The Kitchn Archive
2018
December

The Kitchn Archive: Dec 2018

Dream a Little Dream: A Film for Your New Year
Dear Readers, Happy New Year! On this pivotal day of our year I thought it would be nice to step back and air something again that is close to my heart and which represents my highest aspirations for the company: helping people to live better on any budget and at any age. While we center on the youthful part of life, the lessons are evergreen. So here it is.
Maxwell Ryan
Dec 31, 2018
French Onion Pasta Is the Best Thing You’ll Eat This Week
Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites. A bowl of steaming-hot French onion soup is one of the most luxurious, comforting things you can eat. If you love French onion soup (and who doesn’t?), you’re definitely going to want to try this French onion pasta.
Elizabeth Licata
Dec 31, 2018
This Brown Rice and Mushroom Bake Is the Coziest Dinner
Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites. Okay, we can’t help but agree that the words “vegetarian loaf” don’t sound very sexy, which is how the blog Things I Made Today opens their post about this dish. But when you’re making something that tastes this delicious, looks don’t really matter.
Naomi Tomky
Dec 30, 2018
Open-Faced Sandwiches for a Crowd
We think sandwiches are easily one of the best foods out there. We love how creative you can get with ingredients that go between two pieces of bread. The same goes for open-faced sandwiches, of course, which are what you’ll find on our smorgasbord. It’s funny how a sandwich just tastes better when you pile toppings as high as they’ll go and throw out that top slice. (Though you are free to use a top slice too — we won’t tell.
Briana and Andrew Volk
Dec 29, 2018
This Chicken Pot Pie Soup Is Perfect Weekend Comfort
Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites. Earlier this year Mary Berry shocked many of her fans by declaring on Britain’s Best Home Cook that she would never put a crust on the bottom of a chicken pot pie, only on the top.
Elizabeth Licata
Dec 29, 2018
Pedialyte Has Finally Embraced the Adult Hangover
New Year’s Eve is synonymous with hangovers. You go out with your friends, drink a little too much bubbly around midnight, wake up the next morning, and, well, you probably know what a hangover feels like. It’s not fun. So, what’s your hangover cure? Do you reach for a jug of water, some Advil, and a bagel? Or do you have another trick up your sleeve?
Joseph Lamour
Dec 28, 2018
The Big Problem with Backyard Chicken Coops
I’m known in my friend group as the trendy one: I’ve mixed Mason jar cocktails while wearing dropped-crotch pants (and looked great in them, thank you), and I’ve made homemade apple cider donuts while sporting a Ray Charles-esque undercut hairstyle. But, as cool as I think I am, sometimes I completely miss a trend until it’s on its way out.
Joseph Lamour
Dec 28, 2018
A Cozy, Mellow New Year’s Day Brunch at Home
Every year we tell you to skip the fancy prix-fixe menus and crowded restaurants in favor of a home-cooked meal on New Year’s Eve. But the same advice rings true for New Year’s Day brunch. Instead of waiting two hours to spend $20 on a plate of French toast, you can host a cozy, festive gathering from the comfort of your own home (in your pajamas, if that’s your thing).
Lauren Kodiak
Dec 28, 2018
Partner
An Easy Snack That Keeps You on Track
Here we are in the post-honeymoon stage of New Year’s resolutions, and we’re noticing some weird cravings: We’re actually daydreaming about healthier foods like grain bowls and cold-pressed juices. It’s the time when we want snacks that satisfy without going overboard, and this is one we’re going to be eating well past January.
Creative Studio
Dec 28, 2018
Tuscan Chicken Macaroni and Cheese Is a One-Pot Wonder
Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites. I’m such a purist about macaroni and cheese that I don’t even like calling it “mac and cheese.” The abbreviation just feels wrong, like shouting, “Hi, Liz!” at the Queen of England.
Elizabeth Licata
Dec 28, 2018
This Might Be the Best Christmas Prank We’ve Ever Seen
The best parts about spending the holidays with your family are the long evenings sipping cocoa, catching up on each other’s lives, and also getting to mess with the people you know best. Sure, the occasional prank on a friend is good for a few laughs, but playing a prank on your family means you know exactly how to really get to them — and you’re pretty much assured forgiveness. (Unless you cross the line. Don’t cross the line.
Naomi Tomky
Dec 27, 2018
These Are the Best Cities for Food in 2019, According to David Chang
We know what food trends to look out for in the fast-approaching new year, which will likely determine what you’ll be eating. But in 2019, where will you want to eat? Celebrity chef David Chang, host of the hit Netflix show Ugly Delicious, recently revealed his top three picks for the best food cities of 2019 — and one of them might surprise you.
