Our Official List of the Best Food Network Kitchen Recipes

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Photo By: Caitlin Ochs, Caitlin Ochs, Caitlin Ochs

Photo By: LUCY SCHAEFFER

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Photo By: Caitlin Ochs

Photo By: Teri Lyn Fisher

Photo By: LUCY SCHAEFFER

Photo By: Lucy Schaeffer

Photo By: LUCY SCHAEFFER

Photo By: Caitlin Ochs

Photo By: LUCY SCHAEFFER

Photo By: Matt Armendariz

Photo By: Caitlin Ochs

The Best Chicken and Rice

Could classic chicken and rice be one of the most beloved comfort dinners to ever hit the plate? We think so. And to blow your mind even more, this version is made in just one skillet. Here we use bone-in, skin on chicken thighs which cook up in exactly the same time as the rice to guarantee juicy chicken. A quick broil at the end creates the perfect crispy skin and gives a little crunch to the rice and vegetables.

Get the Recipe:The Best Chicken and Rice

The Best Turkey Meatloaf

A slightly lighter version of the all-American classic, this satisfying meatloaf uses chicken broth and soaked panko to stay moist, and a mix of fresh herbs for flavor. It’s the best turkey meatloaf you’ll find!

Get the Recipe:The Best Turkey Meatloaf

The Best Stuffed Peppers

We’ve made this classic easier and faster by using the microwave to par-cook the peppers, saving you about 45 minutes of cook time! This is a great recipe to use up leftover rice. Be sure to really pile in the filling (mounding it is ok) as it will shrink as it cooks.

Get the Recipe:The Best Stuffed Peppers

The Best Blueberry Muffins

The problem with most blueberry muffins is there are never enough blueberries. But for the batter to support the weight and moisture of the berries, it needs to have an airier texture than most dump-and-stir muffin recipes. So, we creamed the butter for that extra lift and to prevent the blueberries from making the batter gummy.

Get the Recipe:The Best Blueberry Muffins

The Best Baked Salmon

This simple baked salmon really hits all the right notes: tangy, sweet, savory, a little spicy and crunchy. Cooking a larger piece makes for a nice presentation. Topped with buttery golden breadcrumbs and parsley, it’s perfect for a weeknight dinner yet fancy enough to serve to guests.

Get the Recipe:The Best Baked Salmon

The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

We skipped the white sugar and went all in with dark brown sugar, which gives our cookies the ideal chewiness and perfect level of sweetness. Paired with the right amount of semisweet chocolate chips, this treat is a definite winner. The recipe makes a lot of cookies, but in our opinion, this is never a problem!

Get the Recipe:The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

The Best Quiche Lorraine

Perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner, this traditional French quiche is filled with crispy bacon, soft, sweet onions and nutty Gruyere, all nestled in a tender pastry crust. You do need to refrigerate the dough twice, but it’s worth it. The pastry is extra buttery and keeping it chilled makes it easier to work with and results in a light flaky crust.

Get the Recipe:The Best Quiche Lorraine

The Best Classic Strawberry Shortcake

For our simple and iconic shortcake, we discovered a great double-stacking technique that creates super light and high biscuits that are easy to split. This makes them easy to fill without crumbling. A simple recipe like this one allows its ingredients to shine, so use the very best berries you can find.

Get the Recipe:The Best Classic Strawberry Shortcake

The Best Pot Roast

The secret to a flavorful pot roast is browning the meat and onions before roasting, which adds a rich meaty flavor and caramelized sweetness. This step is what separates our recipe from many others that use a slow cooker. And also unlike a slow cooker recipe, our sauce is simmered to reduce a little which concentrates the flavors. What you’ll end up with is a roast that’s fall-apart tender with a velvety sauce and delicious vegetables.

Get the Recipe:The Best Pot Roast

The Best Caesar Salad

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the best Caesar salad is also the most traditional version. That means it’s time to bring out the anchovies and eggs — and don’t skimp on quality Parmesan cheese. We’ve even included garlicky homemade croutons to balance the tangy dressing.

Get the Recipe:The Best Caesar Salad

The Best Chicken Cutlets

When we set out to create the best cutlets, we sought perfectly tender chicken that was flavorful and juicy (not tasteless and dry) with a crisp, breaded exterior that stayed put and didn’t get soggy. After trying different methods, we found that a mix of panko and Pecorino Romano creates the salty, crunchy crust we crave, while dried spices in both the flour and breadcrumb mixtures ensure that our cutlets are never bland.

