That person becomes a symbol of joy. Any time I see it, I feel challenged to do it, too. Soon enough, that’ll be me.

The Winners of Our ‘How To’ Contest

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The Winners of Our ‘How To’ Contest

“How to Spot Counterfeit Currency”: Kaylie Milton, 17, West High School, Iowa City, Iowa

“How to Pee On a Hike”: Lauren Acker, 17, Lakeside High School, DeKalb County, Ga.

“How to Mimic an Accent”: Michael Noh, 14, Korea International School Pangyo Campus, Seongnam, South Korea

“How to Speak Like a British Person”: Owen Wilde, 16, Maynard High School, Maynard, Mass.

“How to Ask a Teacher for Help”: Sarah Harris, 15, Boothbay Region High School, Boothbay Harbor, Maine

“How to Spin Pens”: Siddharth S., 16, Peepal Prodigy School Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

“How to Make Kids Excited About History”: Vivian Wenan Chang, 17, BASIS Chandler, Chandler, Ariz.

“How to Ride a Roller Coaster Without Fear”: Wang Ziyun, 16, Raffles Girls’ School, Singapore

“How to Make a Three-Point Shot”: Will Peña, 17, Academy at the Lakes, Land O’ Lakes, Fla.

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