Recipes

40 Recipes that Are American as Apple Pie (and Burgers and Pancakes and Wings)

Burgers, fries, and pie with a side of the American dream.
Image may contain Burger and Food
Romulo Yanes

Whenever we hear the phrase, "American as apple pie," we can't help but think of all the other great foods that are deserving of the slogan. Okay, so maybe nachos, spaghetti and meatballs, and pizza aren't exactly U.S.A.-born-and-bred. But as far as we're concerned, these are the classic foods we think are American as...you know.

  • Image may contain Food Fries Cutlery Fork Dish and Meal
    Alex Lau
    1/40

    Diner Burger

    Change up the burger toppings according to the season: lettuce and pickled onions in winter months; sliced tomato and housemade bread-and-butter pickles in the summer.

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  • Image may contain Food and Fries
    2/40

    Slow-Fried French Fries

    Season the hot fries with coarse sea salt (we like Maldon).

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  • Image may contain Food Bread Dessert Cake Apple Pie and Pie
    Mikkel Vang
    3/40

    Apple Pie with Spiced Apple-Caramel Sauce

    A little cider vinegar in the filling keeps this apple pie from being too sweet.

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  • Two lobster rolls on a platter with a plate of potato chips sitting behind
    Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne, Prop Styling by Graylen Gatewood 
    4/40

    BA's Ultimate Lobster Rolls

    Warm, toasty, buttered rolls are key. If you can't find New England–style buns, trim 1/4-inch from both sides of standard hot dog buns to remove the crust and expose more surface area.

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  • Gray platter of Caesar salad on a white backdrop with salad servers.
    Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca
    5/40

    Classic Caesar Salad

    A great Caesar salad gets its swagger from a great dressing. Squeamish about raw egg yolks and anchovies? Sorry. Yolks are what give richness to the emulsion, while anchovies provide a briny blast (and that whole umami thing). Here's our go-to recipe.

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  • Image may contain Dish Food Meal Plant Platter and Produce
    Christopher Testani
    6/40

    Chicken-Fried Steak

    This hot-weather version of a comfort food classic is paired with a fresh, no-cook salsa. Looks like gravy, tastes like summer.

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  • BA's Best Every Barbecue Ribs on a baking sheet with barbecue sauce.
    Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Liberty Fennell, Prop Styling by Gerri Williams
    7/40

    Best-Ever Barbecued Ribs

    Got nothing but time on your hands? Cook these really low and slow. Set the oven at 300° and start checking the ribs after 3 hours. But don’t sweat it; they’ll be super-tender either way. Watch the step-by-step video here.

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  • Image may contain Food Dessert Cake Plant and Pie
    Gentl & Hyers
    8/40

    Sour Cherry Pie

    Adding almond flour to the pastry dough makes for a super-tender, toasty-looking crust.

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  • Image may contain Ice Cream Food Creme Dessert Cream and Butter
    9/40

    Extra-Buttery Mashed Potatoes

    Drying the cooked potatoes in the pan means that they'll absorb that much more flavor from your herb-infused dairy. Don't skip this step! Watch this video for even more mashed potato tips.

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  • Image may contain Food and Steak
    Photo by Peden + Munk
    10/40

    Perfect Porterhouse Steak

    With a steak this thick, you need to season liberally; when chef Bobby Flay demonstrated for us, the surface of the meat was virtually white from salt.

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  • Image may contain Food Cookie Biscuit Dessert Chocolate Brownie and Plant
    Photo by Laura Murray, styling by Anna Bilingskog.
    15/40

    Cocoa Brownies

    Chewy, fudgy, and everything we want a brownie to be.

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  • Image may contain Burger Food and Bread
    Marcus Nilsson
    16/40

    Shrimp Po'Boy

    The paper-thin crust and pillowy crumb of a New Orleans–style French roll is essential to this classic sandwich—as is Crystal hot sauce.

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  • Image may contain Food Bread and Cornbread
    Mikkel Vang
    21/40

    Easy Savory Cornbread

    A simple, straightforward cornbread that we’d happily serve alongside a bowl of chili on any other day of the year.

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  • Image may contain Burger and Food
    Romulo Yanes
    22/40

    The BA Burger Deluxe

    Five ingredients and five steps will get you to burger heaven. Want to take this summer cook- out staple to the next level? Check out our recipe for the Butcher's Burger, which includes three different cuts of beef.

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  • Image may contain Food Bread Cutlery Spoon and Fried Chicken
    Dustin Aksland
    23/40

    Rosa’s Biscuits

    Says Del Posto pastry chef Brooks Headley of these crisp, buttery-sweet biscuits, “Serving them hot is all that matters.”

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  • Image may contain Plant Fruit Food Blueberry Bread Muffin and Dessert
    Alex Lau
    24/40

    BA's Best Blueberry Muffins

    You can make these with just all-purpose flour, but using whole wheat too gives them a heartier, nuttier flavor.

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  • A slice of challah French toast sliced into strips and drizzled with maple syrup.
    Alex Lau
    25/40

    Classic French Toast

    Okay, so it's French toast. We still consider this brunch staple all-American.

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  • Image may contain Animal Food Fried Chicken Bird Dish and Meal
    Alex Lau
    26/40

    BA's Best Buffalo Wings

    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.

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  • Image may contain Creme Cream Food Dessert and Ice Cream
    29/40

    True Vanilla Ice Cream

    There's nothing, um, vanilla about our homemade version of the classic. Of course, it also makes a great base for your favorite flavor upgrades.

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  • Image may contain Confectionery Food Sweets Plant Dessert and Chocolate
    Alex Lau
    30/40

    Indoor S'mores

    Feel free to try whatever toppings you’d like; if it goes well with chocolate, it will go well with these.

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  • Image may contain Food Lasagna Pasta and Pizza
    Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott
    31/40

    Classic Mozzarella Grandma Pie

    This is the pizza margherita of the square-shaped pie. Resist the temptation to add extra cheese; a light hand is key.

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  • Image may contain Bowl Food Dish Meal Soup Bowl Stew and Soup
    Chris Court
    32/40

    New England Clam Chowder

    Channel New England with this rich and warming one-pot clam chowder. If fresh clams are unavailable (or you're running short on time), substitute two 10-ounce cans of baby clams and 6 cups of bottled clam juice.

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  • A slice of key lime pie with whipped cream topping against a blue background.
    Alex Lau
    33/40

    BA's Best Key Lime Pie

    Using coconut oil in place of some of the butter suggests hints of the tropics, and yogurt folded into the whipped cream reinforces the tang of the lime juice.

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  • Image may contain Creme Cream Food Dessert Plant and Whipped Cream
    Ted Cavanaugh
    34/40

    Banana Split Ice Cream Cake

    Before you even start making this showstopper of a summer dessert, clear some space in your freezer. You’ll need a spot big enough to park a springform pan that’s filled to the brim.

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  • Image may contain Burger Food Human Person Meal and Dish
    Ditte Isager
    35/40

    Shrimp & Grits

    This Low Country favorite is spiced up with two secret ingredients: a little Budweiser and a lot of tasso, a Cajun-spiced ham.

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  • Image may contain Plant Dish Food Meal Platter and Vegetable
    Christopher Testani
    36/40

    Crispiest Potato Chips

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

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As the senior food editor at Bon Appétit, Christina spends her days in the BA Test Kitchen dreaming up recipes for home cooks (Chocolate-Matcha Butter Mochi Cake and Green Curry Lentil Soup are favorites). She also oversees the brand’s digital recipe content, working with freelancers and test kitchen staff to ... Read More
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