I ordered the 6-ounce sirloin — the Renegade Sirloin — at LongHorn Steakhouse and, as I would at all three locations, I asked for mashed potatoes and broccoli as the included sides.

My complimentary bread was a single medium-sized loaf of honey wheat that seemed a bit dry. I wondered if I may have just gotten a stale loaf.

The butter served beside it was fresh-from-the-fridge cold, which was not ideal for spreading onto bread.

As for the sides, my broccoli felt very overcooked and too mushy for my liking.

The mashed potatoes were quite good. They were creamy with enough melted butter atop to suffuse flavor but not to overwhelm the texture or taste of the side.

At first, I was a bit put off by the irregular kidney-bean shape of the steak.

Upon slicing into the sirloin, it seemed to me like it had been cooked a bit beyond medium-well. However, I appreciated that the cut had minimal fat and gristle.

The texture was a bit tough — I attribute that to the cooking, not the quality of the meat — but LongHorn's simple seasoning was tasty with notes of pepper.

My sirloin meal cost $18, and my check came to just over $23 after tax and a 20% tip. That price felt fair to me.

All in all, I was neither impressed nor unimpressed with my meal.

Ah, starting with the complimentary bread — those of you who frequent Texas Roadhouse are nodding, right?

Per the chain's site, its famous rolls are "baked fresh every five minutes and served with honey cinnamon butter."

Truth be told, I think the butter tastes too sweet, but who cares? The bread is so fresh, warm, and flavorful that it alone makes the visit to the restaurant worth it.

I find the rolls are best enjoyed as they are — they don't need butter of any kind to be incredible.

In terms of sides, my mashed potatoes seemed a tad overmixed, leading to a glut of starch release and that gummy texture most people, myself included, don't love.

The broccoli wasn't as soft as what I had at LongHorn, but it was still too overcooked for my personal preference.

The 6-ounce sirloin steak I got at Texas Roadhouse appeared to be cooked properly to medium-well based on its color, yet it was still a bit tough to cut through and chew.

The mildly salty and peppery flavor profile of the meat was excellent, though. That said, I was perhaps most impressed by the price of my steak.

I was impressed that my lunch special 6-ounce sirloin was just $14, and my bill came out to just $19.20 after a 20% tip and taxes.

This felt like an outright steal, given the meal came with two sides and rolls. (I'd have welcomed a special lunch price at the other chains, but none was available.)

Even at the full dinner price, the steak meal costs just $16, still making it the most affordable sirloin steak of the bunch. These exceptional prices alone would probably be enough to entice me to return to Texas Roadhouse.

That classic brown loaf of Outback Steakhouse honey-wheat bread was soft and had a mild flavor, but it had nothing on Texas Roadhouse rolls. The latter's offering feels more memorable and fresh.

That said, Outback's creamy butter was more to my taste

When my 6-ounce Outback Center-Cut Sirloin meal arrived, I was pleasantly surprised by the nice shape and appearance of the steak, the fresh herbs scattered across it, the scoop of mashed potatoes, and the generous portion of broccoli.

At Outback, I finally received broccoli that I can say felt just barely overcooked. And for the record, I like my steamed broccoli to have a hint of crunch left, so for many folks, this side would've been perfect.

The mashed potatoes at Outback were close to perfect. Their texture was thick and rich with occasional lumps and bits of potato skin mixed throughout.

The potatoes were much like what I prepare at home, and that's high praise.

Slicing into the steak revealed the most tender cut of meat of all three restaurants.

Here, I found a steak that looked like it had been cooked perfectly to medium-well with almost no hint of gristle through and through.

It was tender, well-seasoned, and very much worth its $18 price — the high quality of the two sides only supported my opinion.

The meal came to $23.54 with tax and a 20% tip, making it the most expensive of the three meals, but not by much.

Each of the chains I visited is worth visiting for a decent, cheap steak meal, but Outback Steakhouse surprised me by setting a high bar.

Complimentary bread aside, the chain was my top pick across the board.

Still, I'd recommend a steak meal at Texas Roadhouse, which impressed me with its wonderfully low prices and delicious rolls. Although I'm not completely sold on LongHorn Steakhouse, I'm open to giving it another shot, especially given the fair price of the meal.

Speaking of prices — to put these meals into perspective, I did some research. On average, a 6-ounce portion of sirloin steak from grocery stores near me would cost just over $5, a potato $1, a head of broccoli $2, and a loaf of bread another $2.

Based on those numbers, I'd spend about $10 just for the core ingredients of the above meals.

After factoring in other necessary ingredients, like butter and seasonings, plus the time and effort required to prep and cook everything, all of these steak meals seemed like an even better deal.

The "3 for Me" deal means paying one price for a soft drink, a starter, and an entrée. It has three tiers, ranging from $11 to $17.

