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• Editors Of Cook's Illustrated,

Cooks today are looking for more creative ways to round out their meals. They still want the basics like how to make fluffy white rice and mashed potatoes, but they also want to know how to make really good risotto and pommes anna--or perhaps green bean casserole (that doesn't involve a soup mix).

And let's face it:deciding on the main course is a cinch. We eat the same roast chicken, hamburgers, spaghetti and meatballs, (you fill in the blank) over and over--it's the starters and side dishes where we get stumped--and not just when entertaining. The tricky part in choosing really good starters, salads, or sides dishes, lie sin choosing those that stand on their own, while still allowing the main course to shine.