Our 25 Best Recipes Ever

After Steven Raichlen sent us this recipe in 2011, we declared it the most beautiful and best-tasting chicken we’d ever had. To reinforce the whiskey flavor in the brine and basting butter, Steve says to use Jack Daniel's whiskey barrel chips for smoking—widely available in grill and gourmet shops. This bird is so wonderfully moist and flavorful, it doesn't need added embellishment.

Proof that you can get fried food to fit into a healthy diet. Coat the fillets and prepare the batter for hush puppies while you wait for the oil to come up to temperature. You can also make the tartar sauce up to two days ahead and keep it refrigerated. If you don't like catfish, use halibut, tilapia, or another flaky white fish.

A large assortment of mushrooms, including luxurious dried porcinis, is the key to the huge earthy flavor of this dish. It's meatless, but you'd never know it with all the savory flavor of mushrooms, Parmesan, and truffle oil. A generous splash of cream gives the sauce its luscious texture.

You’ll love these if you’re a big fan of the thin chocolate mint Girl Scout cookies. The dense base layer is like a rich, fudgy brownie, so don’t overcook it or the dessert bars will be dry. Refrigerating the mint bars allows the chocolaty top layer to set properly. You can make the dessert up to one day ahead. For a more grown-up taste, you can also use dark chocolate chips for some or all of the semisweet chocolate chips in the glaze.

Everything you crave in a cinnamon roll, in a vastly lighter version. Brown sugar sweetens the filling of this breakfast treat, and powdered sugar dissolves into a milky glaze that's drizzled over the top of these delicious and good for you cinnamon rolls. Whole-wheat flour adds a healthy dimension to these tasty rolls.

These simple tacos are an ideal showcase for tender Beef Carnitas—tender, slowly cooked, inexpensive beef stew meat that won us over for its great flavor and versatility. You can warm the tortillas in a nonstick skillet just until lightly browned.

A dollop of mascarpone, a buttery-rich Italian cheese, gives this risotto its luxurious creamy consistency. Porcini mushrooms have a smooth, meaty texture when hydrated; their pungent, woodsy taste gives an extraordinary depth to this dish.

This classic French braised beef, red wine, and vegetable stew is simple and delicious. This recipe ran in a Thanksgiving weekend package and the stew was perfect for that Wednesday night before Thanksgiving when you have guests arriving, but really need to focus on prepping food for the next day. This perfectly balanced dish found its way into our regular rotation.

A classic that makes great use of leftover turkey or chicken. It’s so creamy and comforting that you’ll be glad it makes two casseroles—one for now and one for later.

Hot, spicy, vibrant in color and flavor. These kebabs taught us to love the spice aji amarillo and Peruvian food after tasting what their cuisine had to offer.

Nutty cheese with caramelized roasted shallots and squash get just the right hint of herbs from sage. Serving over elegant pappardelle pasta gives it an elegant look and perfect bite to match the delicately roasted topping.

2000: A big, flat classic. Toasty nuts and fudgy cake get topped with a thin, crackly glaze. It’s easy and since it first appeared in the magazine in 2000, it's been a staff and reader favorite.

1999: Crunchy toffee bits stirred into a creamy dip make this impossible to stop eating. It’s kid and adult friendly. Coating the apples with pineapple juice prevent them from browning. Unlike today, we haven't always photographed every recipe. Unfortunately, this is one that we didn't capture.

Sweet and spicy with just the right amount of acidity to make this a winning salmon dish. The spice rub melts into a glaze in the oven. The options for side dishes are endless—mashed potatoes, rice, couscous, asparagus, or sugar snap peas.

1997: Nuts, coconut, lime, and rum give this quick bread a tropical and indulgent feel. It’s an unforgettable recipe with the tangy lime glaze balancing the sweet bread. Give it a try. Don’t let the long ingredient list fool you; many are repeated ingredients that are mixed in the bread and then used to top the bread with a glaze that puts drizzled powdered sugar and milk to shame.

1996: Feta and tomato take Italian scampi in a Greek direction and it’s a good move. Serve over orzo pasta or with pita wedges to soak up the tomato sauce.

We’ve revisited this recipe more than once and made subtle changes to fit into the current eating philosophy and this one always makes the transition smoothly. It’s a solid…and delicious recipe.

1992: Who doesn’t love French Onion Soup? Who thought it could be modified to lower sodium and saturated fat and still be delicious? Here you go…a few modifications a couple decades later and it’s still a crowd-pleasing dish.