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The Test Kitchen

Rigorously tested recipes for the modern home cook, from weeknight dinners to ambitious weekend projects.

Chef's hands carefully plating an exquisite dish in a professional kitchen, representing the dedication behind James Beard Award nominations.

James Beard Awards 2026: Semifinalists and Finalists

Darmyelesh Alemu, chef at Beteseb Restaurant, earned a semifinalist nod for Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic region for the 2026 James Beard Awards, the sole Montgomery County chef to do so.

Raffi Hovsepian· Jun 6· 3 min
A lively and diverse crowd enjoying drinks and atmosphere at one of Chicago's newly acclaimed bars, showcasing the city's evolving nightlife.

Chicago's Top New Bars Redefine Nightlife Scene This Year

For the first time in a decade, six new, often surprisingly casual, establishments have unseated long-standing craft cocktail institutions from Chicago's prestigious 'Top 10 Bars' list.

Marco Alves· Jun 6· 3 min
A lively Philadelphia street at night, showcasing the city's expanding culinary scene with illuminated restaurant storefronts and happy diners.

Philadelphia Welcomes New Restaurants, Expanding Culinary Scene

Philadelphia's dining scene is expanding with new concepts, from a Vietnamese spot in Port Richmond to a French bistro in Media.

Raffi Hovsepian· Jun 5· 3 min
Vibrant, thinly sliced red onions in a clear pickling liquid, showcasing the quick pickling process for instant flavor.

Make quick pickled red onions for instant flavor boosts

Despite a common belief that pickling takes days, a simple technique allows home cooks to create vibrant, tangy red onions in just 15 minutes, transforming countless dishes instantly.

Raffi Hovsepian· Jun 4· 3 min
A visual comparison of a simple three-ingredient summer dessert versus a complex, multi-ingredient modern dessert.

Are 'Easy' Summer Desserts Truly Simple Anymore?

A 'three-ingredient summer dessert' of strawberries, cream cheese, and crackers stands in stark contrast to new 'desserts' requiring eight or more wholesome ingredients like zucchini, chia seeds, and

Raffi Hovsepian· Jun 4· 4 min
A chaotic test kitchen scene with a calendar highlighting May 31, 2026, symbolizing the confusion surrounding the Bon Appétit Pantry Awards 2026 submission deadline.

Bon Appétit Pantry Awards 2026 Submissions Still Open

Despite an official announcement stating the submission window for the 2026 Bon Appétit Pantry Awards is “now closed,” eligible products are still due by May 31, 2026, according to Bon Appétit .

Ezra Kaplan· Jun 2· 3 min
A single 'Everest Red' hybrid tomato on a supermarket shelf, overshadowing a basket of heirloom tomatoes, symbolizing market competition.

Heirlooms vs. Hybrids: Tomato Battle Intensifies With New 'Everest Red'

Just six months after its introduction, a new hybrid tomato called 'Everest Red' now accounts for 15% of supermarket tomato sales in the Northeast, directly impacting the sales of cherished heirloom v

Ezra Kaplan· Jun 2· 3 min
Empty shelves in a supermarket aisle where almond flour used to be, with a distressed shopper looking at their shopping cart.

Viral 'Cute Cloud Pastry' Recipe Sparks Ingredient Shortages

Within 48 hours of Bon Appétit's 'Cute Cloud Pastry' recipe release, specialty almond flour vanished from shelves across 30 states, leaving thousands of home bakers empty-handed.

Raffi Hovsepian· Jun 1· 3 min
Artfully arranged miniature tomato galettes with flaky golden-brown pastry and glistening roasted cherry tomatoes, garnished with fresh basil.

Learn How to Make Tiny Tomato Galettes With This Easy Recipe

Even with just five minutes of active prep, these miniature tomato galettes deliver a flaky crust and bursting tomato flavor that rivals a professional bakery!

Darius Williams· Jun 1· 3 min
A close-up of exotic Sidoota and Alper Green melons, showcasing their unique textures and vibrant colors on a sunlit market stall.

