Sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb are a winning flavor combination, but they can turn into a soupy mess when baked unless you take steps to manage their high water content. In our recipe, we macerate the rhubarb and some of the strawberries with sugar to draw out their excess liquid; then we cook the resulting syrup down with the remaining strawberries to make a jam-like mixture that is folded back into the rhubarb. Because we have removed the excess water, we are able to use less thickener and more fruit than is used in most strawberry-rhubarb pies, which results in an intensely flavored filling that is chunky and softly gelled. To complement the tartness of the fruit, we top our double-crust pie with a generous amount of water and sugar, which bakes to a crackly finish.

"There are few desserts that aren’t improved by a swirl of fresh whipped cream. But if you want to make your own, you have to haul out a mixer or, worse, whisk until your arm goes numb. Luckily, there is an easier way to make homemade whipped cream: Use a cream whipper, a pressurized canister powered by nitrous oxide. You simply fill the canister with heavy cream, twist on a single-use nitrous oxide charger (sold separately for about $0.50 a pop), shake to distribute the gas, and press a lever to pipe out swirls and rosettes. Beauty doesn’t come cheap, however—many cream whippers retail for upwards of $100.00. Are cream whippers worth the expense?"

Crab cakes are relatively quick and easy to throw together: Most recipes call for simply mixing the shucked meat with aromatics, herbs, spices, and a binder like mayo or beaten egg; forming cakes and dredging them in bread crumbs; and quickly pan-frying them until they’re golden brown and crisp. But oftentimes, crab cakes lack real crab flavor. So, we set out to develop a recipe for the best possible crab cakes—sweet, plump meat delicately seasoned and seamlessly held together with a binder that didn’t detract from the seafood flavor. Rather than being bound with flavor-muting bread crumbs, gloppy mayo, and eggs, our crab cakes employ a delicate shrimp mousse to hold everything in place. Add some classic components like Old Bay and lemon juice, and they can’t be beat.

"Colorful Dutch ovens, turbocharged blenders, and flashy knives may hog the spotlight, but the most essential piece of equipment in our test kitchen just might be the humble paper towel. We use paper towels to sop up grease, water, and other messes; to blot meat and dry herbs; to scrub gritty stovetops and counters; to oil grill grates; to wipe out cast-iron skillets; and simply to dry our hands. A good paper towel is tough, absorbent, and versatile."