Skills

The best part: You already have it in your fridge.

It’s great on everything from pasta to sandwiches to fries.

Sometimes in the middle of making a soup, I decide that creamy is what I crave. Yes, definitely. A creamy, spoon-clinging soup to savor slurp by slurp while I catch up with my Netflix queue. It’s time to travel off-recipe into improvisation territory: creamy soup or bust! As I discovered, there are ways to thicken soups and one of them is by using pantry staples like flour or ground nuts.

Cottage cheese really is that girl right now. Hailey Bieber’s eating it with her signature meatballs, I’m eating it on toast with roasted tomatoes, and people on TikTok are seemingly throwing it into just about every recipe for some extra proteinoc. One dish I have been surprised to see people add cottage cheese to is scrambled eggs. Aren’t scrambled eggs already a good source of protein?Scrambling a couple of eggs in the morning is always an easy go-to breakfast for me.

Summer is sadly nearing its end, and you just might be planning to celebrate its last hurrah with a barbecue for Labor Day. If ribs are on the menu, mastering the cooking process is key to ensuring they’re tender and juicy. (No one wants a dry, tough rib.

It's the little things that make all the difference.

Pancakes were a Sunday morning staple of my childhood. My mom made a tradition out of whisking up a bowl of Krusteaz pancake batter, swiping her cast iron skillet with lots of butter, and turning out thick, fluffy pancakes topped with lots of maple syrup.

I'm never going back.

Making homemade brisket is 100% worth the time it takes. The meltingly tender beef, the robust flavor, and the hint of smokiness make it my go-to for football watch parties, barbecues, and casual dinners with friends. Because my favorite brisket recipe takes hours to cook, I like to make enough so I have leftovers to enjoy later … but reheating it can be tricky.

It’s a simple 1:1 ratio.

Shucking ears of corn for a summertime dinner was always a task designated to me and my brother. As my mom prepped the other dishes, my brother and I sat at the kitchen island shucking the husk and fibrous silk strands off of our cobs and into a plastic grocery bag beneath us. It caused a mess and it took forever. And I just found out that all of that work was for nothing (even if it did create some fond memories).

I’m never ordering an iced latte again.

I’ve learned so much already.

Whenever I cook rice, I always make enough for leftovers. But in my experience, it’s not always easy to reheat rice to get the soft, fluffy texture of freshly prepared rice. When stored in the refrigerator, the rice’s starch molecules start to form microscopic crystals, resulting in dry, hard rice.

Breaded chicken breasts are a versatile option to have in your cooking repertoire. They can stand on their own as an entrée, serve as the beginnings of chicken Parmesan, go on top of a leafy salad, or get tucked into a bun for a killer chicken sandwich. Breading options abound — all-purpose flour, panko, potato chips, and more — so which method should you go with?To find out, I tried six different type of breading to see which ones worked best.

It’s my summer staple.

Caramelized and flavorful.

They were fluffy and rich.

Mayo isn't the only option.

It's so easy and refreshing!

A nice steakhouse dinner is a popular choice for a special occasion, birthday dinner, or date night. But you don’t have to go out or splurge to get a delicious, high-quality, juicy steak. With a few simple techniques, you too can recreate that magic at home.

This idea grew straight out of our summer garden pasta and that grated tomato trick I can’t stop using. When tomatoes are as juicy and ripe as they are right now, cooking them almost feels like a waste, so I skip the stove entirely and let raw, grated tomatoes do the heavy lifting instead. Stir them together with garlic, olive oil, anchovies, olives, capers, parsley, and red pepper flakes, and you’ve basically built a puttanesca sauce without ever turning on a burner.

It’s not officially summer until I’ve had a hot dog with mustard and ketchup (judge me all you want) and a heaping spoonful of creamy macaroni salad. There’s something magical about those mayo-slicked noodles that deeply satisfies my inner child. I’ll happily dig into any version, from Mexican macaroni salad featuring corn and beans to Southern macaroni salad with its add-in of sweet pickle relish.

It's raised the bar.

Steak is a staple protein in my repertoire, and I’m always looking for easy ways to dress it up. Simple upgrades, like oyster sauce, can make all the difference when I’m trying to keep things interesting week after week. If you’ve never brushed oyster sauce onto a steak while it sears, then you’re in for a treat. This sticky, savory-sweet sauce turns into the easiest glaze I’ve ever used.

It’s my favorite way to make congee.

If you’ve been to Martha’s Vineyard before, you’ve likely heard locals waxing about Fat Ronnie’s — and maybe even stood in the long line waiting for one of their signature burgers. I have family there, so I’ve been going every summer since I was little, and without fail, it’s a must-stop every trip. (As a vegetarian, I can confirm that even their veggie burgers are top-notch.

Here’s to the humble, dependable spud. It has to be one of the top kitchen staples of all time, loved for its versatility — giving us creamy mashes, comforting hashes, cheesy gratins, crisp fries, crunchy chips, fluffy bakes to load with butter and sour cream, and much more. We tend to take this kitchen stalwart for granted, stashing it in the pantry with little care and expecting it to be there at our beck and call. But that doesn’t always pan out.

The best method for storing mushrooms not only kept them free of slime and mold, it actually made the mushrooms taste better too.

I'll never ditch a cheap bottle of red again.

My go-to drink in college.

I’ve never done it like this before.

Including the best spot in the fridge!

Creamy and sweet.

Perfect every single time.

Never throw away an empty bottle of Heinz.

The best way to store blueberries takes just a couple of steps and will make sure your produce stays fresh for weeks!

It’s so smart!

Move over, Aperol spritz.

Don't be forced to ditch slimy watermelon.

Crispy and juicy.

This one’s for the cooks with no AC.

I’ve been storing wine wrong.

Can’t stop, won’t stop.

The perfect ratio.

This simple swap makes all the difference.

It's my favorite 1-ingredient upgrade.

Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it.

You don’t have to be great at grilling to grill a great steak.

It’s so much easier!

Give your basil a fighting chance.

The perfect runny yolk every time.

Doesn’t get soggy.

It makes a huge difference.

Makes it so easy.

It’s familiar and new at the same time.

It’s the only potato salad I’ll eat.

“You want it to come out nice and tender.”

It’s the best hack of the summer.

This version takes half the work.