• I made hot-chocolate recipes from Ina Garten, Jacques Torres, Sandra Lee, Alton Brown, Carla Hall.
• My favorite recipe for hot chocolate was Sandra Lee's, which calls for a bit of alcohol. 
• Garten had my second-favorite recipe, though I'd make all of them again with some adjustments.

Like many people, hot chocolate was a staple of my childhood. On snowy days, I'd go build snowmen or sled with my little brother, then run inside to a cup of it.

I'd never had a homemade mug of hot chocolate — or hot cocoa, if it's made from a powder — so I decided to try five recipes from celebrity chefs Ina Garten, Jacques Torres, Sandra Lee, Alton Brown, and Carla Hall to see which I'll follow all season long. 

Garten's hot-chocolate recipe includes espresso powder and a cinnamon stick for garnish

The "Barefoot Contessa" host's hot-chocolate recipe seems great for a crowd — although I cut the recipe in half, it still made two to three servings. 

The original recipe calls for half a pound of chocolate, so I expected it to be very rich. It also includes espresso powder, which I figured would boost the chocolaty flavor. 

She calls for a vanilla bean or cinnamon stick to use as garnish, which are fancier and more expensive than marshmallows, whipped cream, or peppermint rods.

Once the ingredients were measured and chopped, this drink quickly came together

It took me some time to measure out all of the ingredients, but after that was done, Garten's recipe was pretty quick and straightforward. 

I heated the milk and half-and-half on the cooktop, then whisked in the bittersweet and milk chocolate until they were melted. From there, I added in the rest of the ingredients, stirred it all together, and poured it into my mug. 

I garnished the drink with a cinnamon stick since vanilla beans are a little too pricey for me to justify using them for garnish.

This hot chocolate was delicious and not too sweet

Rich is the best way to describe this hot chocolate — it had a thicker consistency and a delicious, chocolaty flavor that wasn't too sweet thanks to the bittersweet chocolate. The espresso definitely helped bring out the richness of the chocolate.

Although the cinnamon stick was a nice touch, a drink this good begs for some whipped cream as well.

Torres' hot-chocolate recipe calls for 4 ingredients, and none of them are sugar

Torres, a renowned pastry chef and "Nailed It!" cohost, has a very simple hot-chocolate recipe with just four ingredients — milk, milk powder, cornstarch, and dark chocolate.

The one thing I noticed right away is that there are no sweetening agents in this recipe, so I expected it to be more bitter than the others.

The directions were as simple as the ingredients list

With only four ingredients, it makes sense that this recipe was also easy to make. 

I boiled the milk, stirred in the chocolate until it melted, then added the milk powder and cornstarch to thicken the mix.

Although I quickly whisked nonstop, I later found out that some of the milk powder didn't completely dissolve.

I would've liked a bit of sweetener in this recipe

I liked the use of dark chocolate, but this recipe needed a little bit of sweetener. It was just a bit too bitter, but the worst part was the clumps of milk powder that didn't dissolve, no matter how hard I whisked. Luckily, this is an easy fix: I'll use a strainer next time. 

Otherwise, the texture was thick — but not as rich as Garten's — and it would be really delicious with a little bit of sugar.

Lee's recipe is a little boozy

I was unsure if I'd be a fan of Lee's "Semi-Homemade Cooking" recipe, which calls for milk chocolate, half-and-half, cinnamon, and either vanilla vodka or hazelnut liqueur. 

I opted for the latter because it's what I had on hand, but I was worried the milk chocolate would make this drink too sweet.

This was the fastest recipe to make

With only three ingredients that go onto the cooktop at the same time, this recipe was ready in five minutes. 

After the mix melted together and heated up, I poured it into a cup and added an ounce of hazelnut liqueur.

I couldn't believe how incredible this hot chocolate turned out

This recipe is so good. The drink had a hint of spice and was sweet, slightly nutty, and definitely chocolaty — I loved the flavor that the cinnamon and hazelnut added. 

