Everyone needs a Swiss army knife ice cream that can be used to improve any dessert or become one on its own. Let this be yours. More

The flame-throwing heat of this South Indian curry will have you screaming for more. More

My favorite hours of food programming on TV right now are found on lazy Saturday afternoons on PBS. The programs are not as high octane and thrilling as those on other networks, but they are far more useful. This past... More

Buffalo chicken and waffles commingle spicy-sweet heat with big, bold flavors, just the ticket for a breakfast-as-dinner treat. More

Moroccan spices and a coffee rub lend deep flavor and a russet hue to beef brisket, while couscous helps sop up its sauce. More

Calamari is like an upmarket version of fish sticks. It's both comforting and slightly elevated. A lot of people get nervous about frying, or about seafood in general, but fried seafood is one of the easiest things you can make. Here, strips and tentacles are coated in a Chinese five-spice powder and flour dusting, and fried in two minutes until golden and crisp. Tossed with scallions, cilantro, and lime, these calamari are exotic, quick, fresh, and totally hit the spot. More

The only real prep required for this dish is to soak the chickpeas the night before and let them dry the next day. Other than that, it really is the world's easiest falafel and tzatziki. The falafels come out crisp and piping hot, which is tempered by the cooling effects of the cucumber and yoghurt in the tzatziki. Served with a warm pita, it's time to create the perfect little dinner pocket. More

About the author: After graduating from MIT, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt spent many years as a chef, recipe developer, writer, and editor in Boston. He now lives in New York with his wife. Got a suggestion for an upcoming topic? Email... More

Wok Hei, the smoky, charred flavor or well-cooked stir-fries can make or break Pepper Steak, the classic Chinese-American staple. Our version combines tender steak with bell peppers and onions in a savory black pepper-flavored sauce. For best results, we cook it on a wok set on an outdoor coal grill. More

This Michael Symon recipe from Live to Cook is the kind of pasta dish I adore. Namely because the sauce is cooked quickly, using a mix of fresh, in-season produce and salty cured products. When the pasta is done cooking, it's tossed right into the pan with the sauce, so that each bite is coated with the flavorful mixture. It actually comes off something like a mix between a funky puttanesca and a fiery all'amatriciana. More

This recipe has easy written all over it. The noodles cook in a pot of boiling water and are then drained in a colander. Meanwhile, the sauce is mixed together in less than a minute in the food processor. Combine the two, along with a some sliced cucumbers, and you're done. More

In some ways, you can think of gin as a juniper-flavored vodka. Here's a bit about gin's history and production, and a guide to the different types of gin you might find. More

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Lance Roberts is known around Slice for his pizza pilgrimages. On his most recent tear through NYC, the LA Slice'r tackled the most epic pizza tourism itinerary to date, clocking 40 slices from NYC pizzerias in just three days. Here's how he did it. More

When it comes down to it, gin is basically a neutral spirit flavored with juniper berries and a bunch of other stuff. So while it might seem like putting a bunch of berries and herbs in vodka couldn't possibly result in a drinkable gin, you definitely can make a gin just as complex and delicious as what you'll find at the liquor store. More

A quick salad of shrimp, apples, tomatoes, and herbs in a fish sauce and lime juice dressing, this can be served as a stand-alone salad or, as the Thai people often do, with rice as an entrée. More

The key to perfectly crisp fried chicken is to treat it like a French fry: double fry it. Crisp, double-fried, buttermilk-marinated chicken flavored with Old Bay and spices teams with fried lemon wheels and jalapenos. More

When I'm saying to myself, "What would my wife want for dinner?," the answer, more often than not, is chickpeas. And I'm not talking fancy, soaked overnight, simmered in flavorful liquid, carefully cooked chickpeas; I'm talking chickpeas drained out of a can and used as the base for a quick dish. This 30-minute curry is intense with garam masala and ginger, cooled by coconut milk and ground toasted cashews. More

These are the butcher's cuts. These are the cuts that chefs love to use because not only are they inexpensive, but they've got character. Here is a brief overview of my five favorite inexpensive steaks: the hanger, the tri-tip, the short-rib, the skirt, and the flap meat. More

Seafood in the summer is great because it's quick to cook (limiting time over a hot stove) and doesn't leave you feeling weighted down. This recipe from Food52 takes seared scallops and adds a fresh spring onion and tarragon cream to the equation. The result is a sweet scallop that's balanced by an herby and fresh cream sauce. It's easy to cook and looks stunning on the plate. More

After I downed my second glass of cider, reckless thoughts fired through my mind. Had I made a mistake by skipping the escalivada pinxto? What about the meatballs with hazelnut romesco? And considering there were fresh oysters being shucked nearby, wasn't it my duty to try them? Which is to say, Barcito isn't a traditional stand—or at least not one that I'm used to visiting for this column. More

This isn't so much dinner as a highly addictive drug. When these little hunks of chicken mix with fiery dried red chiles, Sichuan peppercorns, and chili bean paste, something unleashes in your brain that's one part pleasure and one part glorious pain. More

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Each morsel is tender, crispy, spicy, full of flavor. It tastes like juicy meat jerky—a contradiction, you might think, until you experience it first-hand. More

[Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt] Update your fried chicken with these no-cook dipping sauces in under 7 minutes » About the author: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is the Managing Editor of Serious Eats where he likes to explore the science of home... More

It would be remiss of me to leave Ranch out of Sauced any longer. Ranch has always been a little heavy-handed for me. Unless I had a reason to drown the flavor of whatever I was eating, I rarely dipped into it. This homemade version, on the other hand, strikes a mellower tone with creamy, rich buttermilk and fresh parsley, chives, and dill. More

A barbecue sauce made from all the flavors of coq au vin: deep Burgundy wine, earthy mushrooms, sweet onions, and woodsy herbs, caramelized and grilled onto juicy, bone-in chicken. Stew hits summer! More