The $11 section includes the choice of one of two burgers or a chicken sandwich. The $15 tier includes a bacon burger, Chicken Crispers, or chicken bacon ranch quesadillas.

At $17, you can get a handful of more elevated-sounding entrées, like Cajun shrimp pasta or a 6-ounce sirloin steak.

The starters are either chips and salsa, a house side salad, or a cup of soup. As I ordered three meals, I got the whole flight.

For the entrées, I went with the Oldtimer with cheese burger, the crispy chicken sandwich, and the chicken bacon ranch quesadillas.

I was quite pleased to find Chili's chips tasted fresh and crunchy.

The salsa seemed mild and was flavorful with a nice, even consistency.

My only real issue with the starters was the serving method of the salad: the bowl was deep and narrow. It was nearly impossible to get a bite of salad without spilling a portion of it out onto the table.

I had to chop the larger leaves of lettuce up to stop them from catapulting cheese and croutons every which way.

Once my ingredients were cut down to size some, I was pleased with the balance of greens, tomatoes, cheese, and croutons. The thousand-island dressing was tangy and tasty.

I love a good potato soup, and Chili's version of the dish didn't disappoint.

The soup was hearty and generously loaded with bacon, green onions, and cheese, and I would've welcomed an even larger bowl of it.

Chili's Oldtimer with cheese burger from the $11 tier was quite good.

It came with cheddar, lettuce, tomato, pickles, diced red onion, and mustard, and was served beside a pile of thick fries.

The bun was warm and soft, the burger was well-assembled, and the ingredients seemed well-balanced. Each played its part well: the lettuce added crunch, the pickles added tang and sour notes, the tomato added freshness and moisture, and so on.

The patty itself was broad and rather thin, it seemed like it was cooked smash-style. I'd 100% order this burger again and recommend it to others as well.

Also from the $11 tier, Chili's crispy chicken sandwich comes with pickles and mayo on a brioche bun.

I'm not the biggest pickle fan and felt they tasted a bit overpowering here, but if you like them, you'll probably love this sandwich that I merely liked.

The piece of chicken was excellent — thick enough to feel satisfying but not so thick it was tough to bite. Again, I appreciated the notably large pile of fries served with the sandwich.

At first, I was most excited about the chicken bacon ranch quesadillas from the $15 tier. Unfortunately, this was the most disappointing entrée I tried.

The plating of the quesadillas was solid: eight little wedges ringed a pile of shredded lettuce, a dollop of sour cream, a serving of pico de gallo, and a cup of ranch sauce.

However, I was worried as I grabbed the first piece of quesadilla. It felt limp, damp, and faintly rubbery to me. The flavor wasn't much better.

I didn't really taste the chicken or bacon and just felt like I was just eating a lot of cheese sandwiched between subpar tortillas.

Even when I tried a second wedge fully dressed up with all of the aforementioned fixings, I just didn't like the dish.

Overall, I'd say the chicken sandwich and burger meal deals both felt like a great value at the $11 price tier. The starters all impressed me and those entrées were both filling and came with plenty of fries.

The savings really speak for themselves, too. If I'd ordered the Oldtimer ($13) and cup of soup ($6) with a fountain drink ($3) separately, I'd have paid over $20.

I'd absolutely be open to trying other dishes on the "3 for Me" menu, though I can't see myself getting those quesadillas again.

Sonic was originally founded in 1953 as a root beer stand in Shawnee, Oklahoma, called Top Hat. The chain's name was changed in 1959 and the rest is history. Sonic now has more than 3,500 locations across 46 states.

Sonic's grilled cheese was definitely priced to sell at just $3.25.

Sonic's sandwich was the messiest of the bunch, with a decent amount of cheese oozing out the sides of the bread. However, the sandwich was full-sized, generously laden with cheese, and toasted well.

The bread was thick and spongy, and although the cheese definitely had a slightly artificial taste (as American cheese tends to, in my opinion), this was a satisfying sandwich that was 100% worth the money.

What once started as a Madison Square Park hot dog cart has grown into a chain with more than 580 locations worldwide. Although the chain is perhaps best known for its burgers and fries, it sells grilled cheese sandwiches, too.

Mine cost $6, which seemed a bit steep having just come from Sonic.

The sandwich tasted like a homemade grilled cheese, with a good balance of cheese and toasted bread.

However, it seemed to be much smaller than Sonic's offering, leaving me disappointed.

The famous burger chain was founded in 1986 and has expanded from a family business in Arlington, Virginia, to about 1,700 locations worldwide.

I paid $7 for my grilled cheese sandwich.

The grilled cheese from Five Guys was the best tasting of the bunch. It was cooked fresh after I ordered, and was hot and melty when served.

The thick, buttery bread was delightful, and although the cheese was a bit overdone, it tasted great.

