Open Top Posts of 2013

We love looking back over the past year, and as we wrap up our review today, it’s time to look at the top things you wanted to cook, eat, and talk about in 2013. Let me give you a little hint: many of them are the essentials, the everyday basics. (It was the year of the pork chops and baked potatoes around here, let me just say.)

But many of you were branching out, too — making kimchi for the first time, experimenting with green juices. And some of you were thinking about cooking up a kitchen, as our IKEA kitchen renovation report also made the list. Read on — are these the things that you wanted to cook (and eat) in 2013? And tell us — what are you excited about for 2014?

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There were a lot of food trends that came and went this year – the horse meat scare near the start of 2013, strange yet wonderful taco shells (bacon weave anyone?), and the Scandinavian invasion, but nothing comes close to Dominique Ansel’s Cronut. Here’s a look back at the darling of the pastry community, and other food trends and stories of 2013 .

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Q: I’ve read around about reusing pickle brine for some recipes, but are there any uses for canned artichoke brine?

Sent by Kevin

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What did you want to cook, eat, and read about through the months of 2013? We always find it instructive and entertaining to look back over the past year and see what you loved.

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There are a lot of puzzling kitchen tools out there, unearthed from thrift stores, yard sales, or the junk drawer at home — but those aren’t the only mysteries our readers helped solve this year. From unidentified herbs to wonderful (yet utterly mystifying) meals enjoyed in Iraq long ago, here are the year’s most intriguing reader questions about mysteries in the kitchen.

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What would a new year be without great resolutions! Tiny hopes and aspirations that give 2014 new life, a new slate to work on. This year The Kitchn editors PROMISE to plan ahead more for meals during the week, and pack more satisfying lunches for work. Tell us, what are your cooking resolutions for 2014?

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Open Slideshow

I didn’t realize quite how much we love our salads here on The Kitchn until I started sifting through all our recipes from 2013. Let me tell you: we like them a lot. And we’re not talking about wimpy pale salads with a few cherry tomatoes and goopy ranch dressing, either. We’re talking about salads like our Chopped Brown Rice Salad with Grapes and Pecans and our Radicchio Salad with Avocado, Red Quinoa, and Ricotta Salata — salads filled with colorful vegetables, crunchy textures, and bright snappy flavors.

These are salads that you could take to work and actually look forward to having for lunch. Add a poached egg or a chunk of baguette, and many of these could happily serve as a light dinner. It was hard to choose, but here are fifteen that you definitely need to check out:

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Q: I’ve coordinated a weekly dinner gathering of friends for three years now. Each week we send out an email with the night’s dinner plan and a list of ingredients we need. Everyone claims an item or two and we make dinner together, drink wine, and eat. It’s great. Recently, some of our friends have developed increasingly demanding dietary restrictions. We want to be all-inclusive, so I am looking for easy prep recipes (no more than 45 minutes from start to finish) that are gluten-free and vegetarian. Bonus points if they are light on the dairy and eggs, or are dairy and egg optional.

Sent by Alaina

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We went to town on delicious homemade gifts this past month! From Heavenly Hash to chai cookies, here are ten of our favorite new edible gifts — good for the holidays, birthdays, or just any time you want to say thank you.

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