The Kitchn Archive
2018
January

The Kitchn Archive: Jan 2018

This Florida High School Made a Musical About Publix
I’ve worked for grocery stores in some capacity most of my adult life. From stocking shelves to purchasing and marketing, the world of grocery retail is something I’ve always had a passion for. That said, I’m not sure I ever had enough passion to want to write a musical about a grocery giant, but that’s exactly what’s happened at Harrison School of the Arts in Florida. These teens just love Publix that much. Want to take a look?
Sarah Rae Smith
Jan 31, 2018
“Chef’s Table: Pastry” Is Set to Debut in April on Netflix
Chef’s Table, Netflix’s critically acclaimed documentary series about the world’s best chefs, is about to get a very sweet new season. The upcoming Chef’s Table: Pastry will bring the show’s signature in-depth storytelling and incredible visuals into the pastry kitchen. Chef’s Table is directed by David Gelb, director of Jiro Dreams of Sushi.
Elizabeth Licata
Jan 31, 2018
This $5 Breakfast from Costco in California Sounds Amazing
2017 was a big year, and I personally spent a large part of it in a state of overwhelming envy over the array of fancy and delicious-looking dishes that other people could find in their Costco food courts. A Costco in Wales served cottage pie (which is like shepherd’s pie, but with beef) and jacket potatoes, while Costco in France serves chicken fingers and ham and cheese croissants. But now a California Costco is stepping up for U.S.
Elizabeth Licata
Jan 31, 2018
15 Things That Matter to You That No One Else Cares About
Why is it that, no matter how much you plan and prep, the hour before any party is always spent frantically running around? I almost always spend the time hyper-cleaning things, and freaking out about the pillows being angled just so on the couch and whether the kids left popcorn kernels on the rug last night when they watched a movie before bed.
Ayn-Monique Klahre
Jan 31, 2018
Sara Moulton on Sexual Harassment in the Food Industry’s “Boys’ Club”
In recent months, many industries have been rocked by stories of sexual harassment, misconduct, and worse. The stories may be more public now, but the events they describe are not new. In many cases, harassment and overt sexism have been pervasive problems that have been dismissed, ignored, swept under the rug, or held as a sort of family secret for decades or longer.
Elizabeth Licata
Jan 31, 2018
What’s the Weirdest Thing You Used to Eat as a Kid?
Right now Kitchn is testing out a recipe for pizza bagel bites (spoiler!) and that got some of my coworkers talking about the foods we ate as kids. The conversation started out about the best way to heat up bagel bites — were you a broiler or microwave family? — but it quickly turned into us discussing all the secretly weird things we liked to eat as kids.
Ariel Knutson
Jan 30, 2018
You’ll Have to Pry Pillsbury Crescent Rolls from My Cold, Dead Hands
There's luxury in the crescent.
Deanna Fox
Jan 30, 2018
4 Things Tidy People Do in the Kitchen Every Day
Who wants to be tidier? It’s not as hard as you think. Those people with effortlessly clean kitchens just know a few rules that you don’t — and we’re here to spill. Tidy people wouldn’t dream of going to bed with dishes in the sink. They know that doing a quick sweep for out-of-place items every night before bed will help them and their kitchen get a fresh start in the morning.
Jennifer Hunter
Jan 30, 2018
Partner
More Than Skin Deep: The Right Beauty Regimen Starts with the Right Nutrition
When it comes to how you feel and look, what’s on the inside counts. Not in the trope-y sense, but in the literal way your nutrition affects your hair, skin, nails, etc. Cooking with high-quality ingredients and eating (mostly) healthy foods is a great start. But, some vital nutrients just can’t be readily accessed in food, and that’s where it gets tricky. Our wellbeing and appearance are often the first to suffer when there’s a nutrient imbalance.
Creative Studio
Jan 30, 2018
5 Tips That’ll Make Bullet Journaling Faster and Easier
Bullet Journaling is a way to organize all of your thoughts, notes, goals, and events in one spot: a notebook. The creator of the methodology, Ryder Carroll, came up with this system so that, over time, it’s easier to track your progress, change your habits, and generally get more organized. You know, so you have more time for doing the stuff you actually want to do, whether that’s learning a new skill or cooking more with your family.
