Is It Bad to Run Your Dishwasher Every Day?

Creamy (but mayo-less) potato salad, fluffy buttermilk biscuits and gravy, and a chocolate sheet cake made for a picnic

Sometimes we all hit a cooking rut — and maybe, for you, that sometimes is now. You’ve done all the things one can do to a bean, and while the digital cook-o-sphere is loaded with ideas, there are just too many of them. So you scroll a few blogs, flip through some cookbooks, and give up. Beany Thursday strikes again.

Help is here! To sort through the noise of TikTok tortilla wraps and feta pastas, Eater has compiled a handful of the recipes — from blogs, magazines, publications, and cookbooks — that put the pep back in our pans this week and that we hope will do the same for you. These are the dishes that Eater editors from across the country actually made recently, and we’re passing along any firsthand tips, hacks, or dietary substitutions that, hey, worked for us. Here, then, are this week’s must-try recipes from Eater’s very-much-average-but-highly-enthusiastic home cooks.

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June 25, 2021

Tzatziki Potato Salad

Hetty McKinnon, NYT Cooking

Mayo haters rejoice! There’s finally a fantastic creamy potato salad recipe just for us. This incredibly easy NYT Cooking recipe calls for homemade tzatziki, which, as a bonus, I learned was extremely easy to concoct. I used labneh instead of Greek yogurt here since it’s what I had on hand, and also substituted capers for the olives. But what’s great about this potato salad is it seems that you can mix in any herbs and garnishes you’d like and it still comes out creamy, bright, and tangy. — Terri Ciccone, Eater audience development manager

Buttermilk Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

Sally McKenney, Sally’s Baking Addiction; Sam Sifton, NYT Cooking

I’m not sure exactly when it started, but buttermilk biscuits are a Father’s Day breakfast tradition at my house. My husband is from Texas, and I used to marvel at the biscuits his grandmother whipped up from scratch (before I learned they weren’t quite from scratch). When I finally tried them myself I learned two things: 1. Basic biscuits are not that hard. 2. Exceptional biscuits are terrifyingly elusive. In pursuit of perfection I try a different recipe each year on Father’s Day, and this year that recipe came from Sally’s Baking Addiction. They were more successful than others I’ve attempted, though I’ll keep searching for my perfect golden pillows. For gravy, I went to a Sam Sifton classic that was everything I wanted — by which I mean quick, easy, and rich. Something you could slather over a pair of shoes and have an incredible meal. Start-to-finish this breakfast took around an hour, meaning it was ready by the time the man of honor rolled out of bed. (Biscuits and gravy in bed is not recommended.) — Lesley Suter, Eater travel editor

Shaking Tofu

Andrea Nguyen, Food & Wine

I found myself making one of my go-to meatless meals on Sunday, in an attempt to use some tofu I’d opened up to make miso soup earlier in the week. Shaking beef is a must-order for me when I’m having Vietnamese, and the tofu-based spin here intrigued me. Tofu can be fussy to prepare, but Andrea Nyguen’s instructions couldn’t be easier. A slightly funky sauce for the tofu, complemented with an assertive dressing for the salad, all adds up to a well-balanced dish. I sometimes like to make a bit of lime dip to serve on the side for extra saltiness; this time around, I halved the recipe and subbed in regular tomatoes for the cherry ones. While this recipe is available online, it’s worth seeking out Nyguen’s cookbook, Vietnamese Food Any Day, which includes this; every recipe I’ve made from it has been a winner. — Missy Frederick, Eater cities director

Tomato and Cucumber Salad and Honey Hush Cornbread

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: An American Roadhouse

One of my housemates, who spent some time living in Texas, got the urge to make brisket the other day (it was incredible), so I got the urge to throw a couple sides together — the sides to which I almost always turn whenever there’s a barbecue or a potluck or a casual dinner party: the tomato and cucumber salad and Honey Hush cornbread from Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: An American Roadhouse. I spent my college years in Rochester, New York, so I have a soft spot for the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que mini-chain, which originated in Syracuse before expanding to Rochester and beyond. The cookbook has been one of my go-tos since it came out shortly after I finished college, and most of it is quite manageable for a beginner-ish cook, like these two absolutely foolproof sides. A bit of chopping, a bit of mixing, a bit of baking, and you’ve got two crowd-pleasing sides for almost any occasion. I’ve gotten much better in the kitchen since my first introduction to this cookbook over a decade ago, but I was able to handle most of the book, and especially these two recipes, in even my bleakest, “Oops I almost set the microwave on fire because I forgot to add water to the Cup Noodles,” early post-college days. — Rachel Blumenthal, Eater Boston editor

Easy Sheet Cake with Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting

Claire Saffitz, Bon Appétit

Last weekend, my partner Daniel (a frequent character in these recipe roundups) marked a birthday, which we celebrated with an outdoor hang in 90-degree Central Park heat. So for a cake, nothing fussy, drippy, or multilayered would do. This classic sheet cake with chocolate-cream cheese frosting fit the bill perfectly — easy to prep, stays firm and solid when traveling in the heat, and can be eaten easily off paper plates while seated in the grass. The cake itself was fine and fluffy (though perhaps ever-so-slightly less moist than a Duncan Hines yellow cake mix), but the frosting was the true star, a chocolate topping so light and airy it tasted whipped. A true crowd-pleaser for your next outdoor celebration. — Ellie Krupnick, Eater director of editorial operations

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June 17, 2021

Brioche Bread

• June Xie, Delish

Via Carota’s Insalata Verde

• Samin Nosrat, NYT Cooking

Chicken With Rajas

• Cooks Country

Italian Sausage and Kale Casserole

• Michelle Tam, Nom Nom Paleo

Coconut-Braised Collard Greens

• Von Diaz/Julia Moskin, NYT Cooking

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June 11, 2021

Matthew Kang

Penne alla Vodka

• Saveur

Strawberry Shortcake Cobbler

• Alison Roman, A Newsletter

Chicken Gyro Salad

• Deb Perelman, Smitten Kitchen

Roasted Fish With Spice Butter and Tomatoes

• Melissa Clark, NYT Cooking

Charred Corn Salad

• Kate Merker and Kristina Kurek, Country Living

Spicy Shrimp and Chickpea Salad

• Yasmin Fahr, NYT Cooking

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June 4, 2021

Macaroni Salad With Lemon and Herbs

• Alexa Weibel, NYT Cooking

Aubergine and Ricotta Dumplings in Tomato Sauce

• Yottam Ottolenghi, The Guardian

Carrot Salad with Oranges, Cashews, and Charred Chile Dressing

• Gregory Gourdet, Everyone’s Table

Strip Steak au Poivre

• Molly Baz, Bon Appétit

Tuna Tataki

• Just One Cookbook

Perfect Buttermilk Pancakes

• Alison Roman, NYT Cooking

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May 28, 2021

Trail Mix Cookies

• Sohla El-Waylly, Bon Appétit

Korean Pork and Rice Cakes With Bok Choy

• Blue Apron

Grilled Striped Bass With Charred Kale and Yellow Squash

• Jeff Schwarz and Greg Kessler, NYT Cooking

Easiest Chicken Adobo

• Claire Saffitz, Bon Appétit Basically

Vegan Ranch Dip

• Betsy Carter, Tasty

Almond Rhubarb Picnic Bars

• Smitten Kitchen

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For the complete list of everything Eater editors have enjoyed cooking so far this year (pizza babka! air-fryer ube cheesecake! spiced coconut chicken and rice!), head to the archive.

Source : food