Good morning. In today’s edition, we cover

1. Nutritional yeast and how to use it

2. A satisfying salad

3. If you can freeze herbs or not

And if you have a home cooking question, just reply to send it in and we’ll try to answer it in a future edition.

INGREDIENT DEEP DIVE 🍳

Nutritional yeast

Sprinkle or blend into dishes for a hit of savory umami.

What is it?

Nutritional yeast is made from deactivated yeast grown on molasses, which is harvested, dried, and flaked into a light yellow powder. Because it’s inactive, it won’t make dough rise. It’s purely an ingredient for flavor and nutrition.

• You’ll find it in the baking aisle, health food section, or bulk bins, usually sold as flakes or powder

What’s its flavor?

Taste: Savory, think cheesy-ish umami

Aroma: Toasty, nutty, and slightly yeasty (of course)

Texture: Light, flaky, dissolves easily into sauces and becomes creamy

Why should you buy some?

Nutritional yeast is a shortcut to umami and “aged cheese vibes” without actual cheese, easily adding funky savoriness to even plant-based dishes.

• It’s shelf-stable, affordable, and lasts forever in the pantry.

• Its dry texture makes it easy to shake on as seasoning, like over popcorn or vegetables.

It also breaks down easily, blending smoothly into sauces and dressings, like this praised vinaigrette.

What else can you do with it?

• Sprinkle on popcorn with butter or olive oil and salt

• Stir into pasta, risotto, or mashed potatoes for extra savoriness

• Blend into vegan cheese sauces, cashew cream, or creamy salad dressings

• Add to roasted vegetables, tofu, or chickpeas before baking

Think of nutritional yeast as Parmesan’s funky, plant-based cousin: it doesn’t necessarily replace cheese, but it can play the same flavor or garnishing role.

RECIPE OF THE WEEK ✅

A satisfying salad

Speaking of satisfying plant based dishes, this crispy tofu salad hits all the right textures and savory flavors without needing meat.

It uses miso, another great umami booster, for savoriness, but you could swap the miso for nutritional yeast in the dressing and the recipe would still work out.

Check it out on our website or app, where you can edit and customize recipes to your profile!

READER Q&A 🧠

Freezing herbs?

Some stronger-flavored herbs like dill handle freezing if chopped and packed into ice cube trays with olive oil or water, but most should be used up fresh, or dried for longer storage.

Answer: In general, no — most delicate herbs are better fresh. Freezing breaks down their structure, so they lose most of their flavor and texture.

Delicate herbs like basil, cilantro, parsley leaves, and chives tend to turn soft and dark once thawed. They’re not great for using after freezing.

• If your delicate herbs are starting to wilt, your best bet is to just use them up in a cooking application: blend into a pesto, chimichurri, or green sauce, chop and stir into softened butter, mince or toss into soups, stocks, or braises.

Heartier herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage, and bay don’t freeze super well either, but they can actually be dried! Their structure holds up well to air-drying and they retain flavor nicely, so there’s not as much pressure to use them up quickly.

• Just set them out on a paper towel or hang in a dry environment.

TLDR: Delicate herbs must be used up quickly, but heartier herbs can be dried for longer term storage.

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

Green chicken chimichanga

This week’s dinner winner is Gabrielle M, who made an epic chimichanga.

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: The secret ingredient is time

In a minute or less: Tuna salad framework

What we’re watching: Michelin sushi chef

Cook confidently at home with the Cook Well App (new content weekly)

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Good morning. In today’s edition, we get into:

1. Using tomato paste

2. Optimizing spaghetti and meatballs

3. Keeping a sourdough starter alive with less effort

And thanks for all the awesome photo submissions, we love seeing what people are cooking for themselves at home. Send in a pic, and you might get featured in an upcoming edition!

INGREDIENT DEEP DIVE 🍳

Tomato paste

Squeeze tubes of tomato paste are so much more convenient than cans. Use what you need, then screw the cap back on. Lasts forever, and no dealing with can openers or half-used open cans in the fridge.

What is it?

Tomato paste is made from cooked down tomatoes, which get strained of seeds, then reduced into a thick and spreadable consistency. Basically tomato sauce with most of the water cooked off.

• It’s a universal product used across cuisines and readily found in pretty much any grocery store.

• Some brands label the product as “double concentrated,” but in our experience, it’s more of a marketing term. Most tomato pastes behave similarly in cooking.

While it’s often found in cans, we always tell people to buy the squeeze tube.

Tubes are convenient to squeeze out exactly what you need without having to open a full can. You’ll incorporate tomato paste way more into your cooking when it’s easy to reach for and apply, without worrying about wasting product.

What’s its flavor?

Taste: Mildly sweet, lightly sour, umami when cooked

Aroma: Stewed tomato, jammy, and almost meaty when caramelized

Sight: Deepens color in dishes

NOTE: Raw tomato paste can taste sharp and flat. Always cook it in oil for a minute or two and it transforms into the deeper flavor notes you’re looking for.

Why should you buy some?

A tube of tomato paste is cheap, shelf-stable, and tiny; it barely takes up room in the fridge or pantry.

A small spoonful can add color and savory backbone to non-tomato-based dishes, or reinforce tomato flavor by adding more.

• When fried in oil, it creates a flavor base that mimics long cooking times. Even if you don’t have meat in a dish, it browns up and creates fond the same way meat does in a pan.

