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Testers' Choice is our way of pointing up recipes that have been cooked, poked, and prodded to perfection by our crackerjack team of nearly 100 testers. These dishes deliver above and beyond expectation. Eat with confidence.

Blue Cheese Dip

Blue Cheese Dip

Jan 30, 2012 by

Tired of settling for an ordinary blue cheese dip where you practically need a search party to find the few chunks of cheese swimming around in mayo? This one won’t disappoint.

  • Quick Glance
  • 5 M
  • 5 M
  • 3
Popcorn with Bacon Fat, Bacon, and Maple Syrup

Popcorn with Bacon Fat, Bacon, and Maple Syrup

Jan 30, 2012 by

Wicked. Illegal. Sinful. Indulgence. Virtuous. Just a few of the words folks are bandying about when describing this ridiculously crack-like concoction.

  • Quick Glance
  • 15 M
  • 50 M
  • 7
Classic Manhattan Cocktail

Classic Manhattan Cocktail

Jan 27, 2012 by

Few cocktails are classier or sassier than a Manhattan. Rye whiskey, vermouth, Grand Marnier, and bitters all work the devil’s magic here.

  • Quick Glance
  • 3 M
  • 3 M
  • 17
Cornmeal-Bacon Waffles with Thyme-Infused Maple Syrup

Cornmeal-Bacon Waffles with Thyme-Infused Maple Syrup

Jan 24, 2012 by

Ever done a face-plant in a stack of waffles? Neither had we–until this recipe. We have a hunch you’re going to want to know them up close and personal, too.

  • Quick Glance
  • 40 M
  • 1 H
  • 31
Classic Pad Thai

Classic Pad Thai

Jan 23, 2012 by

The dish many of us think of when we think of Thai food, these stir-fried noodles are an authentic and sigh-inducing balance of salty, sour, and sweet.

  • Quick Glance
  • 35 M
  • 1 H
  • 13
Maple Syrup Snow

Maple Syrup Snow

Jan 21, 2012 by

Embrace your inner Laura Ingalls Wilder with this quaint, toffee-like sweet. Its provenance may be outdated, but its appeal transcends time.

  • Quick Glance
  • 35 M
  • 45 M
  • 23
Satsuma Orange Cake

Satsuma Orange Cake

Jan 20, 2012 by

Looks like an upside-down cake. Tastes like an upside-down cake. Yet this cake couldn’t be more right-side up, with no scary moment of wrecking, er, reckoning.

  • Quick Glance
  • 30 M
  • 1 H, 30 M
  • 16
Flaky Croissants

Flaky Croissants

Jan 19, 2012 by

Trust us. When there’s an obscenely buttery, flakey, made-from-scratch croissant before you, you’ll be glad you didn’t run out to the corner bakery.

  • Quick Glance
  • 45 M
  • 3 H
  • 22
Baked Chicken with Cinnamon Butter

Baked Chicken with Cinnamon Butter

Jan 18, 2012 by

This understated hen owes its curious lure to a simple, subtle blend of butter and unexpected spice. Appallingly easy and enthrallingly enticing.

  • Quick Glance
  • 10 M
  • 1 H, 45 M
  • 13
Therapeutic Drink to Ward Off Colds

Therapeutic Drink to Ward Off Colds

Jan 11, 2012 by

Forget Robitussen. This fragrant infusion not only makes a run to the store unnecessary, but it goes down with far, far more ease than that syrupy stuff.

  • Quick Glance
  • 5 M
  • 15 M
  • 8
Congee | Jok Plaw

Congee | Jok Plaw

Jan 11, 2012 by

A simple, silken rice porridge that’s certain to soothe and salve the soul–especially those souls afflicted with a sore throat or a queasy tummy.

  • Quick Glance
  • 5 M
  • 2 H
  • 13
Ultra-Thin Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ultra-Thin Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Jan 10, 2012 by

A theatrical departure from the norm, these diaphanous beauties shatter dramatically as they deliver untold caramelized, bittersweet chocolate goodness.

  • Quick Glance
  • 20 M
  • 45 M
  • 22
Gung Bao Chicken

Gung Bao Chicken

Jan 09, 2012 by

Er, what’s the deal between Gung Bao and Kung Pao chicken? One is a centuries old tradition. The other is an Americanized riff. Guess which one this is.

  • Quick Glance
  • 25 M
  • 35 M
  • 19
Homemade Nutella

Homemade Nutella

Jan 06, 2012 by

No longer are you safe from temptation just because you summoned enough fortitude to skip the Nutella aisle at the store. Nope. Not safe at all.

  • Quick Glance
  • 20 M
  • 30 M
  • 53
Cincinnati Chili

Cincinnati Chili

Jan 04, 2012 by

Saucier and sassier than most, the chili you’ll find in Cincinnati comes plopped atop a pile of spaghetti and smothered with all sorts of goodness.

  • Quick Glance
  • 30 M
  • 2 H, 45 M
  • 12
Breakfast Quinoa

Breakfast Quinoa

Jan 03, 2012 by

This breakfast-y quinoa is a quietly, nuttily pleasing a.m. alternative to your usual old-fashioned oats.

  • Quick Glance
  • 10 M
  • 40 M
  • 29
Mac and Cheese with Carrots

Mac and Cheese with Carrots

Jan 02, 2012 by

Simple and, yes, a little sneaky, this kid-friendly, fuss-free, casserole-like mac and cheese melds Cheddar and carrot to healthful effect.

  • Quick Glance
  • 20 M
  • 1 H
  • 19
Game Day Chili

Game Day Chili

Jan 01, 2012 by

With apologies to the politically correct, the froufrou, girlie-girl semblance of this recipe is just a guise. Trust us. It’s an unadulterated, manly man’s chili.

  • Quick Glance
  • 35 M
  • 1 H, 50 M
  • 22
Potato Ruffles

Potato Ruffles

Dec 26, 2011 by

These shatteringly crisp, undeniably sophisticated potato ruffles–chips, if you will–have no ridges. Nor do they need them. They’re intoxicatingly, satiatingly lovely just as they are.

  • Quick Glance
  • 40 M
  • 40 M
  • 9
Black Velvet Cocktail

Black Velvet Cocktail

Dec 26, 2011 by

There’s a reason this effervescent comingling of stout and champagne has the word “velvet” in the title. It’s sooooo smooth and subtly sophisticated. Sip for yourself.

  • Quick Glance
  • 5 M
  • 5 M
  • 3