Easy

You can prepare steel-cut oats according to package directions. Or quicken the morning cooking by soaking the oats in boiling water before you turn in the night before; in the morning, just put the pot on the stove and they’ll cook in about 10 minutes

Seasoning the chicken with a bit of apple cider vinegar beforehand helps tenderize the chicken before roasting.

“The grapefruit brightens everything in this dish.” —Eleanore Park, BA recipe tester

To faithfully re-create this cocktail, do as Nostrana in Portland, OR, does and seek out blue plum brandy from Oregon’s Clear Creek Distillery.

Get the pan smoking hot so the halibut won’t stick. Let it get a good sear on the first side, which will also help it release.

Our no-soak bean recipe is foolproof and ripe for improvisation. Throw in whatever moves you and simmer away.

For this cod recipe, you want to cook it at a lazy simmer; it will make all the difference between buttery, flaky fish and rubbery, tough fillets.

Had kasha or soba? You’ve tasted buckwheat. The flour has an earthy, mineral flavor that pairs especially well with tart fruits, like these cherries.

For a salty, savory, crunchy boost, sprinkle this on roasted vegetables, soups, and hot cereal.

Prefer a different berry? Feel free to swap it in.

This is not your usual garlic-and-oil sauté: Lime pickle brings a spicy and pungent kick.

This deceptively simple condiment is as addictive as pesto and as transformative as a squeeze of lemon. Spoon it onto fish, chicken, steak, roasted vegetables, or even pasta.

A spoonful of this sweet, earthy condiment perks up eggs, grain dishes, and simply prepared proteins.

With slices of celery root and chefs’ new favorite cheese, scamorza, pizza night just got a lot more fun.

The salmon absorbs more teriyaki flavor as it sits, making it even better (and breakfast that much quicker) if done in advance.

In this hamburger recipe, adding onion delivers moisture; forming thicker patties prevents them from cooking too fast and drying out. Both steps are key when working with grass-fed ground beef.

Make extra grains on Sunday and use them for this lightning-quick weeknight dinner.

Preserved lemons add a wonderful salty-sweet hit to these simple potatoes, but if you don’t have them on hand, you can use regular lemons instead. Thinly slice the peel of one lemon, then toss with the potatoes before roasting.

“My elementary school grapefruit, all grown up. I like the low notes of the red pepper flakes and rosemary against the sweet-tart citrus.” —Dawn Perry, senior food editor