Elisabeth Sherman
Dec 27, 2018
We Finally Know What Happens to the Leftover Cake on the Great British Bake Off
Of all the joys associated with the Great British Bake Off — the lovable cast of bakers, the chemistry between new hosts Noel and Sandi — it’s the actual bakes that trump the rest. Watching the bakers’ creations unfold is somehow both therapeutic and suspenseful.
Elisabeth Sherman
Dec 27, 2018
You Need This Creamy Dijon Chicken for Dinner Tonight
If you go for a walk in Seattle, where I live, it’s hard not to notice the occasional whiff of rosemary as you pass certain houses. The herb grows like a weed around here, and that means that a quick jaunt to pick up the kids at daycare can quickly turn into a dinner craving: what can we make that will weave that lovely scent in, but never let it overpower? Natasha at Salt and Lavender has just the answer with her creamy Dijon rosemary chicken.
Naomi Tomky
Dec 27, 2018
Should You Actually Wash Chicken Before Cooking It?
When it comes to home cooking, few people have imparted more wisdom to the masses than the late Julia Child. She taught us to relax and have fun in the kitchen, extolled the endless virtues of butter, and shopped local way before it was cool. Child also famously washed raw chicken before cooking it, explaining that it was probably safer because it would get rid of germs. As well-meaning as this seems, it couldn’t be further from the truth.
Christine Byrne
Dec 24, 2018
Ina Just Spent a Week Celebrating Jeffrey and Our Hearts Have Burst
What’s the secret to a successful marriage? Nobody knows. But if there’s one couple that comes close to cracking the code on marital bliss, it’s most certainly Ina and Jeffrey Garten.
Elisabeth Sherman
Dec 22, 2018
Eat Your Veggies with This Super-Tasty Tikka Masala
Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites. I’m not vegan, but I am a big fan of vegan recipes. I’m always looking for ways to eat more vegetables, and I feel like plant-based recipes do a great job of keeping the vegetables front and center.
Elizabeth Licata
Dec 21, 2018
Genius Gift-Giver Made Pretend Instant Pots for Her Nieces
Here’s a sweet way to encourage cooking skills in any aspiring junior chefs you may know: Make an Instant Pot in which they pretend cook all their favorite recipes, both real and imagined! It’s like a play kitchen, but even better. The process of making these mini pots isn’t exactly simple, but it’s absolutely worth busting out your crafting skills for. And when it’s done you’ll be bringing a kid joy during the holidays.
Elisabeth Sherman
Dec 20, 2018
Joanna Gaines’ Ingenious Hack for Making Your Kitchen Look Bigger
Living in a big city means paying a lot for a small apartment. And as a person who cooks almost every day, the meager amount of counter space available in my kitchen is a constant source of frustration. Thankfully, Joanna Gaines — known, of course, for her uncanny ability to overhaul and redecorate homes — has the secret weapon to maximizing your counter space.
Elisabeth Sherman
Dec 20, 2018
The Only Thing I Want for Christmas Is Wine
I don't want clothes or shoes, cute trinkets, or even gift cards. I only want wine.
Allison Russo
Dec 20, 2018
Our 5 Favorite Food TV Episodes of 2018
It’s safe to say 2018 was an incredible year for food TV. So where do you start when there’s so much to watch? How about a sampler instead of a binge watch — a taste of the very best of what 2018 had to offer? This year we left the perfectly lit kitchen and the chew-and-moan style of food travel TV. Television and food both offer these opportunities for connection. Food TV doesn’t have to be cute prattle and quick menus, fraught competitions or glossy adventures.
Claire Margine
Dec 20, 2018
Um, I’m Not So Sure About Martha Stewart’s Scrambled Egg Tip
I consider myself a super-fan of Martha Stewart. She’s not only one of my favorite culinary personalities, but also one of my favorite people, period. Through life’s ups and downs, Martha still remains a living American icon. Her uniquely American come up — from her beginnings as a fashion model to household genius and media mogul — is, to use her catchphrase, such “a good thing.
Joseph Lamour
Dec 20, 2018
This Easy Italian Skillet Chicken Is Totally Irresistible
Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites. If you’re looking for a way to make chicken breasts really special, a bit of white wine and mushrooms makes a gorgeous pan sauce that has a ton of flavor, and is still fast enough for a weeknight dinner. The key to making chicken breasts really sing is to make sure not to let them dry out.
Elizabeth Licata
Dec 20, 2018
Fox News Guest Insists That Gingerbread Cookies Are Always Men
Yesterday on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News talk show, his guest Tammy Bruce, a conservative political commentator, dropped by to play defense in the imaginary war on Christmas. The latest crime against this most revered of holidays? Gender-neutral gingerbread cookies. Gingerbread men should not be renamed “gingerbread people,” for the sake of, I don’t know, the children? “Obviously, they’re men,” Bruce declared on the show.