Get the Recipe:The Best Chicken Cutlets

The Best Hummus

This is a classic tahini-forward, bright and lemony hummus, and is similar to what you would find in Israel. We tried this recipe with from-scratch dried chickpeas as well as with canned, and the flavor and texture were only marginally better with the freshly cooked. And we saved 24 hours of prep time! So for a creamy, satisfying 15-minute hummus, we’re going with the can.

Get the Recipe:The Best Hummus

The Best Sloppy Joes

This is weeknight comfort food at its finest. We created a homemade sauce that is tangy and flavorful but also quick and easy. We used both ketchup and canned tomato sauce for lots of tomato-y zip and just a touch of brown sugar for a bit of sweetness and slight caramel finish. Green bell pepper is a key addition; it really enhances the other ingredients, elevating the flavor profile into the realm of a true sloppy joe.

Get the Recipe:The Best Sloppy Joes

The Best Banana Bread

We have a lot of requirements when it comes to banana bread and we finally created a recipe that ticks all the boxes. It’s moist, tender, a little tangy and perfectly sweet — all around our favorite one. The best part is that it’s even better the next day (if it lasts that long). Try toasting the bread and slathering with a little salted butter. We’re pretty sure you’ll never need another banana bread recipe.

Get the Recipe:The Best Banana Bread

The Best Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala is a spicy, tomato-based dish seasoned with garlic, ginger, fenugreek and garam masala. In this recipe we used fenugreek leaves for their nutty and slightly minty flavor. If you can’t find them, substitute dried mint leaves and a pinch of ground fenugreek. Garam masala is a popular Indian spice blend that’s pretty easy to find in your local grocery store and most national spice companies.

Get the Recipe:The Best Chicken Tikka Masala

The Best Creme Brulee

We wanted a rich and creamy custard that wasn’t too sweet, so we could fully enjoy the signature crunchy layer of caramelized sugar on top. By only using egg yolks, we achieved a soft and creamy texture. We tried using milk and half-and-half but, in the end, we landed with heavy cream for its richness. Whole vanilla beans give a more intense, pure vanilla flavor that you can’t get from extract. We also like seeing the vanilla seeds flecked throughout the custard.

Get the Recipe:The Best Creme Brulee

The Best Chicken Noodle Soup

We chose to use chicken leg quarters rather than a whole chicken to make this well-loved soup. It shortens the cooking time without sacrificing any flavor, and the dark meat adds extra depth.

Get the Recipe:The Best Chicken Noodle Soup

The Best Garlic Bread

We went very classic with this garlic bread recipe—lots of butter and lots of garlic loaded onto warm, pillowy French bread. You could make a light meal by rounding it out with a crisp green salad. Or serve it our favorite way—alongside your favorite red-sauce pasta.

Get the Recipe:The Best Garlic Bread

The Best Lasagna

A long-simmered beef ragu lets the brightness of the tomatoes develop and shine through while developing a meaty richness. Our ricotta is mixed with nutty Parmesan that tempers the sharp garlic and adds flavor. We worked hard to get the right balance of the ricotta and tomato sauce in the layers since each element has their own voice.

Get the Recipe:The Best Lasagna

The Best Coconut Layer Cake

Can something be impossibly light while also being incredibly rich and decadent? Apparently so. This coconut cake is majestic in its height and a beauty — a flurry of tangy frosting, sweet shredded coconut and tender cake. It will truly put all other coconut cakes to shame. The bar has now been set.

Get the Recipe:The Best Coconut Layer Cake

The Best Fried Chicken

To get the most delicious chicken, we dry brined it overnight so the seasonings could penetrate the meat right down to the bone. (Don’t worry, the brown sugar doesn’t make the chicken sweet, it only helps to bring out the flavor.) We also wet the seasoned dredging flour with buttermilk and hot sauce to achieve large shaggy pieces of flavorful crust once the chicken is fried. And the cornstarch in that dredge? It keeps the crust shatteringly crisp —more so than just flour would — even if you are serving the chicken at room temperature.

Get the Recipe:The Best Fried Chicken

The Best Buttermilk Pancakes

We’re transporting you to the old-fashioned diner for a plate of fluffy buttermilk pancakes. Our recipe has both baking powder for an airy and light interior and baking soda for that even golden-brown exterior.

Get the Recipe:The Best Buttermilk Pancakes

The Best Bread Pudding

Toasting the challah adds flavor, but more importantly, it helps the cubes to soak up and hold onto more of the deliciously rich custard. And if that wasn’t enough, we use not 1 but 2 vanilla beans to amp up the custard — plain old extract just doesn’t do it justice.

Get the Recipe:The Best Bread Pudding

The Best Chicken Piccata

We love this recipe because the chicken breasts, which can often be dry and tasteless, come out so moist and tender. What’s our secret? Seasoning the chicken with salt and pepper 1 hour before cooking ensures that they stay juicy.

