About Me

Casey Barber is a food writer, illustrator, and photographer; author of Pierogi Love: New Takes on an Old-World Comfort Food and Classic Snacks Made from Scratch: 70 Homemade Versions of Your Favorite Brand Name Treats; and editor of Good. Food. Stories.. When she’s not road-tripping across the U.S., Casey lives in New Jersey with her husband, two hungry cats, and a freezer full of sour cherries.


Latest Stories

7 Methods for Stabilizing Whipped Cream
It's probably already in your pantry.
Jun 13, 2024
The One Easy Step That'll Help You Crimp Pie Crust Like a Pro Baker
Crimping a pie crust is like putting on a piece of statement jewelry before you leave the house. It’s strictly decorative and won’t make your pie any tastier (or will it?), but looks oh-so nice for your pie presentation.There are, in fact, a few keys to knowing how to crimp pie crust like a professional.
Nov 13, 2023
This Is the Best Way to Keep Apples from Browning
It's way better than lemon water!
Sep 1, 2023
The Best Hacks, Tips, and Tricks for the Most Delicious, Least-Hectic Super Bowl Party Spread
It’s a nearly four-hour marathon of indulgence and overstimulation. Here's how to make sure you're fully prepared for it!
Feb 8, 2023
How to Eat Crab: The Easiest Method
Whether you’re at a crab boil with friends or just want to indulge at home, here’s how to remove meat from whole crabs.
Dec 22, 2022
The 9 Most Popular Types of Shellfish
How well do you know all of your favorite types of shellfish?
Dec 15, 2022
4 Easy Ways to Melt White Chocolate
Plus, how to save it if it seizes.
Oct 3, 2022
What Exactly Is White Chocolate?
Yes, it's real chocolate.
Oct 3, 2022
What's a Stone Fruit, Anyway?
Find out with our visual guide.
Aug 5, 2022
How to Cut Papaya — A Step-by-Step Guide
Follow these simple steps to slice your fresh papaya.
Jun 25, 2022
How to Peel Kiwis — A Step-by-Step Guide
There are four easy ways to do it!
Jun 24, 2022
8 Things You Didn't Know You Could Use to Make a Pie Crust
Pretzel pie crust? Yes, please!
Jun 9, 2022
We Tried 8 Ways of Making Caramel Sauce and the Winner Is Absolutely Foolproof
Add one simple ingredient for guaranteed success.
May 26, 2022
Our Salmon Cheat Sheet
Here are the main types of salmon you'll find for sale in the United States, plus the best ways to cook each one.
May 2, 2022
Our Cheat Sheet to Salad Greens
Jazz up your salad bowl with one of these tasty greens.
Apr 28, 2022
How to Make a Classic Hollandaise Sauce — It's Easier than You Might Think!
Use these step-by-step instructions to make this beloved sauce.
Apr 14, 2022
How to Store Lemon Curd So It Lasts for Months
You can refrigerate it for weeks or freeze it even longer — here's how to keep it tasting as fresh as the day you made it.
Mar 18, 2022
We Tested 8 Methods for Making Lemon Curd and the Simplest Was Also the Best
Three cheers for the double boiler! No cheers for the slow cooker.
Mar 10, 2022
We Tried 5 Methods for Baking Sweet Potatoes and the Winner Was So Simple
Perfect baked sweet potatoes await you.
Jan 23, 2022
5 Tips for the Best Chocolate Bark
Nail this classic edible holiday gift.
Dec 20, 2021
5 Tips (and 1 Cheat) for Making the Best Fudge
No more grainy fudge!
Dec 15, 2021
We Tried 7 Ways to Make Whipped Cream
We found several great ways to make fluffy whipped cream ... and one method for splattering it everywhere.
Nov 19, 2021
How to Rescue Ruined Mashed Potatoes
Whether your mashed potatoes are watery, lumpy, over-salted, or gluey, we'll show you how to fix them and make them delicious.
Nov 7, 2021
The Best Way to Meal-Prep Sweet Potato Cubes
Here's how to cook sweet potatoes so they hold their shape in salads and grain bowls instead of turning to mush.
Nov 7, 2021