Elisabeth Sherman
Dec 19, 2018
You Need to See Nigella’s (Almost) Edible Christmas Wreath
Forget decking the halls with boughs of holly, Nigella Lawson has a new direction for her decorating scheme — and it’s a little more… vegetal. That’s right, the domestic goddess herself has posted a photo of her wreath on Instagram, and it’s studded with Brussels sprouts (!!!). Or, fake Brussels sprouts, at least. “And the Christmas wreath is now in place,” she announced on Instagram.
Naomi Tomky
Dec 19, 2018
Twitter Debates: Do You Have a Favorite Burner?
I think it’s fair to assume that regular readers or even casual dabblers of Kitchn spend more time in the heart of the home than your average human. Coming from a family of chefs, pastry pros, and gourmet lovers, I’m no exception. Yet, I realized only today, after 35 years of life, something about my cooking habits — after I read a particularly contentious Twitter thread.
Joseph Lamour
Dec 19, 2018
Make This 20-Minute Spicy Shrimp Pasta at Home This Week
What are you waiting for?
Elizabeth Licata
Dec 19, 2018
Oreo Continues to Outdo Itself, This Time with a Carrot Cake Flavor
Join me on a journey to the past, to a simpler time. You were a kid, coming home from school. First thing you did after dropping your book bag on the floor was pour yourself a glass of milk and pull the blue package of Oreos out of the cupboard before your parents caught you. Back then, of course, the Oreo formula had only a few variations, and you stuck to the classic: Vaguely vanilla crème sandwiched between chocolate cookies.
Elisabeth Sherman
Dec 18, 2018
A 23,000-Square-Foot Starbucks Just Opened in New York City
When you go to your local Starbucks in the morning to pick up your coffee before heading into the office, do you ever think to yourself, “I wish this was fancier,” or “I wish I could bring a date here”?
Elisabeth Sherman
Dec 18, 2018
Our 5 Favorite Food TV Shows of 2018
It’s nearly here: the most glorious TV-bingeing season of the year. For your sleepy post-gift-opening Christmas-day family bonding, your lengthy flights, your New Year’s Day after-brunch plans, there is a bushel of food-themed television from 2018 just waiting for you. It’s end-of-year list catch-up time, folks! Make some snacks. Throw on some pajamas. Dig in. Food television in 2018 was electric.
Claire Margine
Dec 18, 2018
Make These Creamy Chipotle Butter Chicken Meatballs ASAP
Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites. Meatballs do not get nearly enough recognition as a make-at-home meal. I grew up eating meatballs at practically every big family gathering, but now that I’m an adult with a house and stove of my own, I almost never make meatballs. My Italian grandmother would be horrified.
Elizabeth Licata
Dec 18, 2018
Starbucks Delivery Could Soon Be Brewing at a Store Near You
It’s becoming clear that humans now more than ever prefer speediness over ambience, at least when it comes to everyday tasks such as running errands or getting breakfast. As Amazon, Shopify, and other online retailers bulldoze the competition in sheer volume of sales, traditional shops have found that they too are profiting more from sales made through the internet.
Joseph Lamour
Dec 17, 2018
Slow Cooker Mediterranean Chicken Is a Dream Dinner
Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites. The best thing a house can smell like is food. Firewood is charming and bergamot-scented candles are wonderfully posh, but the best thing to smell when entering a house or apartment is something delicious. When I open the door and smell cinnamon buns or chocolate chip cookies or saffron risotto, I’m automatically in a good mood.
Elizabeth Licata
Dec 17, 2018
Martha Stewart Is Living Her Best Life on Santa’s Lap
Martha Stewart’s entire existence seems like a fairy tale. She rides around her farm on her horse snapping pictures of her pet peacocks like the queen that she is, presumably in between sending texts to Snoop Dogg. I don’t know about you, but I can’t help but aspire to her level of carefree bossiness. Of course, Stewart’s power only grows during the holiday season, when she can truly flex her cookie-decorating and table-setting skills.
Elisabeth Sherman
Dec 15, 2018
Hot Debate: What Do You Call the End of a Loaf of Bread?
Everybody knows that feeling of dread — when you pick up the loaf of bread and the only thing left are the ends. Those pieces, which have the crust all over one side, rather than just on the edges, are the ugly stepchild of the bread industry. Long after most of us have outgrown wanting the crusts cut off our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, we still don’t want to touch those end pieces — the balance of crust to insides is simply off, we can all agree on that.
Naomi Tomky
Dec 14, 2018
Old Bay Suing Makers of Alleged Knock-Off Spice Blend New Bae
There’s a troubling trend over the past few years where new companies try to win the consumer race by showing up at the finish line without having run the track first. What I mean by that is, more than ever, folks are attempting to profit off of the familiarity of somebody else’s creation. It happened with Kayla Newman’s beautiful invention of the phrase “on fleek.
