Editors’ Collection

Things You Should Make, Not Buy

From marinara to mustard, more than 30 recipes for dishes and pantry staples that are so much better homemade.

Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.

Recipes

Buttermilk
Melissa Knific
104 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
104
About 10 minutes
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Classic Marinara Sauce
Julia Moskin, Lidia Bastianich
11831 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
11,831
25 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Chocolate Trail Mix
Yasmin Fahr
87 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
87
15 minutes, plus 1½ hours cooling
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Chocolate Chip Cookies
David Leite, Jacques Torres
20431 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
20,431
45 minutes, plus chilling
or to save this recipe.
Creamy Homemade Yogurt
Melissa Clark
1411 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,411
20 minutes, plus fermentation and chilling
or to save this recipe.
Magnolia Bakery’s Cupcakes
Susan Campos
3552 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
3,552
About 45 minutes
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Easiest Vanilla Ice Cream
Julia Moskin
964 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
964
30 minutes, plus several hours' chilling
or to save this recipe.
Katharine Hepburn’s Brownies
The New York Times
14425 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
14,425
About 45 minutes
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Tomato Ketchup
Melissa Clark
509 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
509
40 minutes
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Bread-and-Butter Pickles
Melissa Clark
819 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
819
About 50 minutes plus 2 hours’ refrigeration
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Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
Julia Moskin
17823 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
17,823
1 hour 40 minutes
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Dark Chocolate Pudding
Melissa Clark
1600 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,600
20 minutes, plus at least 4 hours’ chilling
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Pizza Margherita
Sam Sifton, Carlo Mirarchi, Brandon Hoy, Chris Parachini, Katherine Wheelock
3540 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
3,540
15 minutes, plus 1 hour to heat oven
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Mustard-Shallot Vinaigrette
Julia Moskin
2602 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,602
10 minutes
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Everyday Pancakes
Mark Bittman
14766 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
14,766
20 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Buttermilk Biscuits
Melissa Clark
1741 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,741
30 minutes
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Chocolate Ganache
Julia Moskin
854 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
854
5 minutes
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Mayonnaise
Melissa Clark
1552 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,552
5 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Buttermilk Layer Cake
Jennifer Steinhauer, "Joy of Cooking"
1147 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
1,147
1 hour and 20 minutes, plus cooling time
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Simple Pad Thai
Mark Bittman
4047 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
4,047
25 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Grainy Mustard
Melissa Clark
210 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
210
10 minutes, plus about 2 days’ standing
or to save this recipe.
No-Knead Bread
Mark Bittman, Jim Lahey
22733 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
22,733
1 hour 30 minutes, plus about 20 hours' resting time
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Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Julia Moskin
4233 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
4,233
1 hour 15 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Excellent White Bread
Melissa Clark
3046 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
3,046
4 hours 15 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Doris’s Salty Hot Fudge
Kim Severson
405 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
405
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Cultured Butter
Julia Moskin, Aki Kamozawa, H. Alexander Talbot
105 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
105
20 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Perfect Corn Muffin Mix
Julia Moskin, Magnolia Bakery
577 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
577
About 30 minutes
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Almond Birthday Cake With Sherry-Lemon Buttercream
Melissa Clark
622 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
622
1½ hours, plus cooling
or to save this recipe.
Hummus from ‘Jerusalem’
Julia Moskin, Yotam Ottolenghi, Sami Tamimi
2257 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,257
45 minutes, plus overnight soaking
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Chocolate Truffles
Mark Bittman
809 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
809
30 minutes, plus at least one hour’s chilling
or to save this recipe.
Eleven Madison Park Granola
Sam Sifton, Daniel Humm
11254 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
11,254
40 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Kimchi Radish Pickle
Melissa Clark, Lauryn Chun, Olga Massov
117 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
117
45 minutes plus overnight pickling
or to save this recipe.
Fresh Ricotta
Melissa Clark
1921 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,921
About 30 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Blueberry Jam With Lime
Julia Moskin, Kevin West
226 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
226
About 2 hours, plus overnight cooling
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Whole-Wheat English Muffins
Melissa Clark
1205 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,205
35 minutes, plus 1 to 1½ hours’ rising
or to save this recipe.
Olive Oil Granola With Dried Apricots and Pistachios
Melissa Clark
2017 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,017
45 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Aioli
Melissa Clark
689 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
689
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Melissa Clark
1782 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,782
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
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