A Food52-Approved Thanksgiving Menu

Sifting through the internet’s near-infinite supply of Thanksgiving recipes is an impossible task. At a certain point, trying to find the best recipe for turkey, pumpkin pie, or stuffing will stop you from enjoying the holiday and all the very good—eve…

Sifting through the internet’s near-infinite supply of Thanksgiving recipes is an impossible task. At a certain point, trying to find the best recipe for turkey, pumpkin pie, or stuffing will stop you from enjoying the holiday and all the very good—even excellent—dishes you make to celebrate it. To help you avoid getting stuck in menu-planning purgatory, we asked members of our test kitchen and editorial teams to weigh in on their favorite Thanksgiving dishes. Put together, they make for a winning holiday meal that leans heavily on tradition, while also embracing new, unexpected twists.

Dry-Buttermilk-Brined Turkey

“I love the use of dry buttermilk powder here—a pantry staple that can really do some heavy lifting for turkey day. It flavors and tenderizes the bird, and any day you don’t have to do a wet brine is a good day.” —Anna Billingskog, Senior Food Stylist

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How to Host Your First-Ever Friendsgiving

Thanksgiving is great, but I’d argue that Friendsgiving is really where it’s at. Thanksgiving celebrations can sometimes feel stuffy and beholden to old traditions, whereas Friendsgiving is, at its core, just an excuse to host an epic, themed dinner pa…

Thanksgiving is great, but I’d argue that Friendsgiving is really where it’s at. Thanksgiving celebrations can sometimes feel stuffy and beholden to old traditions, whereas Friendsgiving is, at its core, just an excuse to host an epic, themed dinner party with your friends.

Holly Sheppard, owner and chef of Fig and Pig Catering, is sort of an expert at Friendsgiving, hosting one every year for a group of 10 to 15 people. Here are some of her best tips for pulling off the occasion (along with some tidbits of my own Friendsgiving wisdom).

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Is There Really a Right Way to Store Spices?

Take a peek at your spice cabinet: If it’s anything like mine, you’ve got a mix of plastic and glass jars, and maybe a few pouches here and there, too. All of them are from different retailers, ranging from the nearby dollar store to Kalustyan’s, and t…

Take a peek at your spice cabinet: If it’s anything like mine, you’ve got a mix of plastic and glass jars, and maybe a few pouches here and there, too. All of them are from different retailers, ranging from the nearby dollar store to Kalustyan’s, and there’s at least one duplicate bottle, from the time you forgot you already had a certain spice at home—in my case, cardamom.

Though it’s not the prettiest or best-organized cabinet out there, it’s deeply functional, and that’s what matters most to me. However, I wondered if—given the variety of spices in my kitchen (and their containers)—there was anything I could or should be doing to extend their shelf lives. Though spices don’t typically go bad or mold like other ingredients, they can lose their potency in a matter of months. So, I reached out to Ethan Frisch, co-founder and co-CEO of Burlap & Barrel, a spice company that works directly with farmers to source its products, who had an unorthodox answer to my spice storage question.

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Erin Jeanne McDowell’s Foolproof Tips for Perfect Holiday Pies

Erin Jeanne McDowell, baking expert and Food52 Resident, is no stranger to making pies. She’s written a whole book on the subject (called, literally, The Book on Pie), graced our
Bake It Up a Notch videos with hours of helpful advice, and shared her r…

Erin Jeanne McDowell, baking expert and Food52 Resident, is no stranger to making pies. She’s written a whole book on the subject (called, literally, The Book on Pie), graced our Bake It Up a Notch videos with hours of helpful advice, and shared her recipes—including her famous All-Buttah Pie Crust—on our site. And in this month’s episode of her show, Erin’s back with even more tips, all aimed at helping you perfect your pies throughout the fall and holiday season. Rather than focusing on a specific recipe or method, Erin goes through the three main types of fall pies (pecan, pumpkin, and apple) and troubleshoots common issues that occur with each one. That way, you can still reach for your tried-and-true family recipe—but maybe this year, you’ll be sure to avoid a soggy bottomed pie crust or a cracked surface on your custard filling. Here are five of our favorite takeaways from Erin’s video.

