How to Pack the Perfect Beach Cooler

Packing a cooler for a relaxing, sun-filled day at the beach is like playing Tetris. But no matter how adept you are at puzzles and video games, inevitably you give up on stacking all those multishaped containers neatly, resorting to lugging a poorly organized cooler — along with multiple bags — across the hot sand.…

Kung Pao, the Easiest, Most Adaptable Recipe

A steaming plate of kung pao anything feels like the part of a fireworks show when small, bright bursts pop without deafening booms. Surprising but not jolting, it’s a dish filled with beats of excitement: You don’t know when they’re coming, but they’re always welcome. With kung pao, that likable little thrill comes from the…

Heat Wave Salads

It arrived just in time for a major heat wave: a big project devoted to simple salads, with 20 recipes from New York Times Cooking that capture all that is fresh and fragrant and vibrant in summer. These are what you make for dinner when you can’t fathom turning on the oven, and you pair…