Ayn-Monique Klahre
Jan 30, 2018
This Cabbage, Sausage, and Potato Soup Is Perfect for Chilly Nights
Bundle up with this soup.
Sarah Rae Smith
Jan 30, 2018
Airbnb’s New “Pay Less Up Front” Payments Make It Easier to Book in Advance
Airbnb just made it a lot easier to book a stay in advance by introducing a new flexible payment option that lets a person pay half the bill at the time of reservation, and the rest closer to the actual check-in date. Airbnb has been introducing some great new payment choice options lately. Just a few months ago, Airbnb launched a group payment option that made it easier for people to split the Airbnb bill when traveling together.
Elizabeth Licata
Jan 29, 2018
High School Seniors in Japan Share the Last Lunch Bentos Their Parents Made Them
A bunch of teenagers about to graduate high school in Japan have been sharing photos of the last lunch bentos their parents made for them, and it’s absolutely adorable. I am a person who cries very easily, and I must warn my fellow easy-criers that they might need a tissue, because some of these lunch boxes made me cry almost as much as the latest episode of This Is Us.
Elizabeth Licata
Jan 29, 2018
The Brilliant Dishwasher Hack for Your Plastic Containers
Apartment Therapy
Jan 29, 2018
Partner
How to Make Your Whole30 So Much More Doable
If you’ve considered trying the Whole30®, you’ve probably gotten hung up on its elimination strategy. Once you take beans, grains, cheese, dairy, alcohol, sugar (and a lot of other stuff) out of your diet, you get the feeling that your recipe options are a little…not there. But any Whole30® vet will tell you how you’ll soon start focusing on the many foods you can eat, and that going through it is so worth it to learn so much about your relationship with food.
Creative Studio
Jan 29, 2018
Make This Greek Avocado Chicken Salad and Eat It All Week
Chicken salad and tuna salad are tried-and-true lunch staples. I don’t think there was ever a time that I went to my grandparents’ home and opened the refrigerator and didn’t see a container of it waiting for a midday meal. But every once in a while it’s good to shake things up. This Greek version — with chicken breast, avocado, and sun-dried tomatoes — is a nice refresh on the lunch classic.
Sarah Rae Smith
Jan 29, 2018
Next Week’s Meal Plan: 5 Easy Dinners from a Mom of 4
I feel like the week when vacation ends and everyone goes back to school is the week I want my easiest, sure-fire winner recipes. As I’m elbow-deep in laundry, spending quality time in the carpool lane, and mopping my neglected floor, I don’t want to worry about what to make for dinner or, worse, hearing a bunch of complaining when everyone arrives at the table! Here are five recipes that make life infinitely easier for my family of six. Planning my weekly meals is a habit I enjoy.
Janssen Bradshaw
Jan 27, 2018
The Best Grocery Hacks for Better Meal Planning
You know that saying “You can have it good, fast, or cheap — pick two”? While it’s most often applied to creative projects, it is also completely relevant when it comes to grocery shopping for weekly meal plans and meal prep. Think about it: If your grocery goal is to save money (cheap), you’re going to have to be very thorough (good) and do a lot of the work yourself (not fast).
Meghan Splawn
Jan 26, 2018
5 Easy Ways You Can Save Now to Splurge at the Dinner Table Later
When I was in my mid-20s, I was sure 10 years down the road that I’d be firmly ensconced in my chosen career as an actress, probably living in some magnificent estate in Connecticut, and starting to think about settling down. Fast forward to my life as a journalist, living in an apartment in Manhattan — life isn’t always the way you think it will be. I gained Central Park and gave up the idea of a backyard. I lost my independence and gained my little son.
Sarah Spigelman Richter
Jan 26, 2018
You Need to See the Kitchen in Mandy Moore’s New Home
When Mandy Moore is not making everybody cry as the star of NBC’s heartbreaking melodrama This Is Us, she is making them cry with kitchen envy. Moore has been renovating a mid-century modern home for the past year, and now she’s finally about ready to move in, and the place looks spectacular. According to Delish, Moore’s home was built in 1950 by architect Harold Zook, and she bought it last January.
