Author: Tim Chin

Golden and crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, this Italian-American classic is a family-style classic. The secret to our never-soggy coating is some cornstarch and baking powder in the dredge.

This French dessert gets its name from the way its layers of thinly sliced apple seem to disappear into the light batter that binds them. In a nod to the popularity of gateau invisible in Japan, this version is subtly flavored with salty-sweet white miso, and served with a miso caramel sauce.

Each of these lotus-leaf packages (or parchment packages, if that’s what you have) is filled with a fragrant and delicious mix of winter squash, ground pork, shiitake mushrooms, soy sauce, garlic, and more.

When cabbage ferments into sauerkraut, cucumbers turn into full-sour dills, milk becomes yogurt, and plums transform into umeboshi, we have lactic acid–producing bacteria to thank. Let’s look at the science behind this type of fermentation.

Here are the pros and cons of some of the most popular mixing, kneading, folding, and shaping methods.

One of the key concepts to master for baking great sourdough bread is proper fermentation: This starts with a strong starter and continues through to proofing and baking.

Leftover sourdough starter is transformed into these elegant crackers, flavored with coriander and fennel seed, rye flour, and sparkling wine.

Instead of throwing your excess sourdough starter away, save it for these lacy and thin savory pancake that are seasoned lightly with dashi and flecked with fresh scallions.

This recipe produces a classic oval pain au levain—a sourdough loaf that’s lightly tangy and deeply flavorful.

A diary of two weeks in the life of five sourdough starters made with different flours.