We cooked a lot in 2017. We cooked for absolute frivolous fun; we cooked to remind ourselves of places we’ve traveled to or the places where we grew up. And we cooked to fuel activism. We cooked to try out sous-vide circulators and air fryers and Instant Pots and dehydrators. We cooked absurdly simple things like omelets and roasted vegetables, and we went on long odysseys to find the perfect formulas for crispy veggie burgers and fluffy carrot cakes.
This was the year when Elisa Ung realized that a little bit of skyr could make life-changing cultured butter, and the year that Soleil Ho realized the power of some dehydrated kimchi in an onion dip for chips. Mary-Frances Heck went on a mission to unlock the mystery behind the perfectly golden oval-shaped pucks of McDonald’s hash browns and found that the trick involved a microwave and a bit of baking powder.
We’ve published hundreds upon hundreds of recipes on TASTE this year. Many of them came from some of our favorite cookbook authors, like Chrissy Teigen, Yotam Ottolenghi, Melissa Clark, and Andrea Nguyen. Many others are original recipes from TASTE contributors. Here, we’ve gathered some of our favorite original recipes from the year. —Anna Hezel, Senior Editor
recipe
A Very Good Veggie Burger
After a lot of trial and error, and a lot of rock-like patties, Drew Lazor cracked the code and got it right.
recipe
Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
We’ve all seen a million variations on the good old-fashioned carrot cake, but there are some nonnegotiables: sweet carrots, lots of spice, and cream cheese frosting.
recipe
Pork Shoulder Braised in Milk
For a rich braise with a built-in lemony sauce, take a tip from the Italians and cook that pork shoulder in milk.
recipe
Goma Dofu
This sesame custard is a staple of Japanese temple cuisine, and its mild taste makes it work as either a simple appetizer or a dessert base for fresh fruit.
recipe
Kimchi and Scallion Dip
Dehydrating some kimchi and crushing it into a powder will change the way you think about chips and dip.
recipe
A Very Large Cinnamon Roll
What’s the largest possible cinnamon roll you can make in your own home? We asked some experts and found out.
recipe
Blueberry Coriander Gravlax
When Nik Sharma went to Alaska to eat salmon at its source, he couldn’t help but turn some of it into blueberry-tinged gravlax.
recipe
Khaman Dhokla
Khaman dhokla, a fermented chickpea cake from Gujarat, is India’s great blank-canvas dish.
recipe
Cultured Butter and Buttermilk
If you want to make great cultured butter at home, all you really need is some good cream and a little bit of skyr.
recipe
Okinawan Taco Rice
When World War II G.I.s landed in Japan with packets of taco seasoning, Okinawan taco rice was born.
recipe
Shami Kebabs
These patties made from beef and yellow split peas make the perfect savory teatime snack.
recipe
The Best Hash Brown Patties
Yes, you can make McDonald’s-worthy hash browns at home, without all the weird ingredients.
recipe
Sweet and Sour Tamarind Chicken Wings
The fruity sweetness and sourness of tamarind is the perfect match for spice in these crispy wings.
recipe
Old Bay Yakisoba
An American cooking in Japan discovers that the seasoning packet that comes with yakisoba tastes a little like Old Bay.
recipe
Layered Persimmon Cake
When they’re in season, persimmons can add a bright pop of orange sweetness to the layers between a cake.
recipe
The LGBTQ Sandwich
The LGBTQ sandwich started as a Twitter joke and ended as…an actual sandwich.
recipe
Simple Spaghetti Sauce
Fight conventional wisdom and leave the garlic and herbs out of this spaghetti sauce.
recipe
Vietnamese-Style Stuffed Chicken Wings
When you’re craving chicken wings but also dumplings, the answer is probably stuffed chicken wings and a pitcher of beer.