Discover Superior Melons to Try This Summer

Two obscure melon landraces, Sidoota and Alper Green, boast sugar content (TSS) as high as 12.

Ezra Kaplan· May 28· 3 min
A collection of elegant and modern cocktail glasses displayed on a home bar counter, showcasing evolving trends in drinkware.

Mastering Cocktail Glassware: A Guide to Evolving Trends

A recent 'Home Bar Trends Magazine' survey found 60% of home bartenders under 35 serve martinis in coupes and Negronis in old-fashioned tumblers, openly defying established cocktail etiquette.

Ezra Kaplan· May 26· 3 min
A bottle of Jeppson's Malört on a bar counter with people toasting in the background, symbolizing its cult following in Chicago.

Malört Liquor: Sustained Demand for the Unconventional

In Cook County, 90% of all Jeppson's Malört sales occur!

Darius Williams· May 24· 3 min
A steaming bowl of spicy peanut noodles with garnishes, showcasing a popular and easy-to-make recipe from the Epicurious app.

Epicurious App's Trending Recipes Revealed

This week, a simple 'Spicy Peanut Noodles' recipe, requiring less than 20 minutes to prepare, surged to become the most saved dish on Epicurious, outpacing perennial favorites like lasagna.

Marco Alves· May 23· 3 min
A kitchen counter filled with fresh ingredients and a recipe card, representing HelloFresh's expanded meal options and variety.

HelloFresh Adds New Meal Options to Combat Routine

HelloFresh now offers almost 500 recipes each week, a selection larger than the menu at the Cheesecake Factory, according to Wired .

Marco Alves· May 22· 3 min
A diverse group of people enjoying a sunny cookout with a variety of delicious potato salads on a picnic table.

Experts Share Top Potato Salad Recipes for Cookouts and Weeknights

Janine "The Flavor Queen" Washle recently showcased her Classic American Potato Salad recipe on local television, reigniting the annual debate over the ultimate summer side, according to WAVE News .

Darius Williams· May 22· 3 min
Close-up of hands carefully peeling fresh pistachios, showcasing their vibrant green color and rich texture, ready for holiday baking.

Mastering Pistachio Prep for 2026 Holiday Baking

A truly flavorful pistachio cake, one that genuinely tastes of pistachios, remains a rare achievement for holiday baking trends in 2026, often eluding even experienced home bakers.

Marco Alves· May 22· 3 min
A colorful sheet pan filled with golden-brown shawarma chicken and roasted vegetables, ready to be served.

Sheet Pan Shawarma Chicken Recipe Offers Fast Flavor

A dish traditionally associated with rotating vertical spits and hours of marination can now be on your dinner table in under an hour, thanks to a new sheet-pan technique.

Marco Alves· May 21· 3 min
Cinematic scene showing AI interfaces and human agents working together to meet evolving customer demands in a modern business environment.

Businesses Adapt to Evolving Consumer Demands Amidst Economic Uncertainty

In the BPO industry, AI-driven platforms now handle up to 60% of customer queries, a stark shift in how service is delivered.

Ezra Kaplan· May 18· 4 min
A warm, inviting kitchen setting featuring a classic Southern dish and a tablet displaying the 'Southern Living Test Kitchen Diaries' series logo.

Southern Living's Streaming Series Becomes a Niche Hit

The 'Southern Living Test Kitchen Diaries,' a streaming series featuring classic Southern recipes, exceeded its internal viewership projections by 30% on Roku in its first week, according to a Roku in

May 14· 3 min
A delicious bowl of creamy lemon zucchini pasta, garnished with fresh herbs and lemon zest, ready to be served.

Whip Up Creamy Lemon Zucchini Pasta With This Easy Recipe

In a culinary revelation, two pounds of humble zucchini transform into a 'jammy and thick' base for creamy pasta in just 15-20 minutes.

Raffi Hovsepian· Jun 20· 2 min
A pitcher of fresh tomato michelada base on a kitchen counter with fresh ingredients, ready for effortless entertaining.

