Peden + Munk

We consulted the perfectionists at Thomas Keller's Per Se in New York, where chef de cuisine Eli Kaimeh gave us his number-one piece of advice (and recipe) for the perfect poached egg: Start with a fresh egg. This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.

These scrambled eggs bear little resemblance to the rubbery ones dished up by short-order cooks.

In this aioli recipe by L.A. chef Suzanne Goin, she provides this tip: "Add a thin drizzle of oil and whisk like crazy."

Thai salads are full of crisp vegetables and fruits mixed with intense condiments.

This is the definition of minimalist Thai cooking. The steam not only gently cooks the fish until just tender but also creates an instant, complex sauce from a handful of basic ingredients. Scoring the fish's flesh allows more of the flavor to season the fish and facilitates faster steaming. The fish is cooked on a plate that fits inside the steamer, to catch the juices.

This chicken soup is made with chicken legs and a flavorful broth.

All Thai curries start with a handful of aromatic ingredients (chiles, galangal, lemongrass, turmeric, etc.) pounded into a paste with a granite mortar and pestle. The paste is then stirred into soups or stews (often with coconut milk), or used as the basis of sautéed dishes. Use a mini-processor to make the curry paste if you'd like, although this incendiary stew will take on a deeper flavor if you can use a granite mortar and pestle.

This pad Thai recipe is not the dish from the neighborhood take-out joint. "It ain't made with chicken," says Ricker, whose traditional take—pleasantly funky with fish sauce and preserved radish and a touch sour from tamarind—is meant to be eaten in the evening as a stand-alone dish.

If you can’t find mozzarella di bufala (buffalo mozzarella) for this late-summer dish, substitute fresh cow’s-milk mozzarella. Silverton sometimes serves the dish with slow-roasted tomatoes for a tangy-sweet flourish.