Jesse Szewczyk
Senior Test Kitchen Editor
Jesse Szewczyk holds the distinction of being named one of Forbes 30 Under 30 in the food and drinks landscape for 2021. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Jesse held positions at The Kitchn and BuzzFeed Food before joining the food team at Bon Appétit and Epicurious. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Food Network, TODAY, Food52, The Washington Post, King Arthur Baking, Food & Wine, and more. He is the author of Tasty Pride (Clarkson Potter, 2020), a collection of 75 recipes and stories from the queer food community, which raised $50,000 for GLAAD, and Cookies: The New Classics (Clarkson Potter, 2021), named one of the best cookbooks of the year by The New York Times and The New Yorker.
Recipes
Pasta With No-Cook Cherry Tomato Sauce
This no-cook cherry tomato sauce delivers bold flavor without the high heat—it’s the ideal easy summer pasta recipe.
Cooking
For the Juiciest Grilled Meat, Marinate It in Soda
Soda’s acidity tenderizes meat like chicken, while its sugar boosts caramelization.
Recipes
Ginger Beer and Mustard Pork Chops
Quick-cooking, thin-cut pork chops can often get dry on the grill, but this ginger beer marinade keeps the lean cut moist and flavorful.
Recipes
Sprite-Grilled Chicken Skewers
The secret to these tender, spicy-sweet chicken skewers? A splash of Sprite in the punchy marinade.
Recipes
Kimchi-Bacon Shrimp
One jar of kimchi does a lot in this saucy, one-pan dinner. The chopped kimchi adds texture and tang while the brine from the jar bulks out the pan sauce.
Recipes
Soy-and-Cola-Marinated Steak
Upgrade your grilled skirt steak with this Coca-Cola-spiked marinade, which both tenderizes and caramelizes the meat.
Recipes
Sheet-Pan Sticky Apricot Chicken
Grab a jar of apricot jam to make these glossy, sticky-sweet sheet-pan chicken legs.
Lemon-Blueberry Quick Bread
A classic lemon-blueberry bread is a thing of beauty. Plush lemon cake studded with jammy, perfectly suspended blueberries gets coated in a glossy, dripping glaze.
Recipes
Peperoncini Pantry Pasta
This zesty pasta relies on a jar of peperoncini—including the brine—to do the heavy lifting.
Recipes
Smith Island Cake
This Smith Island Cake recipe boasts eight layers of yellow cake covered in a blanket of chocolate ganache.
Recipes
Dirty Martini Chicken Thighs
This cheeky chicken recipe crams all of the iconic flavors of a dirty martini—olive brine, vodka, vermouth, and all—into a savory one-pan meal.
Recipes
Pecan Sandie Wedges
Tender, buttery, and pleasantly crumbly, these salty-sweet shortbread wedges studded with toasted pecans are a grownup version of the childhood favorite.
Recipes
Crispy Fried Shrimp and Giardiniera
How do you make fried shrimp better? By adding giardiniera to the mix. Here the duo gets coated in a vodka-spiked batter to create a remarkably crisp exterior.
Recipes
Earl Grey Martini
Quickly infusing vodka with earl grey tea bags creates a distinct floral foundation for this fun (and caffeinated) take on a martini.
Recipes
Double Dark Chocolate No-Churn Ice Cream
This fuss-free ice cream doubles down on the chocolate flavor with a rich dark cocoa base and a glossy fudge ripple—no churning required.
Recipes
Rhubarb Cake
This rhubarb cake recipe keeps things simple and scatters thinly sliced fresh rhubarb on top of the cake
Recipes
Cowboy Cookies
Cowboy cookies are like oatmeal ones, but packed with hearty mix-ins like coconut, pecans, and chocolate.
Recipes
Kentucky Bourbon Pie
This nut pie recipe with chocolate chips and bourbon keeps things simple and honors the hallmarks of a classic Derby pie.
Recipes
One-Pot Pantry Orzo With Chickpeas
Staring down a bare pantry and fridge? This one-pot wonder—which pairs protein-rich chickpeas and briny olives and capers with tender orzo—will save dinner.