Our Favorite Easy Comfort Pasta: Cacio e Pepe

Your Recipe of the Day No Images? Click here Cacio e Pepe (Spaghetti With Black Pepper and Pecorino Romano) If you were to watch a practiced hand make cacio e pepe, you might think the instructions were as simple as this: Cook spaghetti and drain. Toss with olive oil, butter, black pepper, and grated Pecorino Romano cheese. Serve. But we all know the simplest recipes can often be the most confounding, and so it is with cacio e pepe. Follow this recipe to get what you're after: a creamy, emulsified sauce that coats each strand of spaghetti with flavor. (Delete "that" and reworded beginning of last sentence)  Read More → The Kitchen Essential 12-Inch Skillet Cooking spaghetti in a 12-inch skillet with just enough water to cover it produces pasta that is perfectly al dente. Plus, it saves time, since you don't have to wait for a large pot to boil.  Shop Now   Serious Eats 88 35th St Ste 602 Brooklyn, NY 11232 Click Preferences to control which emails you receive from Serious Eats. Clicking Unsubscribe will remove you from all Serious Eats emails…which would be sad. Preferences  |  Unsubscribe

Game Day–Worthy Cheesesteak Nachos

Your Recipe of the Day No Images? Click here Cheesesteak Nachos Philly cheesesteaks served as the inspiration for this twist on a platter of nachos, with thinly sliced steak, melted provolone, homemade cheese sauce, and hot peppers standing in for the classic condiments and toppings. It's a cheesesteak in every bite. Read More → The Kitchen Essential Cast Iron Skillet Making your own homemade tortilla chips makes a platter of nachos really special. We like to fry our tortilla slices in a bit of oil in the bottom of our trusty cast iron skillet. Shop Now   Serious Eats 88 35th St Ste 602 Brooklyn, NY 11232 Click Preferences to control which emails you receive from Serious Eats. Clicking Unsubscribe will remove you from all Serious Eats emails…which would be sad. Preferences  |  Unsubscribe

Everything You Need to Make the Best Banana Bread

Better ingredients, better bread No Images? Click here   Your Banana Bread Just Got Even Better Let us say this in no uncertain terms: You make terrific banana bread. But even the best, most secret family recipe can benefit from some tips and tricks from Stella's playbook. Here's the equipment and ingredients you need for your best batch yet. A Good Loaf Pan It should go without saying, but to make good banana bread you need a good loaf pan. This straight-sided, uncoated loaf pan is one of our must-haves.  Coconut Oil If you have a recipe that uses vegetable oil, try swapping it for coconut oil. It makes for a less-greasy loaf that's as moist as any other. The tropical aroma of virgin coconut oil can amplify the fruity, floral taste of banana in a major way, but if you're not keen on coconut flavor, look for refined coconut oil instead.  Wheat Flour Whole-grain flour can absorb (and retain) more water than all-purpose, and that accomplishes three things. One, it allows the batter to accommodate more banana purée without turning to soup. Two, it creates a thicker batter, resulting in a more attractive peak. Three, it helps keep the loaf from drying out, improving its texture and shelf life. Spice Grinder Most recipes keep things simple in the spice department, but amping up the spice blend can actually intensify the banana's natural flavor. Make your own blend of ground spices using our favorite spice grinder and keep it in the cupboard for whenever you make banana bread—all you need is a pinch or two.   Food Processor Nobody's gonna complain about a warm slice of banana bread topped with butter, but trade it for a generous smear of banana chantilly and folks will straight-up break into song. Just toss some sugar and freeze-dried bananas into a food processor, grind until powdery, then finish with cream.   Instant-Read Thermometer The deep golden color of the crust won't change much after the loaf has baked for an hour, making it hard to track its progress. And while there's nothing wrong with the old jab-it-with-a-toothpick test, a digital thermometer provides a far more objective frame of reference. Serious Eats 88 35th St Ste 602 Brooklyn, NY 11232 Click Preferences to control which emails you receive from Serious Eats. Clicking Unsubscribe will remove you from all Serious Eats emails…which would be sad. Preferences  |  Unsubscribe