After one sip, I knew this would be my go-to drink for winter.

Brown's recipe is for hot cocoa, but I still wanted to try it

This recipe results in a hot-cocoa powder that you can store and use again because it keeps "indefinitely," according to Brown. This was an advantage the hot-chocolate recipes didn't have, so I was excited to see how this turned out. 

The mix calls for six dry ingredients that get combined with hot water.

Mix, pour, and stir — this recipe was ready in no time

I measured out all of the dry ingredients, including a pinch of cayenne, and stored the mix in an airtight container. Even after cutting the recipe in half, this still made about two cups of hot-cocoa powder. 

Once everything was combined, I filled my mug halfway with the mix, then poured in the hot water and stirred.

This simple hot cocoa had the slightest kick from the cayenne

The finished drink had a barely sweet chocolate flavor, plus a little heat from the cayenne. 

The recipe lists hot water among the ingredients, so that is what I used. However, Brown also said in the directions that the mix works great with warm milk, which I'll use next time for a slightly thicker and richer drink.

Overall, this hot cocoa was still tasty and better than the store-bought alternatives.

I was excited to experiment with the unique hot-chocolate ingredients in Hall's 'Snow Day Cocoa'

Culinary judge Hall had a unique lineup of ingredients in her hot-chocolate recipe, ranging from dark chocolate and toasted cinnamon to ginger and orange peel, plus a homemade whipped cream. 

I love all of these flavors, so I was looking forward to trying this option.

This recipe took me the longest to make

Hall's hot chocolate was more involved than the others, but the steps were still easy to follow. 

I started by toasting some ground cinnamon in a pot on the cooktop, then I added the rest of the base ingredients. 

As that heated up, I made the whipped cream — which requires heavy cream, ginger, and sugar — in my stand mixer. The original amount of cream was too little for my attached whisk to reach and whip, so I doubled the recipe.

I enjoyed the various flavor profiles in this hot chocolate

The drink had a strong dark-chocolate flavor, which I liked. The toasted cinnamon and hints of ginger and orange helped tone down most of the bitterness. 

I think I'd add a little more sugar to the hot chocolate itself, but overall, this recipe was great.

I liked all of the recipes, but Lee's was my favorite

I'd try all of these recipes again, but Lee's was the winner for me. I loved her combination of chocolate, cinnamon, and hazelnut. The drink's texture was perfect because it wasn't too watery or too thick.

Garten's recipe was a very close second, as it was so rich and chocolaty — just as this delicious drink should be. 

I'd also happily make Hall's "Snow Day Cocoa" again with a little more sugar, and Brown's mix is still in my pantry. I would also attempt Torres' recipe again, though I'd use a strainer and add sweetener to it. 

Click to check out the other celebrity-chef recipes we've put head-to-head so far.

This story was originally published on December 3, 2020, and most recently updated on December 19, 2024.

• I tried meatball recipes from Ina Garten, Ree Drummond, and Guy Fieri to see which was best.
• Fieri's was simple, with few ingredients, and Garten's meatballs surprisingly lacked flavor.
• Drummond's classic recipe, which was my favorite, produced tender, springy meatballs.

Meatballs are a handy staple I like to whip out whenever I want something that's not too difficult to prepare but still impressive for my audience (aka usually just my husband and myself).

Plus, they're a great appetizer to quickly throw together for holiday gatherings.

On the hunt for tasty, tender meatballs that would lend themselves well to nearly any sauce, I tested recipes from Ina Garten, Ree Drummond, and Guy Fieri.

Here's how they stacked up.

Fieri's recipe had the shortest ingredient list.

I know Fieri loves spice, so I wasn't surprised to see smoked paprika, ground cumin, and cayenne pepper on his ingredient list, alongside granulated garlic and onion powder.

His recipe also called for ground pork, fresh parsley, salt, and pepper.

