Onion

Save any leftovers and tuck them into sandwiches or fish tacos.

If you forget to thaw the shrimp in the morning, set the bag in a large bowl filled with cold water. It will defrost in minutes. One cup of dry rice will yield 3 cups cooked; leftover rice, which is slightly dried out, makes the best stir-fries.

The trick to a successful stir-fry? Prep everything before you cook.

Ideas for serving: When I've got my grill going, I like to make my almost-Oaxacan tlayudas: I spread out commercially made tortillas (I buy them from a local tortillería and let them cool off completely) into a single layer, brush both sides of each one lightly but thoroughly with oil, then grill them until they're crisp. Once they cool, I break them into big rustic pieces for dipping into this guacamole. Wedges of grilled pita make a delicious and unexpected vehicle for dipping. For a pass-around appetizer, slices of crispy grilled baguette topped with a dollop of bacony guacamole are always a hit.

Opting for top round beef keeps our sliders on the leaner side, with only 4 g sat fat apiece.

Onions become meltingly soft and improbably delicious after dry roasting.

Brining the lamb before it is slowly braised results in flavorful meat.

For this dish, balsamic vinegar adds the sweetness needed to balance the sharp flavor of red wine vinegar.

Although the Delta Queen's cooks enjoyed this dish made with leftover turtle, you can use just about any kind of meat. If you don't have leftovers, try boiling a less-tender cut of beef until tender and use the stock for the soup.

A light and flaky puff pastry crust is what makes this pot pie the ultimate. It’s a great way to turn leftover chicken and veggies into a whole new and delicious dish.

This show-stopping pork roast features exquisite taste and elegant presentation, but the reason it’s one of our favorites is that it’s so easy and reliable—you’ll get great results every time.

Pancetta is the secret ingredient that makes this moist stuffing really flavorful. If you don’t have pancetta on hand, bacon works great too!

Don't bother peeling the onions; their skins add a nice, rich brown color to this vegetable stock. If you'd like, remove the skins for use in dishes when a lighter color is preferred, such as in risotto or cream sauces.

Chicken wings are great for stock. They're flavor-making powerhouses of bones, meat, and skin and are easy to find. Some supermarkets sell backbones and carcasses; feel free to use them toward (or instead of) the four-pound total.

Pico de gallo, also known as salsa Mexicana, has become a common sight on tables in the U.S. and it's easy to see why. The mixture of raw, chopped ingredients improves just about any meal with its lively acidity, lip-tingling heat, and crisp texture. This version is a riff on the classic that swaps lemon for lime to great effect. Whenever I take a bite I have a heretical thought: This is so delicious that maybe we Mexicans should use only lemons!

This is perfect to serve with some quinoa or wild rice as a main to a non-meat eater, or as a side with some roast chicken for the carnivorous. It's also good served warm the following day with a little grilled tofu added.

These udon noodles with chicken and scallions come together in under 30 minutes.

A light and flaky puff pastry crust is what makes this pot pie the ultimate. It's a great way to turn leftover chicken and veggies into a whole new and delicious dish.

This show-stopping pork roast features exquisite taste and elegant presentation, but the reason it's one of our favorites is that it's so easy and reliable - you'll get great results every time