​For stunning jelly desserts, patience is essential. That’s something Thu Buser, a Brooklyn-based chef and culinary artist, learned at an early age as she watched her mother spend hours on batches of rau câu, a Vietnamese dessert made with delicate, colorful layers of jelly.. Now Buser crafts her own highly stylized jellied desserts, multicolored riffs on the rau câu she grew up eating. She injects fruit juices into perfectly clear jelly to create blooms of color and flavor: a kaleidoscope of electric green coconut-pandan, a sunset of yellow yuzu-lychee, a riot of fuchsia coconut-ube. “I can make any flavor pretty,” Buser says.. Her syringe is her paintbrush, striking the cooling agar-based gelatin with delicate sweeps and precise staccato jabs. All of this is done effectively blind, since the injections are made from the bottom of the mold.  

​Every month in Well Stocked, our team shares simple recipe ideas you can use any day of the week. Yes, our editors love cooking, but sometimes we need dinner on the table 12 minutes ago. That’s when we turn to pantry and fridge staples that can quickly transform into delicious meals. This month, it’s all about frozen peas. When picked straight from the vine amid the subtle warmth of late spring, a fresh pea can taste otherworldly. Succulent, like a verdant burst. However, not every fresh pea is a sweet garden delight. They differ greatly and frequently become mealy and tough. For that reason, I had sworn them off entirely.  

​What we love: Amazon’s house brand offers a selection of good-enough, affordable kitchen gear that gets the job done. True to its name, this Amazon Basics electric kettle is very basic, but it boils water quickly, and a blue light will turn off when the kettle does, so you know it has reached the boiling point and has shut off (there’s no keep warm function).. What we’d leave: The 1-liter capacity might be a little limiting for some home cooks, and the opening is somewhat small, but if you just need something that will boil water quickly and you’re on a budget, this is a decent option at a very accessible price.. How we tested electric kettles. All electric kettles have one job: boil water, preferably fast. However, the best ones do a lot more than that. Here’s how we put them to the test:. Time to boil: We timed how long each kettle took to bring four cups of 72°F tap water to a rolling boil.. Accuracy: For kettles with temperature presets or variable settings, we used an instant-read thermometer to verify they hit their target temps.. Ease of use: We looked at how each kettle felt in hand when full, how smoothly water poured, and how intuitive the controls were. For gooseneck models, we paid extra attention to pour precision and flow consistency.. Taste: Enough customer reviews flagged metallic-tasting water that we felt it was worth testing ourselves, noting any unusual flavors.. Materials and construction: Function is paramount, but we also want gear that looks good on a countertop.. Long-term testing: Our top picks don’t stop at initial testing. We continue using them throughout the year to see how they hold up to everyday use.. What makes a good electric kettle. The best electric kettles let you set specific temperatures to the single degree. Even many budget-friendly models can reach and hold temperatures below boiling, which matters more than you might think. Those lower temps are important for brewing pour-over coffee, extracting the best flavor from different types of tea, whipping up a bowl of instant oatmeal, or warming a baby bottle in the middle of the night. Beyond temperature precision, look for a kettle that feels comfortable to hold and pours smoothly without splashing, especially important for gooseneck models, where a consistent flow makes all the difference. Capacity also matters, depending on whether you’re making a single cup or a full pot. And if you’re making dinner in a hurry, an electric kettle can give you a head start on boiling water for pasta.. Other spout electric kettles we like. Ninja Precision Temperature Stainless Steel Kettle. Ninja. KT200 Precision Temperature Electric Kettle. $100. Amazon. $100. Shark Ninja. $100. Bloomingdales. Ninja’s Precision Temperature Stainless Steel Kettle has a sleek brushed stainless-steel exterior and a digital interface that displays temperature as it heats water from your starting temp to your target temp. You can manually set the temperature from 105ºF to 21  

