The Most Popular Recipes We Published in 2023

From Philly Cheesesteaks to Egyptian fatta, Serious Eats published (and you enjoyed!) a whole host of classics this year.

Philly Cheesesteak photo with a Reader's favorite graphic
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Each year, we publish a host of new recipes that are rigorously tested, thoughtfully written, and beautifully arted. While we have our favorites, we love seeing which recipes resonate most with you all and keep you coming back for more! We took a look at the data and pulled the top 20 new recipes that went live on the site in 2023—the ones you, our dear readers, clicked on and read the most. 

Unsurprisingly, your favorites corresponded to most of our big projects this year. We dipped into the world of French desserts, and also showed you how to make the most of your farmers market produce. New recipes from our Argentinian and Jamaican cuisine guides got a lot of attention, and we can't forget about 2023’s rice-centric Starch Madness that saw hits like Brazilian galinhada mineira and Vietnamese cơm tấm. You showed us what you loved most, from classics to projects to technique-driven dishes. And a fun fact about this year’s most popular recipes: Every one of our culinary staff—Daniel, Leah, and Genevieve, plus myself—managed to crack the top 20! So without further ado, here are the recipes that you (and us, too, really) kept coming back to. 

Philly Cheesesteaks

Overhead view of two cheesesteaks
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Tender, well-marbled steak, sautéed onions, and melty provolone cheese served in a soft but sturdy hoagie roll define this classic Philly sandwich.

Albóndigas de Ricota (Argentine Ricotta Balls)

Overhead view of albondigas de ricotta on a blue background
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

These ricotta balls are the perfect cheesy vehicle for thick, garlicky red sauce.

Jamaican Curry Chicken

Overhead view of curry chicken with rice and fried plantains
Serious Eats / Karina Matalon

Marinated with an assortment of spices and coated in a rich, creamy gravy, this flavorful curry chicken is a simple and delicious Jamaican staple.

Shack Sauce

Four toasted burger buns open on a baking sheet, each one with three lines of homemade Shack Sauce on the top half of the bun, and lettuce and tomato on the bottom half of the bun.
Serious Eats / Andrew Janjigian

Shake Shack's secretive Shack Sauce is a creamy, tangy condiment for Shack Burgers and other seared sandwiches.

Chocolate Mousse

Side angle view of a spoon lifting up chocolate mousse
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Rich with bittersweet flavor and light as a cloud, chocolate mousse is a simple, elegant dessert that’s deeply satisfying to eat.

Galinhada Mineira (Brazilian Chicken and Rice From Minas Gerais)

Overhead view of Galinhada Mineira in a serving bowl
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

This Brazilian dish is a deeply comforting, one-pot meal of chicken and rice, chock full of peas, carrots, and plenty of garlic and onion.

Peach Crisp

Overhead view of peach crisp served with ice cream
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

With a jammy filling of vanilla-scented peaches beneath a topping of whole-wheat flour, oats, and pecans, this peach crisp tastes like the best of summer.

Soubise (French Onion Sauce)

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Daniel Gritzer

This classic French onion sauce is elegant, luxurious, and incredibly simple to make.

Sautéed Mushrooms

Overhead view of a plate of sauteed mushrooms
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

For savory, meaty-textured, deeply browned mushrooms, start with steam.

Coconut Cream Pie

Slice of coconut creme pie
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Filled with a rich custard and topped with whipped cream and toasted flaked coconut, this coconut cream pie is fragrant, nutty, and a delight to eat.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Side Angle view of Strawberry milkshake
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Made with just a handful of ingredients, this strawberry banana smoothie tastes like a sippable version of strawberries and cream.

Egyptian Fatta

Overhead view of a half of dish of Egyptian fatta
Serious Eats / Jen Causey

Egyptian celebrations aren’t complete without this crowd-pleasing dish of toasted pita, fragrant rice, and slow-cooked beef drizzled in a garlic-vinegar sauce.

Italian-American Pasta Salad

Overhead view of a Italian pasta salad
Serious Eats / Greg Dupree

For a stellar pasta salad, skip the vinaigrette and opt for punchy, briny ingredients like capers and olives.

Buffalo Chicken Salad

Overhead view of buffalo chicken salad
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano

This salad was made for the Buffalo wing lover in your life.

Grill-Baked Skillet Apple Crisp

Overhead view of apple crisp
Serious Eats / Lorena Masso

This bubbly and lightly charred apple crisp is baked directly on the grill to evoke smoky campfire cooking.

Cơm Tấm (Vietnamese Broken Rice)

Overhead view of Vietnamese Broken Rice
Serious Eats / Vy Tran

This iconic Southern Vietnamese dish is piled high with grilled and shredded pork, pork-and-egg meatloaf, fresh and pickled veggies, and a tangy-sweet sauce.

Italian-American Beef Braciole

Overhead view of beef braciole
Serious Eats / Lorena Masso

This homestyle classic features thin slices of beef topped with a savory breadcrumb filling and prosciutto, that's rolled up and braised in a tomato sauce.

Biscuits and Gravy

Overhead view of biscuits and gravy
Serious Eats / Amanda. Suarez

A handful of ingredients and a well-seasoned cast iron skillet are all you need to make this Southern breakfast staple.

Crème Brûlée

Overhead view of creme brulee
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Made well, crème brûlée is a magnificent dessert of silky, vanilla-scented custard beneath a shatteringly crisp topping of caramelized sugar.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Overhead view of homemade taco seasoning in a small bowl
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Making taco seasoning from scratch guarantees a fresher flavor than store-bought mixes—one that you can adjust to your tastes.

Mise en Place #0007: SE Wrapped, Math, and Lots of Commerce Content!

In the seventh installment of our new weekly series, we give you a behind-the-line look at our recipes, Slack conversations, and more.

Overhead view of a mis en place
Serious Eats

While this Monday and Tuesday after Thanksgiving were almost a lost cause (the emails…endless, accumulated emails) we can sincerely say that the SE team is finally back in the groove this week to bring you more recipes and reviews and all things food-related. We’ve still got a month left in the year, people! And we’re intent on finishing it off with a bang. In this week’s Mise en Place, you’ll find a special Serious Eats Wrapped, lots of math surrounding our upcoming Thai recipes, and so much commerce content that you won’t be able to contain your excitement about it. Dive in! 

Serious Eats Wrapped

Top artist, number of minutes listened, yada yada yada—sure, we love sharing our Spotify Wrapped (probably more than we love seeing everyone else’s). But today we see your Spotify wrapped and we raise you our Serious Eats Wrapped: an overview of all the fun and words and reviews that made up our website this year. Is any of it surprising? Not one bit. Is it all fun to see? Absolutely! Some notable stats include a word count of 6,003 from Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm on food subscription boxes and a whopping 101 pizzas made by our commerce team this year to test gear. Can we top these stats next year? Only time will tell! 

We haven’t called it a wrap on the year just yet, so stay tuned for more exciting recipes, reviews, and roundups throughout December!

