Flour

The secret ingredient comes from the freezer.

It tastes like childhood.

Plus, there's little to no clean up.

Whether you’re a first-time fryer or a seasoned chef, this step-by-step guide for making the very best fried chicken at home will create the most honest-to-goodness, crispy, juicy, finger-licking delicious chicken — a fried chicken with a glistening coating so full of crunchy ripples, herbs, and spices that it is hard to stop eating it once you start.

My dad has an intense sweet tooth, just like me. One afternoon when I was around 10 years old, Dad got a hankering and he enlisted me to help him make Toll House chocolate chip cookies. That was the first time he and I had ever baked together. Since then, whenever I make chocolate chip cookies, including the ones from this recipe, I think of him and that special afternoon we spent together in the kitchen. I developed this recipe over the years.

Southern biscuits are the perfect fictional device for telling the narratives of Southern families. One cook makes his biscuits with White Lily flour only because that’s how his Maw Mae did it. Another swears by lard, as her family never had the funds for high-dollar butter or shortening. Most Southern cooks bake biscuits at least once a week — a ritual and rite of passage as the recipe is handed down through the generations. My biscuit recipe is much the same.

For me, the moment that marks the beginning of spring isn’t when I spot the first cherry blossoms or pack away my winter coat — it’s when I bite into my first strawberry of the season. Homemade strawberry shortcakes are the very best way to showcase the freshly picked, super-juicy spring berries.

It is hard to overstate how simple yet stunning pineapple upside-down cake is. This cake has retro charm, but it’s a classic whose appeal hasn’t waned since it first appeared on the home baking scene. It starts with a rich butter cake that, once removed from the pan, reveals a design of caramelized pineapple rings studded with maraschino cherries. Each bite is little treasure chest of flavor — tender cake, mingled with the sweet and slightly tangy notes of pineapple and cherry.

The key to a really good pizza is, of course, the crust. I make pizza at home at least once a week, so you can be sure this recipe comes to you after years of very meticulous kitchen testing! (Totally new to making pizza? Check out our absolute beginner’s guide to pizza making, too!)Also, the fact that this dough comes together in just a few minutes and doesn’t need time to rise means that you can have pizza for dinner any night of the week.

King cakes are made around the world as part of the festival of the Epiphany, but in New Orleans, king cakes have truly taken on a life of their own. From the start of Carnival on January 6 through Mardi Gras at the beginning of February, you’ll find one of these sweet, color-splashed king cakes just about everywhere. Did you get “the baby”? That means you bring the next cake — and we have just the cake you’ll want to bring.

Biting into a beignet is like biting into a buttery, fluffy pillow. When fried in hot oil, the slightly savory dough yields bite-size nuggets with perfectly crisp exteriors and tender interiors that beg for a dusting of powdered sugar (did you know you can make your own?) and a cup of freshly brewed hot coffee. New Orleans-style beignets are probably the most well-known beignets in the United States, and they’re surprisingly easy to make at home.

Over my years of writing for The Kitchn, I’ve shared almost all of my favorite holiday cookies, from my mother’s famous peppermint cream-filled butter cookies (followed by the much less finicky peppermint cream squares the following year) to rugelach and gingerbread cookies. I’ve saved one of my most beloved cookies for last. These candy cane cookies are the best.

It's our go-to brunch dish for a reason.

It's perfect for beginners.

No notes.

It's in the dough.

Bananas turning black? Lucky you.

If you're new to sourdough, start here.

A step-by-step guide for making a sourdough starter.

A loaf of tender, warm bread in less than an hour? It's not magic — it's no-time bread!

Have you ever tried making your own crackers? Your very own crispy, crunchy, seed-topped crackers? My recommendation: try it. Definitely. Crackers are surprisingly easy to make at home with just five basic ingredients, a rolling pin, and a baking sheet. There is no kneading required nor yeast needed; just mix the dough for a minute, then roll, cut, and bake it. Make yourself a quick batch tonight and have homemade crackers for lunches, snacks, and dinners all week long.

