One of the first industry secrets I learned when I started working in food media was that a lot of famous chefs publish tweaked versions of their signature recipes in their cookbooks. Maybe they’re just trying to make things easier for home cooks, but this move also protects restaurant secrets, and keeps specialized techniques close … Read more
You say “meal prep,” I picture soggy quinoa, five-day-old chicken breasts, and limp veggies. I’d rather cook most dishes after work as a way to wind down and eat fresh. But one recipe I do make in advance is homemade spaghetti sauce. It makes cooking throughout the week easier—because it’s good for a lot more … Read more
Welcome to Jesse Fixes Dinner, a series in which food editor Jesse Szewczyk shares his best tricks for effortless weeknight cooking. It’s rare that a mac and cheese craving strikes when I have all of the ingredients on hand. Maybe I have milk but no cream, or Parmesan but no cheddar. Either way, I’m not … Read more
Welcome to Jesse Fixes Dinner, a series in which food editor Jesse Szewczyk shares his best tricks for effortless weeknight cooking. As many people are reliving the ’90s and 2000s via their closets (black chokers, bucket hats, scrunchies), I’m turning to my pantry instead. Of course there are some ingredients I’m happy to leave in … Read more
A good crumb cake—like the ones I grew up with in New Jersey—is top heavy. The simple vanilla cake supports a thick second story of tender, cinnamon-laced, brown sugar streusel and a snowcap of powdered sugar. At New Jersey bakeries, crumb cake is typically sold by the rectangular slice directly from the sheet pan; at … Read more
Once summer rolls around, the last thing you want to be doing is cooking over a hot stove. It’s hard enough for your air conditioner to keep the place cool, and adding a simmering pot of tomato sauce into the mix only makes things worse. But just because it’s hot doesn’t mean you stop craving … Read more
Let’s just get it out of the way: Zucchini can be a little tricky to cook. It’s watery, but not in a refreshing cucumber way. It’s dense, but not sturdy like a carrot. It’s a little hard to brown in a pan or on the grill, and it goes limp with steaming. But it’s nutrient-dense, … Read more
While the folks at Brooks’ House of Bar-B-Q helped popularize Cornell chicken, they didn’t invent it. Dr. Bob Baker, a Cornell professor who had been tasked by the poultry and egg industries after World War II to encourage consumption, developed the recipe. It was first published in 1950 in a bulletin titled “Barbecued Chicken and … Read more
Saddle up because I have a new cookie to tell you about: cowboy cookies. Yes, the yeehawing, bootstrapping, twang-a-langing cowboys have their own namesake cookie and it’s pretty darn good. Most recipes for this all-American cookie involve an oatmeal cookie base studded with coconut, chocolate, and pecans: An oatmeal cookie taken to the max, if … Read more