Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez I love ketchup so much that when I came to work at this site years ago now, I felt it was important to align myself with the condiment near-immediately, including this little admission on my bio page when it first was published: A bold move, in hindsight! I stand by it.   In fact, I’ve never understood people’s aversion to-meets-commitment-to hating ketchup. It’s synonymous with some of the universe’s greatest joys: Cheeseburgers! French fries! Barbecue sauces! SANDWICHES! What’s not to love about a perfectly sickly-sweet thing that makes life’s best and ..read more

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez So I'm back, back again, with another bizarre TikTok trend. This one is spicy. Is it me, or does everything seem fiery lately? Honestly, I won't mind when the flamin' hot era of the internet is over. This time, TikTokers are bringing the heat with an oldy-but-goody: jalapeños. This time, influencers are freezing jalapeños and using rasp graters to coat their food in what they call “jalapeño dust.”  Testing Jalapeño Dust Most of the videos showcase this green powder being shaved atop savory, carby things like pizza, potatoes, or mac and cheese, but others shave ..read more

Serious Eats / Larisa Niedle Springtime at the farmers market is pretty magical. After several long, cold months, marketgoers are greeted with bunches of asparagus, ramps, green garlic, radishes, lettuces, and so much more. This collection includes a variety of spring soups that take advantage of the season's produce, as well as ones that are great for repurposing leftover Easter ham. Asparagus and Tarragon Velouté (Dairy-Free Creamy Asparagus Soup) Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt No cream is required to make this bright, vegetal soup creamy and velvety-smooth. Adding two tablespoons of flou ..read more

Serious Eats / Mai Kakish Many salads are an afterthought, but not fattoush—the many contrasting textures and flavors in this vegetable and pita salad make it a star in its own right. It is often the salad of choice at Arab dinner parties because it is substantial enough to satisfy someone who may prefer to not eat meat, but is still light and refreshing enough to complement heavier dishes. It has become emblematic of iftar dinners, and rarely have I sat at a Ramadan iftar table without a platter of fattoush. Fattoush’s popularity for iftar and in general could in part be due to the fact that ..read more

Serious Eats / Kristin Kempa Natural wine or “natty wine,” as the kids are calling it these days, may be trending, but it’s not a flash in the pan. The term natural wine refers to a collection of winemaking practices and techniques. In search of what really defines this genre, we spoke with Holly Berrigan, a sommelier and the founder of MYSA Natural Wine, about how to define (and shop for) natural wine. While consumers may struggle to understand what makes a bottle natural or not—the wine industry is not known for clarity in labeling and branding—there are a handful of key indicators to look f ..read more

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez Sukuma wiki—sautéed collard greens typically cooked with a fragrant combination of onions, tomatoes, and ginger—is a popular dish in Kenya and one of my favorite ways to eat dark leafy greens. While most kids have to be forced to eat their green vegetables, I have fond memories of eagerly eating these simply prepared collard greens alongside ugali (cooked cornmeal), both of which my Kenyan grandmother would prepare for me.  Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez At local markets in Kenya, sukuma (collard green) vendors hold a tight bundle of the fresh stemmed and rolled ..read more

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik Floundering on the internets for new ways to prepare this delicate white-fleshed flatfish? Here are our ten go-to methods for getting flounder on the table, ranging from simple pan-seared, lemon-kissed treatments like meunière and piccata to battering and deep-frying for sandwiches and tacos. Sole Meunière Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez This classic preparation is quick, easy, and arguably one of the best ways to serve delicate fillets like flounder. West Lake Soup Serious Eats / Qi Ai This comforting soup is often made with ground pork or beef, but we really like usin ..read more

Serious Eats / Mai Kakish For such a humble and simple dish, hummus has inspired an impressive and complex battle of opinions. From texture and flavor to cooking techniques, everyone seems to think there is a best or right way to make hummus. Though there are some guiding principles to keep in mind—more on that below—how you prepare the spread ultimately comes down to personal preference. Silky hummus is a triumphant treat. But if we start splitting hairs over the degree of smoothness and trouble ourselves to the point of vowing to never to make hummus again unless we painstakingly peel each c ..read more

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez There are many ways to cook eggs, and most are relatively simple. Fried, boiled, and scrambled eggs are staples for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but there are a couple of egg methods that home cooks tend to shy away from because they seem too hard or fussy—the French omelette is one, but perhaps even more feared is the poached egg. Dropping an egg into a saucepan of simmering water and swirling it just in time to prevent the whites from spreading into a feathery mess is intimidating, and keeping the eggs from overcooking can be challenging. Serious Eats / Amanda S ..read more

Serious Eats / Qi Ai Being Asian, I always considered myself fairly lucky not to have grown up lactose-intolerant. Heck, my first real paying job was scooping ice cream at Baskin-Robbins, and as a pastry chef, I loved coming up with new flavors of ice cream. Flash forward a few decades and I'm popping Lactaid tablets even before I start melting the cheese on my burger. Consequently, I'm always on the hunt for great dairy-free options that don't make me feel like I'm missing out on something. It can be a real challenge to create dairy-free dishes that satisfy on all fronts—particularly when it ..read more