What America’s
Cooking Right Now.
Ten dishes home cooks across the country can’t stop making this year — from diner classics to the dessert everyone’s sharing. Fully tested, home-kitchen ready.
The Smash Burger
This week’s #1
10
Dishes This Week
6–25 min
Cook Time Range
2–24
Servings, Each
100%
Home-Kitchen Tested
Ten Recipes, Ranked
Tap any dish to open its full recipe — ingredients, method and a chef’s tip.
#1 Trending
The Smash Burger
Prep 10 min·Cook 6 min·Easy·Serves 2
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The Smash Burger
Ingredients
- ●12 oz ground beef, 80/20
- ●2 brioche buns
- ●4 slices American cheese
- ●Diced white onion
- ●Sliced pickles
- ●Burger sauce: mayo, ketchup, mustard, relish
Method
Form loose, uncompressed 3 oz beef balls — don’t pack them.
Smash hard onto a screaming-hot cast iron or griddle with a sturdy spatula.
Salt immediately, sear undisturbed for 90 seconds until deeply browned.
Flip, add cheese, melt for 30 seconds.
Stack on a toasted bun with sauce, onion and pickles.
Chef’s Tip
The smash only works in the first 10 seconds on the griddle — press once, hard, and never touch it again.
Viral
Hot Honey Fried Chicken
Prep 20 min·Cook 12 min·Medium·Serves 4
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Hot Honey Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- ●8 chicken thighs, bone-in
- ●2 cups buttermilk
- ●2 tbsp hot sauce
- ●2 cups flour + ½ cup cornstarch
- ●Paprika, garlic powder, salt
- ●½ cup honey
- ●1 tsp chili flakes
Method
Marinate chicken in buttermilk and hot sauce, 4–24 hours.
Dredge in the seasoned flour-cornstarch mix, pressing to coat well.
Fry at 350°F (175°C) until deep golden and cooked through, about 12 minutes.
Warm honey with chili flakes and drizzle generously just before serving.
Chef’s Tip
Rest fried chicken on a wire rack, never paper towels — trapped steam is the enemy of crispy skin.
Meal Prep
High-Protein Chicken Burrito Bowl
Prep 15 min·Cook 15 min·Easy·Serves 2
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High-Protein Chicken Burrito Bowl
Ingredients
- ●2 chicken breasts
- ●1½ cups cooked rice
- ●1 cup black beans
- ●½ cup corn
- ●1 avocado, sliced
- ●½ cup salsa
- ●Lime, cumin, salt
Method
Season chicken with cumin and salt; grill or pan-sear, then slice.
Warm the rice and black beans separately.
Build the bowl: rice, beans, corn, sliced chicken.
Top with avocado, salsa and a generous squeeze of lime.
Chef’s Tip
Marinate the chicken the night before — 20 minutes of prep now saves your whole week.
Reader Favorite
Spicy Chicken Fried Rice
Prep 10 min·Cook 10 min·Easy·Serves 3
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Spicy Chicken Fried Rice
Ingredients
- ●3 cups cold cooked rice (day-old)
- ●1 cup diced cooked chicken
- ●2 eggs, beaten
- ●3 cloves garlic, minced
- ●3 tbsp soy sauce
- ●1 tbsp chili crisp
- ●½ cup peas and carrots
- ●Scallions, to finish
Method
Scramble the eggs lightly in a hot wok; remove and set aside.
Sear the chicken until warmed through and lightly browned.
Add garlic and vegetables, then the cold rice, breaking up any clumps.
Stir in soy sauce and chili crisp, fold the eggs back in, finish with scallions.
Chef’s Tip
Rice straight from the fridge, not fresh off the stove, is the real secret — it fries instead of steaming.
Most Shared
Strawberry Icebox Cake
Prep 25 min·Cook 0 min·Easy·Serves 8
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Strawberry Icebox Cake
Ingredients
- ●2 sleeves graham crackers
- ●16 oz cream cheese, softened
- ●16 oz whipped topping
- ●¾ cup powdered sugar
- ●3 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
- ●½ cup strawberry glaze
Method
Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and whipped topping until smooth.
Layer graham crackers, cream mixture and sliced strawberries in a dish.
Repeat the layers, finishing with cream and berries on top.
Drizzle with glaze and chill at least 4 hours before slicing.
Chef’s Tip
Chill it overnight, not just a few hours — the graham layers need time to soften into a cake-like texture.
Perennial Favorite
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep 15 min·Cook 11 min·Easy·Serves 24 cookies
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Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ●2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ●1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt
- ●1 cup butter, softened
- ●¾ cup brown sugar + ¾ cup white sugar
- ●2 large eggs, 2 tsp vanilla
- ●2 cups chocolate chips
Method
Cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs and vanilla until fully combined.
Mix in the flour, baking soda and salt just until no streaks remain.
Fold in the chocolate chips.
Scoop onto a tray and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 9–11 minutes, until the edges are golden.
