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
108 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
108
About 10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Classic Marinara Sauce
Julia Moskin, Lidia Bastianich
12532 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
12,532
25 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Chocolate Trail Mix
Yasmin Fahr
88 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
88
15 minutes, plus 1½ hours cooling
or to save this recipe.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
David Leite, Jacques Torres
20638 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
20,638
45 minutes, plus chilling
or to save this recipe.
Creamy Homemade Yogurt
Melissa Clark
1414 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,414
20 minutes, plus fermentation and chilling
or to save this recipe.
Magnolia Bakery’s Cupcakes
Susan Campos
3589 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
3,589
About 45 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easiest Vanilla Ice Cream
Julia Moskin
968 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
968
30 minutes, plus several hours' chilling
or to save this recipe.
Katharine Hepburn’s Brownies
The New York Times
14611 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
14,611
About 45 minutes
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Tomato Ketchup
Melissa Clark
513 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
513
40 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Bread-and-Butter Pickles
Melissa Clark
843 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
843
About 50 minutes plus 2 hours’ refrigeration
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Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
Julia Moskin
17913 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
17,913
1 hour 40 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Dark Chocolate Pudding
Melissa Clark
1609 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,609
20 minutes, plus at least 4 hours’ chilling
or to save this recipe.
Pizza Margherita
Sam Sifton, Carlo Mirarchi, Brandon Hoy, Chris Parachini, Katherine Wheelock
3556 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
3,556
15 minutes, plus 1 hour to heat oven
or to save this recipe.
Mustard-Shallot Vinaigrette
Julia Moskin
2629 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,629
10 minutes
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Everyday Pancakes
Mark Bittman
14859 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
14,859
20 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Buttermilk Biscuits
Melissa Clark
1753 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,753
30 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Chocolate Ganache
Julia Moskin
863 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
863
5 minutes
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Mayonnaise
Melissa Clark
1561 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,561
5 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Buttermilk Layer Cake
Jennifer Steinhauer, "Joy of Cooking"
1148 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
1,148
1 hour and 20 minutes, plus cooling time
or to save this recipe.
Simple Pad Thai
Mark Bittman
4058 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
4,058
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
22950 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
22,950
1 hour 30 minutes, plus about 20 hours' resting time
or to save this recipe.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Julia Moskin
4240 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
4,240
1 hour 15 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Excellent White Bread
Melissa Clark
3073 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
3,073
4 hours 15 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Doris’s Salty Hot Fudge
Kim Severson
409 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
409
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
578 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
578
About 30 minutes
or to save this recipe.
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
2267 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,267
45 minutes, plus overnight soaking
or to save this recipe.
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
11564 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
11,564
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
1937 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,937
About 30 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Blueberry Jam With Lime
Julia Moskin, Kevin West
230 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
230
About 2 hours, plus overnight cooling
or to save this recipe.
Whole-Wheat English Muffins
Melissa Clark
1212 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,212
35 minutes, plus 1 to 1½ hours’ rising
or to save this recipe.
Olive Oil Granola With Dried Apricots and Pistachios
Melissa Clark
2037 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,037
45 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Aioli
Melissa Clark
692 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
692
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Melissa Clark
1806 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,806
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
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