How To: Make the Ultimate Party Dips

It’s usually okay to go for the low-fat options: they’re usually tasty enough, and worth the calorie cuts. Skim milk, reduced fat carbs like crackers and salty snacks, and low-fat yogurt are okay by me. But sometimes, you simply can’t skip. Non-fat cheese? Impossible, and pretty non-edible.

The same does not go for snack dips. Sometimes, you just gotta admit something is party food, and go all out.   Mark Bittman offers three amazing sounding tasties: pimeton (paprika) potted shrimp, a carmelized onion with frizzled leeks that’ll beat the pants off of Lipton’s soup mix, and slow cooked pork rillettes.

Finally, “A word about seasoning: because dips are usually served cold, you’ll want to salt them with a heavier hand than you use with hot dishes. (Cold numbs your tongue slightly, making your taste buds less sensitive to flavors.) Don’t go crazy, but don’t skimp. Don’t skimp with the fat, either.”

No Skinny Dips [NYTimes.com]