Sure, we love a good kitchen shortcut. Frozen puff pastry? Yes, please. But there are some lines we just won’t cross. Not every time saver deserves your trust. Some so-called conveniences just end up robbing your dinner of soul, flavor, or both. So in the spirit of keeping standards high (and taste buds happy), our editors are taking a stand against the shortcuts that cross the line from clever to criminal—no matter how convenient they may be.
Clamshells of Baby Spinach
“Clamshells of baby spinach are easy and convenient, but as I just wrote about, they have almost completely replaced bunches of mature spinach at the market, and that’s a change I just can’t get behind. What you gain in convenience you lose in flavor and texture—baby spinach cooks down into mushy little wisps with a slightly muddy flavor. Plus, ounce-for-ounce, the clamshells of spinach are much more expensive than the full-grown bunches. Both for flavor and for savings, I’m team mature spinach all day, and you should be too.” —Daniel Gritzer, editorial director
Jarred Minced Garlic
“Just no. An always-and-forever no on jarred minced garlic. I get the temptation of no peeling, no lingering garlic fingers, but the payoff is a pale imitation of the real thing. The jarred stuff tastes faintly garlic-esque, more citric acid than allium, and somehow both sharp and dull at the same time. If you ever catch me using it, ask me to blink three times to check if I’m OK.” —Leah Colins, senior culinary editor
Boxed Pancake Mix
“Call me spoiled, but when I was growing up, my mom always made pancakes from scratch. She used an inimitable recipe from this LL Bean Cookbook that had her breaking out the beaters to whip egg whites. The result was worth the effort: perfectly fluffy, tender pancakes with buttery crisp edges. So when I’d have sleepovers at childhood friends’ houses and their parents reached for a box of Bisquick, my excitement at “pancakes for breakfast!” quickly deflated. Box pancakes taste like fake butter (not in a good way). I was left with crumbly, mushy cake bits that I pushed around to try not to make the tired parent feel bad.” –Grace Kelly, senior editor
Pancakes
The Easiest, Fluffiest Pancake Recipe
These easy pancakes use only pantry staples. No pre-made mix, but just as easy.
Store-Bought Gravy
“I grew up with a mom from South Louisiana, so I was taught that any good gravy starts with a well-made roux. And powdered gravy? No way! I once snatched a package of gravy starter out of a friend’s hands when he was hosting Thanksgiving dinner. I’ve been charged with making the gravy ever since.” —Megan O. Steintrager, associate editorial director
Instant Mashed Potatoes
I don’t know if it’s a sign of my Midwestern Kansas upbringing or my family of great Mennonite cooks, but I grew up eating mashed potatoes on a weekly basis, if not daily. They were always perfectly lumpy, laden with butter, and infused with plenty of salt and cream, so when I encountered instant mashed potatoes for the first time in my teens, let’s just say I wasn’t impressed. I’ll keep some potato flakes on hand for making soft breads like Parker house rolls, but you won’t find me dishing them up with gravy at my house. —Ashlee Redger, writer
Store-Bought Lemon Juice
“I refuse to use store-bought lemon juice (and lime, for that matter), no matter how dire the circumstance. It tastes flat instead of bright, missing the perk, perfume, and complexity that fresh juice brings. Pasteurization dulls its flavor, and the preservatives that keep it shelf-stable add a faint chemical note. Even before it reaches your fridge, oxidation takes its toll, muting what little liveliness it had left. I often finish sauces with a splash of lemon juice (or pomegranate molasses) for the final jolt it brings—and bottled juice could never match that jolt.” —Laila Ibrahim, associate food editor
Boxed Brownies
“Maybe it’s because my mother and grandmother both made incredible brownies (my mother still does), but I’ve never been able to bring myself to make them from a box mix. Baking them from scratch, with melted chocolate and lots of butter, yields the super-dense, fudgy result I dream about.” —Rochelle Bilow, editor
Chocolate
Meet the Fudgy, Fiery Brownie That’ll Win Over Every Chocolate Lover
These fudgy brownies are anything but boring.
Minute Rice
“I understand why some people reach for minute rice: It’s quick and easy. But you will never catch me using it, because a pot of freshly made rice is so, so much better and exponentially more delicious than the instant stuff. ” —Genevieve Yam, senior editor