Joseph Lamour
Dec 14, 2018
This Simple Veggie Pasta with Parmesan Sauce Wins Dinner
Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites. I used to avoid cooking squash, because it seemed like way too much work to cut into one. One time I bought four little kabocha squashes, and I left them sitting on the table so long everybody genuinely forgot they weren’t a centerpiece — even me!
Elizabeth Licata
Dec 14, 2018
You Should Wash Your Avocados Before Eating Them
Confession: I have never washed an avocado before eating it. I have never even thought about washing an avocado before eating it. That rough, thick outer shell just seems, to the naked eye, like a perfectly suitable layer of protection against disease, a far cry from the fragile leaves of say, my romaine lettuce. I’m going to start, though, and I suspect that many other people are in my position, because as it turns out, you do need to wash avocados.
Elisabeth Sherman
Dec 13, 2018
Make This Super-Easy Baked Butter Garlic Shrimp This Week
It's a main course! It's a side dish! It's a pasta sauce! Shrimp with butter and garlic is everything.
Elizabeth Licata
Dec 13, 2018
An Unexpected Use for Your Toaster Oven, According to Eric Ripert
When Eric Ripert, the chef mastermind behind three-Michelin-star seafood restaurant Le Bernardin (and close friend of Anthony Bourdain), tells you how to cook something, it would be best to listen to him. His latest recommendation is probably not one you’re expecting, though. It doesn’t involve any fancy, expensive machinery that you’d only find in a professional kitchen. In fact, all you need is a toaster oven.
Elisabeth Sherman
Dec 12, 2018
The Dirtiest Thing on a Restaurant Table Is Not What You Think
When you head to a restaurant this time of year, you’re probably in search of a nice meal, a pleasant evening, and maybe a festive cocktail or two. You’re probably not heading out in search of a cold to catch. But it’s the season of germs everywhere, and ABC News set out to find where those germs lurk in restaurants around the country — and it may make you rethink using the salt and pepper shaker.
Naomi Tomky
Dec 12, 2018
The CDC Warns America Against Eating Raw Cookie Dough
Around the holiday season, people who like to siphon that fun, carefree feeling from the spate of year-end celebrations go into overdrive. People rail against Starbucks holiday cups and over-the-top Christmas light displays. The latest controversy – care of the CDC — concerns one of America’s favorite pastimes: eating raw cookie dough. But unfortunately, this one seems pretty valid.
Joseph Lamour
Dec 12, 2018
This Is the Best Way to Make Crock-Pot Meatballs
Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites. We are in peak holiday potluck season, and whenever I go to a party where all the guests bring dishes to share, I always head straight for the Crock-Pot meatballs.
Elizabeth Licata
Dec 12, 2018
Some Geniuses Installed a Bacon Vending Machine on a College Campus
It looks like that Milky Way sitting in the vending machine at work is getting some sizzling competition. Ohio local news station 10TV reports that Ohio State University students can now spend their parents’ hard-earned money on a little brain fuel. A bacon-vending machine, created by the Ohio Pork Council, has been installed in the animal sciences building at Ohio State University. It will be maintained by the meat science department (side note: why didn’t I major in this?!).
Joseph Lamour
Dec 11, 2018
I Tried the “Easiest” Way to Peel a Hard-Boiled Egg
One of the most hotly debated techniques in all of cooking is the easiest, best way to peel a hard-boiled egg. There are a lot of tips I’ve encountered over the years, including adding baking soda to the boiling water, blowing the egg out of its shell, and making sure the eggs are cold before peeling. But then I came across a new method in a recent video on Epicurious and I had to try it out.
Joseph Lamour
Dec 11, 2018
This Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Makes the Best Leftovers
Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites. The trouble with chicken breasts is that it’s very easy to overcook them. Maybe your oven is hotter than you think it is, or you didn’t hear the timer go off, or you had to run out of the room because your dog was suddenly being too quiet, and that’s never a good sign.
Elizabeth Licata
Dec 11, 2018
Anyone Could Make This One-Pan Italian Chicken and Veggies
Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites. I’m always looking for good, healthy weeknight recipes that are fast to make, full of vegetables, and still tasty and delicious. They can be harder to find than one would think, but this Italian-inspired chicken and vegetable dinner fits the bill.
Elizabeth Licata
Dec 11, 2018
6 Things You Didn’t Realize About IKEA Kitchen Cabinets
You probably have already realized that IKEA cabinets are affordable — they’re consistently lauded as some of the best out there for the price — but there’s a lot more to keep in mind if you’re considering them for your own kitchen. Most of the following features qualify as plusses, but as with most fixtures with lower-than-usual price tags, there are certain sacrifices you’ll have to make if you decide to install them. Read on for everything you need to know.
Jessica Dodell-Feder
Dec 10, 2018