To my surprise, it didn't require any sort of liquid, like milk or eggs, which raised suspicions that these meatballs would be rather dry.

I placed all the spices in a bowl with the ground pork.

I measured out the various spices and seasonings and added them to a mixing bowl with the ground pork, combining everything with a fork.

But I quickly realized the easiest way to ensure all the spices were distributed evenly throughout the meat would be to mix it by hand.

I recommend popping on some thin gloves as the paprika and cayenne pepper can stain bare skin.

I rolled the mixture into 2-ounce balls.

I began pinching small amounts of the meat mixture and weighing them into 2-ounce portions. Then, I rolled them into balls and arranged them on a tray lined with baking paper.

While I did this, I turned on the oven to let it preheat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once all the meatballs were prepared, I popped them straight into the preheated oven for 12 minutes. Fieri's recipe recommended 10 to 15 minutes, so I decided on a middle ground.

The cooked meatballs turned out perfectly browned.

The meatballs filled my kitchen with the pleasant aroma of spices.

Because there was so little fat in the recipe, there also wasn't a lot of grease. But that meant these meatballs were quite hard and dry.

I enjoyed the flavors of the spices, but I think they definitely need a sauce.

I moved on to Drummond's meatball recipe.

Drummond's recipe had just a few more ingredients than Fieri's, but it involved fewer spices.

The addition of oats to bind the mixture, milk for moisture, and minced onions for flavor made it feel more like a classic meatball recipe.

Drummond calls for ground beef, but my local butcher had ground chuck, which has a higher fat content than ground beef. I was aware that my meatballs might turn out slightly greasier than the chef's, but I didn't mind.

Her recipe also included flour and oil for dredging and frying later on, as well as more onions, ketchup, white vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and sugar for a sauce.

I minced the onions as finely as possible.

Drummond specifically called for "very finely minced onions," which I struggled to cut. I did my best to chop the onions up small.

Aside from measuring out all the other ingredients, mincing the onion was the only prep required. I put everything in a mixing bowl with the ground beef before realizing I was meant to mix the beef and oats before adding everything else.

I figured it would be fine as everything gets mixed together anyway, so I continued with the recipe.

The meat mixture was a little looser because of the additional liquid.

After mixing all the ingredients, I noticed how much looser the mixture felt compared to Fieri's. But it didn't seem too wet to roll into tablespoon-sized balls.

Once they were rolled out and arranged on a baking sheet, I covered them and let them firm up in the fridge.

I dredged the meatballs in flour before frying them.

I heated some oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet and dredged three or four meatballs in the flour while waiting for it to heat up.

While the meatballs were frying, I preheated the oven to 350 F.

Once the oil was hot, I added the flour-coated meatballs and let them sizzle, turning them over until they were light brown all over.

While my oven preheated to 350 F, I removed the browned meatballs from the heat and arranged them on a rectangular baking dish.

Before digging in, I made an onion-and-ketchup sauce.

Once all the meatballs were browned and in the baking dish, I turned to Drummond's sauce recipe.

I minced more onions and mixed them in a bowl with ketchup, white vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and a couple of dashes of hot sauce.

I poured the sauce mixture all over the top of the meatballs, ensuring they were covered, and placed them in the oven for 40 minutes. The chef recommended 45, but mine were done quicker.

The meatballs turned out springy and full of flavor.

When I first opened the oven to remove the meatballs, I was hit by the acidic smell of the white vinegar, which was slightly unappealing.

But this quickly dissipated, and the resulting dish was very tasty. I was impressed by how moist and tender the meatballs were, and I enjoyed the extra flavor that came from browning them first.

The tangy sauce was also a good complement to the meatballs.

Lastly, I got started on Garten's recipe.

Garten's recipe had the longest ingredient list, including three types of meat: ground pork, ground sirloin, and ground veal.

She also called for fresh Italian pecorino cheese, fresh Italian Parmesan, bread crumbs, minced garlic, fresh parsley, and pepper.