Get the Recipe:The Best Chicken Piccata

The Best Lentil Soup

Brown lentils are the star of this dish. To boost flavor, we used a classic mirepoix — onion, celery and carrot — as well as thyme, bay and oregano for an herby finish. We found the fresh lemon juice and parsley at the end brightened up the soup and added a nice pop of color.

Get the Recipe:The Best Lentil Soup

The Best All-Butter Pie Dough

This all-butter pie dough is extra flaky and tender, thanks to the chilled vodka and our easy folding technique. Stacking the pieces of dough repeatedly takes minor extra effort, and the result is a puff pastry-like texture that is definitely worth it. You’ll want to make this dough for every pie — all year round.

Get the Recipe:The Best All-Butter Pie Dough

The Best Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan should have, well, Parmesan. So we not only topped ours with it, we added it to the crust for even more flavor and texture. For the coating, we prefer to start with plain breadcrumbs and enhance them with our favorite flavors. And our very simple, classic Italian-American tomato sauce has a bright and tomato-y flavor that cuts through the richness of the chicken and pasta.

Get the Recipe:The Best Chicken Parmesan

The Best Fudgy Brownies

We’ve created the perfect brownie by employing a few tips and tricks. Using both semisweet chocolate and cocoa powder gives us the deep and complex chocolate flavor we crave. Cooking the butter until golden brown adds a toasted nuttiness, while the pop of cream provides luscious texture.

Get the Recipe:The Best Fudgy Brownies

The Best Beef Stew

The deep flavors in our beef stew come from browning the chuck roast in batches and cooking the onions and garlic until they’re sweet. Cooking low-and-slow in the oven allows the meat to become completely tender in its rich red wine-laced sauce. This is a great dish to make ahead as its complex flavors intensify overnight.

Get the Recipe:The Best Beef Stew

The Best Crepes

Our classic crepe is versatile enough to go sweet or savory, just omit the vanilla if going the savory route. The rest time here is key; the flour absorbs the milk as it sits giving you a more tender crepe and golden color.

Get the Recipe:The Best Crepes

The Best Cinnamon Rolls

Once you’ve tried “from-scratch” cinnamon rolls, you’ll never go back! The secret to our rolls is the wet, buttery dough and double rising time. Once baked, they will be light and pillowy and full of buttery cinnamon goodness on the inside.

Get the Recipe:The Best Cinnamon Rolls

The Best Pumpkin Pie

Instead of store-bought pumpkin pie spice, we like using ground cinnamon and nutmeg so we can control of the ratio between the two, opting for a healthy amount of nutmeg as it brings out the flavors in the pumpkin.

Get the Recipe:The Best Pumpkin Pie

The Best Coconut Cream Pie

This old-fashioned pie is filled with rich, creamy custard, then capped with a cloud of toasted meringue and a generous sprinkling of sweet coconut flakes. It tastes as if you pulled it straight from the dessert case of your favorite diner, only better.

Get the Recipe:The Best Coconut Cream Pie

The Best Focaccia

It’s easy to make classic focaccia at home. Our version is airy and slightly chewy, with a delicate golden crust. A drizzle of salt water over the dough during the final rise gives the bread a deeper flavor.

Get the Recipe:The Best Focaccia

The Best Carbonara

Now this is our idea of comfort food. Creamy and rich, it’s the quintessential dish for a chilly evening. We like to splurge every once in a while and add a knob of butter to the cheesy egg sauce just to round it out. We’ve left that option up to you, however. Either way, we can’t think of a more classic or satisfying pasta dish.

Get the Recipe:The Best Carbonara

The Best M&M Cookies

We took our favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and increased the brown sugar to make these cookies extra moist and chewy. Then we super-sized them — the better to get in more of our favorite candy-coated chocolates. Save some extra candy for topping each cookie before baking. The result, cookies that look just as good as they taste!

Get the Recipe:The Best M&M Cookies

The Best Meatloaf

We opted for an all-beef meatloaf rather than the traditional mix of beef, veal and pork because we wanted that satisfying big beef flavor. Milk adds richness and tenderizes the meat, preventing it from getting tough or dry. We also cook the onion instead of adding it raw as many recipes suggest, which imparts a welcome sweetness and eliminates that harsh raw onion flavor.

Get the Recipe:The Best Meatloaf

The Best American Potato Salad

Our favorite potato salad kicks up the traditional mayonnaise base with not only chopped dill pickles, but also uses the pickle brine for extra tang. Scallions, celery and parsley add freshness and a little crunch, while hard-boiled eggs practically make it a meal.

