Alex Lau

This is going to seem like a lot of oil, but you really need it to a) crisp up the rice and b) make it seem like fried rice and not a rice pilaf. To that end, you can’t use freshly cooked (meaning, still warm and moist) rice for this recipe. If you do, it will get gummy in the pan and won’t crisp. Day-old rice is ideal, or you can quickly dry out a just-made batch. Spread rice on a sheet tray and put in a low oven 5–10 minutes. Let air-dry for about 1 hour and up to 5. Seems nitpicky, but worth .…

Sauerkraut is our new secret flavoring weapon. It adds a little bit of acid and funk, and this chicken pot pie recipe proves there are so many other uses for it than a hot dog topping. Check out step-by-step photos here.

This Dutch baby is great for breakfast, lunch—or really any time.

It’ll take a couple of hours to make the homemade broth and cook a whole chicken (your house will smell amazing) for this soup recipe. If you’ve had a long day, use 2 quarts store-bought broth and shredded meat from a rotisserie chicken. Whatever method you choose, use the chicken breasts to make this amazing salad with crispy rice. Check out step-by-step photos here.

Think of this butternut cacio e pepe recipe as pasta cacio e pepe...with sausage. It’s comfort food-y, so it could use some fresh greens and/or veggies to help balance it out. Check out step-by-step photos here.

If you don’t happen to have or particularly enjoy pastrami, bacon or pancetta would be a delicious substitute for this minestrone recipe. Check out step-by-step photos here.

The caramel in this recipe is chewy, so it will stick to the apple but won’t turn into a hard shell when cooled.

If using frozen cranberries, which are just as good for this recipe, don’t bother thawing them first.

Earthy, nutrient-rich whole grain flours give this classic banana loaf cake recipe some added personality.

Cooking the brussels in two stages for this recipe ensures that the cores will be tender and the outer leaves will still have bite.

Kabocha squash is a tempura classic, but acorn squash works well too. The honey and crushed red pepper flakes, albeit untraditional, add a spicy-sweet dimension to the dish. 

Spicy, mouth-tingling, porky: Those are the words you’ll be using to describe this tofu recipe.

Garlic and collard greens make a healthy addition to this porridge recipe, but you can use any leftover greens you have on hand.

This figs recipe is sweet, salty, sticky, and acidic—everything you want in a one-bite appetizer.

This braised kabocha squash recipe leads to a super satisfying, healthy, one-pan lunch or side dish.

Cooking the livers to medium/medium-rare in this recipe is key to a moist and rich tasting spread. Overcooking them will make the finished dish dry and crumbly.

These are extra saucy and a little sweet like the original SpaghettiOs, but with grown-up flavors all around.

This is one of the strongest, yet tastiest, cocktails we’ve ever created using ingredients inspired by swing states—just in time to help get you through the election.

If the apples aren’t cold when you wrap them, the dough won’t adhere, so make sure to put them in the fridge before you start on the dough for this apple dumplings recipe. For added texture and more fall flavors, stuff 1 Tbsp. cranberries, raisins, or pecans into the space where the apple cores used to be.

Not the biggest fan of lamb? This hearty, soul-warming ravioli recipe will be equally successful if you use beef short ribs instead. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to shape and fill ravioli.