It reinforces tomato flavor & color in pasta sauces, especially if you don’t have access to super ripe tomatoes or high quality canned products.

What else can you do with it?

• Bloom it in oil with garlic or spices to start soups, sauces, or stews

• Add a tablespoon to rice for color (like Mexican red rice)

• Brush onto roasted vegetables halfway through cooking for caramelized edges

• Cook into braises, chili, or beans

• When making stock, add to aromatics or bones during roasting for extra depth

  Explore these on the Cook Well app

RECIPE OF THE WEEK ✅

Optimizing spaghetti & meatballs

Basically, anytime we make a tomato sauce or chili or curry, we add in a spoonful of tomato paste to boost the flavor from the start.

That’s the case with this spaghetti & meatballs recipe, which boosts the tomato sauce flavor with a generous squeeze of tomato paste for a deep color and flavor.

On the main channel, Ethan actually tested every ingredient that went into this dish, seeing if expensive ingredients led to a better final product. The result? Aged Parmigiano Reggiano and nice canned tomatoes do make a difference. But if you don’t have access to quality canned San Marzano’s, you can compensate by adding more tomato paste when building the sauce.

For the meatballs, a trick is to use a 50/50 blend of beef & pork. For all the recipe variable and details, head to the full spaghetti and meatballs video:

READER Q&A 🧠

Simplifying sourdough

Contrary to popular belief, a starter culture is pretty resilient, and doesn’t need to be fed daily:

• You can keep a sourdough starter in the fridge and you’ll only need to feed it every few weeks. Some people claim it can even go untouched for months without dying.

• Similarly, here’s a method for no-waste, no-fuss starter upkeep (video).

And on the theme of simpler sourdough methods, check out these recipes that don’t require a perfectly fed starter:

1) Use unfed starter straight from the fridge and don’t bother making a leaven.

2) Make an easier, everyday sourdough sandwich-style bread. Perhaps less sexy than a classic sourdough boule, but much faster.

3) If you just want that sourdough flavor with less hassle, you can try a recipe that combines starter with commercial yeast for a dependable loaf.

Have a culinary question? Reply to send it in for a chance to be featured and get your question answered.

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

Homegrown breakfast sammies

This week’s dinner winner is Jacob W, who made a pair of healthy breakfast sandwiches, complete with homemade English muffins.

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: Hawaiian food, the local way

In a minute or less: Oyster farming

What we’re watching: Hong Kong's #1 street food

Cook confidently at home with the Cook Well App (new updates out!)

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Good morning. In today’s edition, we get into:

1. Using tahini

2. Mediterranean mezze style eating

3. Achieving perfectly crispy fried chicken

As always, reply to let us know what other content or cooking questions you want to see covered.

INGREDIENT DEEP DIVE 🍳

Tahini

📸 America's Test Kitchen

Tahini is a smooth paste made from ground sesame seeds. It’s a staple ingredient in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking. Think hummus, baba ghanoush, halva, and lemon- tahini sauces served with falafel and grilled meats.

• You’ll usually find it near nut butters or in the international foods aisle.

Note: In Asian cuisines, you’ll also see sesame paste, but it’s not the exact same product. Chinese and Korean sesame pastes, for example, are usually made from roasted sesame seeds, so they have a darker color and a more intense flavor.

What’s its flavor?

Aroma: Nutty, toasty, earthy

Texture: Thick and creamy with subtle graininess

Physical: Can act as an emulsifier and thickener in sauces or dishes

Why should you buy some?

Tahini is versatile: it works as a sauce base, dressing, dip, or binder, often in the place of dairy or eggs, so it’s a great vegetarian or vegan workhorse.

If you cook with peanut butter in savory applications (like stir-fry sauces), tahini can be used in the same way. Add a spoonful of water or lemon or soy sauce to transform it into a condiment, or add it to broths and dressings to make them thicker or creamy.

In sweet applications, it can add nuttiness to doughs and batters just like peanut butter would.

Buying tips

• Look for short ingredient lists (just sesame seeds is ideal).

• Lighter tahini = milder and more versatile. Darker tahini or sesame paste = bolder flavor.

• Separation is normal. Stir aggressively before using.

What else can you make with it?

• Classic tahini sauce (lemon, garlic, water, salt)

• Creamy salad dressings or grain bowl sauces

• Roasted vegetables finished with tahini + citrus

• Swirled into yogurt or labneh for a savory dip

• Desserts like halva, tahini cookies, or brownies

MEAL IDEA 🍴

Mezze style eating

Tahini is a dominant flavor in Mediterranean and mezze style eating, where you might encounter a spread of proteins, pickles, vegetables, and dips like hummus and baba ganoush, both of which get blended with tahini.

This is one of our favorite ways to eat at home. Assemble a mix of various items, grab some crackers or pita bread, and scoop everything up in a snacky meal where each bite is different.

Head over to our website for dip recipes, or check out the Cook Well App where we have a full framework on putting together a mezze table spread, which works great for hosting or feeding larger groups:

KITCHEN GEAR REC ✅

Premium Cutting Boards

At the foundation of every meal is a space to prep and care for food, and that’s why we designed the Foundations Cutting Board.

Here are three features we love about our butcher-block style cutting board:

1. Generous Size: A large, stable workspace for proper knife skills & enjoyable prep. Doubles as a kneading & rolling surface.

2. Edge Grain Construction: The maple & walnut staves are easier on knife edges than other woods, bamboo, plastic, or glass, so you won't have to sharpen your knives as often.