Get the Recipe:The Best American Potato Salad

The Best Apple Pie

We love using a variety of apples in our pie; it adds both flavor and texture and makes every bite a little different. Vodka in the pie crust makes the dough easier to work with, and since the alcohol burns off during baking, it doesn’t impart any flavor. But feel free to use bourbon or apple brandy instead to complement the filling.

Get the Recipe:The Best Apple Pie

The Best Sweet Potato Casserole

We opted for a nutty crumb topping over marshmallows to create a pleasantly crunchy contrast to the creamy and soft mashed sweet potatoes. The filling gets a pumpkin pie-like treatment, with brown sugar and vanilla for a deep caramel flavor and butter and eggs for richness. This recipe is bound to become a holiday staple.

Get the Recipe:The Best Sweet Potato Casserole

The Best Gravy

Our gravy delivers rich flavors from a homemade stock made with the turkey giblets, onion and fresh herbs. Roast turkey drippings and a dash of Worcestershire sauce round out this creamy, lump-free holiday must-have.

Get the Recipe:The Best Gravy

The Best Peanut Brittle

This sweet and salty peanut brittle has the perfect crunch and sheen. With a little patience, you’ll have a delicious brittle to serve to party guests or as an edible gift around the holidays.

Get the Recipe:The Best Peanut Brittle

The Best Broccoli-Cheddar Soup 

This outstanding broccoli-cheddar soup is rich, cheesy and packed with flavor. We decided to puree just over half the soup which makes it extra thick and creamy, and left the remainder chunky so there are broccoli bits in every bite. Gild the lily with more shredded cheese on top to satisfy your comfort food craving.

Get the Recipe:The Best Broccoli-Cheddar Soup 

The Best Bacon Cheeseburger

While we love a grilled burger, this one is our go-to for all seasons. Instead of making a typical patty, we smash the meat in a super-hot cast-iron pan to get crispy, ruffled edges. Once you smash your burgers this way, you’ll never go back! We top them with all the fixings, including our perfectly balanced special sauce. It’s what we consider an iconic burger.

Get the Recipe:The Best Bacon Cheeseburger

The Best Butter Cookies

Your search is over — this perfect butter cookie will stay in your recipe box for years. It’s crisp, yet tender and perfect for tea for two or cookies for someone special. Plus, you have the choice to make drop cookies or a slice-and-bake version!

Get the Recipe:The Best Butter Cookies

The Best Vanilla Cake

We love the light texture that cake flour gives baked goods, but we didn’t want you to buy a whole box of it. So we used a cheat — all-purpose flour mixed with cornstarch. Cornstarch blocks the formation of gluten in the flour and makes the cake airy and tender. We also added 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, an old baker’s trick, to ensure that the cake stays moist. The heavy cream keeps the frosting light and fluffy.

Get the Recipe:The Best Vanilla Cake

The Best Crab Cakes

When we set out to make the “best” crab cakes, opinions in the test kitchen were strong and varied. But we could all agree on plenty of fresh, high-quality crabmeat with very little filler. After some tinkering, we created these decadent cakes—generously sized and highly seasoned—with plenty of lemon juice, fresh herbs and spices. The jumbo lump crabmeat is front and center, so splurge on the best and freshest you can find.

Get the Recipe:The Best Crab Cakes

The Best Samosas

As much as we love the filling in these samosas, we also must give a big shout-out to the dough. We tried a number of techniques to get that perfect light and crispy texture — the hallmark of a classic aloo samosa. In the end, we found that a wet dough, when rested long enough to fully hydrate the flour, created steam during frying that yielded crispy, bubbled and puffy samosas.

Get the Recipe:The Best Samosas

The Best Lemon Bars

It’s tough to top a classic lemon bar, but we’ve done it! We kept the tender, buttery crust and bright filling of the original, and made a few improvements. For our luscious lemon layer, we employed a unique double-cooking method. Simmering first on the stovetop like lemon curd allows us to add butter, which balances the tart and sweet elements and adds a richer, smoother texture.

Get the Recipe:The Best Lemon Bars

The Best Vinegar Coleslaw

We love the zippiness that a vinegar-based dressing brings to this coleslaw, making it the perfect partner for rich, meaty dishes like pulled pork or ribs. Cabbage can take lots of seasoning and lots of vinegar, so don’t be bashful. But the real secret to this colorful coleslaw is the marinating time — a long trip to the fridge softens up the veggies and gives them time to absorb the flavors of the vinaigrette. A drizzle of olive oil at the end balances the acidity.

