Recipes! Red Lobster-Style Cheddar Biscuits, Turkey Smash Burgers, Italian Pasta Salad and more

What to cook during the week ahead, from Post Food editors.

Your pantry and refrigerator are full of treasures waiting to be discovered — and you may not know it. Yes, I'm always excited when I come across the last few tablespoons of that really nice jam I got for my homemade bread or a handful of beans I can tuck into an impromptu quesadilla. But you probably also have some other gems that can bring savory depth to a wide variety of dishes.

I'm talking about umami, often referred to as the fifth taste. It's not an actual ingredient. Think of it more as a sensation than a specific flavor. In fact, umami often enhances other flavors. It brings savoriness and a mouth-filling satisfaction that can be hard to place. Figuring out how to incorporate umami into your everyday meals is one way to take your cooking to the next level.

There may be umami-rich ingredients hiding in plain sight among your supplies. Take soy sauce, for example. This condiment is formed by fermentation, a process that brings forth that irresistible umami. As Aaron Hutcherson was trying to elevate ground turkey — often maligned for its blandness — he decided to fold soy sauce into the mix. His Turkey Smash Burgers (which also feature another of his MVPs: garlic powder) are cooked in a rip-roaring hot skillet, and they might change your feelings about turkey burgers entirely.

The Italian Pasta Salad that Julia Turshen shared from cookbook author and "America's Test Kitchen" host Elle Simone Scott is also packed with umami, thanks to such pantry staples as anchovy fillets, sun-dried tomatoes and capers. If you're looking for a crowd-pleasing, customizable dish to bring to a Memorial Day gathering this weekend, this is the one.

Similarly, Ellie Krieger went hunting for gold in her refrigerator when she came up with her Antipasto Tuna Salad, which pairs flakes of the oil-packed fish with olives, those umami all-stars, along with celery, jarred roasted red peppers and marinated artichokes.

Olives and capers also play prominent roles in Cauliflower Marbella, a riff on the braised chicken dish made famous by "The Silver Palate Cookbook." Joe Yonan was a huge fan of this meatless, sheet-pan recipe from cookbook author Cara Mangini, and once you experience its marvelous mix of sweet and sour flavors, you will be, too.

Chances are you already have a few umami powerhouses in your pantry or fridge. Look for tomato paste, dried mushrooms, fish sauce, kimchi, miso, Worcestershire sauce, Parmigiano-Reggiano and even MSG.

What other ingredients can we help you make the most of? You can ask us about them in the live weekly cooking chat Aaron and I will be hosting Wednesday at noon Eastern. Submit your questions now (thank you to everyone who consistently does!), but we hope you come back to experience the conversation in real time.

Until next week, happy cooking.