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.

Makes 15 pancakes, serving 4 to 6

This recipe needs instant flour, such as Wondra or Pillsbury Shake & Blend. Keep the pancakes warm, covered, in a 200-degree oven. Serve with lingonberry jam, as the Swedes do, or your favorite jam.

Serves 8

The center of the quiche will be surprisingly soft when it comes out of the oven, but the filling will continue to set (and sink somewhat) as it cools. If the pie shell has been previously baked and cooled, place it in the preheating oven for about five minutes to warm it, taking care that it does not burn. Because ingredients in the variations that follow are bulkier, the amount of custard mixture has been reduced to prevent overflowing the crust.

Makes about eight 7-inch round waffles

While the waffles can be eaten as soon as they are removed from the waffle iron, they will have a crispier exterior if rested in a warm oven for 10 minutes. (This method also makes it possible to serve everyone at the same time.) Buttermilk powder is available in most supermarkets and is generally located near the dried-milk products or in the baking aisle. Leftover buttermilk powder, which can be used in a number of baking applications, can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a year. Seltzer or club soda gives these waffles a light texture that would otherwise be provided by whipped egg whites. (Avoid sparkling water such as Perrier—it’s not bubbly enough.) Use a freshly opened container for maximum lift. Serve waffles with butter and warmed maple syrup.

Makes 12 muffins
If buttermilk is unavailable, substitute 3⁄4 cup plain whole-milk or low-fat yogurt thinned with 1⁄4 cup milk.

Tempted to toss your spotty bananas? Do the ripe thing.

Makes one 9-inch loaf

Be sure to use very ripe, heavily speckled (or even black) bananas in this recipe. This recipe can be made using 5 thawed frozen bananas; since they release a lot of liquid naturally, they can bypass the microwaving in step 2 and go directly into the fine-mesh strainer. Do not use a thawed frozen banana in step 4; it will be too soft to slice. Instead, simply sprinkle the top of the loaf with sugar. The test kitchen’s preferred loaf pan measures 8½ by 4½ inches; if you use a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, start checking for doneness five minutes earlier than advised in the recipe. The texture is best when the loaf is eaten fresh, but it can be stored (cool completely first), covered tightly with plastic wrap, for up to 3 days.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Recipes for ultimate banana bread abound, but because they include an overload of bananas for flavor, the bread’s texture is often soggy. We wanted a moist, not mushy, loaf that tasted of banana through and through.

http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/test-kitchen-community/2012/08/best-of-the-best-day-five-ultimate-banana-bread/