A lot of us are spending much more time at home now as a result of school and work closures caused by the novel coronavirus outbreak, in an effort to adhere to calls for social distancing.

How to make the most of that time? If being in the kitchen brings you solace — and is maybe a way to keep your kids occupied, too — here are some ideas from our archives to put all those hours to work for you.

Five-Spice Braised Short Ribs, above. Braises are just the type of dish to start in late morning or early afternoon to have ready by the time dinner rolls around. This one makes for especially enticing aromas thanks to garlic, cinnamon, star anise, five spice and more.

Soft Pretzels. Yeasted bread is another category that lends itself to long days at home. Most of the time is inactive, so put in a little bit of work and let rising do the rest. For a kid-friendly project (let them shape to their hearts’ content!), consider these pretzels.

Slow Cooker Barbecue Pulled Chicken. If you’re accustomed to using a slow cooker on days you go to the office, you might as well do it when at the home office, too. This recipe is a family crowd-pleaser and also pantry-friendly.

S’mores Ice Cream. Here’s another kid-approved project that lets you do some fun group learning time in the morning (yes, there’s math in cooking!), with the payoff a few hours later once the ice cream has set.

Chipotle Honey-Marinated Steak. Marinating is another good way to be efficient over the course of a day at home. Here, meat gets a sweet and spicy treatment. If you don’t have hot honey in your pantry, check out any number of recipes for it online.

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