The wet ingredients in the recipe included water, two extra-large eggs (lightly beaten), and ¾ cups of dry red wine (I went with Rosso).

I set about mincing and grating.

Garten's recipe required the most prep. I grated both cheeses, minced the garlic and parsley, and measured out the bread crumbs.

Then, I added all three ground meats into a large bowl and mixed them together before adding the dry ingredients.

Once everything was thoroughly mixed, I poured in the red wine, eggs, and ¾ cup of water.

The mixture smelled strongly of garlic and wine.

After combining all the ingredients, I began rolling the mixture into 2-ounce portions.

I arranged the balls on baking sheets and brushed each with olive oil, as Garten instructed.

Once my oven was preheated to 400 degrees, I popped the meatballs in and baked them for 30 minutes. The recipe said between 25 to 30 minutes, but I chose the top end to ensure the different meats were cooked all the way through.

The cooked meatballs produced more grease than I expected.

When I pulled the meatballs out, I noticed most of them were surrounded by pools of grease.

They also smelled very strongly of cheese, which I would normally enjoy. However, in this instance, it was slightly off-putting for some reason.

Garten's meatballs were tasty but slightly dry.

The meatballs were well-seasoned, thanks to all the salt in the cheeses, but I was surprised to find that they were kind of dry.

I was sure all the liquid from the eggs, wine, and water would make them moist. Maybe the liquid escaped from the meat with the grease during the cooking process.

Still, in a tomato sauce with spaghetti or polenta, I think these meatballs would be quite delicious.

All three meatball recipes were very different, but I enjoyed Drummond's the most.

Drummond's recipe was the most classic and produced really delicious meatballs with good textures and flavors.

I kept a few to try with a different sauce, and they worked just as well, so they're also quite versatile.

Garten's was a more adventurous recipe. But it included a lot of expensive ingredients and didn't yield results that have me dying to make it again.

Fieri's meatballs were very tasty, but they needed a sauce to help the texture. Given the short ingredient list, though, they were probably the easiest to make.

This story was originally published on December 16, 2023, and most recently updated on December 13, 2024.

Click to check out the other celebrity-chef recipes we've put head-to-head so far.

• I ate at Kwame Onwuachi's new restaurant, Dōgon, in Washington, DC.
• We ordered coco bread, piri piri salad, chicken and rice, oxtails, and rum cake.
• Our tasty dinner was $244, and I'm already looking forward to my next meal there.

Kwame Onwuachi was only 25 when he appeared on "Top Chef: California" in 2015.

Just four years later, he was named Rising Star Chef of the Year by the James Beard Foundation, Chef of the Year by Esquire, and one of the best new chefs by Food and Wine — all thanks to his restaurant, Kith/Kin, in Washington, DC.

Although I didn't get to visit Kith/Kin before it closed in 2020, I was excited to be able to dine at the chef's latest DC venture: Dōgon.

The Afro-Caribbean restaurant's buzzy opening has been covered by the likes of Vogue, Forbes, and Eater — but, as a restaurant critic, I was curious to check it out myself.

Here's what it's like to dine at Dōgon.

It was tough to get a reservation.

Dōgon is located in the DC-area Salamander hotel, close to the city's southwest waterfront.

I had to make my reservation at Dōgon nearly a month in advance. Although 5:15 p.m. felt early for dinner, it was the only time I could get so I happily took it.

The cozy, basic hotel lobby didn’t prepare me for Dōgon.

The lobby's subtle yellows, browns, and blues contrast greatly with the chain-link curtains that beckon diners into the hotel's restaurant to the left.

Upon entering, I was immediately struck by the dark atmosphere. Music blared from the dining room to the hostess counter.

But once I was seated across from the bar, an illuminated glass ball provided sufficient light for me and my camera.

More light glowed from the open kitchen.

When I walked to the back of the restaurant, I was drawn to the view of the open kitchen.