The only problem I had with Five Guys' sandwich was the price tag. At $7, it cost more than double that of the grilled cheese from Sonic, and was neither twice as good nor twice as big.

So, next time I want a fast-food grilled cheese sandwich, I'm heading to Sonic because its tasty offering sells for a great price.

IHOP's House Faves meals are available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. During my visit, I found four meals on offer.

The first is the Breakfast Faves combo, which consists of two eggs any way you want them, two strips of bacon or sausage links, and two pancakes.

Next, the French-toast breakfast, which comes with a thick slice of French toast, eggs any way, and your choice of bacon or sausage.

Then, there's the house scramble, which comes with scrambled eggs with chopped bacon and jack and cheddar cheese, plus hash browns.

Finally, there's a ham and cheese omelet served with pancakes.

Simply put, the IHOP pancakes were good. They were fluffy, yet dense (maybe substantial is a better word?) with a rich buttermilk flavor.

I wouldn't say they're great — the lump of butter heaped onto their top makes the center too mushy if left to sit too long — but they're definitely worth ordering.

The bacon was pretty tasty, too. It was crisp in some bits but not dried out and still had that pleasant chewiness in the thicker parts.

However, I wish the sunny-side-up eggs had been cooked longer. They felt watery and didn't look or taste great.

As my daughter happily chowed down on pancakes, my son, who is quite the foodie, took one look at the spread out before us and decided he'd wait to eat until we got home.

Cautiously optimistic, I carried on.

IHOP's house scramble was decent, but it didn't seem to be cooked consistently throughout. It contained a decent amount of bacon, but some bites were wetter than others.

The hash browns it came with didn't taste like much of anything to me and were pretty dry — the potato shreds fell apart as soon as I stabbed them with my fork.

The omelet's ingredients felt poorly distributed, with too much ham scattered atop it and very little mixed in.

It was slathered in what the IHOP menu calls a "white cheese sauce" that was a bit too gelatinous for my liking. I thought the eggs had a somewhat watery consistency and artificial taste that I didn't love.

I would not order it again.

OK, now for some good news: the French-toast breakfast was tasty and well worth its price — and then some.

The slab of French toast itself was thick and spongy, flavored with cinnamon and syrup, and topped with powdered sugar. It was sweet but not cloyingly so, and it was hefty enough to satisfy even a hungry stomach.

The scrambled eggs served with the French toast were the best eggs of the meals we tried. They seemed cooked evenly and not overdone. Again, the bacon it came with was tasty.

I'd gladly shell out $7 again for the French-toast breakfast and would recommend you do the same.

With better eggs, the Breakfast Faves combo would've been fine, so I'd be open to trying it again. There's also a chance I just got a bad batch of hash browns — so I wouldn't rule the scramble out, either.

However, I won't be giving that omelet any second chances.

Per the CPK website, the California club pizza features avocado, applewood smoked bacon, mayo, fresh lettuce, and tomatoes. We could also add oven-roasted turkey or grilled chicken.

My wife and daughter are vegetarians, so we opted for bacon on just half of the pizza and skipped the added meat.

Although consuming this is a messy affair that almost necessitates eating with utensils (or alone in the dark), the California club is just a delight of a pizza.

The crunch of the lettuce (ours also had arugula), the thick chunks of avocado, and the pizza all complement one another wonderfully in taste and texture.

I appreciated that it had sizable chunks of bacon, the appropriate amount of mayo, and fresh-tasting tomatoes.

One of my go-to orders at CPK over the years has always been the original barbecue chicken, which is topped with barbecue sauce, chicken, smoked Gouda, red onions, and cilantro.

Tangy and almost spicy (but with no real kick), this pizza works so well because the relatively few toppings each stand out while also working together.

The onion is potent but not overpowering, the cilantro adds a flash of herbal flavor, the chicken is heaped on generously, and the barbecue sauce ties everything together.

To be fair, my son didn't much care for this pizza, so I can already attest to it not being a universal winner. But he did eat every bite of one piece … and I happily ate the rest of the pizza myself.

I loathe mushrooms, so I was glad to have some folks along with me willing to do the hard work of taste-testing. My wife and son both said CPK's wild-mushroom pizza was the best of the night.

And indeed, I'll allow that it looked like one good pizza. It's topped with shaved Cremini mushrooms, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, slivered scallions, Romano and mozzarella, cheese, and cracked black pepper.

The mushrooms were layered on evenly without being piled up, which helped some of them crisp up.

I'm told the pie's flavor was mildly earthy and vaguely meaty (even though the pizza is vegetarian) and that the blend of cheeses was excellent.

Granted, there's a chance that we ended up with a uniquely bad showing of this pizza, but all the other pies seemed normal, so I doubt it. I think everyone in my family just thoroughly dislikes CPK's California veggie pizza.