It’s High Time for Some New Thai Recipes

If you’ve loved the Thai recipes on our site from contributors Derek Lucci and Pailin Chongchitnant, then you’re in luck! The two are back for another round. This past week, Amanda and Daniel hit the studio with Derek and shot five Thai noodle recipes over the course of two days. The math was indeed mathing, with Daniel and Derek doing so much math to make sure the recipes came out flawless.The three studio-goers also consumed 10 bowls of soup (three a piece for Derek and Amanda; a whopping four for Daniel!!) on Tuesday alone. Goals? Goals! 

A behind the scenes sneak peak
A behind-the-scenes look from our shoot day last this Tuesday. Check the site next week to find out what thai noodle soup we were shooting here!Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

These Thai recipes are dropping next week, along with a guide to Thai noodle soups from Pai. They are arguably essential dishes to add to your “How to Defeat the Doom and Gloom of Winter” kitchen kit.

What’s Your Flavor? Tell Me What’s Your Flavor!

Do you have a favorite hot sauce? Because you’d better believe that the SE team does.(We’ve got lots of opinions on just about everything, if you haven’t picked up on yet.) We are hot sauce people through and through. Grace collected some thoughts on staff favorite hot sauces, and while a few of the classics like Cholula and Frank’s Red Hot made the list, there are plenty more that might just become a new discovery (and a new favorite!) for you. Keep an eye out for that roundup next week and get the wings ready! 

There’s more commerce content where that came from! Let it be known that Grace made an ungodly amount of flan for a review of casserole dishes, and she somehow did not get sick of it. What a flan queen! The review will be up next week, along with guides to the best programmable coffee makers, electric pasta machines, coffee percolators, and even a review of a dough sheeter. In the meantime, check out this week’s roundup of the best pasta drying racks. Mamma mia!

Mise En Place #0005: Thanksgiving Eats, Non-Controversial Chili, and Gift Guides Galore

In the fifth installment of our new weekly series, we give you a behind-the-line look at our recipes, Slack conversations, and more.

Collage of images on a texured background
Serious Eats

Another week in the books at Serious Eats. It’s been nothing but utter chaos over here as we prepare for one of the biggest food-centric days of the year, but…we’re managing, as always. Anyway! We’ve got lots of ground to cover this week—much like last week, and the week before, and so on—including our own Thanksgiving plans, gift guides galore, and what turned out to be a non-controversial Cincinnati delight. Let’s get into it, shall we?

Turkey Day Slay

Ladies and potatoes, the time has come—well, almost. We’re in the home stretch! Less than a week from now is The Big Day. No, not the Super Bowl, as Tess seemed to confuse it with when I used the term earlier this week (Editor’s note: Amanda agrees with Tess). Turkey Day! Most of us are usually tasked with making sure our families’ Thanksgiving dinners go off without a hitch—whether that means making a few dishes or taking charge of the whole dang show. This week, we went around the (virtual) table and shared what’s on the menu for said Big Day:

“I'm flying down to NOLA with my family for a big Thanksgiving with 30-plus of my in-laws, and the meal will be catered. I'm actually pretty stoked for it: It's all coming from Cochon Butcher, which I know from prior visits does great food, and the menu reads like exactly the kind of marriage of traditional turkey-day fare with Cajun and Creole influences I would want. One turkey will be smoked, the other stuffed with boudin. The cranberry sauce is flavored with local Satsuma mandarins and the dressing includes shrimp and eggplant. There will be jambalaya and pimento cheese finger sandwiches, platters of cold cuts galore, plus oh-so-many pies and tarts along with a salted caramel doberge cake. The only thing I'm worried about is that I under-ordered, but that's always an anxiety I have and every other time in my life it's led to me grossly overestimating how much we need. Fingers crossed there's too much food this year as well, not because I like waste but because I adore Thanksgiving leftovers.” —Daniel Gritzer, senior culinary director

“It'll just be me, my sister, and my Dad this year. We have yet to make any actual plans, but you know what will be there? Deviled eggs. Obviously.” —Amanda Suarez, associate director, visuals

Collage of deviled eggs
Amanda's deviled eggs will not look nearly as nice as these.Serious Eats

“So for the first time in forever, we're not cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year. (Although my version of "not cooking" still includes roasting the turkey, making a pumpkin pie, and probably a lasagna still). We're going to stay with my mom for the week in OC, NJ and celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. We've decided to order dinner from our favorite local butcher (I guarantee it won't be as amazing as Cochon). I will definitely cook from all of the leftovers, though. Our (new-ish) family tradition is leftover turkey with mole (I don't know what kind yet this year) and freshly made tortillas. I might turn it into leftover turkey enchiladas, and reference Kenji's chicken enchilada recipe.” —Leah Colins, senior culinary editor 

“I found out someone who has a dairy, egg, grape, and cruciferous vegetable allergy is coming to my Thanksgiving. So I don't want to talk about anything. Suffice to say, ALL MY PLANS WENT OUT THE WINDOW." —Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm, senior commerce editor

“1) Leche flan (pumpkin-ified). CANT STOP WONT STOP. 2) After hearing such high praises of SE's sage and sausage stuffing, I'll be making that to compete with classic, beloved boxed stuffing for a seat at the table. (It might come to blows, idk). 3) John is making Kenji's smoked turkey, and we're looking to get the skin all crackly and crispy (rather than tough and chewy, an issue we've had with chicken skin in the past). Fingers crossed!” —Grace Kelly, associate commerce editor

“We always do a different country’s traditional Christmas meal for Thanksgiving, so this year we’re doing an Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes with cioppino and maybe this squid ink pasta.” —Jesse Raub, commerce writer

Our culinary team not cooking much this year? We’re shocked! But also, they deserve a break. Grace making leche flan for the 3587th time this year? That tracks. Jesse, we’re obsessed with your family’s tradition and can’t wait to see the results. And Amanda, deviled eggs are always an excellent choice—let us know how many you end up downing. Our condolences to you Riddley for the loss of your dream Thanksgiving, but we’re eager to know what you come up with to still make it special. Please share!

As for me? My family will have the usual suspects (turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, etc.), along with my mom's "world-famous" stuffed mushrooms (if I say it's famous on a food website circulating the internet, then that makes it true, right?)—those will probably be the first to go. I’ve also taken it upon myself to switch up our typical Costco pumpkin pie with Arlyn’s pumpkin chiffon one instead, which I haven’t stopped thinking about since I made the decision to make it this week. 

If our own feasts don’t inspire yours, we don’t know what will!

Time for Some Cincinnati Chili. Play Nice, Everyone! 

Here at SE, we love food opinions—yours, ours, anyone’s really. A little controversy never hurt anybody! When we started working with Jed Portman on a Cincinnati chili recipe, we were ready for an onslaught of reactions. To locals, the dish is a delicacy, but to many outside of the city and the state of Ohio, it can tend to induce horror. But as Jed notes, “It’s noodles, Mediterranean-spiced meat sauce, and cheese. What’s not to like?” Louder, Jed!!!

To our surprise, once we dropped the recipe on Instagram this past Wednesday, the comments were nothing short of pleasant and lovely. Even those who weren’t a fan of the dish encouraged others to enjoy it as they see fit. Jed even mentioned that he was “tired of defending the dish,” but looks like he didn’t even need to. See what happens when we all play nice? Well done everybody, I had faith. 