A large group of chefs appeared to be working in harmony to bring the menu to life.

It was tough to decide what to order.

Onwuachi's menu includes dishes with influences from Nigeria, Jamaica, Trinidad, and New Orleans.

Several staffers helped throughout my meal, but my primary server, Andrea, especially stood out. When she found out it was our first time dining at Dōgon, she walked us through her favorites.

Our party had an allergy, which eliminated a few options from the menu. However, Andrea offered to adjust some dishes so that we could enjoy them.

Andrea’s first recommendation was the coco bread.

Andrea suggested we order the coco bread, and although the $15 price tag of it horrified me, I'm glad we did.

The five petite balls of sweet, buttery dough were far lighter than coco bread I've had at Jamaican restaurants. I was impressed with the bread's cloud-like texture and how easy it was to spread the malted-sorghum butter that came with the dish.

The piri piri salad was so good I had to finish it with a spoon.

The piri piri salad was smaller than I'd hoped for, especially given its $22 price tag. But any complaints I had quickly vanished when our server arrived to pour papaya dressing over the flower-adorned salad.

The thick papaya sauce was flavored with garlic and chiles — the same mixture used in the hot sauce that Andrea had already brought to our table.

The sauce helped accentuate bites of cucumber, tomato, cape gooseberries, and grapes, along with the almond-butter-filled avocado half.

The salad's balance between creamy and crunchy textures and spicy and sweet flavors made it extremely compelling. Once I'd eaten all that I could with my fork, I spooned the remnants into my mouth, savoring every last bite.

My favorite dish was the chicken and rice.

For years, I lived and worked in Houston, where I frequently indulged in food from the Nigerian community and became mildly addicted to skewers of suya and jollof rice.

Although Onwuachi's $63 chicken wasn't as spicy as the dishes at the mom-and-pop restaurants I used to frequent, he still brought some heat to the dish.

The roasted half chicken that dominated the plate barely required a knife. The tender meat was rubbed in a paste flavored with an earthy spice mix known as berbere and crowned with an herb salad.

The rice — made with tomatoes, chiles, and complex spices — tasted just like a grandmother's comfort food.

The deceptively simple dish was also plated with half a lime, more berbere paste, and a sweet-and-creamy mix of ricotta and honey. It was fun to mix and match these toppings to make each bite taste slightly different.

Onwuachi recently brought his famous oxtails back to the menu, too.

The Caribbean-style oxtails that Onwuachi made at Kith/Kin returned to DC on November 1, just days before I dined.

At $65, they weren't cheap, but I ordered them over the $110 wagyu short rib I'd been considering. The sugar and collagen in the sauce made it delightfully sticky — the dish felt like a beefy dessert.

Extracting the pillowy meat from the bones reminded me of gamja-tang, my favorite Korean stew made from a pig's neck bones. It was tougher to get the meat off without the chopsticks or gloves usually provided at Korean restaurants.

However, I did my best to finish every bite, spooning the sauce over the coconut-infused rice and peas to experience the unique flavor combination of sweet heat and flesh.

I didn’t have room for dessert, but I ordered it anyway.

I didn't get any pressure from Andrea or the other servers to order dessert, but I didn't want the meal to end just yet.

There were only two desserts on the menu, so I chose the $17 rum cake over the spiced cherry sorbet — and I'm glad I did.

Although the sweet treat sounded a little boring on paper, the crisp edges and fluffy center of the two slabs of cake made it a textural delight. It was squiggled with a vanilla whip and then finished with mint leaves and boozy, blistered cape gooseberries.

I'll definitely be returning to Dōgon.

Dōgon took some of my favorite dishes from around the world and elevated them to levels I had never imagined.

I can imagine the dining experience will be even more eye-opening for guests who haven't tasted as many world cuisines.

Either way, Dōgon is a must-visit restaurant in DC. I spent $244 there on dinner for two with no alcoholic beverages, and I would happily do it again.

