there's food at home
respectfully
Fall / Holiday season is the busiest time of year for most of us, personally and professionally. I’ve already found myself with very little bandwidth to feed myself 3 meals a day, and I briefly relapsed on my weeknight delivery habit. But can someone please tell me why I can’t get a decent meal for under $50?? I ordered chicken pho and a papaya salad for delivery last week, exhausted after a long work day and desperate for some serotonin, and after delivery fees, app fees, and driver tip my total was literally $53. CRIMINAL.
This got me thinking about all of the people that I know who essentially survive off of Doordash and takeout. Sure, there’s the occasional corporate girl boss who receives a stipend for 1-2 meals every workday. But for the rest of you, are y’all just dropping hundreds of dollars a week on food?? Like I know a handful of people who have quite literally never used their oven, stove, and barely the microwave. I started to spiral, so I took a poll on IG to get the facts. Confirming most people actually aren’t throwing away hundreds of dollars a week on takeout, just a lonely few. So that’s a relief.
Maybe it’s because I grew up with a Rachel Ray mom who home-cooked all of our meals for us and rarely permitted take out, or because as a professional private chef, I’m hyper-aware of food cost vs service cost, but I’m shooketh with the price of eating out these days. And that’s coming from someone who’s currently wearing a $200 pair of jeans, so I am no stranger to getting ripped off.
When I talk to people who justify not cooking for themselves, their argument is that the price of groceries is so high that it’s “cheaper” to eat takeout. I see where they’re coming from, a carton of one dozen organic free-range eggs is $9, but what if I told you a whole organic chicken, raw or rotisserie, is only $14 or less (remember we’re using New York prices here) and could feed you for a week.
Which brings me to my ultimate cozy weekday meal prep hack: my Green Garlic Ginger Chicken and Rice soup. It’s almost a congee but also not. It transforms 1 whole roasted chicken + rice + veg and herbs into 10 + servings of the best soupy mush you’ve ever had. It freezes great, reheats flawlessly, and tastes even better the next day. Full recipe is in the final section of the newsletter! XXX
What I’m Wearing
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What I'm Eating // Shop my Pantry
First installment of my Shop my Kitchen series! In the next few weeks I’ll be sharing Shop my Fridge, Shop my Tools, and more. Let me know what products you want to see. Yay!
Part 1 of the Wishbone Kitchen starter pack.
Kosher Salt: If you’re going to have 1 salt and 1 salt only, this should be the one. If you’re wondering why recipes always call for “kosher salt” or “diamond kosher” it’s for a few reasons. Chefs use kosher salt, as opposed to iodized or table salt, because it has a more pleasant flavor, and it’s affordable. It’s important to specify the type of salt you’re using in recipes because measurements will vary depending on the type of salt you use and the size of the salt granules. 1 tablespoon of table salt is going to be MUCH saltier than 1 tablespoon of diamond kosher salt.
Flaky salt: This is a finishing salt, which just means it’s used to season food at the last step of the cooking process. What makes flaked sea salt different from other finishing salts is that the size of the salt granules, or flakes in this case, also add texture in addition to adding salinity. An example of a finishing salt that doesn’t add texture is Fleur de Sel.
Mike’s Hot Honey: I am fully aware that this product is old news at this point, but I love it just as much now as I did five years ago when I first cooked with it. I was torn between choosing this or my favorite balsamic vinegar for this spot, but I went with the hot honey because its versatility transcends cuisines.
California Olive Ranch 100% California Extra Virgin Olive Oil: My favorite olive oil to cook with. It’s a great price point, and you can usually find it on sale.
PJ Kabos Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil: This is my favorite finishing olive oil. Great for salad dressings, drizzling over cooked proteins and veg, or sopping up with some nice bread. The flavor difference is definitely worth the price point. It’s ~$29 a bottle, which is about the same price as a nice bottle of wine but will be enjoyed for many many meals. Also makes a great hostess gift!
Frankie’s Calabrian Chili Oil: self-explanatory.
Antonella Canned Tomatoes: I recently did a blind taste test with 5 cans of tomatoes and this one blew me away. Unfortunately, I can only find it at Eataly, but fortunately, it’s only $5.
Tutto Calabria Calabrian Chilis: IYKYK. I love these little guys to death. They have a much more complex flavor than your standard red chili flake. Growing up in NJ and living in NYC means this Italian specialty ingredient is never difficult for me to source, but if you aren’t blessed with the same resources, the Trader Joe’s Bomba Sauce is essentially the same thing.
Daphnis & Chloe Smoked Red Pepper Flakes: a worthwhile upgrade from the almost flavorless red pepper flakes you get from the grocery store. I recently purchased their entire herb and spice set and I think it would make a great holiday or hostess gift.