The only question we’re left with is: How much cheese is too much cheese? Does the limit exist? Just say when!

‘Tis the Season

Mariah Carey may think she was the first to welcome the holiday season on November 1st this year, but it—news flash—it was actually our commerce team! They’ve been hard at work for weeks—nay, months—putting together a slew of gift guides to kick off your holiday shopping. No, these are not your boring list of 20 products you already thought of or that no one needs. These babies are curated, okay!!

There is—and we cannot emphasize this enough—truly something for everyone. And if you need even more of a reason to start shopping, check out these early Black Friday deals our commerce team discovered! As the saying goes: happy shopping!

Mise En Place #0002: Yukon Golds, Candy Corn Discourse, and Tea (Lots of It)

In the second installment of our new weekly series, we give you a behind-the-line look at our recipes, Slack conversations, and more.

A collage of a pumpkin spice latte, chai, and candy corn
Serious Eats

We’re back this week with another round of Mise en Place, a new and casual weekly update giving you a behind-the-line look at all the things that made Serious Eats, well, Serious Eats this week. We're just trying to get to know you better, and also navigate our difficult-to-navigate website. Let’s get into the chaos, shall we?

Some Piping Hot Tea For Ya

Amanda has dubbed this moment in time “squarely tea season,” which is fitting since we just dropped our recipes for chai and teh tarik. With the days getting shorter and the impending gloom of winter nearing, what better way to bring some joy into our lives and also fight the sniffles? (This would be a great place to add that it was just this week we learned that one of Tess's personal icks is the word “sniffles.” Turns out she feels “unwell” or “snotty” does the trick. We've not yet come to an official conclusion on whether or not we will be banning “sniffles” on Serious Eats, but we will keep you updated). We'd be remiss if we didn't re-up Daniel’s new-ish pumpkin spice latte, purchase a sunrise lamp (or a few), and consume a hefty daily dose of vitamin D…we’re doing what we can over here! 

Where Did All the Yukon Golds Go?

When we got a reader email this week—we love these, by the way!!—with the subject line: “Where are the Yukon Gold potatoes?” We were intrigued! One Carlo Vogel reached out to us (and several other food publications) this week with a genuine concern: While several food websites call specifically for Yukon Gold potatoes in their recipes, Mr. Vogel "[has] not found Yukon Gold potatoes in dozens of different stores for several years.” In fact, he went on to clarify, “there are lots of people who are literal enough and afraid to screw up a recipe that they will drive to multiple stores looking specifically for YG in vain.” And to that we say…we’re on the case, sir. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, Leah pointed us to this excerpt from Vegetables Illustrated, a Cook’s Illustrated book she worked on in her previous role : 

The Yukon Gold potato, though yellow fleshed, is a cross between a yellow and a white potato and is usually labeled as such. A “yellow” or “gold” potato is not a Yukon Gold potato, but all three potatoes have similar starch contents and flavors and can be used interchangeably in recipes.

The mystery remains, but don’t let that stop you from leading a potato-inspired life!!

The Candy Corn Discourse Is Out of Control…

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Who doesn’t have any opinion on candy corn? Is it a good opinion? Do you know how your coworkers feel about it? I’m afraid that I do…

If you didn’t already know, our very own Tess Koman is probably candy corn’s biggest fan (yes, candy corn). Every year she conducts a staff poll that goes something like: “What’s everyone’s opinion on candy corn? If you hate it, you suck.”

Every year she begins to insert her candy corn discourse into our Slack conversations [Ed. note: Yasmine, we've been working together for two years!!], slowly as fall approaches, then a lot more frequently around Halloween—or until she’s finished the last of her candy corn for the year, whichever comes first. Does anyone else have such strong feelings about these cone-shaped sweet bombs (and tooth destroyers)? Honestly, we’re afraid to ask.

Anyway, if you, a normal human, also can’t stand candy corn, might I suggest these spooky marshmallow sandwich cookies instead? ‘Tis the season!

Let’s Get Steamy

a fork poking a piece of broccoli in a steamer basket
Serious Eats/Irvin Lin

It may be squarely tea season, but it’s also squarely steam season around these parts. No, it’s not what you think! The commerce team has been hard at work testing bamboo steamers with everything from broccoli to salmon filets and, of course, frozen soup dumplings. Because no, we can never have enough dumplings, and yes, we will only be making them with the best possible steamer we can find! Contributor Irvin Lin tackled this testing and more in his newly published review: “To this day, when I smell the particular scent of a bamboo steamer in use, I get sent back to being 12 again,” he writes, “anxiously awaiting my first taste of my mom’s homemade steamed pork buns.” Irvin, do you think your mom will have us over sometime soon? We'll have to settle for making our frozen dumplings in the top-rated bamboo steamer in the meantime.

What is Coriander?

How to buy, store, and cook with the golden, floral spice.

Cascade of ground coriander followed by whole coriander seeds.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

“Some of the most humble seeds in your cupboard can be so exquisite because they're little hidden portals,” says Claire Cheney, founder and self-proclaimed “Blender-in-Chief” of Curio Spice, a spice shop in Cambridge, Massachusetts. That’s what Cheney thinks about coriander, a spice that gets her arguably more excited than the others constantly stocked in her pantry. She credits this enthusiasm to its endless versatility.

Coriander is a citrusy, floral spice that pairs well with a number of other spices. The seed is native to Europe and the Mediterranean region, but is used in cuisines across the world, including South Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. But what is it about the seed that makes it so special, and how is it most effectively used in the kitchen? We talked to Cheney about the ins and outs of coriander seeds—including how to shop for them and how they’re used—during which time she continued to sing their praises high and low. 

What is Coriander?

Closeup of corainder seeds against a yellow background.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Coriander seeds come from the same plant as cilantro, the Coriandrum sativum plant, which is a member of the carrot (Apiaceae) family, along with celery, fennel, and cumin. The seeds are the dried fruit of the plant. They’re grown in a cool climate and have an earthy, sweet, citrusy taste and a floral aroma. 

“I think the floral nature of coriander is very accessible and refreshing in a sense,” says Cheney. “The dominant flavor compound in coriander is called linalool, which is one of the most common scents in many flowers. It's in orange blossom, lilacs, lily of the valley, so we're not just saying it's floral! It’s fun to draw that connection.” While these flavors don’t have the taste of coriander (and, to be clear, we don't condone actually tasting them), they share a similar floral aroma.

“Coriander has a kind of unifying effect in spice blends,” says Cheney. “It can amalgamate disparate flavors and draw together intense edgy flavors that might otherwise not create harmony in a spice mix. There's something about its light, airy quality and also that floral characteristic that kind of draws other flavors together.” Its trademark qualities make it a great partner to other spices (more on that in a bit!), and it’s gentle enough that it’s almost never overpowering. 