Get the Recipe:The Best Vinegar Coleslaw

The Best Butter Chicken

Butter chicken originated in a Delhi restaurant when the chef was looking for a way to serve unsold tandoori chicken from the night before. He created a mild tomato curry spiced with cinnamon, cardamom and cloves and finished with butter. It was an instant classic that we love to serve alongside basmati rice and plenty of naan to soak up the fragrant sauce.

Get the Recipe:The Best Butter Chicken

The Best French Toast

Our favorite bread for making French toast is pain de mie for its neutral flavor and spongey texture, which helps it absorb the egg mixture without falling apart. It’s sometimes hard to find, so you can substitute brioche for a richer and more decadent toast or challah for an all-purpose choice.

Get the Recipe:The Best French Toast

The Best Carrot Cake

Our classic carrot cake is nicely spiced with cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and has toasted pecans both in the cake and on top. Plumped golden raisins and a full pound of carrots make it nice and moist while buttermilk lends tang and tenderness. Our homemade cream-cheese frosting has just the right amount of sweetness.

Get the Recipe:The Best Carrot Cake

The Best Corn Casserole

We added Cheddar and chives to this classic and quick side that goes from mixing bowl to oven in less than 10 minutes. It bakes up golden brown and puffy — perfect for a potluck or holiday gathering.

Get the Recipe:The Best Corn Casserole

The Best Pecan Pie

This pie delivers plenty of classic flavors like brown sugar, vanilla and toasted nuts. We found that bourbon made a welcome addition. The alcohol bakes off leaving behind irresistible notes of smoke and caramel. Our all-butter crust perfectly balances the sweetness of the filling.

Get the Recipe:The Best Pecan Pie

The Best Mashed Potatoes

This is our go-to recipe for classic mashed potatoes, made with plenty of butter and cream. To make them fluffy and flavorful, be sure to simmer them slowly and add plenty of salt to the cooking water. And don’t skip the step of steaming the excess water off; leaving too much moisture in the potatoes causes them to be loose and gluey.

Get the Recipe:The Best Mashed Potatoes

The Best Stuffing

There’s something for everyone in our festive stuffing. It’s filled with satisfying ingredients like sausage and mushrooms, plus classic Thanksgiving flavors like onion, celery and lots of chopped herbs. We like it best when baked in a casserole dish and served alongside the turkey. This is also the safest way to prepare it.

Get the Recipe:The Best Stuffing

The Best Egg Salad

While we love a jazzed up version of egg salad, we always come back to this one for its simplicity, clean flavors and sheer nostalgia. This is the best version of a classic egg salad. It’s bright with herbs and the mayonnaise-to-egg ratio is just right, making it perfectly mound-able on a sandwich or bowl of greens.

Get the Recipe:The Best Egg Salad

The Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Do you like chewy cookies? Or do you prefer cakey ones? Our oatmeal-raisin cookies can be both! For a chewy cookie, bake them right away. For a cakey cookie, let the dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours (or overnight works even better) to allow the oatmeal to hydrate.

Get the Recipe:The Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

The Best Mulled Wine

We love a well-spiced, fragrant mulled wine and this one hits the spot. The spices steep in the cider to intensify their flavors before everything is combined to create a warming, winter drink.

Get the Recipe:The Best Mulled Wine

The Best Green Bean Casserole

We bring extra umami (a savoriness) to a traditional green bean casserole with the addition of dried shiitake mushrooms. Once rehydrated, they turn soft and earthy, and their soaking liquid adds oomph to the sauce as well. Our fried onion topping is made from scratch — first, a dip in buttermilk, then fried to crunchy perfection.

Get the Recipe:The Best Green Bean Casserole

The Best Turkey Meatballs

These juicy meatballs with a tender, light texture are packed with flavorful herbs. The meat mixture is softer than you might expect, thanks to the addition of ricotta, but sacrificing a perfectly round shape is worth it. You’ll make these turkey meatballs so often you just might forget about your beef meatball recipe.

Get the Recipe:The Best Turkey Meatballs

The Best Chocolate Cake

This is not your everyday chocolate cake. It’s a showstopper — very tall and much more of a bakery-style cake than a cake from a box. The frosting has both melted chocolate for smoothness and cocoa for depth of flavor.

Get the Recipe:The Best Chocolate Cake

The Best Spinach Artichoke Dip

This is our best version of the classic party dip. It’s savory and creamy with a slight tang from sour cream and Parmesan — so hard to resist. We like to use frozen whole leaf spinach and chop it ourselves for more control over the finished texture of the dish.

