Serves 4 to 6

High-quality ingredients are essential in this dish, most importantly, imported Pecorino Romano—not the bland domestic cheese labeled “Romano.” Use the small holes on a box grater to grate the cheese finely and the large holes to grate it coarsely. Alternatively, a food processor may be used to grate it finely: Cut the Pecorino into 2-inch pieces and process until finely ground, about 45 seconds. For a slightly less rich dish, substitute half-and-half for the heavy cream. Do not adjust the amount of water for cooking the pasta. Stir the pasta frequently while cooking so that it doesn’t stick to the pot. Letting the dish rest briefly before serving allows the flavors to develop and the sauce to thicken.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
With just three main ingredients (cheese, pepper, and pasta), this Roman dish makes a delicious and quick pantry supper. But in versions we tried, the creamy sauce quickly turns into clumps of solidified cheese. We wanted a sauce that was intensely cheesy but also creamy and smooth.

Our science editor explained why the cheese clumps in this dish. Cheese consists mainly of three basic substances: fat, protein, and water. When a hard cheese like Pecorino, our cheese of choice, is heated, its fat begins to melt and its proteins soften. The fat acts as a sort of glue, fusing the proteins together. In order to coat the cheese and prevent the proteins from sticking together, we needed to introduce a starch into the mix.

It occurred to us that as pasta cooks, it releases starch into the water. We reduced the amount of water to concentrate the starch and whisked some of the cooking liquid into the cheese. This helped to a point, but we found we also needed an emulsifier—something to bind together the sauce. We turned to cream. By switching the butter for cream, we created a light, perfectly smooth sauce that had all the cheese flavor we wanted. Even after sitting on a table for a full five minutes, there wasn’t a clump in sight.

Serves 4

For the best results, buy similarly sized chicken breasts. If your breasts have the tenderloin attached, leave it in place and follow the upper range of baking time in step 1. For optimal texture, sear the chicken immediately after removing it from the oven.

Serves 4

To keep the packs from tearing, use heavy-duty aluminum foil or two layers of regular foil. Also, scrape the grill grate clean before grilling.

Serves 4

Marsala wine comes in several varieties. The sweet variety works best for this recipe.

Serves 4

Serves 6 to 8
This recipe is engineered for efficiency: Get the roux in the oven and then prep the remaining ingredients. A heavy, cast-iron Dutch oven yields the fastest oven roux. If a lightweight pot is all you’ve got, increase the oven time by 10 minutes. The chicken broth must be at room temperature to prevent lumps from forming. Fish sauce lends an essential savory quality. It’s sold in most grocery stores in the section with the Asian seasonings; if you can’t find it, see the box at bottom right for substitution information. Since the salt content of fish sauce varies among brands, taste the finished gumbo before seasoning with salt.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
We created a relatively hands-off roux for our Gumbo by toasting the flour on the stovetop, adding the oil, and finishing the roux in the oven. For the soup base, we started by making our own shrimp stock, but the process was tedious and time-consuming. Instead, we switched to store-bought chicken broth fortified with fish sauce.

Tasters preferred dark-meat chicken thighs to breasts because the thighs had more flavor. When it came to tomatoes and okra, tasters either loved ’em or loathed ’em in our Gumbo. We included both on the “more is more" theory.

http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/food-of-yore/2013/06/the-cultural-impact-of-vietnamese-food-in-new-orleans/

Serves 4 to 6
To prevent the chops from curling, cut 2 slits about 2 inches apart through the fat around the outside of each raw chop.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
To ensure that our Grilled Thin-Cut Pork Chops would brown quickly, we partially froze them to eliminate excess moisture from the exterior. Salting them first prevented them from drying out and allowed us to skip brining. A combination of softened butter and brown sugar spread over the chops resulted in a golden-brown crust when they came off the grill.

http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/meat-blog/2013/06/pig-out-on-grilled-thin-cut-pork-chops/

Serves 4

Use any combination of white and dark meat. For even cooking, halve breasts crosswise and separate leg quarters into thighs and drumsticks.

Makes 12 muffins

The test kitchen recommends Quaker’s finely ground yellow cornmeal. On day two, these muffins make delicious toast: Halve, butter, and brown—buttered side down—in a frying pan over medium heat. Lowfat is OK, but don’t use skim milk here.

Serves 12

If your food processor bowl holds less than 11 cups, puree half the pudding with the roasted bananas and lemon juice in step 3, transfer it to a large bowl, and whisk in the rest of the pudding.