Chef’s Tip
Chill the dough 30 minutes if your kitchen is warm — it stops the cookies spreading too thin.
Comfort Food
Butter Chicken
Prep 20 min·Cook 25 min·Medium·Serves 4
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Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- ●2 lbs chicken thighs, cubed
- ●1 cup yogurt
- ●2 tbsp garam masala
- ●2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- ●4 tbsp butter
- ●2 cups crushed tomatoes
- ●½ cup heavy cream
- ●1 tbsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek)
Method
Marinate the chicken in yogurt, garam masala and ginger-garlic paste for at least 2 hours.
Sear the marinated chicken until browned; set aside.
Sauté ginger-garlic paste in butter, add crushed tomatoes and spices, and simmer 15 minutes.
Blend the sauce smooth, return it to the pan with the chicken.
Stir in the cream and kasuri methi, and simmer 5 more minutes.
Chef’s Tip
Blend the sauce until completely smooth before adding the cream — it’s the difference between restaurant-style and home-style.
Home Baking
Garlic Rosemary Focaccia
Prep 20 min·Cook 25 min·Easy·Serves 8
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Garlic Rosemary Focaccia
Ingredients
- ●4 cups bread flour
- ●2¼ tsp instant yeast
- ●2 tsp salt
- ●⅓ cup olive oil, plus more for the pan
- ●1½ cups warm water
- ●Fresh rosemary, roasted garlic, flaky salt
Method
Mix flour, yeast, salt, olive oil and water into a wet, shaggy dough.
Cover and let rise about 1 hour, until doubled.
Stretch the dough into a generously oiled pan; rest 30 minutes.
Dimple all over with oiled fingers; top with rosemary, garlic and flaky salt.
Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 20–25 minutes, until deeply golden.
Chef’s Tip
Don’t skimp on the olive oil in the pan — it’s what fries the bottom crust to a golden crisp.
Game Day
Loaded Nachos
Prep 10 min·Cook 10 min·Easy·Serves 4
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Loaded Nachos
Ingredients
- ●1 bag sturdy tortilla chips
- ●2 cups shredded cheddar & Monterey Jack
- ●1 cup black beans
- ●1½ cups seasoned ground beef or chicken
- ●Pico de gallo, jalapeños
- ●Sour cream and guacamole, to finish
Method
Layer chips on a sheet pan in a single, slightly overlapping layer.
Scatter cheese, beans and meat over the chips; repeat with a second layer.
Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 8–10 minutes, until the cheese fully melts.
Top with pico de gallo, jalapeños, sour cream and guacamole just before serving.
Chef’s Tip
Layer the toppings between the chips, not just on top — that’s how you avoid a sad, naked chip at the bottom.
Pan Pizza
Crispy-Edge Pepperoni Pan Pizza
Prep 90 min·Cook 15 min·Medium·Serves 4
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Crispy-Edge Pepperoni Pan Pizza
Ingredients
- ●1 batch pizza dough
- ●3 cups brick or mozzarella cheese, edge to edge
- ●1 cup pepperoni slices
- ●1 cup pizza sauce
- ●Olive oil, for the pan
Method
Press the dough into a generously oiled rectangular pan, all the way to the edges.
Cover with cheese edge-to-edge, touching the sides of the pan.
Layer pepperoni over the cheese.
Bake at 450°F (230°C) until the cheese edge caramelizes deep brown.
Add sauce in stripes on top after baking, not before.
Chef’s Tip
The cheese touching the hot pan edge is what caramelizes into that famous crispy, lacy border — don’t leave a gap.
Four Things That Matter More Than the Recipe
01
Get the pan screaming hot first
Whether it’s a smash burger or fried rice, a pan that isn’t hot enough steams food instead of searing it. Let it heat longer than feels necessary.
02
Rest fried food on a rack
Paper towels trap steam underneath and soften the crust you just worked for. A wire rack keeps air moving on all sides.
03
Day-old, not day-of
Rice, marinades and even burger patties often taste better made ahead. Cold, dry rice fries properly; fresh chicken absorbs seasoning better overnight.
04
Season in layers, not at the end
Salt the meat, salt the rice, salt the sauce — each layer needs its own seasoning. A single pinch at the end can’t fix an underseasoned dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make these ahead? +
Most of these are even better prepped ahead: marinate the chicken overnight, cook rice a day early, and the icebox cake actually needs a full chill before serving. The smash burger is the one exception — form the patties ahead, but cook them fresh.
How do I store leftovers? +
Airtight in the fridge for 3–4 days for the savory dishes, up to 3 days for the icebox cake. Reheat fried chicken and fried rice in a hot skillet or oven rather than the microwave to keep any crispness.
What substitutions can I make? +
Ground turkey works in the smash burger for a lighter version; chicken breast can replace thighs in the fried chicken (watch the cook time, it’s faster); brown rice or quinoa can replace white rice in the bowl and the fried rice.
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