3. Lifetime product: With maintenance, it's designed to last a lifetime and become a family heirloom. Care kits available.

Pick one up today, available only on Cook Well:

READER Q&A 🧠

Flour vs. cornstarch fried chicken

To maximize texture, use a combo of flour and cornstarch in your fried chicken.

Answer: There’s no wrong answer here; it just depends on what you are going for with texture, color, and type of recipe.

Texture: In general, flour-based dredges make for a thicker and crunchier crust, while starch dredges can make lighter and crispier textures.

Color: Starch doesn’t brown as readily as flour does, so the resulting fried foods are often lighter in color than a flour dredge, even if cooked at the same time and temperature.

Cuisine differences: Different cultures favor one or the other based on available grains such as wheat flour or rice starch.

• Flour-based dredges are more associated with American Southern-style fried foods, like buttermilk fried chicken.

• Starch-based dredges are often seen in Asian cuisines, such as in Korean fried chicken or Japanese karaage.

The best of both worlds: Why not maximize a craggly crust that is also airy and light? These days, many fried recipes combine flour and starch (corn, potato, or rice starch), such as in this chicken strip meal.

• Use whatever ratio you want on a sliding scale between 100% flour (max crunchy) and 100% corn starch (delicate & crispy).

Have a culinary question? Reply to send it in for a chance to be featured and get your question answered.

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

Salmon bowl

This week’s dinner winner is Seth E., who made his version of our spicy salmon rice bowl, but with zucchini instead of cucumbers. Perfect example of adapting a recipe to what you have around.

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: 38 best restaurants in Tokyo

In a minute or less: Bolognese framework

What we’re watching: Olive oil 101

Get cooking: All mentioned dishes are on the Cook Well App

Foundations Cutting Board

The only cutting board you'll ever need. Comes in maple and walnut in a premium size of 24x18x1.5” Recessed handles for easy transport and no juice groove.

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Good morning.

In today’s edition, we cover:

1. Masa harina

2. Homemade corn tortillas

3. The seaweed trend

Let’s dive in.

INGREDIENT DEEP DIVE 🍳

Masa harina

What is it?

Masa harina is a finely ground corn flour made from nixtamalized corn: dried corn that’s been cooked and soaked in an alkaline solution (usually lime), which gives the end product the ability to bind with water into a pliable dough known as masa.

• Masa is the backbone of corn tortillas, tamales, pupusas, sopes, gorditas, and a huge range of traditional Mexican and Central American dishes.

These days, you can usually find masa harina in the Latin foods aisle. The most common brand is Maseca, but smaller producers exist and are worth seeking out (like Masienda).

What’s its flavor?

Taste: Neutral, mildly sweet

Aroma: Toasty, nutty, corn-forward

Texture: Soft to chewy to crispy, depending on how the dough gets shaped, cooked, or fried

Human: This is not just “corn flour.” Nixtamalization enables the mixture to be shaped into countless masa dishes across Latin America.

Why should you buy some?

Masa harina is shelf-stable, cheap, and versatile. A single bag can live in your pantry for months and unlock an entire category of cooking that fresh tortillas alone can’t.

Compared to buying tortillas or prepared dough:

• It’s lighter, cheaper, and easier to store

• You control hydration, thickness, and seasoning

• You can make tortillas or masa dishes **when you want them, fresh and hot

And even beyond tortillas, it’s a good thickener and flavor booster. A spoonful can add body and corn flavor to soups, stews, and chilis in a way wheat flour never will.

Buying tips

1. Look for masa harina labeled specifically for tortillas or tamales—regular cornmeal won’t behave the same way.

2. White, yellow, and blue masa all work similarly, but have slightly different flavors and colors.

3. Once opened, keep it sealed tight; it absorbs odors and moisture easily.

What else can you make with it?

• Fresh corn tortillas (which can then be fried into tostadas and chips)

• Tamales, pupusas, gorditas, and arepas

• Added to chili or soup as a subtle thickener

• Masa pancakes or cornbread-adjacent baked goods

FRAMEWORK OF THE WEEK ✅

Fresh corn tortillas

The best way to get familiar with masa harina is to start by making fresh tortillas. Here’s the basic process:

• Mix 1 part masa harina to 1-1.5 parts warm water until a soft, pliable dough forms.

• Roll the masa into balls, then press each ball into a thin, even round.

• Lay the pressed tortilla onto a hot griddle and cook for 30-60 seconds per side, flipping until it puffs or cooks through.

Place cooked tortillas in a towel or tortilla warmer to trap steam and finish softening while you finish the batch.

For more tips and a full framework guide to homemade tortillas, head over to the Cook Well app for all the details:

FOOD TRENDS 🚀

Seaweed

Why is seaweed suddenly everywhere?

From crispy seaweed snacks to furikake, the ocean greens are moving beyond sushi rolls and miso soup into mainstream menus. We’ve seen seaweed butter, kelp noodles, and even seaweed salads at fast-casual spots.

Why now? Well, we have three theories:

1) Built-in umami: Seaweed is naturally rich in glutamates, the compounds responsible for umami. A nori snack or seaweed garnish adds that satisfying savory note that you can’t get from salt alone.

2) Health + sustainability: People are super into fiber right now, and seaweed is packed with it. Plus, seaweed grows quickly, requires no fresh water or fertilizer, and absorbs carbon from the ocean. That sustainability story resonates with consumers, especially when brands play it up in the packaging.