This breakfast casserole was made for summer.

Just saying.

All the smart home cooks are doing it.

Memorize this recipe and ditch delivery.

The slow cooker does it again!

Of course Ina has a few extra tips for ways to finish it off in a special way.

Do you really need a reason to bake a single dark, chocolatey brownie? One that requires only pantry staples and a toaster oven? A brownie that you don’t have to share? Fine, I’ll give you a few — it’s better than a box mix and only takes about 20 minutes total to make, bake, and cool. Brownies are the champions of chocolate cravings, and this one is chewy, chocolatey, and fast. Baking in a toaster oven has a few benefits.

Dutch crunch is the delightful sandwich bread you didn't know you needed.

Who said cakes have to be sweet?

The secret ingredient? Cooked carrots.

Literally easier than pie.

The one-pot affair comes together without fuss, when you need it most.

Imagine the tines of your forking breaking through, almost snapping, the velvety crust of a fruit tart. It crumbles a bit, but is far from dry — each bite more rich and buttery than the last. That tender crust is typically known as pâte sablée. Unlike a flaky pie crust, pâte sablée is crisp and more cookie-like. The name literally means “sandy,” although it’s anything but.

Here are the three essential steps you need to know for making a classic fruit crumble.

This Tennessee classic is a labor of love, but it just gets better after it's made. So bake a cake and nibble away all week long.

Boneless wings are the secret to breaking your drive-thru or chicken wing habit.

You might know it as sugar pie!

This savory muffin's got it all: eggs, sausage, cheese, spinach, and even a bit of apple to help you power through your day.

Do you like éclairs? What about profiteroles, cream puffs, and cheesy gougères? Aside from making us drool just thinking about them, the one thing all these pastries have in common is that they are made from pâte à choux — a staple of the French pastry kitchen. Pâte à choux is a paste made of flour, water, butter, and eggs; it’s slightly thicker than a batter, but not quite as thick as a dough. Here’s how to make them.

Red velvet cake with a truly stunning hue and perfect velvet crumb every time.

If you asked me 10 years ago after feasting at a trattoria in Florence on fiocchetti alle pere con salsa di taleggio e asparagi that one day I would be able to replicate the experience, I would have laughed in your face. Back then the only thing I knew how to make was frozen pizza. But time has a way of changing us, and that trip to Florence changed me too. Here I am 10 years later, recreating that meal of a lifetime.

It's a game changer.

Cheddar- and jalapeño-flecked cornbread muffins are all too easy to love.

Just say yes to the bread basket.

Sometimes the sequel is even better than the original.

We've updated this classic technique for no-knead bread to make it tastier and easier!

Joanna says that she spent a year's worth of Saturdays perfecting this biscuit recipe.

Ready for the best cobbler of your life — one that you can memorize and bake anywhere, anytime? Here's how to do it.

A Madeira cake is the sort of plain cake that looks like it might be dull and dry, but instead turns out to be exceptionally moreish.

Looking for an easy-to-make alternative to dinner rolls? These cheese puffs are the ticket.

Clafoutis is an easy French dessert that’s perfect for using up summer fruit. Nothing like homey cobblers or crisps, clafoutis is decidedly more elegant yet even simpler to make. Use whatever fruit you have on hand — cherries are classic — whip up a quick batter in your blender, and bake a dessert to impress both dinner and overnight guests alike.

This is how to up your pancake game for holiday brunch.

We're harnessing the power of whipped egg whites to give waffles that coveted airy crunchy and adding one must-have ingredient that really sets pancakes and waffles apart.

Once you get the hang of the technique of making the dough, you'll be serving them with ease for snacks, brunches, breakfasts, and even for your own casual tea parties at home.

Do you know the Muffin Method? Time to learn it by heart.

This is the sweet, sky-high cake that dessert dreams are made of.

A few smart shortcuts make this the easiest shepherd's pie we know.

These stay soft days after you make them.