The 10 Most-Read Serious Eats Stories of 2025

Collage of food items highlighting a headline Most Popular Articles 2025 with images of various dishes and ingredients — Serious Eats

2025 was a blur: We published more than 400 stories, including taste tests, ingredient guides, food histories, myth-busting, and clever cooking tips. Below, we've compiled a list of your favorite Serious Eats stories—the ones you clicked on most. You especially loved speedy tips and tricks, taste tests, and side-by-side testing. We're so glad you came along for the ride—and hope you continue to read, cook, and explore with us in 2026.

We Taste-Tested 13 Brands of Beef Hot Dogs—Here Are Our Favorites

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

After taste-testing 13 different brands of hot dogs you're likely to find at your local grocery store, we found one that was tender, juicy, and snappy—and a cut above the rest.
The Ancient Cooking Trick That Makes the Creamiest, Coziest Soups

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

If you've ever had Greek avgolemono chicken soup, you know its charm: tangy, silky broth thickened to the consistency of light cream, usually studded with tender rice or orzo. But avgolemono isn't the name of the dish—it's the name of the egg-and-lemon mixture used to thicken the soup.
The Genius Tomato Sauce Upgrade Italians Have Always Known About

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Our associate culinary editor Laila always keeps two bottles of tomato passata in her pantry—it's quick, flavorful, and way better than jarred sauce. Made from ripe, high-quality tomatoes, passata is left unseasoned aside from a touch of salt and, occasionally, a few basil leaves.
I Asked 4 Seafood Experts How to Buy Salmon, and They All Agreed

Getty Images / Prasit photo

This detailed guide from contributor Lauren Salkeld will help you choose the right salmon for your recipe, budget, and taste. Once you get a handle on the differences—wild vs. farmed, fresh vs. frozen, and more—you can buy and cook salmon like a pro.

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I Baked the Same Pie Crust in Metal, Glass, and Ceramic—Here’s the Material That Won by a Mile

Serious Eats / Rebecca Frey

All three of these materials have their pros and cons, but how does each one affect the bake on a pie crust—and which one actually produces the best result? Serious Eats contributor Rebecca Frey made several batches of pie crust to find out.

I Baked the Same Pie Crust in Metal, Glass, and Ceramic—Here’s the Material That Won by a Mile
Stop Serving Soggy Watermelon—This Genius Trick Will Save Your Cookout

Serious Eats/ Getty

Watermelon salad often turns into a watery mess by the time you're ready to eat it. Luckily, there's an easy, science-backed fix that requires just a bowl, colander, a sprinkle of sugar, and 30 minutes of downtime.

Stop Serving Soggy Watermelon—This Genius Trick Will Save Your Cookout
We Taste-Tested 6 Brands of Canned Chili—Here Are Our Top Picks

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

After eating our way through many bowls of chili, we found an overall winner, along with two worthy contenders, that we'd be happy to keep in our pantry or bring on a camping trip.

We Taste-Tested 6 Brands of Canned Chili—Here Are Our Top Picks
You’re Probably Storing Cucumbers Wrong—Here’s What Actually Works

Serious Eats / Irvin Lin

Serious Eats contributor Irvin Lin put cucumbers through dozens of storage tests—washed, unwashed, bagged, wrapped, and chilled—to find the most effective ways to keep them fresh and crunchy.

You’re Probably Storing Cucumbers Wrong—Here’s What Actually Works

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This 2-Minute Trick Ensures Perfectly Crispy Grilled Cheeses Every Time

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Avoid soggy, messy grilled cheese sandwiches with this easy tip: Set the just-cooked grilled cheese on a wire rack or some other setup that allows air to circulate around the entire sandwich. This allows steam to escape without sogging out the bottom, and also gives the cheese a chance to cool down just enough.

This 2-Minute Trick Ensures Perfectly Crispy Grilled Cheeses Every Time
I Eat Canned Sardines Every Week. These Are 6 Easy Ways I Prep Them at Home

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Once a humble pantry fallback, sardines have become a bona fide icon of cool, thanks to chic packaging, TikTok fame, and a new wave of tinned-fish brands. But beyond the trend, they're a smart choice: affordable, protein-packed, and endlessly versatile.

I Eat Canned Sardines Every Week. These Are 6 Easy Ways I Prep Them at Home

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