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
or to save this recipe.
Classic Marinara Sauce
Julia Moskin, Lidia Bastianich
11790 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
11,790
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
or to save this recipe.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
David Leite, Jacques Torres
20362 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
20,362
or to save this recipe.
Creamy Homemade Yogurt
Melissa Clark
1410 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,410
20 minutes, plus fermentation and chilling
or to save this recipe.
Magnolia Bakery’s Cupcakes
Susan Campos
3543 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
3,543
About 45 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Easiest Vanilla Ice Cream
Julia Moskin
961 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
961
30 minutes, plus several hours' chilling
or to save this recipe.
Katharine Hepburn’s Brownies
The New York Times
14376 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
14,376
About 45 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Tomato Ketchup
Melissa Clark
509 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
509
40 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Bread-and-Butter Pickles
Melissa Clark
809 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
809
About 50 minutes plus 2 hours’ refrigeration
or to save this recipe.
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
Julia Moskin
17787 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
17,787
1 hour 40 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Dark Chocolate Pudding
Melissa Clark
1599 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,599
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
3536 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
3,536
15 minutes, plus 1 hour to heat oven
or to save this recipe.
Mustard-Shallot Vinaigrette
Julia Moskin
2598 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,598
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Everyday Pancakes
Mark Bittman
14725 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
14,725
20 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Buttermilk Biscuits
Melissa Clark
1737 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,737
30 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Chocolate Ganache
Julia Moskin
852 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
852
5 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Mayonnaise
Melissa Clark
1548 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,548
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
or to save this recipe.
Simple Pad Thai
Mark Bittman
4046 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
4,046
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
22698 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
22,698
1 hour 30 minutes, plus about 20 hours' resting time
or to save this recipe.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Julia Moskin
4230 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
4,230
1 hour 15 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Excellent White Bread
Melissa Clark
3040 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
3,040
4 hours 15 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Doris’s Salty Hot Fudge
Kim Severson
404 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
404
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
or to save this recipe.
Almond Birthday Cake With Sherry-Lemon Buttercream
Melissa Clark
621 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
621
1½ hours, plus cooling
or to save this recipe.
Hummus from ‘Jerusalem’
Julia Moskin, Yotam Ottolenghi, Sami Tamimi
2254 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,254
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
11155 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
11,155
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
1912 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,912
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
or to save this recipe.
Whole-Wheat English Muffins
Melissa Clark
1202 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,202
35 minutes, plus 1 to 1½ hours’ rising
or to save this recipe.
Olive Oil Granola With Dried Apricots and Pistachios
Melissa Clark
2013 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,013
45 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Aioli
Melissa Clark
688 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
688
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Melissa Clark
1776 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,776
10 minutes
or to save this recipe.
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