Spreads and Flavoring Recipes & Ideas

If you were to peek into my refrigerator any day of the week, any season of the year, you would surely find a jar of pickled red onions. This bright, jewel-toned condiment offers a zesty tang to countless dishes and adds a lovely splash of color as well. It takes about 10 minutes to assemble and lasts for weeks in the refrigerator. What more can you want from a pickle?Making pickled red onions at home is easy! Here’s our quick method. There are countless uses for pickled onions.

It puts the yee-haw in every dish.

Creamy, tart, and a tad bit spicy, remoulade is tartar’s amped-up sister sauce. While remoulade and tartar sauce are very similar in origin and flavor profile, remoulade is zestier with more spices and ingredients that take the mayo-based sauce to the next level. This sauce is traditionally served with fried seafood, but it’s too good to be limited to a single category of food. Here’s how to make it. It’s creamy, zesty, and extra-flavorful.

It’s a five-star recipe.

Several years ago, I fell deeply in love with a maple mustard dressing. I used it for everything from salads to marinades, and told anybody in need of a fast flavor booster to make it. But recently, it’s been replaced by a new favorite — this three-ingredient lemon tahini dressing. It’s creamy without any oil, has just a hint of sweetness, and it’s even more versatile than my former standby.

Welcome to Snapshot Cooking, the home of Kitchn’s easiest recipes. These mini recipes are so simple you can practically cook from the before-and-after snapshot itself. A couple times a year, my husband and I splurge on a nice cut of steak. We season it with plenty of salt and freshly ground black pepper, and either cook it hot and fast in our cast iron skillet on the stovetop or in the backyard on the grill.

If the idea of tackling a home canning project seems too daunting, there are ways to preserve spring and summer produce just by using your refrigerator or freezer. Fresh strawberries lend themselves well to making a beautiful purée that can be stored for a short time in the refrigerator or a longer period of time in the freezer. It’s a treat to pull out containers of peak-strawberry flavor later in the year! Just three ingredients.

There’s a reason why it’s one of our most popular recipes of all time.

You’ll want to put it on everything.

The name yum yum sauce may seem a little on the nose, but when it fits, it fits. This flavorful sauce was created to complement a variety of dishes. Although mayo is wildly popular in Japan, you’re unlikely to find yum yum sauce there. This dip is integral to the Japanese-influenced hibachi steakhouse experience, created specifically with that style of food in mind.For this recipe, I set out to create the most craveable version possible.

It’s ridiculously delicious.

How many times do you look at a sauce or spread and know from its appearance that it’s packed, from top to bottom, with intense flavor? Not too often, right? Even the best, most expertly prepared hummus doesn’t look as good as it tastes. But chimichurri — a rich, herby sauce made from what feels like a whole garden’s worth of fresh herbs, along with red wine vinegar, garlic, and shallots — has no time for illusions.

When life gives you cabbage...

Creamy, dreamy, fluffy hummus is 10 minutes away.

Don't fear the flambé.

Fries never tasted so good.

Orange bags of Hawaiian rolls are the first thing that greet me at my local grocer, so it’s no surprise that sliders are one of my favorite dinner ideas. This week I’m serving a classic: ham and cheese sliders. These sliders have it all: sweet slices of ham, irresistibly gooey Swiss cheese, squishy Hawaiian rolls, and a savory butter drizzled over top. Here’s how to make them. They’re perfect for every occasion.

There’s really no arguing that it’s ugly. And kind of alien-looking. And yeah, even downright gross. But dang it, scobys make some delicious kombucha! If you want to save a few bucks on your ‘booch habit, there’s just no getting around it. You’re going to need a scoby.You can beg a scoby from a kombucha-brewing friend, or you can order a fresh one online. But there’s one more option: you can grow your own. Here’s how to do it.

A Ritz cracker’s best friend.

Even lettuce loves it.

If your refrigerator is anything like mine, half of the space is jam-packed with condiments. Those tubs of miso, sticks of butter, and bottles of salad dressing can add something special to simple weeknight meals. Instead of buying more sour cream from the store, I like to make the tangy, creamy condiment from what I already have on hand. It helps keep my grocery bill in check (something I prioritize as much as flavor when it comes to meal planning), and it avoids food waste.