Elizabeth Licata
Jan 26, 2018
We Finally Found a Broom-and-Dust-Pan Combo That Actually Works!
A few months ago, I lamented here that I haven’t been able to find a winning broom-and-dust-pan combo. To recap: I sweep my floors (almost!) every night, a total necessity with two kids, one of whom is a messy 3-year-old who seems to scatter bits of rice and kale chips in her wake. (Hey, at least she likes kale chips.) And no matter what I tried, I could never seem to get every last crumb off my floor when I swept.
Ayn-Monique Klahre
Jan 26, 2018
You Can Now Pre-Order Anthony Bourdain’s Spooky New Comic Book
Anthony Bourdain has a new book on the way, and if you like food that also happens to scare the pants off you, then this one is for you. Because Bourdain’s new venture is a spooky comic book series called Hungry Ghosts. Hungry Ghosts is being published by Dark Horse Comics, and it’s a four-part series of graphic novels involving ghost stories and food.
Elizabeth Licata
Jan 25, 2018
5 Smart Ways to Use a Bullet Journal for Meal Planning
I’m new to Bullet Journaling. This methodology, developed by Ryder Carroll, keeps all your thoughts, aspirations, and to-dos in one, easy-to find spot. The theory is, once you have all these notes and thoughts externalized, you can start to organize them, track your habits, and make changes for your life.
Ayn-Monique Klahre
Jan 25, 2018
Free Download: A Grocery Template List for Smarter Shopping
Grocery shopping gets a bad rap as the hardest part of meal planning. Despite that I personally love grocery shopping, I understand the pain points here: You’ve done the fun parts of meal planning and now you’ve got to schlep to the store, shell out hard-earned money, and just hope that you don’t forget anything! I imagine that if we could skip straight from planning to cooking that more people would actually meal plan.
Meghan Splawn
Jan 25, 2018
The Best Budget Dinners When You’re Really Trying to Save Money, According to Our Readers
We once posted a very important question on Facebook: We wanted to know what your go-to meals are when you’re trying to feed your family on a budget. We got hundreds of answers ranging from the very detailed (complete with recipes and links) to single words (eggs!). Here are 10 of the best and most popular answers we got. Whether you guys were talking about straight-up spaghetti with red sauce, something a little fancier, or even mac and cheese, pasta came up again and again.
Lisa Freedman
Jan 25, 2018
You Might Be Storing Your Steel Wool Pads the Wrong Way
When I’ve got a disgusting caked-on mess in my stainless steel cookware, there are few things I like better than breaking out the steel wool pads to scrub it off. I have visceral memories of using these to clean when I first started helping my mom out in the kitchen, pulling out that box of SOS pads with the cool retro packaging and then getting to work on a terrible mess.
Ayn-Monique Klahre
Jan 25, 2018
The New “No Lines” Amazon Grocery Store Has a Long Line to Enter
This week Amazon opened one of its most anticipated new ventures to the public. Amazon Go is a new grocery store with no cash registers or checkout stations — just a whole ton of cameras that watch everything you pick up, and then charge you for whatever you take when you leave. It’s a brand-new concept that previously was only available to Amazon employees at the company’s headquarters in Seattle. But now anyone with an Amazon account and an Amazon Go app can get in.
Elizabeth Licata
Jan 24, 2018
What Are All the Men Doing on These Cookbook Covers?
According to scientists, every 18 seconds, somewhere in the world, someone is leaning over to a semi-stranger and stage-whispering “You know, you can make yogurt in your Instant Pot.” It seems like we’re all in agreement that the Instant Pot does everything. It can make tender, juicy roasts; it can make perfectly poached eggs; and, if it had been asked, it would probably have found a way to avoid last weekend’s government shutdown.
Jelisa Castrodale
Jan 24, 2018
Proof That Small Changes Can Make a Big Difference in a Kitchen
A lot of the before-and-after photos we share here and on our sister site, Apartment Therapy, feature dramatic changes: new cabinets, new countertops, new appliances, new floor plans. But in this Fort Greene kitchen, the changes are much more subtle. They’re so subtle, in fact, that flipping back and forth between the before-and-after photos is a little bit like one of those puzzles where you try to spot the differences between the two pictures. Can you spot the changes?