​The appliance also comes with a cork trivet, a lid holder, and a Y-shaped wood tool that’s perfect for scraping food from the edges of the pot.. How is it different from a regular slow cooker?. The Magnifique cooker is made from kaolin clay, which traps heat efficiently, resulting in faster slow-cooking (something of an oxymoron, but you get the idea). The kaolin clay pot is super durable, ranking 8.5 on the Mohs’ scale, the standard measurement of mineral hardness. (For reference, diamonds are a 10; glazed aluminum cookware ranks at 2.5.) It’s free of plastic and PFAS and is naturally nonstick.. Magnifique claims that this is the only slow cooker on the market made from 100% clay, though the existence of other products, such as the Vitaclay, challenge that assertion. And while many slow cookers now offer coated aluminum or stainless steel pots, the original Crock-Pot slow cooker that took over American kitchens in the 1970s featured a ceramic crock similar to Magnifique’s. Indeed, even today, the Crock-Pot brand still produces many slow-cooker products with removable oven-safe stoneware crocks. Unlike Magnifique’s completely clay pot, however, these stoneware crocks are glazed in a silicate made of a blend of quartz, feldspar, and clay. According to Crock-Pot’s brand site, the FDA specifies allowable amounts of lead, cadmium, and other substances, and its products meet or exceed those FDA requirements. According to Magnifique, because it exclusively uses kaolin clay for the pot and glaze, it does not contain traces of heavy metals. Do with that information as you will.. The more significant design differences that set the Magnifique apart from the Crock-Pot are the Magnifique’s oven-safe clay lid (opposed to the glass and plastic Crock-Pot lid) and its Sear/Sauté setting, which the Crock-Pot lacks. Other slow cookers currently available like the Cuisinart Cook Central, do have a Sauté/Browning setting.. What I cooked using the Magnifique Claypot Multicooker. Over the course of a few weeks, I made various things in the Magnifique Claypot Multicooker with the goal of testing all its different capabilities.. Stew. I started with a classic red wine beef stew recipe, a veritable slow cooker classic. Since the beef needs to be seared to build a good base flavor, I’d typically use my Dutch oven instead of a slow cooker or Instant Pot to make this because the appliances often don’t get hot enough to properly brown the beef, but I was pleasantly surprised by the Magnifique’s browning capability. The beef chunks took on a good amount of color and built up a nice fond on the bottom of the pot before the liquid went in.. The beef seared nicely on the Multicooker’s Sear/Sauté function. Callie Sumlin. True to its promise for faster slow-cooking, the beef was incredibly tender after three hours at the low setting.  

​Skip to main content. Recipes. Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua. These Kentucky Derby party recipes bring the spirit of Churchill Downs to your house. While anything Southern goes on race day, we like to opt for party foods and appetizers that guests can pick up with their fingers—think buttery roasted pecans, deviled eggs, and shrimp salad on toast. (pimento cheese and buttermilk biscuits are high on the list too.). Jump ahead. Mint Julep. Snacks and appetizers. Entrées and sandwiches. Sides and salads. Derby Day desserts. Derby Day drinks. It wouldn’t be Derby Day without something to toast with as you watch the most exciting two minutes in sports. Mint juleps, punch, and other bourbon cocktails are all classic choices. As for the ornate headwear, seersucker suits, and profusion of pastels that usually accompany this horse race, well, that’s your call.. Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Maggie Ruggiero, Prop Styling by Christine Keely1/31. Mint Julep. Start with the classic Kentucky Derby party cocktail, then explore more drinks at the end of this collection. Stainless steel julep cups are fun, but you can use a rocks or footed old-fashioned glass if you’d like.. Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua2/31. Pimento Cheese Ball. There’s something delightfully retro about a classic cheese ball. This one twists the formula with the flavors of the storied Southern spread. Too much pimento cheese on your roster? Try a port-and-blue-cheese version.. Peden + Munk3/31. Salt-and-Butter-Roasted Pecans. Buttery, nutty, and lightly spiced, these pecans have a lot going for them. Plus, they can be made up to three days in advance.. Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Food Styling by Micah Morton, Prop Styling by Christina Allen4/31. Extra-Creamy Deviled Eggs. This simple recipe delivers deviled eggs with just the right balance of mayonnaise, mustard, and a touch of hot sauce. If you’re really going for it, top with crispy bacon for extra flavor.. Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Ines Anguiano5/31. Cornbread Cheddar Biscuits. Flaky, tender, buttery biscuits meet sweet, cheesy cornbread in this all-star recipe. If you’re looking for a classic buttermilk biscuit recipe, we can point you there too.. Alex Lau6/31. Bread-and-Butter Pickles. No matter whether you’re serving fried chicken, Kentucky hot browns, or something from your slow cooker, it’s always smart to have pickles on hand—especially when they’re homemade.. Photo by Laura Murray, Food styling by Yekaterina Boystova7/31. Pretzel Focaccia. The Derby’s official 2026 menu includes a pretzel board. Make your own with this pretzel focaccia (don’t worry, it’s easy to make), thinly sliced country ham, cheddar, and pepper jelly. Oh, and that pimento cheese from the last slide.. Photo by Laura Murray8/31. Pimento Cheese. Known as the caviar of the South, this sprea