How to Buy and Store Coriander

Coriander—both ground and whole–can be found at most grocery stores and international markets. When it comes to shopping for the spice, there are a few things to look out for to ensure you’re buying a quality product. Most importantly, you’ll want to make sure all the coriander seeds are whole. Broken seeds indicate lower quality and also won’t taste fresh. “Anytime those seeds are broken, the oils are escaping, and it can also spoil the rest of it,” says Cheney. “That's true of any whole spice, but particularly with coriander.”

Color is also a key indicator of good coriander seeds. “You want to look for a light golden color, avoiding browner seeds or even jars that contain a mixture of colors,” notes Cheney. “That generally means there's older stuff mixed in with newer stuff. You want a consistent color, which should be a light golden yellow-brown.”

With most spices, Serious Eats (along with Cheney) recommends buying them whole and grinding them as needed, which will give you a fresher taste; this holds especially true with coriander. “The notes are so volatile that unless you're really vigilant about keeping ground coriander in the freezer, [they] won't maintain those fresh, springy flavors for very long,” says Cheney.

However, if you do opt to buy ground coriander, Cheney recommends looking out for grinds with a coaster texture. “I'm always suspect of finer textures in the spice world,” she says. She notes that in the commodity spice market, lower quality spices often fail inspection because of what can be mixed with them—sticks, rocks, and even hair. “The FDA has certain rules about what’s passible, so a lot of times, importing ground spices is the way to ensure that that stuff can't be detected,” she says, “but it's there, and that's gross.” When spices are ground finely, it’s easier to hide these imperfections, but coarse ground spices are more likely to reveal those flaws. In addition to a coarser texture, look for a consistent particle size and color, as spices can fade if they’re being stored improperly. 

And when it comes to storage, just like any of your other spices, you’ll want to store coriander in a tightly sealed, non-porous jar and tuck it away in a cool, dry, dark place, such as a drawer or cabinet. Cheney also suggests storing the seeds in the freezer—especially if you don’t use them often—to preserve their freshness; make sure they are completely dry and then simply seal them tightly in a zipper-lock bag. Stored properly, good quality coriander seeds will last for about a year before they start to lose flavor.

How to Cook With Coriander

Coriander is a component of many different cuisines, from Middle Eastern and South Asian to South American and Asian. It’s often used whole for its texture, since it lends a nice light crunch. The spice is used in Indian cuisine in curries, tadka, and garam masala, while many Latin American and Mexican cuisines will use it in preparations of sauces, soups, and beans, and Egyptians even use it in their preparation of dukkah. It serves as an excellent component for a spice rub for a number of meats like duck, chicken, and fish, especially when slowly braised. Because of its ability to meld so well without other flavors instead of standing out, coriander also works particularly well in many sweet applications—like cookies, crumbles, and dessert sauces—where it brightens and deepens buttery flavors. 

One of Cheney’s “next-level” coriander applications involves generously coating scallops by rolling them in the freshly crushed spice and then frying them in butter. Other ways she suggests using it involve incorporating it with cumin seeds and tossing them into a grain or Caesar salad, or sprinkling them over roasted vegetables or nutty soups. Cheney particularly loves crushing them and adding them atop fresh, in-season tomatoes sprinkled with salt and a little bit of garlic. 

“You can pair it with so many flavors and it'll be pleasing and uplifting,” she says. “It's like someone at a dinner party who can talk to anyone."

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Making taco seasoning from scratch guarantees a fresher flavor than store-bought mixes—one that you can adjust to your tastes.

Overhead view of homemade taco seasoning in a small bowl
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

While I’m not dedicated to Taco Tuesday on a weekly basis, every now and then, a homemade taco hits the spot, especially when I need a substantial meal in a pinch. It was a move my mom used to make from time to time, throwing a packet of taco seasoning into some ground beef and serving it with fixings like hard and soft taco shells, diced tomato, lettuce, sour cream, cilantro, avocado, and shredded cheese. It was a dinner that didn’t require much planning or thought, but was nevertheless a satisfying one. 

The “taco seasoning” most of us are familiar with is more a product of Tex-Mex cuisine than it is Mexican. It features a combination of chile peppers, warm spices, and more, to create a seasoning for ground beef and other meats and proteins that is nearly synonymous with the old ad slogan, "Pass the Old El Paso." 

Overhead view of taco seasoning before being mixed
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

While the origins of taco seasoning itself are a bit murky, the American taco—the kind we eat in a hard shell, usually with spiced beef and topped with ingredients like shredded iceberg lettuce, pre-grated cheddar cheese, and chopped tomatoes or salsa—is a product of convenience-era foods built on top of a deeper history of tacos in Mexico and the Southwestern U.S. 

The popularity of Mexican tacos increased in the 19th century, and northern Mexico specifically was known for its beef. And while soft-shell tacos made with fresh tortillas are more the norm in Mexico, hard-shell tacos made from fried tortillas exist there too: Tacos dorados, taquitos, and flautas are just a few examples.

According to Atlas Obscura, the marriage of beef and crispy tortillas to create the American taco was partly a consequence of the invention of chili powder, a store-bought item not found in Mexico. “Chili powder was first sold in 1894 by its inventor, Texan-by-way-of-Germany Willie Gebhardt, for use in chili,” Dan Nosowitz writes. “Gebhardt was unable to find the chile peppers he wanted year-round, and so bought a huge stockpile of the peppers, which were probably ancho, and ran them through a meat grinder a few times to pulverize them. He later began selling the powder already made—a huge convenience for anyone wanting to make the then-trendy chili.”

Later on in the 1950s, Glen Bell, the creator of Taco Bell, invented the pre-formed taco shell, and in the 1960s, Old El Paso and Ashley’s started selling taco-making kits, chili-spice included. These ingredients all came together to establish the American taco as a popular dinner-time meal. It's arguably not an accident that the American taco is so similar in ingredients to a classic hamburger: A comfortingly familiar set of ingredients made just “ethnic” enough for many Americans to feel like they were branching out and trying authentic Mexican food. 

Why Make Your Own Taco Seasoning

One of the more obvious reasons to make your own taco seasoning is that you can adjust the ratios of ingredients to meet your own personal taste. I found that many pre-made taco seasonings on the market are loaded with salt—one of them even listed it as the first ingredient—which on the one hand might be fine, but salt is generally something we want to control the level of independent of other ingredients (which is also why we tend to avoid salted butter in recipes; it's not bad, it's just limiting). Want less salt? When making taco seasoning from scratch, you can adjust it. Want more of a kick? You can adjust that, too—just add more chile powder. 

Overhead view of mixed taco seasoning
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Making taco seasoning from scratch also guarantees a fresher flavor, especially if you’re using fresh spices, which you should. It’s worth seeking out spices from specialty purveyors who share where their ingredients come from and who harvested them. And if you want even fresher flavor, you can start with whole spices and grind them yourself once you’re ready to make the taco seasoning.  

It’s important to note that while making your own mix will create a fresher flavor, the homemade mix still has a short shelf life. After a few weeks, the mix will start to lose its intensity and vibrancy, and after a month or two, it’ll be just as good as those stale packets you pick up from the store. Given this, we recommend making a quarter cup at a time, which is just about enough for a meal or two, and storing it in a cool, dry place in an airtight container. 