What Is in Apple Pie Spice, and How Can I Make It from Scratch?
We've got answers!
Oct 22, 2021
This Cheesy, Saucy Hot Brown Sandwich Is Kentucky's Original Hangover Cure
The open-faced turkey sandwich features crispy bacon and creamy Mornay sauce.
Apr 26, 2021
If You Like Guinness, You Should Try These 5 Beers Too
Some stouts pour like motor oil and drink like a meal—and sometimes that’s exactly what you want when you’re sampling one-offs and specialty brews for an evening. But sometimes you don’t want your beer to fill you up for the evening, and that’s why Guinness has so many fans around the world: despite its dense and creamy appearance, it’s actually light and refreshing.
Feb 15, 2021
Easy, Cheesy Stuffed Shells Are Always a Good Idea
Plenty of melty cheese and lots of warm tomato sauce ensure this is comfort food at its best.
Jul 8, 2020
Young, Scrappy, and Hungry! A Hamilton-Inspired Menu for Your Independence Day Movie Watch.
Pick and choose from these recipes to build a Hamil-feast for your own viewing experience.
Jul 2, 2020
How I Got My Meat-Loving Husband to Go Vegetarian During This Pandemic
With grocery stores in short supply of meat and poultry, I decided to use this time as an opportunity to show my burger-loving husband how varied and satisfied a plant-based diet can be. Here's what's working for us.
Apr 10, 2020
Recipe: Chunky Italian Wedding Soup with Pasta
Woe to a wife who loves a scalding-hot bowl of chowder when her husband’s policy on all soups — as well as any other hot liquids — is the same as Kenneth Ellen Parcell’s: “That’s the devil’s temperature.
Feb 3, 2020
Recipe: Cheeseburger Hand Pies
My husband, Dan, would eat a cheeseburger pretty much every day of the week if I let him. This is not conjecture; it’s an established fact. It’s his desert-island food, and should we ever be stuck on a magical cheeseburger-filled desert island, he’s free to eat as many as he wants, as often as he wants. It’s also true that Dan works in Manhattan, which is in fact an island with no shortage of great burgers.
Jan 29, 2020
Recipe: Lemony Brussels Sprout Gratin
Potluck dinners tend to resemble mini Thanksgivings most of the time — and I’m most definitely not saying that’s a bad thing. But with all the tried-and-true vegetable side dishes and casseroles that often show up at the table, it’s fun to tweak the traditions a little bit and stand out from the pack. A double dose of lemon in this veggie-loaded gratin keeps the mood light — even with the usual suspects of cream and cheese in every comforting spoonful.
Jan 29, 2020
Recipe: Scallion Pancake Pierogies
Admit it — most of us have a slightly codependent relationship with frozen potstickers. Sometimes I truly wonder if they were invented to be the perfect solo meal — finger food with a five-minute cooking time being the two major qualifications for my lazy solo meals, anyway. Pierogies, the Eastern European dumpling equivalent of potstickers, make an equally ideal snack, either when dining solo or when making appetizers for a crowd.
Jan 22, 2020
Recipe: Skillet Apple Crisp
Was there ever a dessert more tailor-made for a skillet than a rustic, streusel-topped fruit crisp? Sure, you can assemble it in a gratin dish or your favorite Pyrex casserole, but I stand behind the idea that serving this oh-so-American autumn apple dessert in a cast iron skillet is the presentation it deserves — nay, warrants. If we’re talking semantics, the presence of oats sets this dessert firmly in crisp territory, but I’m not standing on ceremony here.
Jan 21, 2020
Recipe: Crispy Potato Bites with Spicy Ketchup
These perfect snacky potato bites are even better than fries (and so much easier, too).
Jan 14, 2020