The Kitchn

We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing. Old-fashioned corn pone is a simple Southern side dish that has stood the test of time. The simple cornmeal pancakes are fried in a skillet (in bacon fat!) until crisp and golden. Made from just four ingredients, these corny cakes are welcome at breakfast or as a starchy side to serve with savory stews come dinnertime.

Jell-O poke cake is one of my favorite recipes for jazzing up a box of cake mix. The ingredients are accessible, the method is easy, and, for me, the taste is pure nostalgia. My mom first got this recipe from a college roommate back in the ’70s and has been making it ever since. In fact, it has frequently been my dad’s birthday cake over the years. He was born on July 5, but he loves celebrating on the night of the 4th after fireworks. This cake is perfect for serving on a warm summer day because it’s enjoyed cold, straight from the refrigerator. Plus, it already has the red and white color theme going on, so you can easily decorate it with some fresh blueberries and strawberries for a patriotic twist. It’s a great make-ahead dessert that tastes and cuts even better if you allow it to chill overnight.

We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing. Once summer arrives, I abandon my oven in favor of the grill. Rain or shine, you’ll find me charring corn and getting grill marks on gnocchi. And don’t forget that cast iron skillets are also great for the grill. That’s what I used to cook these ripe and juicy grilled tomatoes.

If you’re in the mood for a tropical smoothie or a lassi, or want to make a delicious fruit salad, papaya is a sure bet to place in your shopping cart. This large fruit, with its mellow sweetness and somewhat creamy texture, adds a subtle and refreshing flavor to drinks, salads, and soups.

You don’t have to go to a steakhouse to get a steakhouse-caliber dinner — especially on a busy weeknight. Just grab some New York strip steaks, throw them in a hot pan, and in just about 15 minutes, you can be cutting into a perfectly cooked, juicy steak. Bonus: You can use that same hot pan (and those yummy, flavorful bits the steak left behind) to cook a medley of green beans and cherry tomatoes while the steak is resting. Just four ingredients (plus some salt, pepper, and oil) make for an extremely satisfying but still easy-to-put-together meal.

Whether you’re hitting the road or hanging local, a trip to Aldi should be the number-one stop you make this summer. This is pretty much always the case, but it’s especially true next month, when Aldi will release 131 new and returning groceries that are all about ease and affordability. There are portable snacks, ready-made starters, dinner shortcuts, and more — all for $6 or less! There’s also a pack of pink-hued ice cream sandwiches (with sprinkles!) that we can’t wait to try.

We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing. Like many fond food memories, this one begins with a grandmother. I was just 6 and already a world traveler. My family had just returned from England, where my father had been stationed and my brother had been recently born, and we were going to spend the summer in California with my grandmother. A tiny woman, she was my father’s mother, a feisty Mexican American with nearly as much energy and zest for life as I had myself.

My love for frozen fried rice began in college. On a day when I was desperate for rice but stuck with the sad reality of a dorm kitchen that only had a microwave, I decided $3 frozen fried rice from Whole Foods was my best bet. Despite my initial skepticism, I was pleasantly surprised. It didn’t have the crispness of fried rice, but it was good enough to satisfy my cravings.

One of my favorite, go-to tricks as a chef is using fruit in savory applications. It always impresses people and it’s undeniably tasty. There’s something about using an ingredient that’s associated with sweets in the context of a savory dish that really scratches an itch for me. In fact, I can vividly remember eating watermelon salad as a kid and being blown away by the combination of ingredients. Fresh, juicy, sweet watermelon with feta? And onions? And fresh herbs? Make it make sense!

We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing. Before your Instagram feed was filled with a surplus of cool new cookware companies, there was Pyrex. Chances are, this is a name you’re already familiar with. Perhaps you grew up eating casseroles out of a classic Pyrex glass dish. Maybe you were given a set of Pyrex food storage containers when you moved into your first apartment or home. Or maybe, to this day, you regularly use a Pyrex glass measuring cup when whipping up your baked goods. You wouldn’t be the only one! The brand has inspired an army of loyal followers and collectors who love all things vintage.