Taco Seasoning Uses

Before getting into suggested uses, there's one important technical tip: Don't throw your meat into a pan and then add the taco seasoning after that. This will steam the seasoning as the meat releases its moisture, and while the seasoning may develop its flavor once that moisture has evaporated and browning has begun, the effect is likely to be more limited. Instead, bloom the taco seasoning in a couple tablespoons of hot oil or another fat first: The spices's flavor molecules are largely fat-soluble, which means they will dissolve more readily into the oil. At the same time, as the taco seasoning heats and toasts in the oil, its flavor will become more fragrant and complex. Just make sure to add the meat before the taco seasoning scorches.

The most obvious use for taco seasoning is in meat for at-home tacos—anything from chicken to ground beef, but you can also use it to make vegetarian fillings for tacos like sauteed mushrooms or tofu. You’ll want to start by blooming two tablespoons of seasoning in hot oil or another fat of your choice before adding in your protein, be it ground beef, vegetables, tofu, etc. 

side view of taco meat
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

In a pinch, you can also use taco seasoning to spice up homemade fajitas. (In general, fajitas tend to be less spicy, with more of a cumin flavor, so your fajitas will be a bit different with taco seasoning, but you can always add some more cumin if you have it on hand.) You can also use the mix outside of normal taco uses, including as a spice rub for grilled meats and vegetables. It’s a versatile spice mix that offers warmth and heat to whatever you use it with.

In a small bowl, thoroughly stir together all ingredients. Transfer to an airtight container and store in a cool, dry, dark place for up to 2 months.

Two image collage of taco seasoning before and after being mixed
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

To Use Taco Seasoning

For 1 pound (454g) ground meat, such as ground beef: In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as vegetable or canola) over medium heat until shimmering. Add 2 tablespoons taco seasoning and cook, stirring, until it smells lightly toasted. Add ground meat and cook, stirring and breaking up with a wooden spoon, until meat is evenly coated in taco seasoning and lightly browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Season with additional salt, to taste, if desired. Transfer to a serving bowl and keep warm. 

Notes

Cornstarch helps make ground beef juicier and less watery as it cooks. If you don’t plan to use the taco seasoning for meat, then you can omit this ingredient. 

Make Ahead and Storage

The taco seasoning can be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry, dark place for up to 2 months.

What is Star Anise?

What it is, where it comes from, and how to use it.

Overhead view of star anise on a plate on a purple background
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Whenever Barkha Cardoz is making rice, she can always count on a warm, earthy aroma to envelop her when she opens the lid. Cardoz, the founder of Cardoz Legacy, a culinary organization honoring her late husband, celebrity chef Floyd, looks forward to that feeling every time and attributes it to star anise.

The heady, licorice-like spice can be found in many Asian and South Asian cuisines, in everything from garam masala to Sichuan lamb noodle soup. The spice’s strong and notable aroma is what makes it so enticing as an ingredient in cooking, and it can be used both whole and ground. 

Overhead view of scattered star anise pods
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

To find out more about star anise, including how to shop for it and how it's used, we spoke to Cardoz for some guidance. 

What is Star Anise?

Star anise is a dry fruit that comes from the Illicium verum plant, an evergreen shrub or small tree native to southern Asia. China is the main producer of the spice, but it’s also cultivated in Japan, India, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The fruit is a reddish brown color that resembles wood and, as noted by its name, is star-shaped, usually with eight points. Each of these points contain a seed. It is harvested before it reaches ripeness and dried before being sold. 

Star anise is only distantly related to the anise seed. The former is much stronger, with a bitter, herbaceous taste and barely perceptible sweetness, while the latter has a natural, more identifiable sweetness to it. Both spices are known for their licorice flavor. “It's different from cinnamon but it's in that same flavor profile of sweetness,” says Cardoz. Star anise is also an ingredient that’s traditionally found in Chinese five-spice powder, along with cloves, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, and fennel seeds. 

How to Buy and Store Star Anise

When shopping for star anise, Cardoz suggests looking for pods that are whole, with the star shape intact instead of broken into pieces, which is more indicative of quality than flavor. “You want it to be whole because that shows you it's been cared for, it's not leftover pieces that they put it in a bag and are selling it to you,” says Cardoz. When stored in a cool, dry, dark place, whole star anise will last about one year, while ground star anise will last about six months before losing its flavor. 

Overhead view of. a single star anise pod in a small bowl
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Most spice and international markets carry star anise, usually in both whole and ground form. Ground star anise can be found in the spice aisle of most grocery stores. Given that star anise has a very powerful flavor, it can be much easier to control it by buying the whole pods and grinding them yourself. 

How to Cook With Star Anise

In most Asian and South Asian cuisines, star anise is used to flavor vegetables, meats, and soups like Vietnamese Phở Saigon. The spice also has baking applications, and can be found as an ingredient in pumpkin spice blends. It’s often used in mulled wines. 

For Cardoz, star anise is very much a part of her usual cooking. “I don't use it ground as much as I use the whole pods,” she says. “I'll normally use it if I'm making a pilau, a biryani, or a rich meat curry. I find the sweet, earthy, musky flavors lend itself more to the heavy sauces, gravies, and curries.” 

She notes that in Indian cooking, ground star anise is rarely used on its own but instead incorporated into different garam or house masalas, which often include other spices like cinnamon, cloves, and peppercorns. “I'll use it whole, mainly to flavor rice and meats, and then pull it out.” She also mentions it can be steeped as a tea with cinnamon, which is especially helpful when you’re feeling under the weather. 

“For me, star anise is one of those royal whole spices,” says Cardoz. “It's not something you use in everyday cooking; it's elevated and special.” 

Homemade Labaneh

A Middle Eastern staple, this strained and lightly salted yogurt is often served at breakfast or as a snack drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with za’atar, and scooped up with pita bread.

Overhead view of labaneh on a plate drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and served with pita bread.
Amanda Suarez / Serious Eats

Labaneh was something my Palestinian mom has always eaten regularly with fervor, often serving it as a makeshift dinner alongside other simple dishes like sauteed tomatoes, hummus, and scrambled eggs when we didn’t really feel like cooking. But while I grew up eating labaneh, it took time for my own appreciation to grow because as a kid, I hated it. 

When I first wrote about labaneh, the opportunity to develop a recipe presented itself. My editors were enthusiastic, my parents were excited, and I, on the other hand, was a ball of nervousness. I consider myself a capable home cook, but turning milk into a completely different ingredient was intimidating to me. As a result, I put off developing this recipe for almost a year. 

Eventually I mustered up the courage and turned to Daniel’s homemade yogurt recipe, which would serve as the basis for this labaneh recipe—much of the initial labaneh process is the same as any other yogurt. Where labaneh differs is first that it’s strained, which removes whey from the yogurt and thickens it to a rich and creamy consistency, similar to cream cheese. Yogurt can be strained to make different types of strained yogurt like Greek yogurt, but labaneh should be strained even further to achieve a thick, spreadable consistency. Equally importantly, labaneh is seasoned with salt, which is another key characteristic that distinguishes it from Greek and other strained yogurts.