Get the Recipe:The Best Spinach Artichoke Dip

The Best Peanut Butter Cookies

We wanted a super peanut buttery treat but found that store-bought peanut butter made the cookies a bit gummy when we used more than 1 cup. So we ground roasted peanuts ourselves and added that to the batter for an additional boost of flavor. Honey and melted butter add richness and create a soft and chewy cookie with an irresistible crackled exterior. We topped the dough balls with raw sugar for extra crunch and a hit of sweetness that balances the salt of the peanuts.

Get the Recipe:The Best Peanut Butter Cookies

The Best Deviled Eggs

Our classic deviled eggs get their kick from mustard and hot sauce. We like the simplicity of the flavor — it’s the perfect recipe to use your imagination and add your favorite toppings or mix-ins.

Get the Recipe:The Best Deviled Eggs

The Best Angel Food Cake

Even though there are just a few ingredients in this simple cake, there are also a few techniques that will make or break it. First, be sure to use the correct pan — an angel food cake pan — and do not grease it. Additionally, superfine sugar, sifted cake flour and perfectly whipped egg whites are key components that set you up for success — and set this cake apart from the rest.

Get the Recipe:The Best Angel Food Cake

The Best Bolognese

Our bolognese is rich and meaty, yet surprisingly light on the tomato. Instead, its base is made from a classic combination of wine and milk. The combination of pork, beef and pancetta adds complexity while a Parmesan rind lends even more flavor.

Get the Recipe:The Best Bolognese

The Best Chocolate Lava Cakes

Go ahead and indulge in these perfectly rich and dreamy chocolate lava cakes! Bittersweet chocolate and espresso powder create a luscious and balanced batter that stays molten in the center during baking.

Get the Recipe:The Best Chocolate Lava Cakes

The Best Beef Stroganoff

We used a marbled, tender piece of ribeye as the star of this comfort food classic. Two kinds of mushrooms are cooked until crispy to add an extra element of flavor. The whole dish is brought together with a rich, tangy sauce made with sour cream and Dijon and served over egg noodles.

Get the Recipe:The Best Beef Stroganoff

The Best Guacamole

Simple ingredients in perfect proportion make a this dip a crowd-pleasing favorite for any event. We decided not to use tomato in ours (it makes the guac watery) and included both onion and garlic for extra zip. A healthy dose of fresh lime juice balances and brightens the flavors.

Get the Recipe:The Best Guacamole

The Best Pork Enchiladas

Enchiladas from the Mexican state of Oaxaca are made with a red chile sauce. Ours has raisins to pull the fruit flavors from the ancho chiles and add a touch of sweetness. The pork is braised with aromatics and seasonings that turns into a deeply flavored blended sauce. Frying the tortillas a bit before rolling them gives them a durability that is important when assembling the dish.

Get the Recipe:The Best Pork Enchiladas

The Best Scones

The extra-rich taste of our cream scones comes from using milk powder in addition to the standard ingredients butter and cream. A light touch when combining the dough ensures a tender crumb.

Get the Recipe:The Best Scones

The Best Chicken Marsala

This classic Italian-American dish is a nostalgic reminder of large family dinners of a bygone era. It’s the ultimate crowd pleaser. The flavors from the marsala and cremini mushrooms bring a sweet earthiness to the sauce that really elevates simple seared chicken breasts.

Get the Recipe:The Best Chicken Marsala

The Best Lemon Meringue Pie

It’s the stuff of dreams: a classic sweet and tart dessert with a foolproof meringue topping that won’t weep! We use mostly butter in our from-scratch pie dough, but add a little vegetable shortening as well — we found that this combination creates a crust that is both tender and flaky.

Get the Recipe:The Best Lemon Meringue Pie

The Best Tuna Salad

While we love many kinds of tuna salad, this classic version tops them all. The crispy celery and red onion give add zest and crunch, while mayonnaise and touch of mustard marry it all together. The lemon juice is optional as it’s not traditional, but we strongly recommend it to brighten up the flavors of the final dish.

Get the Recipe:The Best Tuna Salad

The Best Crispy Tofu

The key to getting tofu nice and crispy is to first remove excess moisture. We wrap the block of tofu in a clean kitchen towel and place a heavy pan on top of it to press out as much water as possible. When searing the tofu, resist the urge to move it around. Instead, allow it to form a crust before flipping, and then again let it cook undisturbed on the other side until browned.

Get the Recipe:The Best Crispy Tofu

The Best Chicken Salad

Gently poaching chicken breasts in an aromatic broth yields tender morsels for folding into a bright and herby homemade dressing. Serve it solo on a bed of lettuce with sliced tomatoes or in half an avocado. It also makes a killer chicken club sandwich topped with crisp bacon and other sandwich fixings.