3) Snackable format: Crispy seaweed sheets and seasoned snacks have made it approachable. Once consumers got used to the flavor, they’ve graduated to salads, noodles, and condiments (admittedly, seaweed in most forms is delicious).

Trend takeaway: Seaweed is shifting from niche Asian ingredient to household pantry item. Try it in nori sheets, dehydrated wakame, or in kelp ‘pasta’ form!

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

Roti & chana masala

This week’s dinner winner is Leonard B., who made chana masala (chickpea curry), cucumber raita, and homemade roti with our recipe. Nicely done!

• Btw, we just added a chana masala framework to the Cook Well App this week!

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: Start your next vacation with a food tour

In a minute or less: Kitchen organizing

What we’re watching: Samin Nosrat’s lazy sugo

Get cooking: All mentioned dishes are on the Cook Well App

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Good morning. In today’s edition, we cover

1. Using black beans

2. A black bean burger that’s actually good

3. Cheap vs expensive butter

Let’s dive in.

INGREDIENT DEEP DIVE 🍳

Black beans

What are they?

Black beans are small, glossy legumes with a dense structure and an earthy flavor. They’re a staple across Latin American, Caribbean, and Southwestern cooking—and one of the most reliable beans you can keep in your pantry.

• Black beans hold their shape better than many other beans, even after long cooking, and take on seasonings well.

Commonly sold dried or canned; both are useful to keep stocked so that you’re never far from a real meal.

What’s their flavor?

Taste & aroma: Earthy, savory, take on seasonings and acid well

Texture: Creamy interior with a firm, intact skin, unctuous with added fat

Human: A daily protein in many cuisines; comforting, filling, and familiar

Why should you buy some?

Black beans punch way above their price point. They’re cheap, filling, nutritious, and extremely forgiving.

• Canned black beans are convenient, what we most commonly use for easy meal starting points.

• Dried black beans are even more economical and have much better texture than canned, but take some advance planning to cook.

• Can be made vegan for plant-based meals.

Buying tip: Keep both. Canned for weeknights, dried for when you want the best possible pot of beans.

Cooking tip: Start with onion and garlic, season generously with salt, and finish with acid (lime, vinegar) and/or a fat of choice (like a squeeze of olive oil)

What can you make with them?

• Mashed into refried black beans as a side or tostada base

• Mixed with corn & peppers for a cold Southwestern-style salad

• Bowl base of black beans and rice with lime and cilantro

• Black bean soup finished with crema or olive oil

• Tossed into chili, stews, or soups (like tortilla soup) for texture and protein

FRAMEWORK OF THE WEEK ✅

Black bean burger

Black beans are a decent protein source, too, so they often get used in plant-based recreations, like burger patties.

But how do you make a black bean burger that actually tastes good? The key is optimizing for texture, and making two thinner patties instead of one thick one.

Years ago, Ethan did a full video investigation on the black bean smash burger, which has a lot of good info, or just check out the written recipe on our app or website here:

FOOD TRENDS 🚀

Does fancy butter make a difference?

Out of all the ingredient deep dives we’ve covered, butter is unique in that even the nicest brands are just a few dollars more than the cheapest option. But that doesn’t mean nice butter will always make a difference:

1) In raw or lightly cooked applications — like spreading on toast, making a butter sauce, or baking simple pastries — you will notice some differences.

• Higher-end butters often have higher butterfat content, less water, and a richer, creamier texture.

• Cultured butters are the most difference since they have a cheesy tang from fermentation. You’ll notice these immediately.

2) In heavily cooked applications — like sautéing vegetables or baking cookies with lots of sugar and mix-ins — the differences become a lot less noticeable.

• Once butter browns, melts into batter, or blends with bold flavors, much of the subtlety disappears.

Our take: To save money, use a standard butter for everyday cooking and baking, then splurge on a high-quality or cultured butter for spreading and finishing.

For most home cooks, a reliable mid-priced butter does the job. That said, buy one you actually enjoy. Some people love the tang of cultured European-style butter; others prefer the clean, neutral flavor of standard supermarket sticks. A grassfed, deeply yellow salted butter might increase your enjoyment of your breakfast, and that’s worth it.

If you want a deeper dive into butterfat percentages, cultured vs. sweet cream, and when it actually matters, check out Ethan’s full breakdown here.

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

Pork Belly Bao

This week’s dinner winner is Darsh G, who made crispy pork belly bites with bao buns and rice. Incredible!

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: The art of building a menu with shared plates

In a minute or less: How to roll cut

What we’re watching: Chefs around the world make coffee

Plan out your meals & groceries with the Cook Well App

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Good morning. In today’s edition, we’ll look at:

1. Why instant bouillon rocks

2. Recipes built with broth

3. The black sesame trend

Let’s dive in.

INGREDIENT DEEP DIVE 🍳

Instant bouillon

What is it?

Bouillon is concentrated stock made from dehydrated meat or vegetable broth loaded with aromatics, salts, and often, MSG. It’s sold as powders, cubes, or pastes that dissolve in water to make broth or get used directly in cooking.

Think of it as stock in its most efficient form. Powdered bouillon is common worldwide, especially in Asian and Latin American cooking, where it’s used as a salt form:

• Chicken powder in Asian cooking seasons stir-fries, noodles, and vegetables

• Tomato, chicken, or beef bouillon boosts rice, beans, stews, and even balances salsas in Mexican cooking

What’s its flavor?

