1. Party Foods

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. 4 January 2003. 25 min

We turn soggy nachos and candy-sweet sangria into serious party food.

2. Hearty Soups

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. 11 January 2003. 25 min

Less is more when it comes to hearty soups.

3. Dressing Up Vegetables

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. 18 January 2003. 25 min

We rescue two favorite vegetable dishes from the clutches of the cafeteria.

4. Bistro Basics

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. 25 January 2003. 25 min

A taste of real French cooking—without spending all day in the kitchen.

5. Steak House Dinners

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. 1 February 2003. 25 min

The perfect steakhouse dinner—salad with creamy blue cheese dressing and seared filet mignon—is often a fantasy. In the real world, the lettuce is limp, the dressing gluey or watery, the steak overcooked or not properly browned, and the sauce characterless. The test kitchen shows you how to solve each of these problems.

6. Chinese Takeout

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. 8 February 2003. 25 min

Chinese food at home (without a laundry list of hard-to-find ingredients).

7. Chicken in a Flash

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. 15 February 2003. 25 min

Quick and easy chicken dishes.

8. Pasta Classics

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. 22 February 2003. 25 min

We return two classic pasta sauces to their original glory.

9. Pasta Quick and Easy

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. 1 March 2003. 25 min

Simple ingredients are often the basis of special and uncommonly good dishes.

10. Beef Burgundy

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. 8 March 2003. 25 min

Skip the marinade and don't bother to sauté the aromatic vegetables.

11. Texas Chili

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. 15 March 2003. 25 min

The best chili: hearty, heavy on the meat, and spicy.

12. American Casseroles

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. 22 March 2003. 25 min

The secret to great casseroles: keep the ingredients as fresh tasting as possible.

13. Pork Chops, Two Ways

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. 29 March 2003. 25 min

Finding flavor in today's leaner pork.

14. Backyard BBQ

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. 5 April 2003. 25 min

Big, juicy, smoky ribs and classic potato salad.

15. Barbecued Salmon

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. 12 April 2003. 25 min

We prepare an elegant salmon dish . . . on the grill.

16. Thanksgiving from the Grill

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. 19 April 2003. 25 min

Free up your oven and grill a better tasting bird.

17. Holiday Dinner

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. 26 April 2003. 25 min

We turn meat and potatoes into something memorable.

18. Ham Dinners

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. 3 May 2003. 25 min

Spiral-sliced ham and good green bean casserole. (Really!)

19. Weekend Brunch

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. 10 May 2003. 25 min

Brunch that's worth making, even when company isn't coming.

20. Quick Breads

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. 17 May 2003. 25 min

It takes more than speed to make the best quick breads.

21. Rustic Bread at Home

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. 24 May 2003. 25 min

Hearth-quality bread from a home oven.

22. Cookie Jar Favorites

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. 31 May 2003. 25 min

We take two cookie classics and make them great again.

23. Lemon Meringue Pie

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. 7 June 2003. 25 min

We solve the problem of soggy crusts and mile-high meringue.

24. Shortcake and Cobbler

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. 14 June 2003. 25 min

We perfect two classic summer American desserts.

25. Two Chocolate Cakes

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. 21 June 2003. 25 min

One old-fashioned, moist and homely, the other elegant, dense and ethereal.

26. New York Cheese Cake

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. 28 June 2003. 25 min

Restraint is key for the perfect New York-style cheesecake.