Daniel's yogurt instructions were simple enough, so I told myself I’d try making it once just to see what happened, and that if it didn’t work out, I’d give myself time to work out any kinks.

I grabbed a large pot, a half gallon of milk, and a thermometer and got to work. Scalding the milk, an essential first step when making yogurt, turned out to be quite therapeutic. The goal is to bring it up to between 180 and 190°F and hold it there for at least ten and up to 30 minutes. This not only drives off some water, concentrating the milk, but also alters the milk's proteins, resulting in a silkier final yogurt.

After cooling the milk to about 110°F, a low enough temperature to introduce the live cultures that will turn the milk into yogurt without killing them, I then stirred in a couple tablespoons of yogurt. Once I got to that point, the rest of the recipe was in the hands of fate, or biology, really. It was also a test of my patience: The now cultured milk needed to inoculate overnight. I put it in a jar, wrapped a towel around it, and left it in the oven with the light turned on, saying a silly little prayer in hopes that it would all go well.

Wrapping your yogurt in a towel and setting it in a turned-off oven with the light on can help keep it just warm enough.

The next morning, I ran to the kitchen to check in on my experiment. I opened the oven to find what I had been hoping and praying for: yogurt. I shouldn’t have been as surprised as I was, given that I followed the directions, but the whole process felt like magic.

From there, I grew confidence. I let the yogurt sit out at room temperature for the rest of the day, then transferred it to the fridge overnight. The next morning, I began the day-long straining process to remove excess whey from the yogurt and thicken it to labaneh's proper consistency.

What I found the next morning was a thick, spreadable yogurt, drained of much of its whey, that was reminiscent of the labaneh I was familiar with. Once I added salt, it was everything my taste buds could have ever dreamed of. I was immediately brought back to those childhood dinners, now savoring every bite instead of detesting it. Making labaneh from start to finish was a practice in trust and a test of my patience, and I happily succeeded. 

Strained labaneh sitting over a bowl with the whey that was drained from it
Amanda Suarez / Serious Eats

The real mark of success though? My mom took one bite and told me my homemade labaneh was better than the store-bought version we’d been eating for years. That alone is enough to get me back in the kitchen, because not only is labaneh a part of my life, now homemade labaneh is too.

Overhead view of labaneh on a blue plate, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper

I started off with 56.5 ounces of yogurt and finished with 25.3 ounces of labaneh (which came out to 2 ⅔ cups), but the beginning and end weights can vary. For salting, I added ¾ teaspoon of salt, but it’s best to start off small and add more to your liking, otherwise you risk oversalting.

In a medium saucepan or saucier, heat milk gently over medium heat until it reaches 180°F (82°C) on an instant-read thermometer. Keep the milk between 180 and 190°F (82 to 88°C) for at least 10 minutes and up to 30 minutes (how long you hold the milk at this temperature will change how much water steams off and how concentrated the milk proteins and fats end up, changing the final texture of the yogurt; there's no one right way to do it).

Allow the milk to cool to about 110°F (43°C). In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt with a few spoonfuls of the warm milk, then scrape the yogurt mixture into the pot of lukewarm milk. Stir well to distribute the yogurt culture.

Transfer the cultured milk to glass jars, the vessels of a yogurt maker, an Indian clay yogurt pot, or whatever incubating device you may have, such as a slow cooker or Instant Pot.

Cover the jars and keep warm; how you do this depends on what you have at home. You can submerge the jars up to their necks in the temperature-controlled water of an immersion circulator (set to 110°F or the incubation temperature of your choosing); place them in a turned-off oven with the light switched on; wrap them in kitchen towels and hold them in a warm place; submerge them in 110°F water held in a cooler; use a yogurt maker, etc.

Using an immersion circulator to incubate homemade yogurt.

How long it takes the yogurt to set will depend on the temperature at which it is held. This can be as short as 3 or 4 hours and as long as 18 hours. Once the yogurt has set, allow it to sit out at room temperature for up to an additional 12 hours to ensure a strong culture; if you're working with a culture you know well, you may not need to let it sit out for so long, especially if you don't want it to grow too sour. There's no one good rule here except to give the yogurt the time it needs to sour and thicken properly.

Line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth or a large coffee filter and set it over a large bowl. Spoon the yogurt into the prepared strainer, transfer to the refrigerator, and allow the whey to drip out until the yogurt has thickened to your desired level, about 24 hours (labaneh should be thicker than Greek yogurt). You should have about 2 1/2 to 3 cups strained yogurt at this point (you can drink the drained whey or use it in some baked goods or other preparations.)

Yogurt in a cheesecloth set over a bowl
Amanda Suarez / Serious Eats

Transfer strained yogurt to a mixing bowl and stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt until evenly distributed, then taste and add additional salt, if desired (labaneh should be noticeably seasoned but not taste strongly salted). Transfer the labaneh to an airtight container and keep refrigerated.

Notes

You can use milk of any fat percentage, though whole milk will yield the richest results; you can also use homogenized or creamline milk; pasteurized milk will work, but try to avoid ultra-pasteurized products, which can have trouble setting properly.

You can use any store-bought plain yogurt or labaneh with active live cultures, or spoon some of your homemade labaneh into a future batch; all will work beautifully. If you use a freeze-dried yogurt culture, follow the manufacturer's instructions. (It's worth mentioning that different types of yogurt can have different microbial profiles, so using store-bought labaneh may get you a little closer to the real deal than other yogurts, though in my tests I didn't notice much of a difference; they all worked well.) Just make sure to pick out a yogurt that doesn’t contain stabilizers, as they can affect draining. 

Special Equipment

3-quart saucepan or saucier, instant-read thermometer, fine-mesh strainer, cheesecloth or large coffee filter

Make-Ahead and Storage

The labaneh can be refrigerated for up to two weeks.

How to Elevate Boxed Cake Mix

A list of tested additions to make your next box of cake mix taste a little less out-of-the-box.

Overhead view of various tests of cakes
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Here’s the thing about boxed cake mixes: there’s absolutely nothing wrong with them, and they exist for a reason. While we’ve got plenty of homemade cake recipes to choose from when you’re in the mood for a baking project, sometimes you need to whip up something sweet and satisfying, stat—whether for an impromptu get-together or because you forgot a loved one’s birthday (oops!). 

That doesn't mean cake mix can't be improved, though. There are plenty of add-ins you can use to deepen the flavor and/or texture of the cake, like nuts, spices, freeze-dried fruit, and flavorful fats like brown butter. While there are many options for customizing cake batter, you can’t just fold in whatever you want. Cake mixes are carefully designed food products that are engineered to work just right if you follow the package directions. They make the process incredibly easy, often not even requiring essential cake-batter steps like creaming butter and sugar. But that also means that alterations to the basic formula can sometimes have unintended and undesirable effects.

Overhead view of various cake batter additions tested
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

In doing research for this piece, we came across dozens of articles on this same topic that offered a variety of suggestions we were more than a little skeptical of. There's a good chance many of those articles never tested the tips they were sharing (because, LOL, that's the internet these days, don't you love it?). But we're a different kind of food brand, one that stands by its recommendations and roots them in real testing, so that's what we did here, cooking up round after round of boxed cake mix with different ingredients added, all so we could tell you which ideas are good and which…aren't. 