The pizza comes topped with Broccolini, grilled zucchini, shaved Cremini mushrooms, roasted cherry tomatoes, corn, red onions, and mozzarella. (I picked the mushrooms off, but my wife and son tucked in as-is.)

Usually, a plethora of toppings is welcome on a pie, but in this case, there was too much piled on the crust.

The veggies seemed overcooked and soggy, which negatively affected the texture of the pizza. The pie had hardly any sauce to speak of.

Also, in my opinion, Broccolini has no business being on pizza in the first place. I'm even on the fence about zucchini, but it's a moot point, as this pizza will never be on my table again.

The barbecue-chicken pizza was always my go-to, and it still holds up.

Because of the variety of ingredients, the California club is like a salad and entrée in one tasty package — I highly recommend it.

Although I can't vouch for it personally, my family loved the mild, earthy flavors of the wild-mushroom pizza.

The one pie we all agreed to skip in the future was the California veggie. The texture didn't win us over, and it seemed like proof some toppings don't belong on a pizza.

For my starter, I could choose baked-potato soup, a house salad, or a Caesar salad. (There were also two other soup and two other salad options available for a modest additional fee.)

I went with the baked-potato soup, as I adore potato soups.

Unfortunately, this one was just not that great. I found it to be too salty, too thin, and not quite hot enough when it was served to me.

I appreciated the cheese, green onions, and bacon toppings, but the soup itself let me down.

For my entrée, I could choose the Bloomin' Burger or one of three shrimp dishes.

I went with the burger, which cost $15.50 on its own. The fact that my full three-course meal was just $15 illustrates the true savings at play here.

The burger was, as expected, good but not great. It came topped with Outback's signature Bloomin' Onion petals and Bloom sauce, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onion.

It was so messy to eat that I quickly reverted to a knife-and-fork approach. Unfortunately, the pickles seemed more like flavorless cucumber coins than anything else.

However, the meat was properly cooked, the lettuce and tomato seemed fresh, and the sauce was tangy and applied liberally without being gratuitous.

Had I paid $15.50 for the burger alone, I'd have been disappointed. For a three-course meal costing slightly less than that price, I was plenty satisfied with the entrée.

Each entrée in this deal comes with a side. In an attempt to balance out the calories of the burger (and the soup and cake), I went with broccoli.

Other side options were fries, a baked potato, mixed veggies, or a small salad.

Unfortunately, I wasn't satisfied. The broccoli seemed so overcooked it was almost mush. I only ate a few pieces in the name of writing a thorough review, not because it was at all tasty.

For the final course, diners get a slice of New York-style cheesecake with either raspberry or chocolate sauce. (Or I could've upgraded to the Chocolate Thunder from Down Under brownie with ice cream for an extra $3).

I went with the chocolate sauce. Overall, the cheesecake was fine, albeit nothing amazing.

It was sweet without being cloyingly so, and the overall flavor was lightly tangy and, of course, creamy. I didn't mind the texture.

Truth be told, I'm not a huge fan of cheesecake, so I called in my wife and kids to try it also, and they were all plenty happy with the dessert.

All in all, I'd order the Aussie three-course meal deal again.

Next time, I'd probably try my luck with a salad and a different side dish. I'd also be open to trying the shrimp entrées that are also available at the $15 price tier.

My family's recipe mostly uses things I already have in my pantry on a regular basis.

For two baguettes, you'll need:

· 5 (generous) cups of all-purpose flour

· 5 teaspoons of active yeast

· 1 teaspoon of salt

· 2 cups of warm water

· (optional) 1 egg + ¼ cup water for egg wash

For the equipment, I like to use a stand mixer with a bread-hook attachment, a large bowl, and a cookie sheet.

Combine two cups of flour with the yeast and salt in a stand mixer, briefly turning it on to stir the dry ingredients together.

Pour two cups of warm water — around 110 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal — into the stand mixer and run it on low for one minute to form a sticky base dough.

Add the remaining three cups of flour to the mixer and run it on a low speed for about five minutes. A thicker, semi-sticky dough ball should form.

Then, remove the dough from the mixer, form it into a ball, and place it into a greased bowl. I recommend using olive oil.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and place it somewhere warm for one hour.

I usually set my dough near a floor heating vent, but places like a closet with a water heater or even a warm bathroom also work well.

If you let your dough rise in the bathroom, make sure the bowl has an air-tight seal.

When the dough has doubled in size, press the excess air from it with clean hands and roll it into two balls. Set these aside as you prep a cookie sheet with parchment paper and a dusting of flour.

You'll also want to prep a dry, smooth workspace on your counter with a heavy dusting of flour.

Using a rolling pin, roll the dough balls out into flat, roughly ovular shapes — about 16-by-12 inches big and no more than ¼ inch thick.