Craft a Fresh Tomato Michelada Recipe for Effortless Entertaining

Forget muddling tomatoes for every single drink; a new recipe allows you to prepare a week's worth of fresh michelada base in one go.

Marco Alves· Jun 15· 2 min
A decadent, velvety smooth chocolate mousse in a glass bowl, topped with a single raspberry, ready to be served.

Easy 2-Ingredient Chocolate Mousse: Quick Prep

Forget hours in the kitchen and a dozen ingredients: a decadent chocolate mousse, typically a multi-step culinary feat, can now be actively prepared in just ten minutes using only silken tofu and bittersweet chocolate.

Raffi Hovsepian· Jun 14· 2 min
A meticulously prepared Caesar salad presented elegantly, with a vintage cookbook open nearby, hinting at culinary secrets.

Rethinking the 'Classic' Caesar Salad Recipe

Julia Child, the very icon of classic cuisine, famously omitted a key ingredient from her Caesar salad, a dish many consider sacrosanct.

Ezra Kaplan· Jun 13· 2 min
A professional chef using a De Buyer blue carbon steel crepe and tortilla pan in a high-end kitchen setting.

De Buyer's French-Made Pan Excels for Professional Chefs

For just $30, a De Buyer Blue Carbon Steel Crepe & Tortilla Pan, crafted in France, offers a gateway to professional-grade cooking that improves with every use, according to debuyer-usa .

Marco Alves· Jun 12· 2 min
A delicious-looking Peach Cobbler Bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes, showcasing its frosting and texture, perfect for a summer treat.

Nothing Bundt Cakes Debuts Limited-Time Peach Cobbler Cake

For just two weeks this summer, Nothing Bundt Cakes unveils a new Peach Cobbler flavor, alongside the six-week return of its S'mores cake.

Marco Alves· Jun 10· 2 min
A close-up, cinematic view of a decadent bowl of coffee ice cream, showcasing its rich texture and dark, inviting color, with a scattering of coffee beans.

Taste Test: Top Coffee Ice Cream Brands for Different Tastes

In a recent Bon Appétit taste test of 10 popular supermarket coffee ice cream brands, Trader Joe's Coffee Bean Blast was crowned the definitive choice for espresso enthusiasts.

Raffi Hovsepian· Jun 10· 2 min
A close-up, cinematic view of a gourmet hoagie with fresh ingredients, showcasing Philadelphia's evolving sandwich culture.

Philadelphia's Top Hoagies: Tradition and Innovation

At Dolores' 2Street, a 'The Henry' Veggie Hoagie features fried zucchini, grilled eggplant, broccoli rabe, roasted peppers, and sharp provolone on a seeded Sarcone’s roll.

Ezra Kaplan· Jun 9· 2 min
Close-up of glistening macerated strawberries in a glass bowl, coated in syrup and garnished with mint, under warm sunlight.

Macerate Strawberries With Sugar for Sweet Summer Desserts

In just five minutes of preparation, a simple two-ingredient technique transforms ordinary strawberries into a glossy, syrupy delight perfect for any dessert.

Marco Alves· Jun 6· 2 min
A refreshing margarita cocktail garnished with lime and salt, next to a bottle of Trader Joe's Organic Margarita Mix on a home bar counter.

Trader Joe's Margarita Mix Review: Organic Lime and Agave Shine

For just $3.99, a 32 Fl Oz bottle of Trader Joe's Organic Margarita Mix promises eight servings of a cocktail base made with organic lime juice and agave syrup, according to Trader Joe's . That's righ

Darius Williams· Jun 5· 2 min
A close-up of an artfully prepared cocktail at a new Atlanta bar, with a sophisticated and intimate atmosphere in the background.

Atlanta's Top New Bars Shine Bright

Tiger Sun demands attention with its $75 omakase-style cocktail experience: four cocktails and a small bite.

Marco Alves· Jun 4· 2 min