Ugh. The other day I walked away from a pot of sautéing onions for all of two minutes (okay, maybe more like 10 minutes), and came back to find this blackened, burned-on mess. Not only was my soup recipe ruined, but I also worried that my enameled pan was, too.

Happily, the method I’ll show you here not only saved my pot, but it also kept me from having to soak it for hours or, worse, risk ruining the enamel with an abrasive scrub. All that’s needed is one secret weapon I already had in my kitchen.

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When challenged to track down the best Barefoot Contessa episode, I was sure it would feature beach picnics, themed dinner parties, or the company of much-adored Jeffrey, sighing into pasta. I hadn’t watched a new episode in years, preferring to treat Barefoot Contessa like a security blanket or comfort food. I returned to the early episodes again and again, ready to be soothed by the dulcet tones of “How bad can that be?” and the crinkle of linen shirts.

Then I watched episode four from Season 23, “Cook Like a Pro: Fearless Food.”

Never before have I felt like a Food Network star was peering directly into my soul and telling me exactly how to sort out my life alongside my pastry dough.

I want this for you, intrepid viewer. To watch that swingy quasi-lob, to bliss out on the ASMR scrape and clink of metal teaspoons, to get a weird and powerful infusion of courage from watching a woman eat soufflé with a giant ladle.

Lets dig in, shall we?

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(Image credit: Colin Clark)

Whether served hot or cold, brimming with meat or completely vegetarian, the beet soup known as borscht has become a staple of the Ashkenazi Jewish repertoire. Perhaps that is because, amidst a sea of brown, heavy dishes — potato kugel, challah, cholent, latkes, and so on — borscht’s ruby color and tangy-sweet flavor offers a bright counterpoint.

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(Image credit: Chelsea’s Messy Apron)

As long as you’ve got a sheet pan in your kitchen, an easy dinner is always at your fingertips. With this one pan you can cook a whole meal — main and sides! — in a flash. When you need to get dinner on the table on a hectic weeknight, these 10 chicken sheet pan meals will be here for you.

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Yes, you’ve had apple cider vinegar (or ACV, if you prefer) in your cabinet for years, but it’s currently having a moment. Whether you’re drinking it straight or getting ready to pickle everything in sight, apple cider vinegar is truly a pantry staple.

If your bottle has sat unused and unloved for too long, you probably just need some new ways to use it. You’re in luck! These 15 recipes rely on ACV to varying degrees, but they all wouldn’t be the same without it. Now the only question you have to answer is filtered or unfiltered?

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If there’s one thing I’ve learned writing for Kitchn, it’s that I don’t clean anything often enough, or well enough. Right this very minute — and despite having interviewed experts on the subject — I have a gray-ish sponge sitting in my sink (which is the official sign that it needs to be tossed, which I promise I’ll do as soon as I finish this story). In the meantime, here are the top five things none of us are cleaning as often as we should.

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School day mornings are much more hectic than I could have ever imagined. Between getting everyone dressed and bags and lunch boxes packed, it feels almost impossible to get breakfast on the table too. For those mornings when we can’t get it together before the ride to school, here are a few tips for making school mornings easier with breakfasts that can be eaten at the bus stop.

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(Image credit: Kelli Foster)

If you’ve got a cocktail shaker and some heavy cream in your kitchen, you’re just a few minutes away from having fresh whipped cream, says Brian Means, the corporate lead bartender and mixologist for Michael Mina’s Mina Group of restaurants.

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This week I’m getting back on the meal-planning wagon after two weeks of traveling and settling into our new home. Honestly, I’d happily continue eating makeshift meals of sandwiches, takeout, and frozen pizza in an effort to avoid cooking amongst the half-packed boxes, but alas, with school starting back this week we need our routine up and running again.

So here’s the deal with this week’s meal plan: It’s a collection of five super-simple recipes I love and am relying on to get my meal planning mojo back in a flash.

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(Image credit: Emma Christensen)

I’m a firm believer that make-ahead dinners are one of the very best gifts you can give to your future self. Walking into the kitchen at the end of the day knowing that dinner is prepped, cooked, and just waiting to be reheated feels like a real treat. And not only that, but dinners like chili and braised meats also taste better a day, even two or three, after they’re made.

From slow cooker chicken burrito bowls to red lentil soup, these are our 10 most popular make-ahead dinners.

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