Starting at one of the longer edges, roll the flattened dough into a long tube and pinch the ends shut.

Place each dough tube on the prepared cookie sheet. If you're using the optional egg wash, combine the egg with ¼ cup of water in a small bowl. Lightly brush the mixture across both tubes of dough.

If you like crustier bread, I recommend using the egg wash. Without it, you'll get a softer baguette.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest again for 20 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once the 20 minutes are up and the tubes have risen slightly, remove the plastic and diagonally slash the dough about 10 times with a serrated knife.

This is partially just for looks, but it also encourages the bread to expand while baking.

Bake the bread for 20 minutes, do another egg wash, and return the dough to the oven with the pan rotated — if you're not using an egg wash, simply rotate the pan so all sides of the dough bake evenly.

Bake for another 15 minutes.

When the bread is ready to come out, quickly transfer the baguettes from the cookie sheet to a cooling rack.

The baguettes stay fresh for two days, and I think the texture is still OK on the third.

You can also freeze baguettes if you want them to last longer. To thaw them out, heat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, turn the heat off, and pop the frozen bread into the warmed oven for about 10 minutes.

This story was originally published on March 1, 2024, and most recently updated on March 5, 2025.

Smashburger is a newer kid on the fast-food block. The first location opened in Denver in 2007, and there are now over 200 shops across the US and Canada.

I paid $8.68 for an order of chicken tenders, which came with three pieces.

Even though the order only came with three, the tenders were impressively big — easily twice as large as the other chains.

The breading was thick and crispy, and the flavor profile was savory and lightly salty. Still, the tenders were begging for a dipping sauce, or even to be popped into a wrap or sandwich.

Despite that, I was entirely happy with Smashburger's tenders.

Contrary to its name, the first KFC franchise location opened in Salt Lake City in the 1950s. However, founder Harland "Colonel" Sanders laid the groundwork for the chain in Kentucky a few decades earlier.

My order of three chicken tenders cost me $8.90, making them the most expensive, but they also came with a biscuit.

For a fast-food chain named for its chicken, I was a little disappointed by its tenders.

To start, they were easily half the size of the ones from Smashburger, and they appeared to be unevenly breaded.

They tasted salty but otherwise unremarkable. Sauce would definitely help, but the texture was a bit of a dealbreaker for me — I found the tenders a little tough and chewy.

I even took bites of each one to make sure I didn't just get a proverbial bad apple.

Sonic is an Oklahoma-based fast-food chain that's known for its drive-in and drive-thru options. Customers don't actually go inside to order or eat.

A five-piece order of chicken tenders cost me $6.83, making it the cheapest of the bunch.

Sonic's tenders were much smaller than those from Smashburger — but there were five of them, so I still felt like I was getting my money's worth.

The texture of the chicken was — true to its name — tender. The breading, however, was on the thinner side, and there wasn't much flavor beyond a mild saltiness.

I think tenders really are meant to be enjoyed with sauce, and the uniform narrowness of these makes them especially good for dipping or putting in a wrap.

Without a doubt, Smashburger had my favorite chicken tenders. They were massive, and I liked the generous amount of breading.

I'm sure I'll get them again — though next time, I'll probably try ordering the chain's spicy tenders for more flavor.

On the other side of the scale, I won't be going back to KFC for tenders. They were the most expensive, and I got the least amount of chicken. Even with a biscuit, the value just wasn't there for me.

Sonic may not have been my top choice, but I still think its chicken tenders are a good deal. They were cheap, and they're a great size and shape for dipping.

To make the dough, I use three kinds of flour: 2 cups of bread, 1 cup of all-purpose, and a heaping ½ cup of whole wheat.

The other ingredients are 1 ¼ cup of water, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of honey, a scant teaspoon of salt, and 2 teaspoons of yeast.

Sometimes, I also add basil (or another herb, like rosemary or thyme). I usually eyeball that, but when in doubt, go with a teaspoon.

The process of making the dough is very simple, but the ingredients should go into the machine in a specific order.

First, add the water, followed by the salt, honey, and olive oil.

Next, add the bread flour, the all-purpose flour, and then the whole-wheat flour. The yeast and herbs (if you're using any) go in last.

Once all the ingredients are in, I set the bread maker to the dough cycle. On my machine, it takes about an hour and a half.

You don't want to leave the dough sitting in there for very long after the cycle ends because it could start trying to rise inside the confined machine.

I set an alarm to be ready right when the bread machine goes off, and I always have a gallon-sized sealable plastic bag at the ready.

Once the cycle has run, remove the pizza dough from the bread machine and tuck it into a plastic bag.

Seal the bag and leave it out on a flat surface in a room-temperature space. If your house is on the colder side, that may need to be near an air vent.

Let the dough rise for at least one hour, but ideally, I like to let it do its thing for three.