Nancy Mitchell
Jan 24, 2018
The Wedding Tradition Nigella Lawson Thinks You Should Skip
A wedding cake is the ultimate special-occasion dessert. One’s own wedding cake is generally considered a once-in-a-lifetime treat, with one notable exception: It’s a long-running tradition for a couple to save the top tier of their wedding cake, freeze it, then eat it a year later to celebrate their one-year anniversary. A lot of people really like that tradition, but it sounds like Nigella Lawson is not a fan.
Elizabeth Licata
Jan 24, 2018
Costco Now Offers 3-Pound Cookie Butter Cheesecakes
In the battle of giant foods, we should always bet on Costco. Last week TJ Maxx made headlines by selling 22 pounds of chocolate in a bag big enough to wear as a poncho. When I heard about the chocolate bag I thought nobody would ever be able to top the decadent absurdity, but I should have known Costco would show up to say, “You think that’s wild? Hold my drink.
Elizabeth Licata
Jan 24, 2018
5 Ways to Make Your Kitchen Look Cleaner in 5 Minutes
Good news: It really doesn’t take that much to make your kitchen feel cleaner — in fact, five minutes is plenty of time for a quick revamp. Because kitchens tend to be some of the smaller spaces in our home, it’s not as much work as you may think to tackle a small project that’ll make a big impact. Don’t believe me?
Ayn-Monique Klahre
Jan 24, 2018
Make This Creamy Chicken Soup in the Instant Pot
January, am I right? We all want the comfort that winter foods provide, while pretending that we’re sticking to our food resolutions. The struggle can be real when the weather feels unforgiving. Do they make blankets out of cream and carbs? Surely someone has discovered that by now. Fine, I don’t need a carb blanket, but I do need this creamy chicken soup, which, as far as I’m concerned, is the next best thing. Oh, did I mention that it doesn’t have a bit of cream in it?
Sarah Rae Smith
Jan 24, 2018
8 Bullet Journals with Budget Trackers You Need to See
For many of us, figuring out just how much money we should — and do! — spend on food is especially tricky. It involves stringing together so many moving parts: what to eat (ideally planned days in advance), what ingredients you’ll need (versus what you might already have on hand), and a realistic budget that leaves room to eat healthfully without spending too much. Are you spending more on food than you should? Not sure what your total even comes to?
Ayn-Monique Klahre
Jan 23, 2018
You’ll Love This Honey-Mustard Broccoli Salad
I didn’t grow up in a broccoli slaw or broccoli salad household. In fact, I was in my early 20s before I learned of this mystical creation and started making it on my own. I quickly fell into all the pitfalls of proper broccoli salad–making, such as drowning it in mayonnaise and adding more cheese than broccoli. If only I would have had this recipe from Cookie and Kate by my side to help guide me.
Sarah Rae Smith
Jan 23, 2018
Amazon’s New Grocery Store Is an Introvert’s Dream Come True
Amazon is even getting into the convenience store arena with a brand-new store called Amazon Go. The pilot version of Amazon’s grocery store looks just like a regular convenience store, but there are no lines, no checkout stations, and the menu is decidedly gourmet. Amazon Go is a pretty wild concept. A person can only get into the store by scanning a QR code with an app, which lets the store know who you are and what credit card to charge for items.
Elizabeth Licata
Jan 22, 2018
How To Marie Kondo Your Grocery List for Better Meal Planning
Marie Kondo is most famous for her revolutionary simplifying tactics in her book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. If you’re meal planning (or you want to be a better meal planner), you can take a page from her book when it comes to making your own grocery list. Here’s how following Kondo’s advice can get you ready for the grocery store with fewer forgotten items and faster than ever before.
Meghan Splawn
Jan 22, 2018
Starbucks Is Testing Cashless Checkouts at One of Its Biggest Stores
The first cup of coffee is an essential part of the morning routine for many of us. That’s why so many people spend a big part of their daily commutes waiting in lines 40 people deep at their local Starbucks, just waiting to get their coffee, get to work, and get on with their day. Now Starbucks is trying out a new system to see if they can make those lines move faster, by not accepting cash entirely at one of their stores as part of a new cashless pilot program.
