In the midst of Thanksgiving preparation, the test kitchen provided us a breath of fresh, turkey-free air.

You never know what to expect in the Food52 Test Kitchen.  Whether it's missing a food delivery, spilling a container full of peppercorns, or standing over a pot of caramel that won't seem to cooperate, we try to handle any hurdles in style.  This week was no different, but we still had fun cooking, tasting, and folding (yes, folding). Check out snapshots from another day in the kitchen, and remember to follow us on Instagram @Food52 for more foibles and fun.

We're sitting down with our favorite writers and cooks to talk about their upcoming cookbooks, their best food memories, and just about anything else.

Today: We chat with our beloved Piglet co-founder Charlotte Druckman about her fantastic new book on women in the restaurant world, Skirt Steak: Women Chefs on Standing the Heat and Staying in the Kitchen.

The test kitchen is nothing if not a team effort.

This is the eighteenth installment of Sunday Dinners, a biweekly column from our own Tom Hirschfeld featuring his gorgeous photography, stunning Indiana farm, and mouthwatering family meals.

Today: Tom shares his life lessons in cooking the perfect steak (hint: butter is the key), with recipes for Pan-seared Porterhouse Steaks with Maitre d' Butter, Long-Cooked Romano Beans with Pancetta, and Jamie Oliver's Genius Smoked Beets.

When you're in the mood to treat yourself -- or cooking a dinner to impress -- a good, hearty steak always does the trick. Here are 7 recipes for the superlatives of steak; 7 recipes to do your piece of meat proud. You deserve it -- and a glass of red, to boot.