I also make sure to check the bag periodically because gas released by the expanding dough may pop it open if it's not occasionally released.

After the three-hour rise, I like to chill my dough in the fridge for about half an hour. I think it makes it a bit easier to work with, but the step is optional if you're in a rush.

If you chill the dough, remove it from the fridge at least half an hour before you need it.

I prefer to stretch my dough on a pizza pan that's been lightly coated with olive oil and heavily floured. If you want to spin your pizza in the air by hand, though, go for it.

Once the dough is stretched — which can take a bit, as it's highly elastic — let it rest for a few minutes before adding on the sauce, cheese, and toppings.

When you're satisfied with your creation, bake it at 500 degrees Fahrenheit (or as close as your oven can get to that) for about 12 minutes.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 4 teaspoons of baking powder, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and ½ teaspoon of salt.

Sugar is often considered a wet ingredient in baking, but I've found it best to toss it in with the dry in this recipe.

The wet ingredients are also simple: butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract.

Start by bringing 1 ½ cups of milk to room temperature and melting 6 tablespoons of butter. That may seem like a lot of butter to you, but unlike some waffle recipes, I don't use any oil.

In a clean, medium-sized bowl, thoroughly whisk two eggs until the whites and yolks are well-combined, then add the milk, melted butter, and a generous teaspoon of vanilla extract. Whisk until thoroughly combined.

The absolute key ingredient in this recipe is the vanilla. It adds enough flavor and sweetness that I can totally get away with just adding the 2 teaspoons of sugar.

Carefully pour the wet ingredients into the dry and get to whisking. You'll need to work the batter until it is even and smooth, with no clumps or pockets of powder lurking in the bowl.

If the mixture seems too dry, add a splash of milk. If it looks too wet, add a dash of flour.

Meanwhile, as you whisk, heat up your waffle iron, coating it lightly with a cooking spray.

Every waffle iron is a bit different, but I've found that across the board, it's helpful to use a bit less batter than you may think necessary.

You can always add more once you get the hang of it, but I want to prevent the stuff from oozing out the sides and causing a big mess.

Most irons will beep at you when your waffle is done, but keep a close eye regardless. Don't hesitate to cook them longer than the appliance tells you if you want them crispy.

In my experience, waffles get soggy kind of quickly. If I'm not eating them fresh off the iron, I like to keep them on a baking sheet in a warm oven set to 200 degrees Fahrenheit until it's time to eat.

My family serves the finished waffles with things like syrup, butter, whipped cream, fruit, and chocolate sauce.

To make them a part of a more well-rounded breakfast, we'll also set out eggs, bacon, or sausage.

One of my favorite things about these waffles is that they freeze wonderfully well. Let them cool to room temperature before popping them in freezer-safe bags or containers. Then, reheat them as needed in a standard toaster, a larger toaster oven, or a regular oven.

The first course consists of either egg-drop soup, hot-and-sour soup, or the restaurant's house salad. Since this deal is meant for two people, I got to pick two starters.

I went with the egg-drop soup and house salad.

The soup was loaded with ingredients, including plenty of sliced vegetables. However, I thought the flavors tasted a little too bland to be exciting.

I actually wished it were saltier, a rarity for these kinds of broth-based soups.

The salad tasted great, but it was a little overdressed for my liking. The tangy soy- and sesame-flavored dressing was tasty, but the lettuce was almost sopping with the stuff, and the wontons quickly lost their crispiness.

I also found the tall bowl it was served in rather hard to eat out of. Each time I tried to get a good stab with my fork, it wobbled and threatened to tip over.

The meal deal included one shared appetizer, and there were four to choose from. I went with the pork spring rolls, which were absolutely a high point of the meal.

They were well formed, holding their structure even after I took a bite. The wrapper was also pleasantly crispy, and the filling was savory and flavorful.

I loved the blend of cabbage, garlic, and ginger. The duck sauce was a bit thinner than I'm used to. However, it was flavorful and did the job.

For my first of two entrées, I ordered the crispy honey chicken, which is one of six options available.

I really enjoyed the texture. The fried exterior wasn't too thick or too thin, and it was nice and crunchy.

The honey flavor was pleasant but simply not powerful enough for me. I also would've appreciated some added spice to give everything a little more oomph.

The entrée wasn't bad, but it was nice to know I was at least getting a good deal on it.

For my second entrée, I chose the restaurant's signature lo mein with beef.

The lo mein noodles were excellent — cooked to perfection and flavored well. The word "heaping" came to mind. I certainly couldn't finish them all, especially alongside the other courses.

I also appreciated all the sliced vegetables.

The thinly sliced beef was tender and flavorful, but my one complaint was that there just wasn't enough of it. Frankly, I would've wanted almost twice as much.

If I ordered everything I got off the regular menu without this meal deal, it would've cost me over $72.

