Recipes

24 Recipes Everyone Should Know How to Cook

From chicken pot pie and classic Caesar salad to brownies and cookies.
Image may contain Spaghetti Food Pasta and Noodle
The classic recipe you always wanted, with a little kick.ALEX LAU

We've rounded up 24 basic recipes that everyone should know how to cook, from a pot of rice to pot roast. Master these, and you'll never find yourself stumped in the grocery store.

  • Classic chicken pot pie recipe using storebought rotisserie chicken puff pastry and a simple gravy spiked with...
    ALEX LAU
    1/23

    Fast Chicken Pot Pie

    The only not-last-minute thing about this recipe? Thawing the puff pastry. Make sure to put it in the refrigerator the night before making this dish.

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  • Image may contain Food Pizza Plant and Bread
    Hirsheimer & Hamilton
    2/23

    Garlic Bread

    You can cut and butter the bread well in advance, but don’t bake it until guests arrive.

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  • Image may contain Food Cookie and Biscuit
    Photo by Romulo Yanes
    3/23

    Salty Chocolate Chunk Cookies

    Finishing your cookies with a delicate, flaky salt like Maldon brings out the chocolate flavor and tempers the sweetness, creating the ultimate sweet and salty snack.

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  • Image may contain Food Pizza Pie Tart Dessert and Cake
    Brian W Ferry
    4/23

    Frittata

    Frittatas are excellent served warm or at room temperature, which means that this meatless main is a perfect do-ahead dish.

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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
    5/23

    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).

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  • Image may contain Spaghetti Food Pasta and Noodle
    ALEX LAU
    6/23

    Spaghetti and Meatballs

    The classic recipe you always wanted, with a little kick.

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  • Image may contain Food Bread and Water
    7/23

    Fried Chicken

    This easy recipe for Southern fried chicken is the only one you'll ever need.

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  • Image may contain Food Cookie Biscuit Dessert Chocolate Brownie and Plant
    Photo by Laura Murray, styling by Anna Bilingskog.
    8/23

    Brownies

    These brownies come together quickly and are super rich... in a good way.

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  • Baking dish of mac and cheese with crispy panko topping with one serving scooped out.
    Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman
    11/23

    Mac and Cheese

    Don’t be alarmed if the sauce looks thin at first: It will continue to thicken as it bakes with the noodles.

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  • Image may contain Bowl Dish Food Meal Soup Bowl and Soup
    12/23

    Chicken Noodle Soup

    Just like your mother used to make :)

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  • French Toast on a plate with syrup with jam to the side
    Photograph by Breanne Furlong, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht
    15/23

    French Toast

    A mixture of milk and cream delivers a custardy interior texture, but you could use 1 ½ cups whole milk if that’s what you’ve got on hand.

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  • Image may contain Weapon Blade Knife Weaponry Food Meal Dinner Supper Roast Animal Seafood Sea Life and Lobster
    Hirsheimer & Hamilton
    16/23

    Roast Chicken

    We cook our chicken in two phases to keep the skin taut and the flesh moist and juicy.

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  • Image may contain Cutlery Spoon Plant Food Produce and Vegetable
    Gentl & Hyers
    17/23

    Fried Rice

    If you forget to thaw the shrimp in the morning, set the bag in a large bowl filled with cold water. It will defrost in minutes. One cup of dry rice will yield 3 cups cooked; leftover rice, which is slightly dried out, makes the best stir-fries.

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  • Image may contain Bowl Food Dish Meal Curry and Soup Bowl
    Alex Lau
    18/23

    Tomato Soup

    Roasting brings out the sweetness of canned tomatoes, but this method works with fresh tomatoes, too.

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  • Seared and roasted chicken thighs in a cast iron skillet with lemon slices and thyme.
    19/23

    Pan-Roasted Chicken Thighs

    Sophisticated enough for a Sunday supper yet quick enough for Wednesday's dinner, this master recipe is all in the technique. Cook the thighs skin side down in a cast-iron skillet to render out the fat and make the skin as crisp and, dare we say, delicious as bacon.

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  • Slices of banana bread one with butter sitting on a cutting board
    Photograph by Victoria Jane, Food Styling by Mallory Lance, Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon
    20/23

    Banana Bread

    Here at BA everybody has their favorite banana bread recipe. We made every one—14 to be exact—until we came up with a collective favorite. Dark brown sugar is key and a dollop of mascarpone makes for superior tenderness.

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  • Image may contain Ice Cream Food Creme Dessert Cream and Butter
    21/23

    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!

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  • Closeup image of steamed white rice.
    Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Pearl Jones
    22/23

    Perfect Pot of Rice

    Rice is the quintessential deceptively easy dish—it takes time to master!

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  • Image may contain Animal Seafood Food Lobster Sea Life Meal Dish Plant Invertebrate Clam and Seashell
    23/23

    Mussels

    Customize the flavor profile of the finished dish by stirring some curry powder or Dijon mustard into the cooking liquid.

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