Taste: Salty & umami

Aroma: Meaty & aromatic

Human: A modern way cuisines add glutamates and MSG into dishes to make food taste more complete

Why should you buy some?

It’s shelf-stable, compact, and lets you make exactly as much broth as you need, instead of opening a full carton and hoping you remember it exists.

It’s also cheap: One container replicates dozens of cartons of broth for a fraction of the price.

Bouillon worth knowing about:

• Chicken bouillon: The most versatile everyday option

• Tomato bouillon: Salty, savory, and adds red color perfect for Mexican rice and tomato dishes

• Mushroom bouillon: Deep umami without meatiness; great for vegetarian cooking

• Hondashi: Instant dashi powder for Japanese dishes, which we’ve covered in a previous edition

Buying tips

Powders and pastes are easier to use than cubes, since you can use any amount.

• Paste gives the most convincing stock flavor, but powders are easier to sprinkle into dishes as seasoning

What else can you make with it?

• Soups, stews, and braises without cartons of stock

• Rice, grains, beans, and lentils that aren’t bland

• Sauces that need seasoning & umami depth

• Savory vegetables, marinades, and rubs

Check out all of these uses and more in the Cook Well App.

FRAMEWORK OF THE WEEK ✅

Cooking with broth

Congee with crispy ground meat, enriched with a chicken bouillon stock.

A flavorful broth can enhance not just soups, but many other dishes, particularly when ingredients absorb the cooking liquid. For example, these foods greatly benefit from a quality broth or stock:

• Rice, risotto, & congee dishes (as pictured above)

• Braises

• Deglazing & pan sauces

• Salsas & stir fry sauces

• Beans, lentils, and other grains

So for all of these, bouillon is a key shortcut. If you want to get inspired, we put together a collection of recipes that use broth as a key ingredient:

FOOD TRENDS 🚀

Black sesame

Why is black sesame flavor everywhere?

Black sesame comes from the same plant as white sesame seeds, it’s just the unhulled version, which gives it a darker color and slightly deeper, toastier flavor.

From black sesame lattes and soft serve to cookies, mochi, and even crusted fish, this once-niche ingredient is becoming well known everywhere.

Why?

1) Visual intrigue: black sesame’s deep charcoal color is striking and creates a dramatic contrast. We’ve said it before: bold color shapes expectations in food before even tasting it.

• In a sea of beige pastries and green matcha drinks, black stands out.

2) Versatile flavor: it’s neutral, earthy flavor makes it a canvas for both sweet and savory applications, which has allowed the seed to take over coffee shop and restuarant menus alike.

3) Global culinary influence: As Asian cuisines continue gaining visibility worldwide, ingredients like black sesame paste and desserts are crossing into mainstream cafés and bakeries, especially in the US.

Bigger picture: Black sesame fits the sweet spot for a universally loved ingredient: visually interesting and versatile flavor across various cultures and dishes.

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

Smashburger success

This week’s dinner winner is Marko M, who made a smashburger with very lacy edges. That Maillard reaction is next level.

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: Where have all the dollar eats gone?

In a minute or less: Sticky date oatmeal

What we’re watching: Sausage & eggplant pasta

Plan out your meals & groceries with the Cook Well App

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Good morning. In today’s edition, we’ll look at:

• Using garbanzo beans

• High protein salads

• Instant yeast vs dry active yeast

Let’s dive in.

INGREDIENT DEEP DIVE 🍳

Chickpeas

What are they?

Chickpeas are garbanzo beans, the round, beige legume commonly used in Mediterranean and Indian cooking.

They’re one of the most versatile beans you can keep around, working just as well in a salad as they do mashed, blended, stewed, or roasted.

• Canned chickpeas are already cooked and weeknight-ready; dried give you more control over texture

Fun fact: Because of its high protein content, the liquid in canned chickpeas (known as aquafaba) can stand in for egg whites; use it to emulsify vegan dressings and mayo, or shake it into cocktails as a foamer.

What’s their flavor?

Taste & aroma: Mild, nutty, slightly earthy

Texture: Creamy inside with a firm skin; can be soft and brothy or crisped and crunchy

Human: These days they are a global staple, showing up in hummus, falafel, chana masala, Spanish stews, and even in Mexican home cooking.

Why should you buy some?

Garbanzo beans are a quiet pantry MVP: cheap, filling, shelf-stable, and extremely flexible.

• Their mild nature takes on flavors easily, making them ideal for spice-forward cuisines

• You can bulk up dishes easily; mix in a can for extra protein in salads, bowls, wraps, or soups.

• Roast them for crunch, mash them for spreads, or simmer them into brothy dishes

Buying tip: Choose low-sodium canned beans so you can season properly. Dried chickpeas are even cheaper and freeze well once cooked. If cooking from dried, older beans may never fully soften, so make sure to use them before they go stale.

What can you make with them?

• Hummus (classic, herby, or blended with roasted vegetables)

• Crispy roasted chickpeas for salads, grain bowls, or snacks

• Chickpea salad (tuna-style, with mayo or vinaigrette)

• Simmered into curries, stews, or pozole-style soups (as a hominy substitute)

• Smashed onto toast with olive oil, lemon, and herbs

FRAMEWORK OF THE WEEK ✅

High protein salads

Chickpeas really are a great way to bulk up salads, especially when paired with other lean proteins.

