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Sarah Spigelman Richter

    About Me

    Sarah Spigelman Richter is a NYC-based food writer who has written for Mashable and Refinery 29, among others. She loves chili cheese Fritos.

    Latest Stories

    16 Breakfast Recipes That Will Get You Through College
    Because Pop-Tarts don't always cut it.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Jul 5, 2023
    9 Excuses That Hold You Back from Cooking (and How to Overcome Them)
    There’s always an excuse, right? Too busy to make plans to see friends I never see; too tired to read the classic book gathering dust on my nightstand; too inflexible to do yoga. But if cooking is something you want to do more, consider your excuses expired. Although there are always reasons to avoid cooking, there are even more reasons to embrace it. Even when ignoring factors like ingredient and portion control, cost-effectiveness, and preserving cultural heritage, food is love.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    May 13, 2022
    New Guidelines Suggest Feeding Babies More Peanut-Filled Foods Earlier
    When my son first started eating solid foods, I like to think I was pretty relaxed. I puréed meatloaf or whatever else I made for dinner, gave him the same full-fat yogurt I already kept in the house, and let him have his way with leftover coconut rice. I was, however, petrified about peanut butter. I waited until his 9-month doctor appointment, and fed him a tiny spoonful under the watchful eye of my pediatrician, lest he have a negative reaction.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Sep 30, 2020
    This 4-Year-Old Barista Who Loves Making Cappuccinos Will Warm Your Heart
    Flirting with the cute barista is nothing new, but have you ever wanted to pick up and tickle the guy making your cappuccino? Four-year-old Adler Webb is possibly the world’s youngest and most adorable barista making cappuccinos and other coffee drinks at home and at his family’s coffee shop, Bindle Coffee, in Fort Collins, Colorado.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Sep 30, 2020
    Is My Baby Going to Choke!? 4 Tips for Transitioning to Solid Food
    The funniest thing about preparing to have a baby is the stuff you don’t Google like “How to clean bathtub after baby poops in it,” or “Why does baby hate socks,” or, in my case, “How to get over crippling fear of baby choking on solid food.” Can you relate? Moving my son to purées was easy and fun. Seeing him try prunes, broccoli, and even my puréed shepherd’s pie for the first time was a blast.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Sep 30, 2020
    These Parents Found the Smartest Way to Deal with Picky Eaters
    Kids think it’s funny to mess with adults. It’s just the way of the world. They think it’s hysterical to prank call their parents, hide their grandparents’ remote controls, and hide from the teacher during roll call. They also think it’s adorable to not try new foods at the dinner table that they will willingly eat at the cafeteria at lunch. So, how are you supposed to get your kids to eat new things? I have a slightly sneaky way that actually works.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Sep 30, 2020
    3 of Our Favorite Stores Are Great for Nursing Moms Too
    When you’re a new mom and you actually manage to make it out the door with your infant, you feel like you have conquered the globe. Greasy hair and spit-up stained clothing, be damned — you’re out in the world! When your baby needs to nurse, however, there’s a whole new layer of stress. Nursing in public, for some reason, is still something other people think they can comment on.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Sep 30, 2020
    These Restaurants Want to Revolutionize the Kids’ Menu
    The term “kids’ menu” likely evokes images of pirate hat-shaped menus, plastic cups filled with grape juice, and greasy chicken fingers and fries. But this is changing. Not only are many kids encouraged to order off the adults menu now, but certain restaurants and dining clubs are also actually focused on treating tiny gourmands to the amuse-bouches and mignardises they can’t even yet pronounce.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Sep 30, 2020
    5 Instagrammers to Follow for Creative Kid-Friendly Food
    Instagram can be an endless hole of stalking people who were mean to you in high school, liking photos of celebrities who don’t know you exist, and crying about home interiors you just can’t fit into your tiny urban apartment. Or it can be a jumping-off point to get inspiration for cooking for your kids. It’s so easy to get stuck in the “chicken nuggets and pasta” rut because that’s what your kid eats.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Sep 30, 2020
    Real Moms on the Snacks Their Kids Actually Eat
    Feeding kids isn’t something you can just do on the fly. Okay, fine, maybe if you have that unicorn child who eats nothing but kale salads and local ahi poke with ponzu sauce, you can assume your kid will eat anything on the go. But if you’re like the rest of us, praying and hoping you can make it through the 17 chores you have to do before getting your kids home for dinner, you know to be prepared with a multitude of snacks.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Sep 30, 2020
    I Avoided All These Foods While Pregnant. Was It Worth It?
