Cook's Illustrated

At Cook's Illustrated, our test cooks are dedicated to testing and retesting recipes 20, 30, sometimes 50 times until we come up with a recipe that will come out right the first time -- and every time -- you make it. And each issue of Cook's Illustrated is 100% ADVERTISING FREE, so you get unbiased and objective information on every page. As we like to say at Cook's Illustrated, "We make the mistakes so you don't have to."

WHY WE CRUSH

QUICK TIPS

How to Braise Chicken Parts • Braising delivers succulent meat and a rich, velvety sauce—no wonder it’s a classic way to cook chicken. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing new to add.

SECRETS TO PERFECTLY BRAISED CHICKEN PARTS • Braising both white and dark meat in the same pot requires a few tweaks to this time-honored technique, including staggering the cooking.

FOR MORE EQUAL PARTS, DON’T CUT DOWN THE MIDDLE

HOW TO FOLD DOUGH

Pizza al Taglio • Tender and airy yet substantial, this Roman pie is often topped like an open-faced sandwich. It’s also one of the easiest pizzas you’ll ever make.

Hand versus Machine

The Refrigerator: A Good Flavor Incubator

HOW TO MAKE AND SHAPE THE DOUGH

Pan-Steamed Asparagus • We combined two cooking methods to make tender, crisp, flavorful asparagus.

DON’T SNAP ASPARAGUS; PEEL IT

THE BEST WAY TO INCORPORATE A PANADE

Meatballs the Spanish Way • For a new take on meatballs and sauce, try albóndigas en salsa de almendras, a tapas staple featuring a rich nut mixture that should be in everyone’s repertoire.

Ode to Picada

These Meatballs Are Better Without Browning

HOW TO COOK RICE VERMICELLI

Store These Thai Staples in the Freezer

Thai Shrimp and Noodle Soup • This version of tom yum soup features hot, sour, salty, and sweet flavors, with shrimp and tender rice noodles to make it a meal.

Give Soup (and Everything Else) a Savory Boost • The sweet, savory, and spicy condiment called Nam prik pao is the classic garnish for guay tiew tom yum goong, but it’s too good to be relegated to a single use. Thai cooks also use it on fried eggs, noodles, and white rice; in stir-fries; or even as a sandwich spread.

A SMASHING WAY TO BUILD FLAVOR • We experimented with a few methods for treating the aromatics for our soup. The best approach? The traditional one.

HOW TO POACH EGGS IN THICK SAUCE • Poaching in a thick sauce in which the eggs are only partially submerged makes achieving runny yolks and creamy whites particularly challenging. Here’s how to do it successfully.

North African–Style Poached Eggs • Shakshuka’s savory, aromatic tomato sauce is a perfect foil for the rich, runny eggs. If only it were a great poaching liquid, too.

For More Evenly Cooked Eggs, Smooth Out the Sauce

An Herby Kind of Hot Sauce • This warm-spiced, garlicky chile-herb sauce takes shakshuka to the next level.

How to Make a Great Green Salad • It starts with skipping packaged greens and returning to the classic way of making salad—using crisp, mature head lettuces.

Whipped Feta Dip • Have 15 minutes? This tangy meze comes together with the push of a button.

Barnyard Battle: Cow versus Sheep

Easy, Elegant Shrimp Risotto • A quick shrimp stock and a modicum of stirring produce first-rate risotto.

Seafood and Cheese? You Bet.

French Connection? Maybe Not

French Toast Without the Fuss • Forget drippy soaking methods and tedious batch cooking. Your oven is the most efficient tool for producing golden, custardy slices.

A Baking-Sheet Soak Avoids Mess and Waste

A BETTER WAY TO WHISK CUSTARD

Easy-Bake (and Broil) Oven French Toast

An Easy and Modern Lemon Tart • Butter...