How to Cook

Our Favorite Way to Drink NA Spirits? With Alcohol.

Last year, I tasted more than 20 nonalcoholic (NA) spirits, sampled over 30 different NA beers, and spent weeks profiling the people creating these spirit-free libations. A year later, I’ve arrived at two conclusions: One, many of these drinks are deli…

How CafeHailee Makes Our Favorite Beach Sandwiches

Hailee Catalano doesn’t come from a long line of mayo-spreading, Cape Cod chip-packing, sand-and-salt-water enthusiasts: She’s from Chicago, scared of sharks, and decidedly out on swimming. Yet, despite her coastless roots, Hailee has the ideal mindset…

The Only Marinade You’ll Need This Grilling Season

This article was updated in June 2024 to include more of our favorite products.

I looked out Amanda Hesser’s kitchen door at one of my very first Food52 photo shoots, and there Merrill was: Out on the deck, wrangling a very hot, flaming grill. Badas…

Easy Ways to Restart Your Snack Routine in 2024

It’s January, which means our inboxes are filled with bold forecasts about the foods and fads we can expect to see on our plates in 2024. According to industry experts, buckwheat is going to be big, noshing is trending, and cacao will come into its own…

6 Tiny Tips to Make Thanksgiving Cooking Easier

Cooking (and hosting) Thanksgiving dinner can make you feel like you need six arms and maybe also six ovens. Since you probably don’t have the ability to make either of those things appear out of thin air, we’ve put together this short-and-sweet guide …

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…

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…

11 Expert Tips for Hosting Holiday Dinners Like a Pro

Hosting a holiday meal—Thanksgiving especially—is almost inescapably hectic. On top of orchestrating a multi-course feast for friends and family who hold comically strong feelings about every dish (see: canned vs. homemade cranberry sauce), you also ne…

6 Kitchen Staples Max Nelson Can’t Live Without

As home cooks, we at Food52 think a lot about grocery shopping—which types of produce we’re gravitating towards, what ingredients we’re willing to splurge on, and (perhaps most importantly) which pantry staples we lean on each and every day. The answer…

How to Perfect Your Apple Crisp This Fall

It’s officially apple season—and that means it’s also apple crisp season. Though September might be too early in the year for apple crisp’s more formal, buttoned-up relative, apple pie (we’re saving those for Thanksgiving), there’s no reason all that seasonal fruit should go to waste. Crisps (and their oatless counterpart, crumbles) are an ideal, low-maintenance fall dessert. But, just because they’re simple and straightforward, it doesn’t mean there aren’t a few tricks that can turn a very good apple crisp into an excellent one. Here are five of our favorite tips for perfecting this classic fall dessert.

1. Use the right apples

You won’t get very far if you don’t start with the right ingredients. “I love a Granny Smith,” said Food Editor Emily Ziemski, “but any mix of heartier apples (such as Mutsu and Honeycrisp) will hold up nicely to baking.” You’ll want to avoid anything too soft, like a Red Delicious or McIntosh, she added, as those risk disintegrating and becoming mealy during baking. If you’re uncertain, you can’t go wrong with using a mix: Choosing a variety of apple types will yield a range of textures and flavors in each bite, from tart and firm to sweet and jammy.

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Our 41 Best Gifts for Cocktail Lovers

Similar to our philosophy on the best chef gifts, we believe the best gifts for cocktail enthusiasts are ones they will regularly use when making drinks. We’re high on the timeless basics—shakers, glassware, and juicers—and the playful accessories like…

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