Hamburgers are easily one of America’s most popular foods and the true test of a grill cook. A great grilled burger is well browned on the exterior and juicy and tender on the inside. But they rarely turn out that way. More likely, they are gray, tough, and bland. We wanted to make the ultimate no-holds-barred burger. Here’s what we discovered:

Test Kitchen Discoveries

Make a “panade”—a blend of breadcrumbs and milk—to bind the burgers together.

Add bacon fat to the beef mixture. The rich, smoky-tasting fat adds flavor and will keep the meat moist.

A little minced garlic goes far in flavoring the meat.

Be gentle with the beef mixture while mixing and shaping the burgers. Overworking will yield tough, dense burgers.

For this recipe, you want ground beef that is 85 percent to 90 percent lean. With the added bacon fat, 80 percent lean beef will make slightly greasy burgers. Crumble the cooked bacon slices over a salad, or use the slices as a burger topping.

ready in about 25 minutes; serves 4
You might need to buy:
  • bacon
  • milk
  • table salt
  • ground black pepper
  • Vegetable oil for grill rack

This recipe can easily be doubled. If only celery salt is available, use the same amount but omit the addition of salt in the dressing. When testing the potatoes for doneness, simply taste a piece; do not overcook the potatoes or they will become mealy and will break apart. The potatoes must be just warm, or even fully cooled, when you add the dressing. If you find the potato salad a little dry for your liking, add up to 2 tablespoons more mayonnaise.

This variation of our All-American Potato Salad was published in our cookbook The Best Make-Ahead Recipe.

ready in about 50 minutes; serves 12
You might need to buy:
  • Table salt
  • distilled white vinegar
  • sweet pickle relish
  • minced red onion
  • minced fresh parsley leaves
  • celery seed
  • powdered mustard
  • Ground black pepper
ready in about 15 minutes; serves 6
You might need to buy:
  • Dressing
  • olive oil
  • lemon juice
  • balsamic vinegar
  • Dijon mustard
  • minced fresh thyme leaves
  • Table salt and ground black pepper
  • Salad
  • olive oil
  • Table salt and ground black pepper
  • Shaved Parmesan cheese for garnish

The heavy cream must be ice cold; if not, it won’t hold stiff peaks, no matter how long or hard you beat it. Soften the cream cheese at room temperature; the microwave will cause the cheese to separate.

ready in about 35 minutes; serves 8
You might need to buy:
  • Fruit Layer
  • sugar
  • table salt
  • fresh raspberries
  • Chiffon Layer
  • boiling water
  • Whipped Cream Topping
  • sugar

If you have no orange marmalade, substitute an equal amount of honey. This is an excellent rub for grilled pork tenderloin.

ready in about 10 minutes; serves 2
You might need to buy:
  • grated orange zest from 1 large orange
  • chopped fresh sage leaves
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • orange marmalade
  • ground black pepper
  • table salt

If you don’t have Asian chile paste, substitute 1/2 teaspoon dried red chile flakes. This rub is excellent on grilled pork tenderloin.

ready in about 10 minutes; serves 2
You might need to buy:
  • light brown sugar
  • hoisin sauce
  • toasted sesame oil
  • Asian chile paste
  • spice powder
  • table salt

In this case, coat the pork with the oil to help the spice rub adhere to the meat. This is excellent on grilled pork tenderloins.

ready in about 15 minutes; serves 2
You might need to buy:
  • fennel seeds
  • cumin seeds
  • coriander seeds
  • ground cinnamon
  • dry mustard
  • light brown sugar
  • ground black pepper

More challenging to cook properly than a regular thin frittata, a thick, hearty frittata often ends up dry, overstuffed, and overcooked.

An ovensafe nonstick 12-inch skillet is a must for this recipe and the variations that are linked. Because broilers vary so much in intensity, watch the frittata carefully as it cooks.

ready in about 20 minutes; serves 6
You might need to buy:
  • large eggs
  • half-and-half
  • Table salt and ground black pepper
  • olive oil
Use either your favorite homemade BBQ sauce or a store-bought sauce. Our favorite brand is Bull’s-Eye Original Barbecue Sauce.
ready in about 25 minutes; serves 4
You might need to buy:
  • Salt and pepper
  • barbecue sauce
  • minced chipotle chile in adobo
  • water
  • shredded cheddar cheese

Almond cake may be a simple and humble Italian dessert, but it’s also remarkably versatile and a natural make-ahead dessert.

Do not substitute low-fat or nonfat milk for the whole milk. Blanched almonds are almonds without their skin. Be careful not to overtoast the almonds or the cake will have a dry, crumbly texture. You can substitute 3 cups whole blanched almonds for the slivered; increase their oven toasting time to 11 minutes and their processing time to 30 seconds in step 2.

This recipe was published in our cookbook The Best Make-Ahead Recipe.

ready in about 50 minutes; serves 8
You might need to buy:
  • salt
  • baking powder
  • whole milk