Although I don't think that's necessarily a bad price for two starters, a shared appetizer, and two entrées, it just made the deal even more impressive to me.

Thanks to the special, my meal cost $50 after tax.

That's not much more than I'd pay for dinner at a diner — or even some of the higher-priced fast-food chains — these days. Plus, this food was decidedly better.

My recipe uses just six ingredients, and two of those are water and salt.

The rest are russet potatoes (though other varieties work fine), butter, sour cream, and milk.

I like a bit if the skins left on my potatoes, so after scrubbing the spuds, I stripe them with a food peeler.

Then, I chop them into cubes a bit smaller than an inch. Don't worry about perfect uniformity — as long as none are significantly larger than the rest, they'll cook evenly enough.

Bring just enough water to fully cover the potatoes to a boil, and go heavy with the salt to add some flavor. You could even boil them in broth to up the ante.

I made two medium-sized potatoes in a medium-sized pot, and 2 cups of water did the trick.

Cook the potatoes at a full boil just until you can easily break the chunks in half with a fork. That may happen in as little as six minutes and rarely takes more than seven.

You don't want to overcook the potatoes, so err on the side of caution.

I like to lightly drain the potatoes with a strainer — leaving a bit of that salty, starchy water in the pot is a good thing.

Next, toss in about 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 teaspoons of sour cream. The sour cream is optional, but I recommend it for the best flavor and texture.

For the milk, start with about ½ cup, but don't overdo it. You can always add more as needed if the potatoes aren't coming together well, but you can't take it back.

Ideally, I like to use a dedicated food masher for my potatoes, but you can also use a large fork, a slotted spoon, or another similar tool.

Mash until there are no visible potato chunks left — there may be a few bits and pieces here and there — but don't overdo it.

The more you mash, the more starch is released from the potatoes, which can lead to a gummy, unpleasant consistency.

The potatoes are good as is, but you can also dress them up in dozens of ways.

Some of my family's classic additions include shredded cheddar cheese, green onions, bacon bits, pepper, and more butter.

However, the world is really your oyster here — use up whatever you have in the fridge.

Get the eggs you intend to boil out of the fridge at least a half hour before you start cooking — or even longer if your house is on the chilly side.

You want the eggs at room temperature or warmer before introducing them to the boiling water.

Sometimes, I'll rest them near the pot as it heats up to speed up the process a little.

Once your eggs are at room temp and you have a pot of water at a full rolling boil, use tongs to gently lower each egg into the water.

This slow and steady introduction reduces the likelihood that the egg will crack due to the sudden heat change.

It's also a great way to prevent being splashed with boiling water.

Some people cook hard-boiled eggs for too long, resulting in rubbery whites and a yolk that looks like yellow-gray clay.

Eight minutes leads to my perfect egg with fully set whites and a yolk that's just right of soft. If you prefer your yolks cooked to a full solid, just one more minute should do the trick.

As soon as the cooking time has elapsed, use your tongs to remove the eggs from the pot and into a large bowl filled with ice and water.

The eggs only need to chill in the ice bath for about three minutes before they're ready to peel.

You can literally shake the shell off a hard-boiled egg. Yes, it sounds a bit strange, but it works so well.

Take an egg from the ice bath, place it in a standard short drinking glass (like a rocks glass), and add about a half inch of water. Then, cover the mouth of the glass with the palm of your hand and vigorously shake the egg back and forth for a few seconds.

The shell should peel away smoothly, often coming away in one large piece.

Subway isn't everyone's first choice for a sandwich. However, it's a global chain with tens of thousands of locations, so I find myself there quite a bit — especially when I'm traveling.

I ordered a 6-inch tuna sub for $6.49.

Subway tuna was in the press in 2021 when a lawsuit alleged that the product didn't contain any real tuna fish. It was later dismissed, and there's now a page on the Subway website dedicated to talking about its tuna.

The best thing I can say about the tuna sandwich I got from Subway was that it wasn't bad.

I found the sandwich and its main ingredient inoffensive. Sadly, though, none of the flavors really stood out.

I liked the addition of cucumber, but even with those, there wasn't much contrasting texture to speak of, either.

The chain had more toppings and condiments available than the others, but I had to keep the playing field level. So, the six-ingredient sandwich I took home was a decent but hardly laudable concoction.

On the plus side, it was assembled with decent care and wasn't a mess to eat.

Jersey Mike's is a New Jersey-based sandwich chain that opened in the 1950s.

Since then, the shop has made a pretty big name for itself — I can't be the only one inundated with its many commercials featuring Danny DeVito. Today, there are more than 2,000 locations across the US and Canada.

My regular (7-inch) No. 10 tuna sandwich cost $9.65

Pro tip: Don't eat a tuna sandwich from Jersey Mike's on a first date. I mean, no tuna sandwiches from anywhere on early dates, but especially not this one.