• To find the best stuffing recipe, I turned to Ina Garten, Paula Deen, Ree Drummond, Sunny Anderson.
• Anderson's recipe was my favorite because of its mostly savory flavor and easy preparation. 
• Both Deen and Drummond's stuffing required the extra step of baking homemade cornbread.

For many Thanksgiving menus, stuffing is a must — but the countless recipes and techniques can make this Turkey Day staple feel overwhelming. 

In search of the best stuffing recipe, I turned to celebrity chefs Ina Garten, Paula Deen, Ree Drummond, and Sunny Anderson. Here's how their recipes stacked up. 

Garten's herb-and-apple stuffing features plenty of fresh ingredients

Unlike the other recipes I tested, Garten's requires only one type of bread — baguettes — which made it easier to prepare.

I also appreciated the addition of fresh herbs but was unsure how I'd like the apples and almonds combined with the savory onions and celery. This recipe yields a huge portion, so I cut it in half.

This stuffing was quite easy to make

Overall, the process was pretty simple. While drying the bread in the oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes, I sautéed the veggies, apples, and herbs in a saucepan with butter.

Once the mixture was combined, I poured it and the vegetable stock over the bread cubes.

This recipe calls for cooking the filling inside a turkey cavity for two-and-a-half hours at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

I wasn't making a bird for this taste test, so I baked the stuffing at the same temperature in a shallow dish for an hour instead. 

I enjoyed the apples but not the almonds

The final dish was pretty crispy and golden on top, but its center looked less appetizing. 

The texture was OK and the insides definitely seemed soggy. I probably could've avoided this by adding a little less broth than instructed. 

Next time, I'd definitely omit the nuts. I used slivered almonds, and their crunchiness, size, and shape threw off the dish's overall texture. The crusty breaded exterior was delicious and added all of the crunch this dish needed. 

I could definitely taste the rosemary, and I actually enjoyed the apples, which gave the stuffing a slight sweetness that balanced the other savory flavors.

Deen's recipe calls for a lot of butter and homemade cornbread

In true Deen fashion, this stuffing calls for a full stick of butter. 

I was also unsure about the mixture of carbs here — saltine crackers, white bread, and cornbread, which I made from scratch using Deen's recipe.

My stuffing mix ended up with too much broth, some of which I had to carefully pour out before baking

For the carbs, I started by making the cornbread — a quick and easy process that resulted in a savory, slightly dense dish — and dried white-bread slices in the oven.

I then sautéed the veggies with the stick of butter and mixed all of the prepared ingredients in a bowl. 

When adding the vegetable stock, I stopped after about five cups because the mixture looked far too soggy already. I was shocked the recipe asked for seven cups.

Still concerned about the texture, I poured out more broth before adding five eggs to the mix.

I then transferred everything into a shallow, glass baking dish. It took about an hour in the oven for the mix to really crisp up.

The flavor was fine, but the texture was disappointing

The top was slightly golden, but it didn't get as crispy as the other recipes I tested. 

When I took a bite, I found the interior was far too soggy — there was definitely too much broth, and the crackers turned mushy after absorbing the liquid. 

The flavor was OK — very savory and buttery — but the extra-soggy texture was not appetizing. 

If I made this again, I'd swap some of the crackers for more bread and put way fewer cups of broth.  

Drummond's stuffing recipe requires 3 kinds of bread

The Pioneer Woman's recipe calls for a lot of bread — three different types, including homemade cornbread. Because I already had the ingredients needed to make Deen's cornbread, I used that option for this dish as well. 

In addition to a large amount of bread, this recipe also requires a lot of parsley.

The process involved making cornbread and carefully ladling broth onto the cubed carbs

I noticed a little too late that I was supposed to dry the bread out for one to two days, but I threw it in the oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes and it still firmed up really well. 

In general, this recipe had a similar process to the other two, from making the cornbread and dehydrating the other carbs to sautéeing the veggies. 

