Dan Kraan, Recipe Tester

A list of all the recipes Dan Kraan has tested.

Dan Kraan

Dan Kraan has been in the kitchen since he was a child growing up in the ‘60s, armed with a box of instant cake mix and an oven mitt that went up to his elbow. Despite his love for all things food, he majored in electronics and metrology because that’s what pays the grocery bills. Kraan dabbled in catering before discovering Leite’s Culinaria in 2004. He leapt at the opportunity to become a recipe tester and worked his way up to the title of senior tester, which led to testing for David’s book, The New Portuguese Table. In Kraan’s eyes, “the whole world’s a pantry, with so much variety out there.” He lives with his wife/sous chef Jan in Mississauga, Ontario. He enjoys “cooking Canada” and tries to take advantage of wild and local commercially available ingredients whenever possible.

A casserole dish of baked mac and cheese with carrots.

Mac and Cheese with Carrots

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

Two grilled zucchini halves on a white plate, topped with mint salsa.

Grilled Zucchini with Mint Salsa

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This healthy, low-carb side dish of grilled zucchini topped with punchy mint salsa verde makes excellent use of an abundance of summer zucchini.

Three bottles filled with homemade Sriracha sauce.

Homemade Sriracha Sauce

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This traditional and incendiary Thai condiment has incited quite the following. Here’s how to save yourself a trip to your local Asian market.

Two grilled scallop kabobs on a blue oval platter with a dish of dipping sauce on the side.

Grilled Scallop Kabobs

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These easy grilled scallop kabobs get a flavor boost from a quick marinade and a smoky scallion-sumac dipping sauce.

Oliebollen, or Dutch doughnuts, in a wire basket, covered with powdered sugar on a white tablecloth.

Oliebollen ~ Dutch Doughnuts

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Nothing’s better than warm oliebollen, or Dutch doughnuts, thanks to their crisp nooks and crannies and their pillowy centers hidden beneath a dusting of confectioners’ sugar.

A pile of ribbon fries on a white surface.

Homemade Ribbon Fries

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

Truffled mac and cheese in four mini-casserole pans, one with a fork and a few mouthfuls missing.

Truffled Mac and Cheese

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Mac and cheese goes high falutin’ with a drizzle of chichi truffle oil and a few shavings of black truffle. Pricey, perhaps. But well worth it every once in a special while.

Garlic mashed potatoes with melted butter and black pepper inside a copper pot, resting on a kitchen towel.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

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Silken, garlicky mashed potatoes manifest in mere minutes thanks to a super simple technique that’s perfect for when you’re entertaining or just plain hungry.

Apple spiced bourbon toddies on a tray in front of an outdoor fire, one being poured from a thermos in a gloved hand.

Apple Spiced Bourbon Toddies

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Infinitely more complex than the toddy of yore, this little number owes its lure to apple-y cider spiked with a hint of star anise and quite an indecent glug of bourbon.

A slice of caramelized butternut squash pie with a dollop of whipped cream on a plate with a fork.

Caramelized Butternut Squash Pie

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This un-pumpkin pumpkin pie is made with caramelized butternut squash, spices, and a splash of brandy. It’s subtly different from the classic yet still oh-so-perfect for Thanksgiving.

A wooden cutting board with two pulled pork sandwiches in crusty buns and topped with coleslaw, with a bottle and glass of beer in the background.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

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We’re excited for National Pulled Pork Day and it’s not hard to understand why. Knee-wobblingly tender pulled pork collide with cool, crisp, tangy coleslaw to terrific effect.

A blue platter filled with rabbit confit, garnished with twigs of rosemary and lemon halves.

Rabbit Confit

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Rabbit confit is so delicious, so falling-off-the-bone tender, you’ll wonder why you don’t eat it more often. Made even better with loads of spices, it’s rather elegant, too.

A white casserole dish with a roasted, spiced chicken it in, flanked by a dish of avocado salad and a bowl of lime wedges.

Peruvian Roast Chicken

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This anything-but-boring bird borrows its Peruvian accent from a technicolor dream coat of paprika, lemon, garlic, and cumin.

A large metal sheet pan filled with slices of roasted carrots with allspice, sea salt and preserved lemons, with a serving spoon.

Roasted Carrots with Allspice

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Sweet. Spicy. Earthy. And a touch puckery. When did anything–or anyone–at your table boast such character? Certain to compensate for your duller dinner invitees.

An oval platter topped with spaghetti with raw tomatoes and a couple of spoons on the side.

Spaghetti with Raw Tomatoes

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Summer at its simplest, not to mention its most splendid. Five minutes of effort yield a meal that rivals round-trip tickets to Italy.

A sliced jerk chicken breast on a round cutting board, with a man's hand holding a cleaver above it

Jerk Chicken

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Authentic grilled jerk chicken from Helen Willinsky that’s pretty much exactly like what you’d experience in the Caribbean.

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