The bright blue and yellow label of Old Bay Seasoning always jumps out at me amidst the sea of other packaged spice blends. For many people, summer conjures images of flaky pies filled with summer’s freshest fruits and frozen boozy beverages — but when I think of summer, I always think of seafood boils.

It's butter but better.

So delicious in so many ways.

Get ready for the whole table to rave.

It’s a sauce! It’s a dip! It’s a dressing!

You'll want to sprinkle it over everything.

One pantry staple makes it extra nutty and delicious.

It's a game-changer.

And you only need four ingredients.

It’s the absolute best.

Whatever regular ol’ butter can do, maple butter can do better. The touch of sweetness and caramel-y, toffee notes alter butter so magically that it’s hard to believe how simple it is to make. Because maple butter has so few ingredients, it’s essential to ensure those ingredients are good-quality. Here you’ll want real-deal maple syrup — sweet, smoky, and amber-colored.

It'll make you say "yee haw"!

It’s all about the fresh herbs.

Engaged in a tomato girl summer.

Calling all feta lovers.

Fresh watermelon is one of the most delicious delights of summer. After enjoying watermelon slices, a watermelon salad, or your favorite smoothie, the thick rind is all that’s left behind. This old-fashioned Southern pickled watermelon rind recipe is a zero-waste solution that repurposes the part that is usually discarded and transforms it into a treat that can be a great complement to an appetizer spread, or a unique addition to a salad or wrap.

Better than anything you'll buy at the store.

Cool, briny pickles straight from the fridge are one of the simplest pleasures of summer. Quick pickling is also a brilliant solution for preserving a plethora of summer vegetables from the market or your garden. Quick pickling doesn’t require canning or a bushel of vegetables. Best of all, you can adapt this simple formula for any fresh vegetables; try a mixture of vinegars and spices for a truly custom pickle pleasure. Here’s how to make these easy quick pickles in just 20 minutes.

My grandmother kept a tidy little vegetable garden outside her New England home. While she did a decent job of growing summer squash, cucumbers, and some tomatoes, her best results always came out of her snap bean plants. This also meant my annual August trips to visit her were filled by snapping beans on her porch (a job reserved strictly for grandchildren) and putting jars of quick-pickled green beans in her refrigerator.

It’s so delicious.

Keep this summer minty fresh.

I’m visiting family in Texas this summer, and I did a triple-take upon seeing the price of Hatch green chiles from neighboring New Mexico: three pounds for a mere dollar! There are only so many chile peppers one can eat in a sitting, but that didn’t stop me from buying them in bulk and roasting them to put up in my family’s freezer.

Gremolata is one of those things where the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. Sprinkled over any number of dishes, it will make every mouthful pop with its bright, fresh flavors. Along with classic basil pesto and chimichurri sauce, it’s one of the essential condiments made with fresh herbs that you can add to practically anything grilled or roasted. Plus it’s a great way to use up a bunch of parsley!

They’re so versatile!

Creamy, peppery perfection.

Cool and crunchy, delightfully sour and capable of going from a quick snack to a crunchy addition to a hearty sandwich without a hitch — that’s what I call a good pickle. Did you know they’re a cinch to make at home? You don’t even need to set aside the afternoon; you can make a few pint jars in less than 30 minutes. Here’s everything you need to know to make your own batch of homemade dill pickles right now.

It’s a keeper.

Being the primary cook in my household, I was shocked to realize recently that I had no idea how to make one of my favorite marinades. My partner always handles the grilling of galbi (Korean short ribs) plus firm tofu for me, but it seemed silly not to know what went into the sauce for this deeply flavored, salty and sweet Korean-style barbecue. Fortunately, it’s pretty simple and now that I know, I can share it with you, too.

Just 7 ingredients come together for big flavor.

It’s no secret that McDonald’s Big Macs are beloved all over the world, primarily for the sweet and tangy sauce that’s slathered onto the burger buns. And while there have been plenty of rumors suggesting the special sauce is simply Thousand Island dressing in disguise, McDonald’s says otherwise.