What to Cook – FoodWatcher

The 5 Cold-Weather Cocktails We’re Making This Holiday Season

The directions of a cold cocktail recipe (1. Add ingredients to the shaker with ice. 2. Shake. 3. Pour) are a lot like this very paragraph: often ignored, but deemed absolutely necessary by the higher ups at the Food Media Factory. The same cannot be s…

The directions of a cold cocktail recipe (1. Add ingredients to the shaker with ice. 2. Shake. 3. Pour) are a lot like this very paragraph: often ignored, but deemed absolutely necessary by the higher ups at the Food Media Factory. The same cannot be said for drinks served above room temperature. Warm cocktails—like mulled wine, hot buttered rum, and this Spiced Apple Pie cocktail—deserve step-by-step instructions because, well, they require actual cooking. And timing. And precision. All of which pays off, when you’re sipping something hot, strong, and fully delicious, like any of these five cold-weather cocktails.

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1. Dead Rabbit Irish Coffee

Community member Fiveandspice puts it best, “If you're going to make an Irish coffee, you may as well make the version of Irish coffee from the bar that has been named best bar in the world—NYC's The Dead Rabbit.”

6 Thanksgiving Desserts Better Than Pie

This Thanksgiving, I’m off the pie. Flavor’s got nothing to do with it—butter-rich crust and sugar-laden fillings remain really, really delicious. It’s just that pie serving—heating, cutting, plating, ice cream scooping, and silverware providing—gets i…

Instead, I want desserts that slip into conversations. Bites that can be plucked from a platter and carried onto the couch without missing a beat of your uncle’s Electoral College monologue. Treats that reject plates, satisfy a post-Turkey sugar craving, and flourish alongside coffee and amaro. Below are six desserts that do just that.

This Tomato Soup Hack Saved Me From a Mid-Week Grocery Run

Last week, fall weather finally fell, and along with wrapping myself in sweaters and admiring the changing leaves on my Brooklyn block, I was craving soup. Particularly tomato soup, and mostly because I had a fresh loaf of sourdough and a generous hunk of Jarlsberg cheese (cue Adrian Grenier in The Devil Wears Prada) hanging out in my kitchen. The grilled cheese plan was sorted, but the one thing I was missing? Actual tomato soup.

Sure, I could have opened my front door, run down the block to any one of my neighborhood’s fancy grocery stores, and picked up an artisanal blend of basil and nightshades—but did I mention it’s fall, and there’s a chill in the air? So instead, I opened my pantry cabinet doors and spotted a jar of Rao’s Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce. And what is tomato soup but a thinned down tomato sauce anyway, right? I also found some vegetable stock in my pantry. This could work.

Our 10 Favorite Thanksgiving Side Recipes, Ranked

As a Thanksgiving guest, you’re responsible for a) not being The Worst Person In The Room, and b) making something people want to eat. I can help with the latter.

Let’s start with a fact: You’re not making the turkey. Even if you’re the most qualified…

As a Thanksgiving guest, you’re responsible for a) not being The Worst Person In The Room, and b) making something people want to eat. I can help with the latter.

Let’s start with a fact: You’re not making the turkey. Even if you’re the most qualified bird roaster of the group, you’re still a guest—and any combination of dry brining, deep frying, roasting, or carving is well beyond the scope of somebody potentially ending their night on a futon.

These Top Pastry Chefs’ Go-To Butter Just Happens to Be Plant-Based

Susannah Schoolman—a world-class pastry chef turned founder of plant-based butter startup, Tourlami—knows that sometimes, looks can be deceiving.

“If you’re just handed a packet of butter, it’s not very inspiring,” she told me. Read More >>…

Susannah Schoolman—a world-class pastry chef turned founder of plant-based butter startup, Tourlami—knows that sometimes, looks can be deceiving.

“If you’re just handed a packet of butter, it’s not very inspiring,” she told me.

7 Weeknight-Ready Recipes Starring Norwegian Salmon

We partnered with our friends at Seafood from Norway to showcase fresh ways to make salmon a weeknight hero.

There are a few reasons why salmon is at the top of the hit list for weeknight dinners. It’s rich in flavor yet light and healthy; it’s a ve…

We partnered with our friends at Seafood from Norway to showcase fresh ways to make salmon a weeknight hero.

There are a few reasons why salmon is at the top of the hit list for weeknight dinners. It’s rich in flavor yet light and healthy; it’s a versatile protein that cooks easily and quickly; and it's got an adoring, all-ages fan base. In other words, it’s the ideal centerpiece for a winning family meal.

Ham Katsu with Roasted Green Beans

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Ingredients

…

Ham Katsu with Roasted Green Beans

View Recipe

Ingredients

For the katsu sauce:

¹/₄

cup ketchup

¹/₄

cup Worcestershire sauce

teaspoons oyster sauce

granulated white sugar

teaspoons mirin

teaspoons soy sauce

For the green beans:

pounds green beans, trimmed

tablespoon olive oil

¹/₂

teaspoon Kosher salt

For the ham steaks:

canola oil

8-ounce Smithfield Boneless Ham Steaks

Kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

¹/₂

cup all-purpose flour

eggs, beaten

1 ¹/₂

panko bread crumbs

For the katsu sauce:

¹/₄

cup ketchup

¹/₄

cup Worcestershire sauce

teaspoons oyster sauce

granulated white sugar

teaspoons mirin

teaspoons soy sauce

For the green beans:

pounds green beans, trimmed

tablespoon olive oil

¹/₂

teaspoon Kosher salt

For the ham steaks:

canola oil

8-ounce Smithfield Boneless Ham Steaks

Kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

¹/₂

cup all-purpose flour

eggs, beaten

1 ¹/₂

panko bread crumbs

Why This White Fish Could Become Your New Go-To

We’ve partnered with our friends at The Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers to introduce you to your new favorite fish.

Today’s Q: Are all white fish created equal? Recipes that call for white fish often make it seem that way, not specif…

We’ve partnered with our friends at The Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers to introduce you to your new favorite fish.

Today’s Q: Are all white fish created equal? Recipes that call for white fish often make it seem that way, not specifying which one to use. But I’ve long had my suspicions that one reigns supreme (for a hint, just peep my byline).

Calling All Tomato Lovers: The Food52 Tomato-thon Is On

If you’re the kind of person who looks forward to slicing a Brandywine at the height of tomato season and eating it straight (maybe with a little salt, nothing more), then you are in heaven right now. We’re right in that sweet spot, flush with fresh fa…

So, to make the most of this tomato season, we're daring you to try as many unconventional and new-to-you tomato recipes as you can, during our month-long Tomato-thon. For inspiration, we curated some of our favorite, most inventive recipes and organized them by category—Savory, Salad-y, Sweet, and Saucy—because we love a themed week, and to nudge you beyond your comfort zone (think: a fried tomato sandwich with chile oil, a roasted tomato jam, or a tomato-beet gazpacho).

Vintage French Silverplated Ladle $59

Limited-Edition Dansk Købenstyle Cookware & Serveware $48–$135

Simple Brass Cocktail Shaker & Bar Set $48–$192

1. Dead Rabbit Irish Coffee

Ham Katsu with Roasted Green Beans