The Costco experience can be summed up in a single product: their muffins. The breakfast bakes come in a limited number of flavors and Costco’s aisles are more carefully curated than your local grocery. The muffins, just like everything else in the store, are oversized. They’re priced per dozen so members can mix and match two 6-pack flavors. It’s bulk buying at its finest.

We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing. Listen to my idea of a well-spent, relaxing weekend afternoon: Time alone at home so I can clean the way I want to with no interruption. No sarcasm or joking here. Granted, a weekend afternoon spent kayaking with my family at a beautiful spring, wiggling my toes in the sand at the beach while I watch my kids paddle board, or tucking into a roomy armchair by the fire reading a book also sounds like perfection. But I do truly enjoy cleaning my home.

Pesto — the simple sauce made from basil, aged Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, garlic, and olive oil — is used to dress up weeknight chicken, coat noodles, or take a workday lunch sandwich from ho-hum to heck yeah! It’s bold, punchy, and freezes well. What’s not to love?

We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing. When Sarah and Mike Tang bought their first home — a circa 2000s ranch style in Atlanta, Georgia — it was for the neighborhood more than the house itself. Mike, who is a product manager at a start-up, and Sarah, a freelance graphic designer, were struggling to find a home for their family of four in Atlanta’s hot market.

When the weather outside warms up, it’s only natural to want to spend more time outdoors. And more time outdoors means there’s bound to be more dirt and debris being tracked inside that will eventually have to be cleaned up (even if you don’t get to it right away). If you have sealed hard floors, a steam mop is a fantastic method to maintain the cleanliness of your flooring through the season. They’re great because they only need water, converting it to steam, to break through dirt and grime that accumulates on the floor each day. Then, it all gets swept up by the machine so you don’t have to get down on your hands and knees to scrub a thing!

About four years ago, I traveled with my best friend to Nashville for the first time. Aside from hearing some great live music, we made sure to eat our faces off. Tons of biscuits, various “no frills” meat and threes (a Southern tradition where you choose one meat and three sides), and, of course, a hot chicken tour. We made our way through the city tasting every spicy bite of chicken we could get our hands on and left no chicken wing unturned. Cut to four years later when I caught myself in my kitchen craving a bite of hot, crunchy, and spicy fried chicken and decided to make some for myself.

We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing. I don’t know about you, but I had a really hard time finding a paper towel holder that I liked. First off, they’re all not so nice on the eyes. As someone who prides themselves of neat countertops and stylish kitchen essentials, traditional, sterile-looking options just weren’t cutting it. But aesthetics aside, I was dealing with a bigger problem: Lots of versions out there just did not work. They scooted across the counter as I tried to rip off a sheet. Or, they had no arm to rip the sheet off with, in which case the roll would just unravel itself in a sad slump. Other holders caused the roll itself to shimmy up the poll as I attempted to grab a sheet, sometimes even pulling itself off.

Cake, cream, fruit, maybe a shot or two of liqueur: What’s not to like about a trifle? They’re easier to put together than layer cakes, and the flavor possibilities are endless. I always feel trifles come into their own in the summer, right around the 4th of July. I picture colorful fireworks, a fancy picnic blanket, and a giant bowl of billowy trifle somewhere to the side. So for this recipe, I chose a summery combination of sweet berries and simple vanilla pound cake with a rich, almost cheesecake-like cream for a showstopping seasonal centerpiece.

As though getting ready for all of the Fourth of July and Amazon Prime Day sales to come isn’t enough excitement, there are a few early deals kicking off right now. One that we’re particularly excited about is the Made In sale taking place this weekend only to celebrate their entire nonstick cookware collection being back in stock. You’ll want to act fast — not only is this a limited-time sale, but their nonstick cookware also tends to sell out quickly! Just use the code COOK-92AF0 at checkout to take 15 percent off any nonstick cookware purchase.

Pantry organization is both crucial and challenging. When it comes to functionality, it’s one of the first places that needs attention because it alone can mean the difference between a smooth-sailing meal prep session and one that begins with a frantic search for the wild rice and ends with a harried trip to the grocery store.