Herbs & Spices

Vanilla Butter Anchovy Toasts

Anchovy lovers: This one’s for you. The combination of vanilla butter and anchovies is the perfect combination of sweet and salty.

This Coconut-Braised Cabbage Is the Perfect December Meal

The secret to a quick, deeply flavorful dinner: put your lemongrass in the blender.

Besciamella

Use this rich, creamy Italian white sauce for lasagna, gratins, and mac and cheese.

Why-Is-It-So-Good Gravy

A make-ahead gravy that doesn’t rely on turkey drippings or a roux. The gravy’s depth of flavor comes from roasted poultry bones and—surprise!—a sprinkle of MSG, which has an umami-to-the-max effect.

Squash and Radicchio Salad With Pecans

This holiday-buffet-ready salad has bright Asian pear, salty aged cheese, a dynamic pecan dressing, and hardy radicchio that refuses to wilt.

This pesto variation is built on a combination of toasted nuts, creamy ricotta, salty Parm, and a little kick of raw garlic. You don’t need a food processor or a blender to make it; everything comes together in a single bowl.

Sumac and Vanilla Shortbread

An outer coating of sumac-sugar gives these slice-and-bake cookies a bright pop of flavor that balances the rich, buttery shortbread.

Torn Potatoes of Many Colors With Chile-Lime Butter

Sure, you could use just one kind of potato for this pomegranate-topped side dish, but we love to combine a few. Try orange and purple sweet potatoes plus Yukon Golds.

Sweet-and-Sour Dal Bhat

This dish is triply aggressive, with sweet, sour, and spicy tastes strung together in an intense interplay. To make it your own, experiment with the balance of those three elements—you might make it more sour, or very, very spicy, depending on your palate and preferences.

Our Food Editor Loves These Towels—For More Than Just Drying Dishes

Flour sack towels aren't just for cleaning. They're a valuable (and pretty!) kitchen tool.

Frozen Ravioli Is the Trick to Quick, Easy Lasagna

Your favorite packaged ravioli is good—but it's even better when it's baked into lasagna.

Sweet-and-Saucy Pork Chops

For pork chops that cook in record time, we turn to an unexpected ingredient: sugar. A pinch helps the chops caramelize and develop an exceptional golden-brown crust.

Beef and Ginger Stir-Fry

Set up all of your mise en place before you start cooking. You’ll go from raw ingredients to a glossy stir-fry in the time it takes to make a pot of rice.

Vietnamese Pork Meatball Banh Mi Fried Rice

To make this dish extra crispy, sauté the ingredients separately and use cold, cooked rice. As you're stir-frying, toss the rice, pausing frequently to allow it to interact with the heat at the bottom of the pan—this will give it a nice toast.