As a restaurant employee, let me just say this. Please don't go out to dinner on Valentine's Day. In fact, please stay home the week before and after. I beg of you. I won't elaborate, but why fight for a reservation when you can cook up a delicious, romantic meal in the privacy of your own home.

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Q: We're hosting a dinner party for about 10 people. We will be roasting three chickens as the main course. I am planning to cook the chickens one at a time on the day of the party; then I'll carve them and serve them in one big bowl. What the best way to keep the carved chicken pieces warm while the rest of the food is cooking? I'm afraid to stick them back in the oven right before dinner because I don't want the meat to dry out. Maybe I could do a double boiler thing, the way you do to keep mashed potatoes warm for awhile?

Sent by Julianne More

Oh, you molecular gastronomists. There you go again, up-ending everything we think is right and proper in the kitchen. Here's the latest strange yet wholly practical concept imported to home kitchens from the labs of Nathan Myhrvold, gentleman scientist and chef: A method for cooking the absolute perfect steak, demonstrated here by Brandon Matzek of Kitchen Konfidence. More

The lure of steak is simply irresistible. Add in beer-soaked mushrooms, caramelized onions, and some fingerling potatoes roasted with blue cheese, and you'll have every neighbor within 300 feet of your front door standing in your kitchen. So lock 'em out, or welcome them in. Either way, this 30-minute meal will knock the socks off your local steak house. More

You can call this oven-fried chicken or crunchy baked chicken or breaded chicken or any number of things. I like calling this dish Fake Fried Chicken because I feel like I'm getting away with something sneaky. More

Q: My husband got a smoker for Christmas this year. He is beyond excited but is lacking experience (as am I). We tried one recipe for smoked ribs that came with the instruction manual for the smoker but we were disappointed. I can't seem to find a well-reviewed cookbook on smoking meats and fish. Can you or any of your readers provide some advice?

Sent by Kara
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There are very few foods that feed a large crowd with little effort. Tacos may be the simplest option for feeding a lot of people, and today we are bringing you one of our favorite taco stuffings: Barbacoa beef, tender and full rich, complex flavors. Yes, did you know you can make that tasty stuff you buy at Chipotle in your own kitchen — and in your slow cooker no less? More

No matter which day of the week I happen to roast a chicken, it always feels like a Sunday dinner to me. Pulling a burnished chicken from the oven feels like a step above my usual haphazard meals, and special in its very simplicity. Here are a few different takes on roast chicken that have caught my eye recently. More

My love for the twice-baked potato knows no bounds. I mean, we're basically talking about mashed potatoes mixed with cheese and other good things, stuffed inside a potato skin, and baked until crispy. How could that be bad? Answer: it can't.

I'll eat these any old time and with all manner of fillings. But if you're headed to a Super Bowl Party next week, this bacon-cheddar version is a guaranteed hit. More

Call it a trend, call it increased awareness or just good behavior, but asking where your meat comes from and how it was raised is becoming more commonplace. More