Garlic

Homemade green curry paste has more vivid flavor and aromatic intensity than store-bought, not to mention the freedom to control the spice level. Sopon Kosalanan of restaurant Khao King in, Queens says, “If you get it from a can, I don’t feel like it’s green curry. It doesn’t have the same aromas.” This is the recipe he makes in big batches for his restaurant every day.

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.

Here’s your new favorite way to eat scrambled eggs: with turmeric, tzatziki, a big pile of greens, and a very generous serving of good butter. Oh, and a sprinkle of Aleppo-style pepper, too.

Finely grating the aromatics in this Vietnamese-leaning marinade unlocks their flavor without endless chopping.

This all-purpose chile crisp—which is tangy, spicy, and addictive—will give your other condiments an inferiority complex. You’ve been warned. Put it to good use on eggs, meat, seafood, or hearty salads.

Molasses, pomegranate juice, and apricot jam lend a deliciously sweet-tart, barbecue sauce–like glaze to this summertime grilling staple.

Put the chicken in this lemony, garlic-loaded marinade now so you can make kebabs as soon as the weekend rolls around.

For adobo that’s sweet, salty, tangy, garlicky, and ready in a fraction of the time, don’t peel and slice each garlic clove: Just cut open a whole head and simmer it in the sauce.

Roasting two chickens on one baking sheet is an effortless but strategic way to cook for a crowd. As the fat renders, it bastes the vegetables for a built-in side dish.

We can't think of a better large-format meat. A leg of lamb is fatty and flavorful, and its size makes it hard to overcook.

Here the garlic- and lemon-infused pan dripping are mixed into a citrusy za’atar oil and spooned over the fall-apart meat.

Because they’re little, light, and fluffy, these crumbs are the perfect topper for delicate salads.

For croutons that look ordinary but have big flavor, we borrowed a tip from Kindred in North Carolina, where they steep hunks of bread in herb-infused butter before toasting. Here, we toss the bread in garlic brown butter before baking in the oven.

Quickly shallow-frying chicken halves locks in their juices and yields crispy, golden-brown skin. Serve them with garlicky potatoes, fried shallots, and dill.

This recipe makes more saucy, sausage-laced beans than you need, but the leftovers can be repurposed as a quick topper for pasta on another night. If you don’t have spinach, any greens from your fridge will work.

The diner classic gets a boost from a pot of zesty, creamy beans and sweet charred limes

The only thing more crowd-pleasing than cheese is marinated cheese. If Manchego isn’t your thing, go for any semi-firm cheese like white cheddar, Gouda, or Monterey Jack.

A standing rib roast combines deep beefiness with marvelous tenderness and, naturally, has a price tag to match. But don’t be intimidated. It’s still a roast, after all, and that means it’s easy to cook.

It’s hard to know if a parsnip will have a woody core, but generally speaking, small ones are tender throughout. Worst case scenario? Trim the tough centers before cooking.

Any cooking oil or rendered fat will work for making these supremely crunchy potatoes. Bonus: The fluffy insides are perfect for sopping up gravy.