The recipe instructed me to add six cups of broth to the sautéed vegetables, then ladle this mixture onto the tossed bread cubes until they were soaked to my liking.

I preferred this approach, as it was easier to control and prevent the stuffing from becoming soggy. 

My stuffing took about 40 minutes in the oven — not the 20 to 30 minutes the recipe called for — but the extra time helped it achieve a crisp, golden top.

The flavor would've been better with less celery

Although the stuffing was toasty on top, it still looked soggy inside.

However, upon tasting it, the dish's flavor and texture weren't bad at all. The center was slightly soggy but not overwhelmingly so, and the extra-crispy top helped balance the texture. 

My only issue with this recipe was it had way too much celery. I'm not a fan of it in general, but I can tolerate it in moderate amounts — still, almost every bite tasted strongly of it. 

That said, the savory, herby bites with minimal celery were delicious. 

Anderson's stuffing recipe has 4 flavor combinations to choose from

Anderson's simple and quick recipe combines store-bought stuffing mix with sautéed veggies, broth, and herbs to make it taste homemade. 

I swapped turkey stock for vegetable broth since I don't eat meat products, and I left out the thyme as a personal preference. 

Anderson also shared four add-on combinations to give the dish more flavor — sausage and bell peppers, oysters and hard-boiled eggs, walnuts and apples, and sautéed fennel bulb and dried apricots. I opted for the last combo. 

Most of the prep work involved chopping veggies

This recipe was quick to put together. For the base, I just dumped the stuffing mix into a bowl and added freshly chopped parsley. 

I got to work mincing the garlic and chopping the onion, celery, fennel bulb, sage, and dried apricots. Then I cooked the veggies, sage, garlic, salt, and pepper in a pan until the mix started to soften.

After combining the sautéed mixture with the boxed stuffing and vegetable broth, I mixed in the dried apricots and pressed everything down into a glass baking dish. 

I covered the whole thing with foil and let it bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, I removed my foil and cooked it for an additional 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

The stuffing turned out crispy and flavorful

I was worried this recipe would turn out too soggy since it's meant to be a wet dressing, but it actually baked up really well. It came out of the oven with a soft, almost creamy center and an extra-crispy exterior. 

The sautéed veggies created a very savory flavor profile, and I couldn't even taste the celery. 

I was also a little unsure about the apricots, but they added a touch of sweetness and melt-in-your-mouth texture. 

Anderson's easy stuffing was my favorite, but all of these recipes would be worth making again with a few tweaks

If I had to choose a favorite, I'd go for Anderson's unique stuffing.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the fennel-and-apricot combination — it added an interesting twist to the dish but still felt traditional. Plus, this recipe was the quickest and easiest to make.

I also loved the flavor of Garten's herby stuffing with rosemary and apple, but next time, I'd leave out the almonds and use less broth.

Deen's recipe had an enjoyable savory, buttery flavor, but it needed far less liquid to fix the texture. I think adding more bread would also help. For Drummond's stuffing, I'd use slightly less broth for an even better texture and way less celery to help the flavor of the sautéed veggies and fresh herbs shine.

Click to check out the other celebrity-chef recipes we've put head-to-head so far.

This story was originally published on November 19, 2020, and most recently updated on November 26, 2024.

• I tried Ina Garten's simple recipe for mashed potatoes, and I loved her secret ingredient. 
• In addition to Yukon Gold potatoes, butter, and milk, the ingredient list includes lemon zest.
• I loved how fresh the lemon made everything taste, but next time, I'll probably use a little less. 

From Yukon Gold vs. russet to ricing vs. mashing, I've tested many ways to make mashed potatoes even more amazing. 

Then I came across Ina Garten's unique spin on the side dish.

I've added garlic or herbs to my potatoes to amp up the flavor before, but the "Barefoot Contessa" star adds a surprising ingredient I haven't thought of before: lemon.

Garten's recipe uses a few simple ingredients, including Yukon Gold potatoes.

