If there were ever a love song to garlic, Lebanese toum (pronounced TOOM) is the finest aria of them all. Toum, which means “garlic” in Arabic, is pure garlic flavor that is brightened with lemon; you’ll find yourself stirring toum into just about any recipe that calls for minced garlic, as well as its classic Lebanese pairing with grilled meats such as Yogurt Marinated Chicken Skewers. A spoonful of toum elevates any steamed or roasted vegetable, or pasta or grains—or as a dipping sauce for good bread. I’ve even taken to slathering it on my homemade white pizzas before baking. Making toum requires a slow and steady hand to emulsify the garlic and oil in the food processor; consider toum like an aïoli with no egg. There are many methods cooks use to avoid a broken toum emulsion, such as adding an egg white, cooked potato, or cornstarch to the mix. I like my toum made without any of those, which can be replaced with patience—and a little ice water, which helps the emulsion hold.
Fufu is a dish that has been passed down through many generations and is seen as a symbol of Ghanaian identity and heritage. Making fufu traditionally is a very laborious task; this recipe mimics some of that hard work but with a few home-cook hacks that make for a far easier time.
Every sauce needs a few secrets. Ours is smoky, sweet, and savory—use it for burgers, fries, tenders, and more.
This sauce is slightly magical. The texture cloaks pasta much like a traditional meat sauce does, and the flavors are deep and rich, but it’s actually vegan!
Developed in the 1980s by a chef in Hong Kong, this sauce is all about umami.
Salmoriglio is a Mediterranean sauce with herbs, garlic, and olive oil. In this version, kelp is used as the base of the sauce.
The kimchi brine is the secret hero here; just a splash of it brightens the cocktail while deepening it with a little funky je ne sais quoi.
Make this versatile caramel at home with our slow-simmered method using milk and sugar—or take one of two sweetened condensed milk shortcuts.
This classic 15-minute sauce is your secret weapon for homemade mac and cheese, chowder, lasagna, and more.