This blackened chicken salad (pictured above) is loaded with chickpeas, vegetables, and a green goddess dressing.

The high protein salad template is basically just:

• Leafy greens

• Legumes (like chickpeas) + lean proteins

• Cooked or raw vegetables

• Dressing + a few creamy or crunchy toppings

For more examples of high-protein salads, check out our app, which has a full framework guide and extra recipes:

READER Q&A 🧠

Understanding yeast types

Answer: Short version: you can almost always swap them 1:1.

Active dry yeast (ADY) and instant yeast are actually the same species, just packaged in slightly different forms.

• Active dry yeast has larger granules and traditionally needed to be dissolved (“bloomed”) in warm water first.

• Instant yeast is milled finer, wakes up faster, and can be mixed directly into flour (no blooming required).

Instant yeast was developed as a more stable, convenient upgrade. It’s generally more reliable for home cooks, stores well in the pantry (and even longer in the fridge/freezer), and behaves consistently across recipes.

• It’s much easier to just keep a few packets of instant yeast around than trying to keep a jar of ADY alive in your fridge.

Performance-wise, the difference is minor in most home baking. If a recipe doesn’t specify, instant yeast is the easiest default.

The bigger picture: Other variables in breadmaking, like time, temperature, and hydration, probably matter more, not which dry yeast you grabbed. So if a recipe specifies one or the other, don’t stress and just use what you have on hand.

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

High-protein bagels

This week’s dinner winner is Emily R., who made the two-ingredient Greek yogurt bagels covered in a previous edition.

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: 38 Best restaurants in Mexico City

In a minute or less: Chipotles in adobo

What we’re watching: Meatballs 101

Plan out the week: Organize meals & groceries with the Cook Well App

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Good morning. We’ve covered the tinned fish trend before, but today we’re diving into how you can shop for them and put them to use in your own pantry.

INGREDIENT DEEP DIVE 🍳

Tinned fish

Tinned fish is exactly what it sounds like: fish that’s been cooked, preserved, and sealed to be shelf-stable for years. Common options include sardines, anchovies, tuna, mackerel, mussels, oysters, octopus, and more.

• Tins can range from dirt-cheap to fancy, wine-bar-level pricing.

• Common formats include olive oil–packed (more unctuous), water-packed (leaner), and flavored tins (like tomato, chili, lemon, or escabeche).

What’s the flavor?

Taste: Salty, savory, deeply umami

Aroma: Briny, oceanic (varies a lot by species and packing liquid)

Texture: Flakey, meaty, soft, or chewy, depending on fish variety

Human: Many cultures treat tinned fish as everyday food or even a delicacy, not survival rations, such as in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Japan, & the Nordics

Why should you buy some?

Often, the hardest part of putting together a weeknight meal is getting the protein component done. Tinned fish gets you most of the way there.

Open one up and build from there → eat with bread, over rice, in pasta, on salads, or chop and mix into a tuna-style deli salad.

• It’s an affordable, shelf-stable protein with real flavor.

What else can you make with it?

• Sardines or mackerel on toast with lemon, chili flakes, and good olive oil

• Pasta with anchovies, garlic, olive oil, and breadcrumbs

• Tuna/trout/salmon mixed with mustard, capers, and herbs (way better than mayo-only tuna salad)

• Tinned fish over rice with soy sauce, scallions, and a jammy egg

• A sampler of tins with crackers and hot sauce

• Sardines over a leafy green or veg salad to bulk it up

If you think you’re not into tinned fish, you probably just haven’t had a good tin yet. Our rec is to start with sardines, salmon/trout, tuna, or mackerel (all milder, meaty options).

FRAMEWORK OF THE WEEK ✅

Bento-style lunches

We’ve covered the merits of bento-style lunches many times now. While these work great with cooked protein like salmon (as pictured above), they can be assembled even more easily with tinned fish.

Take inspiration from this one, or for more guidance and options, check out our comprehensive bento framework on the app:

READER Q&A 🧠

Restaurant chips & salsa

Answer: The classic restaurant vs home cooking question is something we think about a lot. It’s a good question: even the “free” chips and salsa at a casual Tex-Mex spot somehow hit different than a bag at home.

Here’s our case for why this might be true:

1) Warm chips matter more than you think

They’re usually warm, freshly fried (or at least freshly reheated), well-salted, and thinner than most grocery store versions. Warm, crisp chips against cold salsa creates temperature contrast that makes everything pop.

• Alternatively, some restaurants serve both the chips and salsa warm, which aplifies flavors of both. Temperature matters and is one of the biggest differences between home and restaurant cooking.

• At a restaurant, you’ll almost always have an ice-cold water or drink nearby, which adds to the temperature experience.

2) The salsa might be packed with more aromatics

Restaurants do volume, which means they can make fresh batches daily and pack in fresh herbs, onions, etc that might otherwise oxidize or not hold up in a jarred salsa built for shelf life.

• If making salsa at home, think of salsa less as a “tomato” based sauce, and up the ratio of aromatics: onion, garlic, lime, chiles, herbs. Check out this great video for more practical salsa tips.

3) The ambiance makes a difference

You’re out, you’re hungry, and someone brings you free food? Ambient noise, warm lighting, refreshing iced drinks, and good company all enhance the perception of foods too. This is the human element of flavor in action.

Our take: If you want to recreate restaurant-level flavor at home, the details matter: warm your chips, make a fresh batch of salsa loaded with aromatics, and even set the table to recreate the vibe.

