Cook's Illustrated

At Cook's Illustrated, our test cooks are dedicated to testing and retesting recipes 20, 30, sometimes 50 times until we come up with a recipe that will come out right the first time -- and every time -- you make it. And each issue of Cook's Illustrated is 100% ADVERTISING FREE, so you get unbiased and objective information on every page. As we like to say at Cook's Illustrated, "We make the mistakes so you don't have to."

Cook’s Illustrated

SALAD DAYS

QUICK TIPS

Barbacoa Is a Party • Mexico’s unctuously tender, slow-cooked meat is meant for wrapping in warm tortillas, serving with a chile-spiked broth, and sharing with loved ones.

Your Best Fried Chicken Sandwich Yet • An epic Buffalo version delivers bold crunch, spice, and tang.

How the French Poach Fish • À la nage—the French method for poaching fish in a delicate broth—is gentle and mostly hands-off, and it delivers pristine flavor with restaurant-caliber panache.

The Joy of Making Pasta by Hand • For more than a millennium, Tuscan cooks have made pici—long, delectably chewy strands of pasta—using just their hands. You can too.

Nouveau Niçoise • A range of temperatures and textures—and meticulous seasoning—reinvigorate the classic summery salad from the Côte d’Azur.

Quesadillas for Dinner • With a few tweaks to the cooking method, it’s easy to bring proteins and vegetables into the fold.

Raise the Salad Bar • Tossed with lively dressing and a dynamic mix of simple, thoughtfully prepared embellishments, your everyday green salad can have character, substance—even showstopper appeal.

The Season’s Best Bean • It takes some work to get to the good part of fava beans, but these luxuriously creamy, protein-rich nuggets are worth it.

The Two Sides of Oatcakes • The Scottish original is savory. The Cape Breton version is sweet. Both are crisp, wholesome, and undeniably snackable.

Creamy, Dreamy Eggs • Custardy, spicy-savory menemen is a Turkish treasure.

A Fine Mess • Subtle tweaks to the berries, cream, and meringue smarten up Eton’s iconic dessert.

The Best Serrated Knives • Serrated knives are great for cutting so much more than bread. Which one is best?

A Celebration of Soy Sauce • Soy sauce is essential in many culinary traditions—and no two styles are exactly the same.

INGREDIENT NOTES

KITCHEN NOTES

EQUIPMENT CORNER

Edible Shoots