    I found out I was pregnant while on vacation in Maine. Before dinner. So I didn’t order the raw steamers I was dreaming of. Or have coffee the next morning at breakfast. It was just the beginning. The following 39 weeks and five days until my son was born was a minefield of avoiding foods and drinks I loved.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Sep 30, 2020
    The One Motherhood Milestone That Didn’t Make Me Sob Like a Baby
    When my son cut his first tooth, I burst into tears. Let me be clear: I wasn’t always like this. I used to be a rational person who could look at a beautiful experience and say, “Aah, how lucky I am to have had this time. Now let me close the chapter.” Motherhood has unhinged me. I cried when we changed out his newborn clothes for 0-3 month onesies (yes, they are different sizes and yes, that totally shocked me). I pretended to have something in my eye during his first haircut.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Sep 30, 2020
    How Going Out to Eat Changed After I Had a Baby
    Going out to eat is practically a religious experience for me. That is, of course, an exaggeration, but there are parallels. It’s ritualistic. It’s something I think about for weeks beforehand. It’s something I enjoy doing both alone and with others in a communal experience. It reminds me of my childhood. It connects me to my family. Suffice to say, I love going out to eat. And that’s even with having a baby in tow, which is really saying something.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Sep 30, 2020
    The First Rule of Feeding Kids: Always Bring a Banana
    Have you ever noticed how many recipes there are for banana muffins out there? The plethora of banana-flavored toddler snacks? Or how many banana songs there are for kids? (If you like to eat, eat, eat eeples and baneenies you’re not alone.) There’s a reason for that — it’s because bananas are heaven’s gifts to parents with hungry kids. Yes, they’re chock-full of potassium and a good source of vitamin C. Sure, they are self-contained.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Sep 30, 2020
    The One Thing I Learned About Cooking After I Had a Baby
    I didn’t use recipes growing up. My mom (the original Iron Chef) just taught me by example. A pinch of this, cook that until it smells right, take it out of the oven when the edges turn golden — you know the type. Let’s just say we didn’t own any measuring cups and nothing ever tasted exactly the same way twice. Which is why the most important thing I learned about cooking after having a baby was a total shock to my system. Use a recipe. I know.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Sep 30, 2020
    Let’s Stop “Hiding” Vegetables and Embrace Putting Them in Everything
    I have a simple request: Can we get rid of the term “hiding,” as it refers to putting vegetables into food your kids love? The act of putting broccoli in banana bread may seem sneaky but really, it’s a totally justifiable way of stacking the deck to make sure your kid actually has some fiber. I’m glad that there are more recipes out there that embrace putting vegetables in things.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Sep 30, 2020
    5 Professional Moms on How They Balance Cooking and Kids
    Being a mom is all encompassing. Working outside the home on a career you have worked hard to build is all encompassing. Doing both at the same time is … whoa. Yet, scores of mothers do it every day, worldwide. Keeping together presentations, bake sale donations, work functions, late-night homework projects, and an entire household (not to mention, a little bit of television time so you don’t totally lose it) is no easy feat.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Sep 30, 2020
    11 Small Ways That Moms Make Mealtime a Little More Magical
    My mother is an extremely magical person. My mom managed to convince my sister that she was controlling the traffic lights when she was little (gotta love a rolling traffic light sequence that a 4-year-old just doesn’t understand).
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Sep 30, 2020
    5 Things I Always Keep in the Freezer Now That I’m a Mom
    Before I had a baby, my freezer was like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It seemed impenetrable, things had been there forever, and whoever was brave enough to wade through it would receive handsome rewards. There were bottles of expensive vodka, the juice of lemons I had brought home from Capri, and batches of peach ice cream I made in the summer. There was the top tier of wedding cake for a year after my wedding.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Sep 30, 2020
    Hero Mom “Dresses” Her Daughter in Clothing Good Enough to Eat
    When I was in elementary school, my mom sewed a lot of my clothes. She was especially into food-themed dresses, as was I. There was a picnic table dress with sandwich buttons, and a watermelon-printed dress with tiny watermelon wedge appliques, among others. I really thought I was all that and a bag of (sour cream and onion) chips.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Sep 30, 2020
    5 Ways You Can Help Parents of Kids with Allergies
    After speaking with parents of kids with severe allergies, I realize there are steps I can take to be a better ally and friend.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Sep 30, 2020
    How I’m Trying to Avoid Passing on My Food Issues to My Kids
    I have issues with food. And to a degree, I think it’s impossible to avoid some issues with food, whether that means not stopping when full, feeling guilty about overindulging, or emotionally eating or restricting. What I hope is possible is not passing down my personal issues to my kids. Feeding kids is already tricky enough. Add to that the idea that you could maybe hurt them psychologically and it’s enough to make a mom like me lose sight of logic all together.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Sep 30, 2020
    Help! How Do I Stop Letting My Toddler Dictate My Self Esteem Through Food?
