Apple butter is pretty straightforward, but even little things can greatly affect the flavor. I used almost 100 pounds of apples to test batch after batch, evaluating the best types of apples, ingredients, and cooking methods. This guide is meant to detail those differences and help you customize your own apple butter (or use my...
With almost 100 pounds of apples, I was determined to test apple butter cooking methods to find the best one. I also sampled over 25 varieties to find the ones best suited for apple butter. Along the way, I learned the ins & outs of making apple butter. There are two stages to making apple...
An easy way to get homemade apple chips nice and crispy is to bake them in the oven. The type of oven affects baking time as well as the final step towards getting crisp apple chips. You can make this recipe with or without sugar, it comes down to the flavor of the apple and...
Artichokes can be cooked in almost any way, but that doesn't make this vegetable any less confusing to a novice. This cooking guide walks you through the different methods to prep and cook artichokes, along with 20 recipes and links to even more in-depth guides. Artichoke guide: everything you need to know (including what good...
After testing several different styles of lemon bar crusts and fillings, this is the ultimate lemony sweet-tart recipe. The shortbread crust is easy to make since it uses melted butter (no food processor or 'cutting' butter into flour). The filling uses a fraction of the flour as other recipes, letting the lemon flavor shine. This...
Obviously a winning flavor combo. But it gets even better because these can be made well in advance and cooked on demand. House guests? Need something for book club? Dinner party gone late and everyone's got the munchies? Or maybe you just want to make Monday morning more fun. This is definitely the recipe for...
Restaurant style gyros can't be beat. The homemade version of gyro meat captures the general flavor and texture as best as possible without a rotisserie. If it seems like a lot of work (it does take some effort), grab the Trader Joe's gryo slices for a close second to this homemade version. Gyro meat recipe...
This recipe can be customized to a calorie range between 430 and 860 (see chart), mostly depending on the amount of crust you use. It also comes together fast. The store-bought crust is baked separately while you cook the vegetables & sauce on the stovetop. Frozen vegetables can be used to reduce prep time to...
After testing numerous recipes and techniques across dozens and dozens of muffins, I have settled on the best recipe. It's actually a combination of two recipes, taking the best from each one: the famous Department Store recipe and the one from Cook's Illustrated. The "Jordan Marsh department store" recipe published on King Arthur Flour has...
This is the simplest and fastest pizza dough recipe, hands down. It consistently turns out great and is fairly forgiving, making it very reliable. It can be made ahead of time, so the dough is ready to use when you get home. Dear Food Geek, I don't know how to make pizza dough. I want to start...
Winter stews are delicious, but can get heavy and repetitive. This version, while still relying mostly on pantry staples, gets brightened up with oranges and raisins. The sweetness gained from the oranges and raisins is balanced by the saltiness of olives, and zest and cinnamon are added to the couscous while it cooks. Layering these...