The recipe has just six ingredients: Yukon Gold potatoes, unsalted butter, whole milk, salt, pepper, and lemon zest.

It serves four to six people, so I cut all the measurements in half for my household of two.

I was interested in Garten's choice of potato for this recipe. Some mashed potatoes call for russet, others call for Yukon Gold, and others still include a combination of both.

Russet potatoes have a higher starch content, which makes for lighter, fluffier potatoes. Yukon Golds have a medium starch content, which makes for denser, creamier potatoes with a natural buttery flavor. 

I was excited about the prospect of adding lemon zest.

I figured with all of the butter in this recipe, plus the creamy Yukon Gold potatoes, the lemon zest would be pretty handy in balancing the richer flavors.

The cooking method was pretty standard.

The cooking directions were straightforward and similar to many other recipes I've made.

I started by peeling and cutting the potatoes into about 1 ½-inch chunks.

I placed them in a pot and covered them with cold water and salt before bringing everything to a boil. Once boiling, I cooked them for 20 minutes until they were soft enough to pierce easily with a fork.

I had to improvise one of the steps.

Garten calls for a food mill to puree the potatoes. I don't have one, so I used my trusty ricer for that step. 

Garten warms the milk to avoid gummy spuds.

Just before the potatoes were done cooking, I put ½ cup of whole milk in a small pot to simmer on the stove.

By using warm milk instead of cold, the potatoes can absorb the liquid better, which evidently keeps them from becoming too gummy.

There is a lot of butter involved.

While the potatoes were cooking, I cut a full stick of butter into ½-inch pieces and kept them in the fridge.

It's important to keep the butter cold.

Unlike the milk, the butter was meant to be whisked into the potatoes while it was still very cold and fresh from the fridge.

Had I warmed up the butter like the milk, it might have separated.

The butter really made a difference in the texture of the potatoes.

After ricing the potatoes, I started whisking in a little bit of butter at a time.

It was impressive to watch how quickly the potatoes became silky and creamy even before I started pouring in the warm milk.

The potatoes looked incredibly creamy.

Once the full stick of butter was incorporated, the instructions said to pour in just enough milk to make the potatoes "creamy but still thick." 

Ultimately, I only needed about ¼ of the milk to reach my desired consistency before stirring in the salt and pepper. 

It was soon time to add the star ingredient to the potatoes.

Once the salt and pepper were thoroughly mixed into the potatoes, I whisked in the zest of one lemon.

These mashed potatoes had an incredibly silky-soft texture.

Unsurprisingly, the full stick of butter and warm milk turned the potatoes into a silky-smooth, buttery-soft pile of fluff on my plate.

They were ultra-creamy without being soupy, and they were still able to hold their shape and form peaks when I spooned them into a dish.

These potatoes had an amazing texture that was both light and decadent at the same time.

The lemon was an unexpected but delightful addition.

Including salt, fat, acid, and heat in a recipe has become a common adage, so I couldn't believe I'd never thought to add lemon to my mashed potatoes before.

Mashed potatoes always include plenty of salt and fat from the butter or heavy cream, and there's a hint of heat when you add black pepper. 

But the lemon zest adds just enough acidity to cut through all of the rich textures and flavors, adding a nice brightness and freshness to help balance out the heavier ingredients.

There are a few changes I'd make next time, but lemon is a must-add ingredient for mashed potatoes.

I loved the taste and texture of Garten's mashed potatoes. They were somehow both rich and creamy and light and vibrant.

Although I loved the addition of lemon, I'd cut back slightly and use the zest of about ½ to ¾ of a lemon for a slightly more subtle brightness. I also think some fresh herbs, like chives or parsley, would complement the lemon and make the potatoes even better.

Overall, thanks to Garten's recipe, I'll keep a lemon handy anytime I want to make mashed potatoes.

This story was originally published on November 15, 2022, and most recently updated on November 25, 2024.