While all of these ideas are for modifying the mix itself, one of the better roads to making a boxed cake mix taste more homemade and special is to make a frosting from scratch. Whether you prefer American or German buttercream, whipped cream, or ganache, whipping up a homemade frosting usually takes no more than 10 minutes, making it an easy option for a more personal touch. Once you frost your cake, you can decorate it with sprinkles, cookie crumbs, broken pretzels or potato chips, fresh or candied fruit, or anything else that’s calling to you. 

What follows is a list of additions—some recommended, some acceptable, and some we most definitely advise against using—all scaled for a 15.25 ounce package (which is fairly standard) to make your next box of cake mix taste a little less out-of-the-box. 

How We Tested

In order to get started, we identified the boxed-mix “upgrades” we were most doubtful of or just curious about. We wanted to see in what ways each add-in altered the flavor and the texture of the cake, whether negatively or positively. Did the additions affect how the cake rose, how it browned, or how it domed? Was there a change in the crumb? Did the ingredients add to the experience of eating the cake or take away from it? We then bought multiple boxes of the same cake mix, followed the package directions exactly as written, and mixed each sample for the same amount of time with whatever modification we were making. 

The results are as follows: "recommended" modifications are ones we're confident will not harm most boxed cake batters, and in many cases stand to improve them, or, at the very least, alter them in pleasing ways; "acceptable" modifications are ones we didn't think were particularly good, but also didn't do anything outright objectionable to the cake—we probably wouldn't do any of them, but one could; "not recommended" additions are ones we found to be unappealing or downright disgusting, and don't think they should be on any list of cake-batter mods.

Recommended 

Spices

Perhaps the simplest way to add a subtle boost of flavor is incorporating spices into your cake mix. Cinnamon and nutmeg are obvious choices, but other good options include cardamom, allspice, and star anise. You’ll want to be mindful of pairings: Try saffron (which is best bloomed in fat or liquid before adding to the mix), cardamom, or lavender with white chocolate frosting, or a variety of peppercorns with berries and stone fruit for topping your cake. It’s best to start off with small amounts, like 1/2 a teaspoon. Use your sense of smell to gauge whether or not you should add more, and take notes so you can refine your spice levels on future batches. 

Malted Milk Powder

Former Serious Eats editor and baker extraordinaire Stella Parks has called malted milk powder the "umami bomb" of baking. The ingredient adds a depth of toasty, savory flavor similar to butterscotch or toffee, as well as a bit of creamy richness. You can add anywhere from a teaspoon to a tablespoon to enhance your cake. 

Nut and Seed Butters

Adding nut and seed butters—whether you opt for almond butter, peanut butter, tahini, or pistachio paste—can significantly change the flavor of your cake for the better, giving it a nutty richness. We tested these additions both as swirls, in which we only slightly thinned the nut butter with some batter, then swooshed it into the mix without fully incorporating it, and also as a fully-incorporated flavoring. Swirling was not great—it created a gummy texture in the pasty swirled portions—but whisking half a cup of cake batter with half a cup of nut butter before fully mixing it with the rest of the batter resulted in a cake with a more even distribution of flavor and enjoyable texture. 

Overhead view of before and after baking a cake with nut butter
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Browned Butter

Replacing the butter or oil called for on the box with browned butter is a great way to add nutty, toasted notes to your cake. Just be careful not to burn it, and make sure it cools to room temperature before you incorporate it into your batter.  

Freeze-Dried Fruit

Stella has raved about the power of freeze-dried fruit in desserts before. When ground into a powder, the fruit can easily be incorporated into cake batter or frosting for an intense fruitiness and vivid color. Though some recipes (including Stella’s double-strawberry cake) call for up to 3 cups of freeze-dried fruit, we recommend starting with half a cup. Just be wary of adding too much, as it can throw off the flavor and texture of your cake.

Sprinkles and Chocolate Chips

Forgot to pick up the funfetti cake mix? Just add sprinkles to your batter (and your frosting) instead. If you opt for chocolate chips, you may want to dust them in a bit of flour to ensure they’re evenly distributed and don’t sink to the bottom of the cake when baking. 

High-Quality Extracts

Even if you’re making cake from the box, it never hurts to spike it with a quality extract. With extracts—anything from lemon and almond extract to rose or orange flower water, not to mention high-quality vanilla—a little bit goes a long way. Just about 1/2 of a teaspoon should do the trick, though it will depend on the extract. Some are potent enough to pack plenty of flavor with just a few drops, while others can be measured in as described. When in doubt, it's best to start with less and use your sense of smell to gauge whether or not you want to add more. 

Orange or Lemon Zests

Freshly grated lemon or orange zest will add freshness and give the cake a bit of zing. The zest of one lemon or orange should be enough for a box of batter. 

Food Coloring

Food coloring is a fun way and easy way to (literally) brighten up your cake, especially if you’re making it for a kid’s birthday party. If you’re making a layer cake, you can divide the batter and add a few drops to each cake layer to create different colors before baking and stacking. This is an addition that works best on a white or yellow cake, since colors won't show up as well on darker mixes like chocolate. 

Instant Espresso Powder

Instant espresso powder pairs especially well with chocolate and enhances its cocoa flavor, but you can also use it in a yellow or white cake batter. Adding about one teaspoon should be enough. 

Sour Cream

For a cake with some extra tang that fluffs up nicely, adding sour cream is the way to go. You’ll want to add about 1/4 cup per box of cake mix. The only thing to note about this technique is that in our testing, it created some tunnels and tubes throughout the cake that may affect how the inside crumb looks to those with a more detailed eye. We think the flaw is a small price to pay for a decent boost of flavor, but consider yourself warned! 

Overhead view of before and after sourcream getting added to cake mix
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Acceptable

Replacing Butter With Olive Oil

Many websites recommend swapping out the recommended amount of butter or oil on the box with olive oil, presumably in an effort to recreate the flavor of an olive oil cake. We found that, while the olive oil flavor came through in the final cake, it doesn't match quite well enough with the flavor of the boxed mix to really taste like a proper olive oil cake. The effect is more like a kiddie birthday party cake that just happens to taste faintly of olive oil. It's not a total fail, but it's not the best either.

Two image collage of before and after adding olive oil to cake batter
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Nuts and Candied/Dried Fruit

The addition of nuts and dried or candied fruit (such as citron, citrus peel, or even ginger) can add both flavor and texture to a boxed mix, but they did seem a little odd and out of place in a light and fluffy cake—this trick tends to work better in a denser, more rustic dessert like banana bread or carrot cake. If you decide to go this route (which is a bit unexpected and not quite a natural fit), you’ll want to cut the nuts or fruit into small pieces, then dust them in a bit of flour before adding them to the batter; this will prevent them from sinking to the bottom and instead will allow the ingredient to be evenly distributed. 

