Blog Posts by bon appétit magazine

By Bon Appétit

In our column Fake It or Make It we test a homemade dish against its prepackaged counterpart to find out what's really worth cooking from scratch.

Photograph by Danielle WalshI'm an unapologetic lover of granola, but talk about a cereal with a roller-coaster past. For years it was written off by much of America as synonymous with unwashed hippies, until haters realized what sweet, crunchy goodness they were missing out on. Then came the dark ages of the low-carbohydrate diets, when this breakfast order drew stares of horror and disbelief. These days, my oat-based cereal pretty much gets the thumbs up from the spate of gluten-avoiders--so long as refined sugars and excess oil are kept in check. All in all, it's a good time to love granola. But how does store-bought stack up to homemade?

The Contenders:
Kellogg's Low Fat Granola with Raisins vs. Bon Appétit's Everyday Granola

Granola is an oat-based, sweetened, baked cereal that often contains dried fruit and nuts (distinct from muesli, which is

By Bon Appétit

Romulo YanesJust like your best-fitting blazer or little black dress, comfort foods are classics because you know in advance how well they will be received. But if you ask us, tweaking the tried-and-true has even more appeal. And while finding another go-to garment could take weeks of shopping, upping your comfort food game is easy. Why? Because we've done the work for you.


In this month's issue we turned to some of our favorite restaurant trends to give standbys like meatloaf and mac and cheese a cool new dose of flavor .

If you'd like to try your hand at reworking an old favorite, here are three tips to live by:

Related: Are Homemade Potato Chips Worth the Effort?

Keep it Casual
The opposite of precious, these dishes are meant to be served on big platters, passed around the table, and shared. Extra points for eating with your hands.

Swap Ingredients
Even a simple change on the ingredient list can feel like a total makeover. Want to improvise? Try subbing Sriracha for ordinary

By Bon Appétit

Tara DonneMost people don't turn to French fare when trying to fit into their skinny jeans. But to hear chef Alain Ducasse tell it, much of his native cuisine isn't as indulgent as that served at his Michelin-starred restaurants. The Mediterranean diet influences his everyday meals, which feature a lot more produce and fish than butter and meat. Here, Ducasse reveals how he cooks at home, offering his keys to healthful eating and two recipes from his new book, Nature.

See also: Three Recipes Every Chef Should Master

Change Your Proportions
For Ducasse, it's not about banning foie gras but about having it less often. "Eat more vegetables--that's my proposal," he says. His typical meal consists primarily of produce, with smaller amounts of whole grains as well as sustainably caught fish.

Respect the Vegetables
Crucial to enjoying all those vegetables is treating them right. "Ingredients are at their best when cooked au naturel," he says. That means using just a little fat to let the

By Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer, Bon Appetit

Conde Nast Digital StudioNobody can become a somebody without mastering his or her craft. And it's often the humble tasks--the day-to-day practice of simple skills--that build the foundation for excellence. Ask Thomas Keller to sweep the kitchen (not that we'd dare), and we bet you could eat off the floor when he finished. Think of how many eggs Julia Child beat in order to perfect the classic tender omelet. Watch Alice Waters wash lettuce someday, and you'll see the care and joy she takes in it. It was Martha Stewart's supple pie crust that helped build her empire. When Mario Batali stirs cornmeal and water together in a big pot over low heat, he's like an alchemist spinning straw into gold--any shaved white truffle on top is simply a flourish.


We've worked with a number of assistants and interns in our kitchens over the years. How do we gauge their abilities before signing them on? We ask them to roast a chicken, make a salad, and bake a chocolate

Bon Appétit

Most people have enough trouble pronouncing quinoa (it's KEEN-wah, btw) let alone cooking it. Now that you know how to say it, preparing it can still be tricky (at least one of the folks on staff here had trouble with this super-healthy seed from South America). So we talked to our Test Kitchen team to find out what we were doing wrong.

Conde Nast Digital Studio

1. Thinking It's a Grain
The first mistake people make is thinking that quinoa is a grain. It's actually the seed of a grain-like crop closely related to beets. Maybe this isn't a "cooking tip" - but you should always know what you're eating.

2. Skipping the Rinse
Rinse it well! There is a bitter coating on the tiny seed that needs to be rinsed away; if you don't do it, it's going to taste wrong. And when you rinse it, use a fine-mesh strainer. You don't want those tiny seeds to disappear down the drain!






3. Overcooking It
Nobody likes mushy quinoa! Here's the way to do it: Combine 1 cup quinoa with 2 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to

Bon Appétit

Baking legend Jim Lahey gives us a sneak peek at his new book's no-knead pizza dough recipe, the star of our fuss-free D.I.Y. pizza party.

Conde Nast Digital StudioIt's not dinner, it's a party. That's what you should keep in mind at this casual get-together, where guests get to work--and love it. Hosting is mostly about organization. The day before, start the dough, from Jim Lahey's new book, My Pizza. (If you're pressed for time, you can buy some dough at a local pizzeria.) The night of, set out bowls of toppings so guests can design their own pies. At any given moment, some people will be huddled around the oven, others will be topping the next batch, and some will be digging into perfectly charred pies. Childhood pizza parties were never this fun.

Step 1: Master the Dough
This dough is chewy, bubbly, and better than what you'll get at most pizza places. It bakes wonderfully in a home oven, on a pizza stone, or a baking sheet. And thanks to the brilliant no-knead method of Jim Lahey--owner of

Elizabeth Gunnison, Bon AppétitConde Nast Digital Studio

In our column Fake It or Make It we test a homemade dish against its prepackaged counterpart to find out what's really worth cooking from scratch.

Okay, so maybe you've never even considered making your own potato chips from scratch. It's kind of a crazy "gotta love to cook" thing, I admit. But armed with nothing fancier than a good mandoline slicer, a heavy pot, and a candy thermometer, homemade potato chips are achievable, and sometimes amazing. At Colicchio & Sons in New York, where I worked as a kitchen intern, we made our potato chips in-house every day; after a few rounds of assisting with the task, I managed to master the technique well enough to do the job by myself. Granted that the procedure isn't all that complicated, is it worth the hassle of frying your own potato chips at home? Our testers weigh in.

The Contenders
Lay's Classic Potato Chips vs. Bon Appetit's Salt and Vinegar Potato Chips*
*Omitting the vinegar powder.

The history of

Conde Nast Digital StudioBon Appétit

Even the most inspired home cooks fall prey to dinner doldrums this time of year. Spring produce is still a ways off, and while we love braising and baking, it's not always a practical choice for quick weeknight fare. Doesn't a juicy cheeseburger with grilled onions sound good right now? A quick grilled lamb chop with za'atar spices? Or maybe yogurt marinated chicken kebabs are calling your name?

Yeah, we thought so. Where there's a will there's a way! Just this week, folks on the staff here have grilled flatbreads with manchego and sausage (just use an upside-down metal bowl as a lid), served up some grilled poundcake with blood oranges and persimmon, and made rosemary chicken.

No, we're not talking about dashing through sleet to huddle by your garage in a parka. We used an indoor grill. And we've got five good reasons why indoor grills rock:

1. They have a generous cooking surface with even heat. This means you can grill polenta for a crowd, or grill some onions while