KitchenDaily

Ever wanted a recommendation within a chain restaurant? Well, with its new Best of the Menu series, Slashfood (and sister site KitchenDaily) are hoping to heed the consumer call. First off: the appetizers on the menu at nationwide chain Applebee's.

To find out how the starter portion of the menu fared, Slashfood sampled 13 appetizers from a local Applebee's, from Dynamite Shrimp to Potato Twisters and Queso Blanc. Which offerings made the top — and the bottom — of the list? Head over to Slashfood for the full story.

At the Christmas table, the centerpiece of choice is often ham over turkey. But although we urge you to ditch the mail-order honey baked version in favor of the little effort required to make at home ham, there are a few general points you should know before you dive in.

To get you on the fast track to porcine deliciousness, the editors at KitchenDaily and Slashfood have put together an exhaustive ham primer and purchasing guide. Never cooked a ham at home, either? They've also got serving suggestions, and celebrity chef Curtis Stone's recipe for making your very own honey glazed ham in the comfort of your own home.

Fruitcake welcomes the Christmas season each year, but the feeling isn't exactly mutual. It might just be the most-loathed dessert of all time! But KitchenDaily discovered that while the holiday dessert elicited a predictable groan from editors at the office, there are some people out there who actually enjoy fruitcake: namely, their mothers.

In a brilliant move, KitchenDaily editors turned to the true experts — their moms — to deem which holiday fruitcake tasted best. What brand came out on top, and what was voted best doorstop? To find out, head over to KitchenDaily for the full story.

If you're looking for a departure from the archetypal gingerbread house or yule log this holiday, we've got just the cake for you: KitchenDaily's adorable Down the Chimney cake — a perfect dessert to leave Santa the night before Christmas.

The brick detail on the chimney looks realistic, but isn't as hard as one might think. Aspiring bakers needn't more than fluffy yellow cake, buttercream frosting, fruit tape, and a few other ingredients and utensils. For step-by-step photos and a detailed recipe, head over to KitchenDaily.

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If you're like me and could do without the bird on Thanksgiving, then you'll agree that side dishes are serious business; they're way more than just an afterthought.

The key to these supporting dishes is to make each singular platter extraordinary in its own right. Take the road less traveled by introducing less-frequented flavors: red pepper in polenta, curried cauliflower, or grape-and-pumpkin relish.

Interested in checking out the recipes? Head over to KitchenDaily for the full gallery.

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Thanksgiving is only a week away. And this year, KitchenDaily wants to make sure you've got everything just right by offering a primer on everything basic, beginning with classic turkey gravy. In an episode of KitchenBasics with the Culinary Institute of America, the CIA's chef Katherine Polenz offers a step-by-step demonstration of the gradual process, explaining the science of thickening sauce along the way. Follow Polenz's flavor-enhancing advice (like her secret ingredient) and important visual cues (such as how to know when the gravy's thickened), and you'll be guaranteed to have a smooth, complex sauce that's as much the talk of the table as the turkey. For the instructional video and recipe head to KitchenDaily.

If you're a purist when it comes to Thanksgiving and want to avoid a themed dinner in favor of something more traditional, be sure to check out KitchenDaily's delicious-sounding menu. From perfect roast turkey to chive mashed potatoes, they've got all the classic suggestions. But that's not all; the editors also offer plenty of beer and wine tips. Serving a time-honored meal with a more modern drink, like beer pairings, sounds like a spectacular way to enjoy Thanksgiving!

Head over to KitchenDaily for all of the details.