    “What did you make for dinner?” “Whole-wheat spaghetti with chicken meatballs and Parm.” “Did he eat?” “Yeah, three bites of frozen waffle and one strawberry. How about yours?” “Gagged her way through one yogurt pouch then threw the homemade mac and cheese on the floor.” The above is a typical text conversation between any number of friends and me. We all try our best to get our toddlers to eat.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Sep 30, 2020
    This Is What I Feed My Baby When He’s Sick
    I have a few techniques I follow to try to tempt my child when he is too sick, tired, cranky, or in pain to eat most of our usual favorites.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Jul 30, 2019
    The 5 Kid Snacks Every Parent Secretly Wants to Eat
    I have a semi-shameful secret. It’s a victimless crime I commit either alone in a dark kitchen, crouched in front of my fridge while my family is glued to the television, or during the 15 minutes a week I am alone on the train or in a taxi. I know it’s ridiculous and it’s stealing from my children, but I just can’t stop. I love children’s snacks.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Jun 8, 2019
    5 Ways to Pamper Your Kids on a Snow Day
    Snow days with kids aren’t what you might call relaxing. In fact, some parents have been known to, shall we say, flip out over the prospect of holing up with their youngsters for umpteen hours of cartoons, Play-Doh crumbles all over the floor, and fights about how big so-and-so’s thumb is compared to his or her sibling’s. We get it. It’s a lot.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Jun 5, 2019
    10 Teachers Share the Snacks That Fuel Their Workdays
    The days seem long (to parents, anyway!), but the months of summer are short. Before you know it, school will be back in session and caregivers everywhere will be racking their brains over how to get kids to eat healthy snacks instead of just trading them for fidget spinners. But the kids aren’t the only ones who need a little pick-me-up during snack time — teachers need to keep up their energy, and the same ol’ apple day after day gets a little boring.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Jun 5, 2019
    How Not to Be a Jerk When Sampling Free Food at the Grocery Store
    You know the drill. It’s 5:45 p.m. and you’ve had a long day at work. You stop at the grocery store to pick up some essentials (yes, ice cream on a Monday is essential) and hope you can make it home before your hangriness takes over. Then, you see it: a beautiful plastic dome atop the cheese counter offering a taste of grass-fed ricotta with a dollop of fig jam. You take one sample, but are dying for another. Should you go for it?
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Jun 5, 2019
    How Grocery Shopping Changed When I Became a Parent
    I have always loved grocery shopping. There is something deeply therapeutic about wandering the stalls of a greenmarket or even browsing the shelves of my local grocery store. I love planning the week’s meals, searching for the greatest olive oil on sale and snagging the juiciest Cara Cara oranges in the middle of winter. It’s relaxing, inspiring, and makes me look forward to cooking later that day and week. But that was before I had a baby.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Jun 4, 2019
    These 2 New Stores Give Home Goods and T.J. Maxx a Run For Their Money
    Shoppers, start your engines.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Jun 4, 2019
    Amazon’s Dash Wand Is Free, Fast, and Could Be Perfect
    Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know about Amazon’s Dash buttons — those little clicking buttons that automatically reorder paper towels, cleaning products, or any number of items. Reviews for the original buttons were decidedly mixed, but Amazon’s newest button iteration is a little more magical. Maybe that’s why they’re calling this one a wand. Amazon’s new Dash Wand has Alexa built right into it.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    Jun 4, 2019
    5 Things We Learned About Meal Prep from Instagram
    By now it’s probably obvious that we’re pretty obsessed with meal prepping at Kitchn. Sure, it might not be as sexy as whipping something up on the fly, but meal prepping provides a host of benefits, including saving you money, helping you eat more healthfully, and ensuring that those hanger pains stay at bay.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    May 30, 2019
    Match Your Favorite Disney Princess to Your Next Weeknight Meal
    You’re never too old to be obsessed with Disney princesses. Maybe you’re a little old to wear a full-blown costume to the bank to ask for a mortgage, but you’re always allowed to curl up on your couch with a cup of hot chocolate, throw on your favorite nostalgic movie, and belt out the power ballads. If you really want to take it to the next level, infuse your cooking with that Disney magic and match your dinner to your princess.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    May 30, 2019
    The One Healthy Snack I Always Sneak into Movie Theaters
    Do you remember when it was like $10 tops to see a movie? I’m talking ticket, popcorn, and parking meter included. Okay, we didn’t have to pay the meter in the sleepy southern California suburb where my mom and dad let me go to movies with friends alone from the tender age of 11, but you know what I mean. It cost a lot of money to drive downtown to go see a Broadway touring company perform a matinee, but seeing a 10 a.m. showing of the latest Disney cartoon? That was cheap.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    May 30, 2019
    Ina Garten’s Newest Cookbook: Is the Contessa Going Casual?
    Ina Garten isn’t slowing down just because she knocked it out of the park with her 2016 cookbook, Cooking for Jeffrey. She is currently testing recipes for her new cookbook and posted a butternut squash gratin on her Instagram, hinting at what may be lurking in the pages. From the looks of things, she isn’t straying too far from her classic roots. This isn’t as precious as some of her offerings, however.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    May 24, 2019
    Alton Brown Hints at Opening His Own Coffee Shop
    If you’ve pored over every episode of Good Eats, celebrity chef Alton Brown could be making your dreams come true. The Georgia native announced over Twitter that he would like to see Marietta have a spiffy new coffee shop, and he might know just the fellow to do it. Brown later confirmed to Eater, “It is my intention to open a coffee shop in Marietta, Ga.
    Sarah Spigelman Richter
    May 24, 2019