Prepared Foods
44 Kitchen-Tested Ingredients
Horseradish
The best versions of this simple condiment are bright and nose-tinglingly spicy.…
Published: June 2020
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Meat-Free Burgers
New meatless burgers are revolutionizing the food world. Can they satisfy both v…
Published: January 2020
Crushed Tomatoes
Sometimes smooth like puree and sometimes chock-full of chunks, crushed tomatoes…
Published: January 2017
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Soy Sauce
Savory, fragrant, umami-rich soy sauce is a staple in American kitchens.
But ch…
Published: September 2016
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Prepared Pesto
We scooped up seven traditional basil pestos (also called pesto Genovese), price…
Published: March 2016
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Fish Sauce
We gathered five products from grocery stores and Asian markets and sampled them…
Published: September 2015
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Dijon Mustard
What traits guarantee a Dijon mustard that packs a wallop of clean heat and bala…
Published: March 2015
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Apricot Preserves
We tasted five top-selling products plain and in our Cook's Illustrated French A…
Published: November 2014
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Processed Artichoke Hearts
With so many options on the market, selecting a brand of processed artichoke hea…
Published: September 2014
High-End Barbecue Sauces
We put four small-batch, mail-order barbecue sauces to the test against our supe…
Published: July 2013
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Supermarket Hummus
This creamy chickpea spread has gone from health food obscurity to the No. 1 ref…
Published: January 2013
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Supermarket Cheese Ravioli
Store-bought cheese ravioli offer convenience, but would any pass muster?
Published: January 2012
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Frozen Sausage Breakfast Links
What makes great breakfast sausage? We link it all together.
Published: December 2014
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Ready-Made Pie Crusts
We have high standards for pastry pie crust. Is there a supermarket option that …
Published: October 2017
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Frozen Straight-Cut French Fries
Homemade fries are not usually an option for weeknight cooking—but was there a f…
Published: June 2013
Frozen Pepperoni Pizza
Frozen pizza has a bad rep, but a slew of new “artisanal” options promise pizzer…
Published: August 2014
Bottled Barbecue Sauce
Last year Americans spent more than $700 million on supermarket barbecue sauce. …
Published: June 2017
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100% Whole-Wheat Bread
The labels on whole-wheat bread can be perplexing. We set out to clear up the co…
Published: February 2017
Graham Crackers
We tasted three top-selling national brands to see which came out on top.
Published: June 2011
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Milk Chocolate Chips
Most of us associate milk chocolate with supermarket candy bars and foil-wrapped…
Published: October 2017
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Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
Until recently, you’d be lucky to find one brand of shredded coconut in the supe…
Published: June 2015
Mail-Order Brownies
Got a chocolate craving? Discover the top mail-order brownies.
Published: October 2007
Strawberry Spreads
We tasted six preserves, jams, jellies, and spreads and found that only one prod…
Published: July 2019
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Frozen Dinner Rolls
When there isn't time to make fresh dinner rolls, the frozen variety can be a te…
Published: December 2014
Pancake Mixes
What’s the secret to the best from-the-box pancakes? Here’s a hint: They don’t m…
Published: December 2010
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Ready-Made Graham Cracker Crusts
When a homemade crumb crust isn’t an option, is a store-bought crust an acceptab…
Published: October 2017
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Supermarket Sauerkraut
To find out which kraut is king, we tried six nationally available supermarket s…
Published: February 2016
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