Overhead view of fruit before and after being added to cake
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Liquor

When we thought about adding liquor to the cake batter mix, we wanted to be intentional about the flavor of the liquor we were adding—not all of them would work. We went with a Frangelico, which has a hazelnut flavor we thought would play well in the context of a cake, but it ended up yielding too boozy of a cake. Other liquors like Grand Marnier or allspice dram might work better here, but make sure to use a small amount when adding it to your batter—substituting no more than a quarter of the water or milk called for on the box with the liquor—so as to not create an overpowering flavor. 

Two image collage of before and after adding liquor to cake batter
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Replacing Water With Buttermilk

When we tried replacing the water in the cake batter with the same amount of buttermilk, we were expecting it to have a similar effect as sour cream. Instead, buttermilk created a denser cake, and it barely altered its flavor, with less browning than that of the baseline cake. If you prefer a denser cake—which we think isn’t a common texture for this type of cake—this is the way to go, but other than that, buttermilk didn’t add anything of note to the cake. 

Two image collage of before and after adding buttermilk to cake batter
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Adding an Extra Egg

When we used one more egg than the box called for in our tests, the resulting cake was particularly light and fluffy, though it did create more doming on top. The addition of an extra egg was good as far as texture was concerned, but it also added a discernibly eggy flavor, which we would rather do without. 

Two image collage of before and after adding an extra egg to cake batter
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Not Recommended

Replacing Water With Coffee

This was one of the tests we thought might yield great results, but the cake tasted like two-day old drip coffee had been infused into it. If you want to add a coffee flavor to your cake, you’re better off sticking with espresso powder. 

Two image collage of before and after adding coffee to cake batter
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Mayonnaise

Almost every article we saw online on this topic mentioned adding a few tablespoons of mayonnaise to boxed cake batter for a moister cake. We can only conclude most of those writers never tried it,  because we found the vinegary flavor it added completely repulsive. It's really not a shocker, folks—the savory, vinegary flavor profile of mayo doesn't belong anywhere near a cake.

Two image collage of before and after adding mayo to cake batter
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Jam

Two image collage of before and after adding jam to cake batter
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

We tested the addition of jam in boxed cake batter in two ways: as a swirl in the pan right before baking, as well as fully incorporating it into the batter. The former created a greasy, oily cake that felt under-baked due to the jam's extra moisture, while the latter route wasn't flavorful enough. It would be better to add freeze-dried fruit powder to the cake mix itself for a fruity effect, or spread the jam between the layers of cake and leave it out of the cake itself.

What Are Curry Leaves?

What they are, where they come from, and how to use them.

Curry Leaves on a plate
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

“You haven't really cooked if you’ve never cooked with curry leaves,” says Barkha Cardoz, founder of Cardoz Legacy, an organization where she engages in culinary-centered projects in honor of her late husband, Floyd Cardoz. And no, she’s not referring to those curry powders made up of different spices that foreigners tend to associate with Indian cuisine. 

Curry leaves are a beauty unto themselves, full of oils that add a citrusy flavor when used in cooking. The ingredient is most notably a South Asian one, and is found especially in South Indian, Sri Lankan, Malaysian, Bangladeshi, and Pakistani dishes. It’s quite unique in flavor, and it can be used fresh or dry, ground or whole, often bloomed in oil to release its aroma and flavorful oils. 

To find out more about curry leaves, including its origins, how to shop for them, and how they’re used, we spoke to Cardoz and Anand Prasad, founder of Prasad’s Curry Leaf, a curry leaf farm in Los Angeles that Prasad started with seeds he and his family carried from India, for some guidance. 

What Are Curry Leaves?

Curry leaves come from the Murraya koenigii plant, which is native to the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka. Belonging to the same family as citrus and rue, the tree grows in tropical climates to about 20 feet tall. Literature dating back to the 1st century A.D. references the use of curry leaves to flavor vegetables. They’ve also been used in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries to aid symptoms of everything from diabetes to high cholesterol.

Four Curry leaves on white backdrop
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Aside from its citrusy notes, the flavor of curry leaves is hard to pinpoint. It’s often described as having the flavor of the spice asafoetida, and can be slightly bitter and pungent. It contains the compounds pinene, which is present as an aroma molecule in eucalyptus and orange, plus marijuana; sabinene, which is found in marjoram, black pepper, nutmeg; and caryophyllene, found in black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, all of which give it a complex flavor with herbal, floral, woodsy, and citrusy notes.

How to Buy and Store Curry Leaves

There is nothing quite like the flavor and aroma you’ll get from fresh curry leaves, but they can be harder to come by than dried ones. You can usually find fresh ones at South Asian grocery stores like Patel Brothers, as well as online from places like Kalustyan’s.

When shopping for fresh leaves, Cardoz recommends looking for small leaves, which are younger and more tender. She preps them by first removing them from the base of their tough central stem, which doesn’t hold much flavor, and wiping—not washing—them clean, then puts them in a zipper-lock bag before storing in the fridge for at least two weeks or the freezer for up to two months.

Dried curry leaves are hardly a concession, however. “Nothing can be beat by fresh curry leaves,” says Prasad. Their flavor and aroma is much stronger than the dried leaves. Even when seeking dried, though, Cardoz recommends starting with fresh if at all possible and drying them yourself, which will give you more flavor mileage than buying dried leaves of an unknown age. You dry the leaves in the sun or in a dehydrator, then transfer them to zipper-lock bags with a silica gel desiccant packet to ensure they don't grow moldy.

Ground curry leaves are also fairly popular on the market. Prasad has a version in collaboration with Burlap & Barrel, but you can also find ground curry leaves at most international spice markets. 

How to Cook With Curry Leaves

“I can’t remember anything I make without curry leaves,” says Cardoz. It’s commonly used in tadka, a process in which spices are bloomed in hot oil or ghee and then used as a finisher on top of dishes like dal. Prasad echoes the same statement about the importance of curry leaves in Indian cuisine, noting, “If I go into the kitchen and there are no curry leaves, how is there going to be a tadka?”

“It's something that you put in for the aroma, for texture, for crunch,” says Cardoz. “It just adds so much flavor.” While some prefer to take the curry leaves out of a dish before serving, similar to when cooking with bay leaves, Cardoz is among the folks who look forward to eating it. 

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“My kids will pull it out,” she says. “I say ‘give it to me, I’ll eat it.’” She also likes to fry the leaves separately until crispy to add a crunchy topping to whatever she’s serving. 

While curry leaves are often used in tadka as a finishing flavor and aroma addition to dishes, they can also be cooked into a recipe as a base aromatic ingredient. Even then, they’re best bloomed in oil first. Ground curry leaves can also be used in the same way. Cardoz mentioned that when she makes a dish like peas and potatoes in a tomato sauce, for example, she’ll start by blooming one or two leaves in the oil before adding her onions, garlic, ginger, and any other aromatic ingredients. She lets the curry leaves sit in the sauce as it simmers so they can further release their flavors. 

“They're 99 cents at an Indian grocery store,” says Cardoz. “Just add them to whatever you're cooking to try it out and see—you'll be amazed.” For 99 cents, it’s hard to argue with that logic.