1. Use Pie Weights Correctly

It’s common knowledge that, when par-baking a pie crust, it’s important to weigh it down with dry beans, pie weights, or another heavy, heat-proof material. What I didn’t know is that those weights should not just cover the bottom of the crust—they should also go all the way up the sides, filling the pie dish completely. “We’re not only trying to weigh down the base of the crust so that it doesn’t puff up, we’re also trying to weigh down and support the sides of the crust,” Erin says. It’s a trick that stops the pie crust from slumping and sliding down the sides of the pan during baking.

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5 Weeknight Meals Using What’s Already in My Kitchen

Grocery shopping is, by far, my favorite chore. Especially when I technically already have enough food at home, leaving me to browse the aisles purely for fun. However, it’s sadly not a hobby I can always indulge in. At the moment, my kitchen/pantry/fr…

Grocery shopping is, by far, my favorite chore. Especially when I technically already have enough food at home, leaving me to browse the aisles purely for fun. However, it’s sadly not a hobby I can always indulge in. At the moment, my kitchen/pantry/fridge is nearing its capacity, and I’m trying to save some extra cash—all of which means that a big grocery trip is not in the cards this week. So, I decided that my goal for the next five days is to cook using ingredients I already have. The approach? I’ll definitely be leaning on pantry staples—like rice, beans, and potatoes—while also making use of some wildcard items that have been sitting on my shelves and require more creative solutions. With that in mind, here are five dinners that make use of the fresh produce, canned foods, and frozen items I have on hand.


1. Cabbage

I’ve got a giant, untouched green cabbage taking up too much space in my fridge. And while this recipe calls for Savoy or Napa cabbage, recipe developer EmilyC says that as long as you give it some extra time to simmer, green cabbage will work well, too.

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Julia Child’s One-Pot Roast Chicken Technique Is *Perfect* for Fall Dinners

We’ve teamed up with Le Creuset to share our favorite no-fuss, one-pot technique for the crispiest, juiciest roast chicken. Psst: We’ve got other ideas for cooking in their signature Dutch oven, too.

There are two things we look for in a roast chick…

We've teamed up with Le Creuset to share our favorite no-fuss, one-pot technique for the crispiest, juiciest roast chicken. Psst: We’ve got other ideas for cooking in their signature Dutch oven, too.


There are two things we look for in a roast chicken—a burnished, golden exterior and meat that’s juicy and thoroughly seasoned. It sounds relatively simple, but achieving both of these benchmarks can be a challenge, especially if you’re relying on conventional roasting techniques.

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32 Recipes for a Dream Winter Dinner Party Menu

Winter is the perfect time to throw a dinner party, but the reality of coming up with a menu can admittedly be daunting. With a little planning, though, you can be certain that the night will be a success. The secret? Don’t leave everything to the day …

Winter is the perfect time to throw a dinner party, but the reality of coming up with a menu can admittedly be daunting. With a little planning, though, you can be certain that the night will be a success. The secret? Don’t leave everything to the day of. Rather, in the week leading up to the party, figure out your menu, shop for ingredients, ensure you have enough dinnerware for all your guests, and prep any dishes that can be made ahead and reheated. Doing so will eliminate unnecessary stress and allow you to focus on what’s really important: enjoying the company of your nearest and dearest. To help inspire your next winter dinner party menu, we’ve gathered 32 of our favorite recipes for every part of your meal.


Appetizers

During every dinner party, there’s that period of time when guests start to arrive, but the host is still finishing things up in the kitchen. The best remedy to this inevitable dinner party woe? A selection of delicious, snackable appetizers to keep guests entertained. Winter is the perfect time of year to lean into warm, cheesy options—like baked brie or a mortadella and provolone tart—but you also can’t go wrong with a classic dip like hummus.