Get the Recipe:The Best Chicken Salad

The Best Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are inspired by the thin and crispy style made popular by the Long Island bakery Tate’s Bake Shop. In our version, we’ve upped the brown sugar, vanilla and chocolate chips for an even more flavorful and decadent treat.

Get the Recipe:The Best Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

The Best Granola

For our best granola, we wanted a crunchy, clustery version that wasn’t too sweet. We created this simple but universally likeable recipe that’s flavored with vanilla and a blend of brown sugar and maple syrup. We love its pure flavors and balance of salty and sweet. It is the perfect canvas for personalization, so we’ve included some ideas for mix-ins at the end of the recipe.

Get the Recipe:The Best Granola

The Best Pie Dough for a Lattice Crust

We love this dough for making the lattice crust for many reasons. The combination of shortening and butter makes the dough incredibly easy to work with and forgiving when cutting and weaving. Plus, the added vodka provides tenderness and depth of flavor, making it perfect for a variety of pie fillings.

Get the Recipe:The Best Pie Dough for a Lattice Crust

The Best French Onion Soup

This bistro classic is deceptively easy to make. It just takes a little time and a few good ingredients. We found that yellow onions, also known as Spanish onions, work best for this recipe. They have a nice balance of sweetness and bitterness and caramelize perfectly. Just don’t take them too dark — a nice golden brown is perfect. Good beef broth also makes a big difference. If you can’t make your own, look for a high-quality prepared variety.

Get the Recipe:The Best French Onion Soup

The Best Baked Beans

If you think baked beans only come from a can, you’re in for a treat. Bacon, molasses and bourbon add depth and flavor to our classic recipe that’s perfectly spiced with paprika, mustard and Worcestershire. A bit of brown sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness and to keep things easy, the beans require no soaking! They get tender and delicious right in the oven.

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The Best French Toast Casserole

There’s no need to get up early on the weekend to make brunch for a crowd. With this rich, custardy French toast casserole, nearly all the prep is done in advance. Simply assemble and refrigerate overnight. About an hour before brunch time, just pop it into the oven. Whip up a fast and easy banana-caramel topping and bask in the praise of your well-fed guests.

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The Best Banana Cake

This banana cake is delectably moist, perfectly sweet and easy to make. Dark brown sugar and sour cream add depth to the batter, and we added melted butter instead of vegetable oil for a flavor boost. Fluffy cream cheese frosting and swirls of dulce de leche will make you go back for seconds. We also upped the ante by using bananas in two ways — fresh bananas are mixed into the cake while maple-candied banana chips create a crunchy topping.

Get the Recipe:The Best Banana Cake

The Best Banana Pudding

This creamy banana dessert is our very favorite version, piled high with layers of just-ripe bananas, rich vanilla pudding and tender cookies. We used vanilla bean paste instead of extract in our homemade filling for a bold flavor boost and topped the pudding with swirls of freshly whipped cream. When it all comes together, it’s dreamy, luscious and feeds a crowd!

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The Best Parker House Rolls

These Parker House rolls are super indulgent thanks to plenty of butter mixed in and brushed on top. Milk and eggs enrich the dough, lending a perfectly tender texture. A sprinkle of flaky sea salt adds a welcome bit of contrast and crunch. These rolls are best served fresh and warm.

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The Best Homemade Applesauce

After tasting the pure apple flavor of this homemade sauce, you just might never go back to the store-bought kind. Supermarket applesauce can be loaded with added sweeteners and flavorings. We use only a little sugar, plus lemon juice, salt and cinnamon, providing a balanced flavor and the perfect amount of sweetness.

Get the Recipe:The Best Homemade Applesauce

The Best Roasted Asparagus

The perfect roasted asparagus should be lightly browned and tender, yet bright green and crisp. Roasting the spears at a high temperature helps achieve this. We also browned grated Parmesan to make a nutty, crumbly frico topping. Wait until ready to serve to top the vegetables so the crisped cheese stays crunchy.

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The Best Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Olive oil, salt and pepper let the earthy flavor of the sprouts shine as they get crisp and golden in the oven. Heating the pan and laying the veggies flat-side down is the secret to achieving maximum browning — and don’t toss the loose leaves that fall off during trimming. They become toasted and crisp — the best part! To make these extra special, we topped them with homemade Parmesan breadcrumbs.

Get the Recipe:The Best Roasted Brussels Sprouts

The Best Fruitcake

Fruitcakes have become the punchline of many a holiday joke, but this recipe will give the notorious seasonal gift a whole new reputation. Filled with loads of real dried fruit and nuts along with brandy, warm spices and citrus, this cake tastes like the holidays. The recipe makes two loaves so you can gift one.