If your Jersey Mike's tuna-sub experience is anything like mine, it's going to be an absolute mess. Given that this isn't the first time I got a massively overfilled sandwich at the chain, though, I'm afraid it's the norm.

You may get a lot of bang for your buck, but right from the moment I unwrapped the sandwich, bits of tuna and finely shredded lettuce fell from the sides. The sub was slippery and hard to keep together with each bite.

To be clear, it tasted great. I missed the crunch of the cucumber the other two had, but the fish's flavor profile was the best of the bunch here.

Unfortunately, it's hard to overlook the unpleasant eating experience.

Like Jersey Mike's, Jimmy John's is a North American sandwich chain with over 2,000 locations across the US and Canada.

It's known for its fresh-baked bread — which I'm a huge fan of.

I ordered a No. 3 "totally tuna" sandwich for $9.49. Jimmy John's standard size is 8 inches, making it the longest sub of the bunch.

If you've read any of my past sandwich reviews, you've heard me rave about the delicious French bread at Jimmy John's. I won't dwell on it again but just know that it's reliably excellent.

Now, on to the sandwich as a whole.

For one thing, it stayed together. In fact, it was so well-made that I could eat it with one hand without anything falling out.

The flavor of the fish was mild but pleasant, and the veggies were fresh and crisp. Overall, the sandwich had a great taste and texture.

I don't eat tuna sandwiches often enough to risk a negative experience, so the next time I crave one, I'll play it safe and return to Jimmy John's.

My sub there was pretty much perfectly made, and it had all the right flavors going on.

If the tasty sandwich from Jersey Mike's wasn't such a mess, it may have been my favorite. However, as it is, I doubt I'll order it again anytime soon.

Subway's offering wasn't necessarily bad, but the flavor just wasn't there. I wouldn't choose it over either of the other two.

I was unduly impressed with Panera's broccoli-cheddar soup.

It's an incredibly easy soup to screw up by adding too much salt, going overboard on the cheese, or messing up the consistency.

However, this version was rich but not overly thick, and it had a cheesy, creamy taste with just the right saltiness.

The vegetables were cooked to an ideal softness but weren't falling apart.

My only complaint is that I would've liked a little more broccoli, but I'd still definitely order this again — especially when I need to warm up on a cold, rainy day.

I absolutely love a good baked-potato soup, and I tend to order it at restaurants when it's available. However, Panera's version didn't hold up for me.

The consistency felt far too thin and slightly over-blended, which meant an excess release of starch from the potato cells. This led to a gluey texture, as can happen with mashed potatoes that are whipped too much.

The soup also wasn't quite hot enough to melt the sprinkle of cheese on top, which didn't help.

All in all, I thought the baked-potato soup was a letdown.

If you're a fan of tomato soup, I think you're safe to order Panera's creamy tomato — ideally with extra croutons or chunks of bread to thicken it up some.

I found the texture to be a bit too thin for a cream-based soup, but the flavor was excellent. It had the slightest bit of spice to round out the herby undertones.

Although I think I would've preferred it served in one of Panera's bread bowls for a heartier meal, it was still one of my favorites. I'd order it again.

I enjoyed the cream of chicken and wild rice in the same way I might enjoy a piece of butter toast. It was good — satisfying, even — but there wasn't really anything special about it.

The consistency was good, and there were plenty of veggies and chunks of meat. However, the overall flavor was sort of bland — an ambiguous salty creaminess.

A little more spice would really elevate this soup.

French onion soup is another favorite of mine, but Panera's middling take on the classic disappointed me.

The broth tasted too sweet for my liking, and the onions were cut a bit too thick. I also think they could've been cooked down more.

Furthermore, Panera garnishes its soup with just a sprinkling of cheese and a side of croutons. A French onion soup without a layer of melty, cheese-slathered toast on top is like a football game with half the team missing.

This one is, unfortunately, a pass for me in the future.

The next time I have a cold, I'm ordering Panera's homestyle-chicken-noodle soup.

The broth was rich in flavor, with a satisfying but not overpowering saltiness and some umami notes. What really impressed me, though, was the volume of ingredients packed into the broth.

There were lots of noodles, chunks of meat, and pieces of sliced carrot and celery — but I almost wished there was less since the broth was so good.

Even sans any ailments, I'd order a cup of this again.

The most humble of Panera's six soup offerings caught my attention the most. Every part of its chicken-noodle soup tasted good.

I'd also gladly order the broccoli cheddar and creamy tomato again. The cream of chicken and wild rice needs a little more oomph, but it's still a contender.

Even though (or perhaps because) they are usually some of my favorite varieties of soups, I wouldn't order the baked potato or French onion at Panera again. They just didn't live up to my expectations.