This recipe can compete with any classic version, pound for pound.

Makes one 8-inch loaf

This recipe will also make four miniature pound cakes; use four 2-cup mini loaf pans and reduce the baking time to 40 minutes.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: After some extensive testing, we found the answers to a fussy batter: hot, melted (rather than softened) butter and the food processor. The fast-moving blade of the processor plus the hot butter emulsifies the liquid ingredients quickly before they have a chance to curdle.

http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/bake-it-better/2012/09/secrets-to-perfect-pound-cake/

Serves 8

The filling may look wet when you remove the quiche from the oven, but the water will disappear as the quiche cools.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
By using the thicker texture (but lower fat and calories) of buttermilk to replace the cream traditionally used in quiche, we were able to significantly reduce the fat and calories. A press-in-the-pan crust that used bacon fat and a little Parmesan cheese added great flavor.

Traditional quiche Lorraine contains 460 calories, 42 grams of fat, and 20 grams of saturated fat. Our Reduced-Fat Quiche Lorraine contains 290 calories, 17 grams of fat, and 5 grams of saturated fat.

SERVES 6

In order for the eggs to cook properly, it is critical to add them to the hot filling–lined ramekins quickly. Prepare by cracking eggs into separate bowls or teacups while the filled ramekins are heating. If a yolk breaks during cracking, set aside for another use and proceed with a new egg. We developed this recipe using a glass baking dish, if using a metal baking pan, reduce the oven temperature to 425 degrees. This recipe can be doubled. If doubling, bake the ramekins in two 13 by 9-inch pans and increase the baking times in step 3 and 4 by 1 minute.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Our recipe achieves the ideal combination of runny yolks nestled in fully set yet tender whites by turning up the oven to 500 degrees. Adding the raw eggs to preheated ramekins ensured that the heat transfer was rapid and that the egg whites cooked before the centered yolks had a chance to catch up. Lining each ramekin with an impermeable roux-thickened sauce protected the edges of the whites from blistering or turning rubbery. Pulling the baked eggs from the oven when the whites had just turned opaque but still jiggled accounted for carryover cooking. In those final 10 minutes the heat of the ramekins finished cooking and setting the whites.

MAKES 2

Because making omelets is such a quick process, make sure to have all your ingredients and equipment at the ready. If you don’t have skewers or chopsticks to stir the eggs in step 3, use the handle of a wooden spoon. Warm the plates in a 200-degree oven.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Our perfect French omelet recipe had to give us unblemished golden-yellow eggs with an ultra-creamy texture. Preheating a nonstick skillet over low heat for 10 minutes eliminated the pan’s hot spots, so our eggs wouldn’t be splotchy. Adding cold diced butter to the beaten eggs gave the omelet a creamy texture when cooked. We turned off the heat in our omelet recipe when the eggs were still runny, then smoothed the top with a spatula and covered the pan, letting residual heat do the rest of the cooking without toughening the eggs.

http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/cooking-science/2012/10/we-prove-it-fat-makes-eggs-tender/

Serves 4

Serve this breakfast classic with ketchup.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Not happy with the pasty, tinny flavored stuff from a can, we wanted to develop a homemade corned beef hash recipe from scratch. For the best flavor and texture, we used thick slabs of corned beef from the deli counter. To prevent the potatoes from getting too mushy, we cooked them partially before adding them to the hash. Adding a little heavy cream kept our Corned Beef Hash moist and rich tasting. We also found that it was detrimental to stir our Corned Beef Hash too often. This meant allowing the hash to develop a browned crust before inverting it and browning the unbrowned side.

Serves 4 to 6

Don’t let the boiled potatoes sit in water or they will become mushy. Drying them in step 1 makes for a deeply golden crust. Start checking the potatoes early in step 4. You can use a rimless cookie sheet in place of the inverted baking sheet.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
We tested three potato varieties for our Steakhouse Hash Browns recipe: russets, Yukon Golds, and red potatoes. Tasters much preferred the fluffy russets, partly because their starchy texture helped the hash browns cohere and facilitated browning. For a creamy interior, butter proved far superior to heavy cream, half-and-half, milk, buttermilk, and sour cream, all of which made the interior too wet to crisp. No matter how many spatulas we used or how delicately we tried to flip our Steakhouse Hash Browns, we just couldn’t do it without the potatoes falling apart. Gently sliding them onto a baking sheet (browned side down) and broiling the hash browns in the oven guaranteed a crisp, evenly browned exterior.

Serves 6

If chorizo is unavailable, you can substitute andouille, kielbasa, or hot Italian sausage. We found the burritos were easiest to eat when sliced in half. That said, they could also make a convenient meal on-the-go if left whole and wrapped tightly in foil. Whole, lowfat, or skim milk can be substituted for the half-and-half.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Loaded with eggs, meat, vegetables, and cheese, a hearty breakfast burrito recipe seems like the perfect way to start the day on the right foot. But with all those components, burritos can be time consuming to prepare. To simplify this breakfast burritos recipe, we cooked all the components in the same pan, using a nonstick skillet large enough to accommodate all the ingredients. We cooked the sausage and vegetables together and removed them from the skillet before cooking the eggs. Careful not to overstir the eggs, we used a heatproof rubber spatula to push, lift, and folded the eggs back and forth across the skillet. The best flavor for our breakfast burritos recipes was obtained from Mexican chorizo, a spicy, garlicky fresh sausage. To prevent the tortillas from ripping when we rolled the burritos, we “steamed” them in the microwave first.

SERVES 4

A 10-inch ovenproof skillet is necessary for this recipe; we highly recommend using a nonstick skillet for the sake of easy cleanup, but a regular skillet will work as well. You can also use a cast-iron pan; if you do, set the oven temperature to 425 degrees in step 1, and when cooking the apples in step 3, cook them only until just barely golden, about 6 minutes. Cast iron retains heat better than stainless steel, making the higher oven temperature unnecessary. If you prefer tart apples, use Granny Smiths; if you prefer sweet ones, use Braeburns. For serving, dust the apple pancake with confectioners’ sugar and pass warm maple syrup or caramel sauce (recipe linked) separately, if desired.

http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/bake-it-better/2012/10/secrets-to-german-apple-pancakes/

Serves 4
You can use whole or lowfat milk instead of skim, but the Dutch Baby won’t be as crisp. For a treat, serve with an assortment of berries and lightly sweetened whipped cream.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
We wanted a puffy, well-risen Dutch Baby with crisp sides and a tender bottom, but achieving that contrast did not come easily. Instead of relying on leavening agents like baking powder, we achieved a light, fluffy rise for our Dutch Baby recipe using the conversion of water to steam. We found an ordinary skillet promoted the most even rise, due to its gently sloping sides. Fats tended to make baked goods tender rather than crisp. To ensure crisper sides, we cut down on the fat by replacing whole milk with skim. For even more crispness, we replaced some of the flour with cornstarch.

http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/bake-it-better/2013/03/secrets-to-making-a-dutch-baby/

Makes 10 buttercups

Note that while 99 percent of our recipes call for large eggs, medium eggs are called for here.