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The Best Pumpkin Cheesecake

There’s no better way to celebrate pumpkin-spice season! With swirls of pumpkin filling, caramel and a gingersnap crust, this autumnal cheesecake is a delight. We start by whipping up a classic cheesecake batter, then add pumpkin and warm spices to half the batch. Both are used to create a unique bullseye pattern. Nutty spiced seeds add crunch. Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature — this ensures that the cheesecake is smooth and creamy.

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The Best Tiramisu

Making this classic Italian dessert is surprisingly easy. We start the custard with a traditional Marsala-flavored zabaglione — a cooked mixture of egg yolks and sugar. Then we lighten it with tangy mascarpone cheese, which provides just the right creamy, mousse-like texture. Once assembled, the ladyfingers soften sufficiently after 4 hours in the refrigerator, but if you can wait longer, the flavors will meld even more.

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The Best Chicken and Dumplings

This is pure comfort food at its finest. Tender chunks of chicken and vegetables come together in a creamy, richly-flavored sauce with pillowy dumplings baked right on top. It’s hearty but not too heavy and comes together from scratch in about an hour.

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The Best Meat and Potatoes

This recipe will please not only the meat-and-potato lover in your house but will also please the cook. It comes together in just 30 minutes with minimal cleanup! We seared tender, juicy strip steaks in a hot cast-iron skillet, then made a fast pan sauce with mustard, wine and herbs. Mashed potatoes are kicked up with sour cream, horseradish and spinach for a stick-to-your-ribs side dish that’s a cinch to prepare in the microwave.

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The Best Apple Crisp

If you just went apple picking, here’s the perfect recipe to enjoy the fruits of your labor. We’ve included two varieties of fresh apples, plus warm spices and tangy cider. The sweet, buttery crumble topping is flavored with brown sugar and studded with nutty pecans for the ultimate easy apple dessert.

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The Best Risotto

With relatively few ingredients (none of them being cream), the success of a classic creamy risotto depends largely on technique. We’ve tested all the methods and narrowed it down to a few easy-to-follow steps that will help you achieve perfectly cooked Italian-style rice every time. This basic recipe is delicious on its own and makes a wonderful base to add your favorite vegetables or protein.

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The Best Shepherd’s Pie

We stuck with tradition and made our shepherd’s pie with lamb, but you could easily swap in ground beef. The saucy filling is packed with tender vegetables and the creamy topping is inspired by the Irish potato dish, colcannon, and is filled with cabbage, leeks and cheese.

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The Best Tomato Sauce

There are about as many versions of tomato sauce as there are cooks in the world. The Italian-American heritage of one of our test-kitchen team members informed the development of this recipe, leading us to a version of her family’s favorite tomato sauce. A variety of canned tomatoes adds richness. A long simmer helps the flavors meld and results in a sauce that is perfect on pasta or nestled around chicken cutlets or meatballs.

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The Best Irish Soda Bread

We prefer the slightly sweet American version of this classic Irish quick bread, so we added dried currants and a small amount of sugar. Buttermilk and baking soda give the loaf plenty of lift and butter gives it a moist crumb.

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The Best Cranberry Sauce

Our classic cranberry sauce has the ideal texture of tart whole berries suspended in a sweet jammy sauce; we added citrus peel for a little extra brightness. Don’t be tempted to skip the salt and and pepper at the end. It may seem a bit odd, but salt brings out the fruitiness of the berries while pepper gives the sauce a warm and spicy finish.

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The Best Corned Beef and Cabbage with Horseradish Cream

Our recipe for corned beef and cabbage is so delicious, we’d like to eat it year-round. The whole spices included in the braising liquid are our secret ingredients (the tangy horseradish cream doesn’t hurt, either!). Cabbage and potatoes are cooked in the same pot as the brisket, so everything comes out perfectly tender and infused with flavor.

Get the Recipe:The Best Corned Beef and Cabbage with Horseradish Cream

The Best Roasted Fennel

Fennel sometimes plays second fiddle to other vegetables, but it is the true star in this simple but impressive side dish. Roasting the fennel until tender and almost creamy mellows its usual licorice flavor and brings out a touch of natural sweetness. Even if you don’t normally like fennel, give this delicious dish a try. You might be surprised.

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The Best Pulled Pork

Chipotle powder, apple cider and ketchup create the perfect balance of smoky, sweet and tangy without the need for a smoker or grill! For our classic, satisfying pulled pork, all that’s required is a flavorful homemade rub and a long trip to the oven to cook low and slow until it’s meltingly tender. Eat it as-is, or pile onto a potato roll with your favorite toppings for the ultimate sandwich. Coleslaw is a traditional accompaniment, and we love a vinegary one for the way it cuts through the richness of the pork.

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