From famous chefs opening new restaurants, to reviewing a restaurant, to talking about restaurant design – restaurants are not something The Kitchn talks about on a regular basis. We’re all about the home cook. Restaurants, however, can and do provide the home cook with opportunities to learn something new about food. It’s a different side of cooking smarter.

I’ve worked at a few high-end restaurants in New York, including one three Michelin star restaurant where I was maître d’hotel. Even though I was working front of house – instead of in the kitchen – I learned an awful lot about food from a service perspective. Let me explain how this restaurant taught me a new side of food.

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If you’re craving a juicy, tender, cheese-topped burger — one that you can really sink your teeth into — then you’ve come to the right place, my friend. No dry hockey pucks here. Just the kind of burger you’d normally pay big bucks for at a restaurant.

Today, we’re talking burgers: the best kind of ground beef to use, tips for shaping the patties, and how to cook them to burgerlicious perfection, with a step-by-step recipe for simply the best burgers you’ve ever had — at home or elsewhere. Ready?

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Ricotta Gnocchi with Peas and Herbed-Lemon Butter

When the first hints of fresh green things show up at the grocery store or farmers market, we’re reminded of how easy it is to make quick vegetarian meals. Pasta is the perfect base to show off a few seasonal ingredients – just add mint, peas, ramps, or artichokes, and maybe some salty cheese, and the whole thing comes together quickly for a satisfying weeknight meal.

From seasonal ricotta gnocchi with peas and herbed-lemon butter, to spaghetti pan-fried with mint and ramps, these 14 recipes will help you make a delicious vegetarian meal in no time.

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The surplus of colorful and hard-boiled eggs left after Easter weekend can feel like a blessing or a curse depending on your particular outlook on eggs and how long they’ve been lingering in your fridge! Here’s a list of everything we love to do with leftover hard-boiled eggs. They will fuel healthy breakfasts and lunches all week!

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It’s rhubarb season and no doubt everyone is making pie! But there are many other things you can do with rhubarb: relishes and chutneys and compotes, sauces both sweet and savory, ice cream and sorbets. The list is endless, but one of my favorite things to make when rhubarb is plentiful is this lovely, pink-hued rhubarb syrup.

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We’re heading into prime brunch season, which means that brunch casseroles are about to enjoy their heyday. So I decided to revisit one of our most popular recipes ever, published several years ago for a breakfast bake with bread, pancetta, Gruyere, and eggs. I’m afraid I’ll sound horribly hyperbolic if I talk about this recipe too long: It’s rich, eggy, and unbelievably, incredibly delicious.

This is one to memorize, folks, and to pull out for in-laws and overnight guests. It may just be the very best brunch casserole I’ve ever made.

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With all the hustle and bustle in our daily lives, I can’t think of anything better than stocking the freezer with a couple of homemade casseroles. There is something about these piping-hot, one-dish meals that can satisfy the weariest of souls. This from-scratch version of King Ranch Casserole gets rid of the cans and is destined to become a modern-day classic.

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