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What Our Line Cook-Turned-Editor Always Keeps in His Kitchen

For the second installment of our series exploring our favorite chefs’, content creators’, and Food52ers’ kitchens and pantries, we turned to our Editorial Assistant, Paul Hagopian. If you’ve spent time on our site, you’ve probably read at least one of…

For the second installment of our series exploring our favorite chefs’, content creators’, and Food52ers’ kitchens and pantries, we turned to our Editorial Assistant, Paul Hagopian. If you’ve spent time on our site, you’ve probably read at least one of his pieces—like the pastry chef who makes “infinite” desserts, the TikTok star disrupting the salmon industry, or his taste-test of 31 nonalcoholic beers. We asked the line cook-turned-writer to tell us the five things always in his kitchen—here’s what he said.


1. Homemade Pickled Jalapeños

To make this super-versatile condiment, Paul boils equal parts white vinegar and water, adds a big pinch of salt, then pours the brine over sliced jalapeños and some smashed garlic cloves. Once the whole thing cools to room temp, just store it in the fridge. Don’t forget about the brine: It’s a great marinade for chicken thighs and other proteins.

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To Bake Like a Scandinavian, Reach for the Cardamom

“The smell of freshly ground cardamom is strong and pungent, and it reminds me of eucalyptus or menthol,” said Nichole Accettola, whose new book, Scandinavian From Scratch: A Love Letter to the Baking of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, hit shelves this we…

“The smell of freshly ground cardamom is strong and pungent, and it reminds me of eucalyptus or menthol,” said Nichole Accettola, whose new book, Scandinavian From Scratch: A Love Letter to the Baking of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, hit shelves this week. Admittedly, it’s a difficult flavor to describe, defying easy categorization. Like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, cardamom is considered a “warming” spice—but, depending on who you talk to (and the variety of cardamom you’re tasting), it can just as easily be described as “peppery,” “smoky,” “citrusy,” “sweet,” “fresh,” “resinous,” or “floral.”

With origins in South India and grown today in India, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania, the practice of using cardamom in cooking and medicine is not a new one. From the earliest recorded mention of the spice in Vedic texts from 3000 B.C. to its use as a perfume, aphrodisiac, and digestive aid in Ancient Greece and Rome, cardamom has, for the last thousand-or-so years, also maintained a stronghold in Scandinavia’s baking scene. “Historians trace its arrival in Scandinavia back to the Middle Ages, when the Moors settled in Spain and traders from the north got hold of the spice,” said Nichole. When used in baked goods, the spice “has a yellow citrusy (lemony-pomelo) pungency”—akin to lemon zest “but with even more depth in flavor.”

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42 Christmas Desserts to Make This Holiday Season

There’s a lot to love about Christmas, but it’s hard to beat the holiday’s extensive—and beloved—dessert selection. Of course, any sweet can qualify as a Christmas dessert, but there are certain flavors and confections we find ourselves especially draw…

There’s a lot to love about Christmas, but it’s hard to beat the holiday’s extensive—and beloved—dessert selection. Of course, any sweet can qualify as a Christmas dessert, but there are certain flavors and confections we find ourselves especially drawn to around the holidays. An assortment of Christmas cookies—from wintry, rosemary-infused shortbread to almond-scented, Italian rainbow cookies—is always a winning choice. You can’t go wrong with traditional chocolate roulades and mince pies. And going the extra mile to make truffles and caramels, or a showstopping Christmas cake or gingerbread tower, will never go unappreciated. Without further ado, here are 42 of our favorite Christmas desserts.


Christmas Cookies & Bars

When you think of Christmas desserts, your mind likely goes straight to cookies: They’re a classic—and arguably essential—part of the festive season. Make a single cookie variety if you’re hoping to keep things simple this year, or try several for the ultimate Christmas cookie spread.

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