Labor Day

A texture riot of a salad; it gets crunch and creaminess from toasted pecans and almond butter(!).

Egg salad and potato salad: Unite! We like how the still-soft yolks dress the salad, but you can cook the eggs a minute or two longer if you like them more set.

This uncooked mole gets heat from jalapeño, cooling freshness from lettuce and herbs, and a touch of richness from toasted seeds. Use any extra as a dip for crudités.

The classic slow-cooked cut is moving into the fast lane, grilled and paired with a mole that’s ready in a flash.

If you don’t enjoy very rare meat, keep these steaks on the grill until they reach 120°; they’ll still be rare, but less aggressively so.

These meaty ribs are purposely precooked until very tender but not yet falling off the bone so they don’t shred when it’s time to grill them.

Any fairly thin cut of beef will work with this marinade; try flank or New York strip.

Big fat strips of dough make for a rustic and modern-looking pie (and they’re easy to weave into a lattice). 

Ralph Lauren's signature burger. At his New York City restaurant, they use a mix of chuck, brisket, and short rib. If you have an awesome butcher, ask him or her to give you a blend, but you’ll get great results with chuck alone. Watch the video here.

The tangy dipping sauce is great with pretty much any grilled meat. Keep it on heavy rotation this summer.

Using frozen strawberries ensures a consistent sweetness and vibrant red color.

You can crisp the shallots and hard-boil the eggs a day ahead, but wait until closer to serving time to make the yolk filling.

This recipe can easily be doubled for a group. Make sure to check the ribs in a few spots for doneness.

Why this spicy caramel popcorn didn’t already exist, we have no idea.

Put a tray of these in the oven when the first guests show up.

Two key steps ensure extra-crisp wings: letting them sit at room temperature evens the cooking time, and the cornstarch dredge transforms into a crunchy shell when fried. If you like your wing sauce super spicy, increase the amount of cayenne in our best hot wings recipe. This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.

Keys to great potato chips: A lower frying temp gets the moisture out; a vinegar soak ensures they're crisp.

As Labor Day approaches, our staffers are savoring the season with one last lazy weekend of barbecues, tomato salads, and homemade ice cream

The funky flavor in these mind-altering chicken wings comes from a jarred condiment that’s pretty easy to find at Asian markets.

This recipe was created by reader Kim Smithers in our Chef Watson potato salad challenge.

Leftovers are the key to packing lunches easily—and this recipe is perfect for that. Plus it freezes well, too; if you freeze in small portioned containers, all you have to do is reheat and go.

The flesh immediately surround-ing the seeds is the most succulent part of any melon; if you haven’t tried eating the crunchy seeds before, hold on to your hat.

A fish taco dream come true: crispy, light-as-air fried fish, balanced by a creamy slaw and fiery, cooling, and crunchy fixings.

Don’t peel the peaches; simply rub off the fuzz with a damp paper towel.