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

Aglio e olio + shrimp

This week’s dinner winner is Adrian D, who made aglio olio pasta with shrimp for a protein boost.

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: A weeknight supper club for wintertime blues

In a minute or less: Cooking cold steak

What we’re watching: What I learned in restaurants

Cook confidently at home with the Cook Well App (newly updated!)

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Good morning. A couple of editions ago, we covered buttermilk substitutes.

A few readers wrote in to suggest buttermilk powder, a shelf-stable pantry item that you can rehydrate in any amount whenever you need buttermilk.

That’s a great solution — we’re adding it to our shopping list for the week!

INGREDIENT DEEP DIVE 🍳

Pickled peppers

What are they?

Jarred, pickled peppers are fresh peppers preserved in vinegar, salt, and sometimes sugar or spices. This is a big umbrella category: think pepperoncini, banana peppers, cherry peppers, jalapeños, Calabrians, and more.

• You’ll usually find them in the condiment or pickle aisle, but sometimes in the Italian or international section.

• They range from barely spicy to legitimately hot, whole or sliced, packed in brine or oil.

What’s their flavor?

Taste: Tangy (sour), salty, sometimes lightly sweet

Texture: Snappy when cold; soft and juicy when chopped into dishes

Physical: Mild to hot heat, depending on the pepper

Human: When using them, they remind us of deli counters, pizza shops, and Italian-American cooking

Why should you buy some?

Pickled peppers are acid + heat + salt in one move, a combo than can wake up almost any dish. A spoonful fixes bland soups, beans, sauces, or leftovers.

• They cut through rich fatty foods like cheese, meat, or fried foods.

• They last forever in the fridge and cost very little.

• They can be used whole, minced, or blended into a sauce.

Pro-tip: The brine itself is invaluable: use it like vinegar with extra personality.

What can you do with them?

• Chop and stir into tuna salad, egg salad, or potato salad

• Blend into vinaigrettes, marinades, or sandwich spreads

• Scatter over pizza, focaccia, or sheet-pan veggies

• Add to braises, bean pots, or pastas for brightness

• Finely mince into salsas, relishes, or olive oil–based sauces

Once you start treating pickled peppers like a pantry seasoning instead of a garnish, you’ll start reaching for them all the time.

If you want to make your own roasted & pickled peppers at home, check out Ethan’s video guide or recipe here.

RECIPE OF THE WEEK ✅

Pickled pepper chopped cheese

A great use for pickled peppers is to add them to sandwiches for tang, moisture, and color. Try them in this higher-protein bison chopped cheese, where the lean meat benefits from some added juiciness:

FOOD TRENDS 🚀

Wooden utensils

After decades of plastic, are wooden utensils taking back over?

In the past, we’ve covered the broader shift away from plastic in the kitchen. We’re seeing it again with spatulas and serving utensils — brands like Earlywood, which focus on handmade wooden tools, are gaining traction online and in home kitchens alike.

Why?

1) Longevity: Unlike plastic tools that warp or melt, wood can last decades. It can be sanded, re-oiled, and restored. With minimal maintenance, it’s essentially a lifetime tool — which is why there’s also a resurgence of wooden cutting boards (like ours, found here).

2) Gentle but strong: Wood is firm enough to scrape fond off the bottom of a pan, yet soft enough to avoid scratching seasoning, ceramic coatings, or nonstick finishes. A crucial tool for deglazing.

3) Aesthetic appeal: They look good! Natural materials warm up a kitchen visually and feel different from plastic products. In turn, our tools affect the experience of cooking.

Trend takeaway: The shift toward wooden utensils reflects a broader move away from disposable plastics and toward tools that are repairable, durable, and built to age well alongside your cooking.

If you want to invest in a wooden cutting board for your own kitchen, check ours out here:

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

Teriyaki poke bowl

This week’s dinner winner is Noah S, who made a colorful teriyaki salmon poke bowl.

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: The endangered cactus behind Mexico's sweet secret

In a minute or less: Which tool, what task?

What we’re watching: These 5 sauces will make you a better cook

Cook confidently at home with the Cook Well App (newly updated!)

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Good morning. In today’s edition, we cover:

1. Sesame seeds

2. Poke bowls & other recipe recs

3. Vegan Caesar dressing, explained

Let’s dive in.

INGREDIENT DEEP DIVE 🍳

Sesame seeds

What are they?

Sesame seeds are tiny, oil-rich seeds of the sesame plant used whole, toasted, or ground. They show up across a range of cuisines, from Middle Eastern tahini to Asian stir-fries to even mole sauces in Mexico.

• White (or tan) sesame seeds are hulled and mild; black sesame seeds are unhulled, slightly more bitter and earthy, and visually dramatic.

Sesame is one of those truly global ingredients that can be used for sweet or savory applications, and is now super popular in baked goods, desserts, and even drinks (like black sesame lattes & cocktails).

What’s their flavor?

Aroma: Mildly nutty when raw; deeply nutty & bread-like when toasted

Texture: Light crunch that turns creamy when ground

Sight: White seeds add subtle speckle; black seeds add instant contrast

Why should you buy some?

Sesame seeds are cheap, long-lasting, and incredibly versatile. They add flavor, texture, and visuals with almost no effort.

• They’re one of the easiest ways to add crunch to crusts—think sesame-crusted fish, chicken, tofu, or stuffed sesame balls.

