Bon Appétit

A couple tablespoons of yogurt miraculously transform a basic vinaigrette recipe into a new creamy dressing.

Consider this recipe a no-brainer formula where you can sub in any raw veg, oil, or cheese you feel like.

Serve this dip with chips, as part of a meze platter, or slather it on grilled chicken thighs or lamb chops.

Real talk: This is a dish to make when the tomatoes are peaking—at the farmers’ market, you should be able to smell them before you see them.

We usually rail against kitchen tools that do only one thing and take up precious drawer space, but cherry pitters earn their keep as far as we are concerned.

Keeping the garlic whole and removing once it has added enough flavor will keep the flavor more mild, but if you want more of a punch, grate it before adding and leave it in.

Pickling berries is a great way to make the most of seasonal produce. Try them over ice cream and salad.

Here’s your opportunity to use up berries that are slightly past their prime. This recipe method concentrates the berries’ flavors, so the more delicious they are to begin with, the better they will be dried. At Craftsman and Wolves in San Francisco, CA, William Werner combines them with raw berries in tarts or adds them to arugula salads. They're chewy—a bit softer than a dried apricot—with a plump, juicy consistency.

Learning how to properly caramelize onions is key. Once you've mastered the basic technique, you’ll use them for everything from French onion soup to onion dip to topping burgers.

Don’t believe the hype that every vinaigrette recipe should have one part acid to three parts oil. This more assertive ratio brings a lot more flavor to the table.

Steaming the apricots over the rice while it rests softens them just enough.

Kitchen economy: Use any leftover cooked vegetables, grains, or beans in your fridge for this frittata, then add any leftover frittata to a sandwich the next day.

A hard sear on the first side of the chicken ensures that it will get nicely browned without getting dry.

Set a large colander in the sink before you add the shrimp so you can drain the seafood boil as soon as it comes off the heat.

For perfectly cooked halibut, all you need is a kiss of high heat from a grill or cast iron pan and a simple vinaigrette. This version is served with a juicy tomato salad.

Cutting those slits in the fish is key. They help the fish cook more quickly and make it easier to tell when it's done.

Serve this dish as a side at a pot-luck gathering or for a quick-and-easy one-pot dinner.

Serve this one-pot baked chicken dish with steamed rice and broccoli.

Use one flavor (like pistachio) for this ice cream cookie sandwiches recipe, or mix it up: Each pint will yield enough ice cream for three sandwiches.

Making these sweet-tart wonders might be easier than remembering to buy ice cream.