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This week we tasted 11 kinds of lard bread, watched dry ice sublimate, flattened some sandwiches, and more. More

[Photograph: Leela Punyaratabandhu] This creamy version of Tom Yam Kung is hearty enough to serve as a stand-alone soup course or, as the Thais do it, a main course to be eaten with rice. Note: kaffir lime leaves, galangal, and... More

It's been about four years since I first sauteed a cucumber and I can safely say, I have not returned to that recipe. There's a much better return to this one from Grace Young's The Breath of a Wok. The green vegetable is paired with thinly sliced pork and red bell pepper. It's the kind of humble, straightforward Chinese dish that I've been falling in love with recently. More

Okay, so these Japanese Burgers from The Japanese Grill by Harris Salat and Tadashi Ono aren't your typical backyard cookout fare, but man, are they good. They're little patties of soy spiked beef and pork, topped with spicy-sweet wasabi ketchup, served on a grilled rice "bun." More

I've had incredible success with every recipe I've tried from Takashi's Noodles, written by the celebrated Chicago chef Takashi Yagihashi. His instructions for soba, ramen, and udon have all been authentic, utterly delicious, and relatively easy to prepare at home. But the same level of authenticity disappears in the back of the book, when he starts dishing out wacky recipes for Italian pasta that are blessedly free of tradition. More

Last week Ed was invited to a cookbook launch party for Gwyneth Paltrow's My Father's Daughter. In attendance were none other than Jay-Z, Jerry Seinfeld, and Alex Rodriguez of New York Yankees fame. Great set of friends, right? When asked about the food, though, Ed mentioned that the Duck Ragu was quite good, which made me want to investigate this recipe for myself. More

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So we've been through guo tie (fried dumplings), the thick-skinned, crisp-on-the-bottom potstickers from Beijing, but what about their Shanghai counterparts? I'm talking the delicate xiao long bar of Shanghai; the ones that appear to be your standard dumplings, but miraculously burst open in a mouthful of savory broth with a tender meatball floating inside as you bite into them. More

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Name any food out there, and it can probably be Peepsified. That doesn't mean it should, but it always makes for an entertaining afternoon. Here are 10 classic ways to play with your Peeps. More

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Of all the foods off the A1 through A24 section of your local Chinese takeout menu, fried dumplings (that's Peking ravioli to you Bostonians) are perhaps the ones that benefit most from some home treatment. Unless you're really lucky, takeout dumplings are thick-skinned and greasy, any crunch having left them in the long steamy bike ride from the kitchen to your door. More

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With the chèvre poured over torn green leaf lettuce and topped with garden tomatoes, snipped chives, and toasted walnuts, the salad has a definite bistro feel, but it's easy to make, light but decadent, and a bit off the beaten track More

To combat chickpea fatigue, Yotam Ottolenghi chef and author of Plenty created this reimagined take on a vegetarian classic, a humble preparation of sautéed chickpeas. His Chickpea Sauté with Greek Yogurt incorporates flavors that are both expected—garlic and cilantro—and one that is entirely new—caraway and mint. More

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Though the whole process of making potato gnocchi from scratch may sound a little daunting, once you get rolling, it's really not hard and is actually kind of fun. Check out the slideshow tutorial to see how easy it is to make light, tender, and delicious homemade gnocchi. And then take a look at a few suggestions for simple sauces to go with them. More

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If you've already had a chance to look at the photos insane dinner I had at the Modernist Cuisine Cooking Lab in Seattle a couple weeks back, you may be interested in knowing what goes into preparing all that food, and the book. Before the meal, we took an extensive tour of the massive warehouse space that houses the Cooking Lab. Ever seen a microwave cut in half? More

The awesome wok shot was made by cutting a wok completely in half and cooking in it. This shot, on the other hand, was an even simpler one: only the lid was cut in half in order to demonstrate inefficiencies when a pot gets heated. More

Find out which book made Kenji decide to lock his brand-new, never-been-field-tested architecture degree in the vault immediately after college to take a minimum-wage job flipping pizzas and mopping floors—and all the other inspiring books and blogs along the way. More

Note: This recipe will work for ribeye or strip steaks. Try and get steaks at least 1 1/2 inches thick. It's better to cook a bigger steak and portion it after cooking than to try and cook thinner steaks.... More

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This week we're getting back to the basics, exploring a few of the simplest, yet most persistent points of contention amongst steak-fryers and grillers. Namely, salting, searing, and poking, in that order. More

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As a half-Japanese kid in the '80s, I grew up eating instant ramen at least once a week, and it still holds a special place in my gut. That said, my tastes have changed and expanded considerably over the years, and sometimes that little flavoring packet just isn't enough. As such, I've spent a lot of time devising ways to upgrade my ramen in cheap, easy ways. Ghetto gourmet, if you will. More

Note: This cheese sauce is gooey and tangy. For a spicier version, substitute half the cheddar cheese with Pepper Jack and add 2-3 minced pickled jalapeños, or to taste. To reheat the sauce, microwave it on high heat, stopping and... More