Elizabeth Licata
Jan 22, 2018
David Chang’s New Show “Ugly Delicious” Is Coming to Netflix
Your Netflix nights are about to get a lot more interesting, because the streaming service is coming out with a new food series next month starring renowned chef David Chang, creator of the Momofuku empire and co-founder of the seminal food magazine Lucky Peach (RIP). The show is called Ugly Delicious, and the name implies that the show is not going to be like any food series we’ve seen before.
Elizabeth Licata
Jan 22, 2018
If You Need a Giant, 22-Pound Bag of Chocolate, T.J. Maxx Has You Covered
It only cost $120.
Elizabeth Licata
Jan 22, 2018
The Internet’s Brilliant Trick for Cleaning Plastic Containers in the Dishwasher
Not to be all “woe is me” or anything, but sometimes dishwashers aren’t all that great. (I know … it must be nice to even have a dishwasher to complain about.) They can break, they can leave dishes dirty or streaky after a cycle, and they almost always insist on flipping our plastic food storage containers upside down, which results in still-dirty containers that are also filled with gross water. Rawr!
Lisa Freedman
Jan 22, 2018
Free Download: A Recipe Cheat Sheet for Meal Planning
A happiness ritual that has rippled through my own personal meal planning is love lists. It seems silly, but making a list of specific things you love — whether it’s a list of books or chocolate bars — boosts happiness and becomes a compass when you’re bored, blue, or stuck in a cooking rut. That’s how we want you to think of this recipe cheat sheet; it’s a recipe love list for when the cooking gets tough.
Meghan Splawn
Jan 21, 2018
5 Strategies for Picking the Right Recipes for a Week of Meal Planning
Let’s be honest — picking out recipes is the most fun part of meal planning. Part of making my meal planning ritual enjoyable and repeatable is making time at the end of each week to flip through magazines, browse Kitchn’s recipe page, and select meals for the following week. It doesn’t hurt that I like to do this with a cocktail or a soothing cup of tea in hand, either. On the flip side, the biggest mistake I see new meal planners make is in the recipe selection.
Meghan Splawn
Jan 20, 2018
3 Korean-Inspired Recipes You Can Use for Dinner Every Day
Rachel Yang, the James Beard Award-nominated chef behind Seattle’s Joule, Revel, and Trove restaurants, and Portland, Oregon’s Revelry, is a force. Her food— undeniably Korean at its roots, unabashedly creative in practice — combines noodles, dumplings, barbecue, and hot pots with flavors from all over the globe.
Jess Thomson
Jan 20, 2018
5 Tips for Getting Out of a Dinner Rut
You guys, I’ve just come off the longest, most arduous cooking rut of the year and it’s only January! The holidays did a number on my cooking motivation and sent me into the classic tailspin of ordering too much takeout, making any excuse for dinner away from home, and eating way too much Annie’s mac and cheese. Luckily, as an avid meal planner I know exactly how to get out of these ruts when I’m ready.
Meghan Splawn
Jan 19, 2018
My 2018 Plan for Finally Facing How Much Money I Spend on Food
Have you tried this app?
Ariel Knutson
Jan 19, 2018
I Painted My Laminate Countertops: Here’s How They Held Up
Back in the day, I decided to paint my laminate countertops as a temporary solution to a very ugly, very burnt orange problem in my kitchen. I was a little hesitant to do so because our actual counter space was minimal and saw a fair amount of traffic, but forged ahead because the price and risk (those countertops were coming out eventually either way!) were low. Here’s how they fared. They unfortunately acquired quite a few battle wounds!
Ashley Poskin
Jan 19, 2018
10 Surprising Ways to Eat Crescent Rolls for Breakfast
Crescent roll dough is the store-bought shortcut I lean on for easy breakfasts. The buttery, flaky dough is so versatile that I can use it in sweet and savory ways. Sure, the rolls make a great sidekick to dinner, but just wait until you see what the dough can bring to the breakfast table. Crescent roll dough is a blank canvas just waiting to get shaped, cut, rolled, and stuffed with all of your favorite savory and sweet ingredients. And best of all it doesn’t take a lot to make it a meal.
Kelli Foster
Jan 19, 2018