• In baking and desserts, sesame brings nutty depth without sweetness: black sesame ice cream, sesame shortbread, sesame brittle, or sesame paste swirled into cakes and cookies.

• They form the base of iconic spice blends: make your own everything-bagel-seasoning, za’atar, furikake (rice seasoning) at home with just a few extra ingredients.

Usage tips: Toasting them takes under two minutes and unlocks their aroma, making them more than just a visual garnish

• For easy application, consider getting a sesame seed mill. It’s a standard household item in Japan, where it’s used like a pepper grinder.

What else can you make with sesame?

• Sesame-crusted salmon, chicken, or tofu

• Quick sesame sauce (sesame seeds/paste + soy sauce + vinegar + sugar)

• Toasted sesame over roasted vegetables, rice bowls, or noodles

• Black sesame desserts (ice cream, cookies, shortbread, mochi)

• Homemade everything-bagel-seasoning or za’atar or furikake

RECIPE RECS ✅

Garnish these with sesame

Here are some of our most popular dishes that use sesame seeds not just for visual garnish but for a hit of aroma and crunch too:

• Salmon edamame poke bowl (pictured above)

• Tuna poke bowl

• Crispy tofu salad

• Gochujang beef bowl & steak bowl

• Korean classics like bibimbap and tteokbokki

Add these recipes to your weekly plan, grocery list, or favorites folder on our app:

FOOD TRENDS 🚀

Vegan Caesar dressings

Can you really make a Caesar dressing without anchovies, egg, or cheese?

We’ve covered why classic Caesar dressing is so satisfying: layered umami from anchovies and parm, plus that rich, emulsified texture from egg yolk and oil.

So how are vegan versions pulling it off?

The base of garlic, dijon mustard, lemon, and oil stays the same. From there, it’s about smart substitutions to add the creamy & savory element. Recipes might call for any of the following ingredients:

For creaminess:

• Aquafaba (protein content acts like egg yolk substitute, becomes creamy when emulsified with oil)

• Tahini or chickpeas

• Soaked cashews or other nuts

Once blended, these recreate the body and emulsified feel you’d normally get from egg yolk.

For punchy umami:

• Nutritional yeast

• Miso

• Capers

These savory swaps won’t taste identical to anchovies and parmesan, but they approximate that salty, umami profile pretty well.

So through a combo of plant-based swaps, you can totally recreate a Caesar-style dressing without the cheese, anchovy, and egg.

The bigger picture: This is what cooking is all about — understanding what each ingredient does in a recipe Once you know the role of each ingredient (fat, acid, umami, texture), you can rebuild the same overall vibe of a specific dish to fit your needs.

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

Champion chicken katsu

This week’s dinner winner is Jarrar A, who made chicken katsu + curry over rice. Well done.

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: The rise of savory croissants

In a minute or less: Roasted brussels sprouts

What we’re watching: 12 chefs make pancakes

Download the Cook Well app: Save 30% with the annual plan

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Good morning. In today’s edition, we cover

1. Olives

2. Pasta salads

3. Buttermilk substitutes

Let’s dive in.

INGREDIENT DEEP DIVE 🍳

Using olives

What are they?

Olives are the cured fruit of the olive tree, and they actually start out bitter and inedible. What you buy (green, black, wrinkly, shiny) is the result of different harvest times and curing methods, not different “ripeness” levels like other fruits.

• Green olives are harvested earlier and cured; black olives are left on the tree longer or sometimes chemically darkened.

• Olives can be dry-cured, oil-cured, or just brined and marinated, all of which yield different flavors and textures.

After curing, jarred olives are usually pitted, and then jarred or sold fresh.

• They are sometimes stuffed with pickled peppers, garlic, anchovies, or even blue cheese.

• Increasingly, grocers in Europe and the US (like at Whole Foods) have olive bars where you can purchase by weight, a great place to mix & match to discover what you like.

How to come around to olives:

1. Castelvetrano or frescatrano olives are a great “starter olive”: mild, buttery, and crowd-pleasing if you think you “don’t like olives.”

2. If you hate black olives (like the ones on supreme pizza), you probably just don’t like mass-produced, chemically blackened olives. Try an oil-cured black olive, which will be wrinkly, delicious, and won’t have ferrous gluconate on the ingredient list, the color-changing chemical.

What’s their flavor?

Taste: Salty, lightly savory (umami), sometimes bitter

Aroma: Briny, slightly funky, fruity

Texture: Meaty, firm, or buttery (good olives should have bite, not mush)

Sight: Range from vibrant green to deep purple or black

Human: A daily table food across many Mediterranean cultures and a staple ingredient in a few iconic punchy dishes (puttanesca or muffalettas, for example). Their strong flavor can be controversial or off-putting to some people.

Why should you buy some?

If you don’t eat olives straight up, they are still a valuable cooking ingredient. Think of olives as a seasoning shortcut: they bring salt, briney acidity, light umami, plus texture, all at once.

• They last a long time in the fridge once opened (especially submerged in brine).

• Chopped up, a small handful can completely change a dish: pasta, salads, stews, chicken, fish, even in place of capers in a pan sauce.

What can you make with them?

• Olive-forward pasta (puttanesca, olive–lemon pasta, olive + anchovy situations)

• Chicken thighs or fish braised with olives, citrus, and herbs

• Added whole to shredded meat dishes like ropa vieja

• Chopped into tapenade or stirred into grain salads and roasted vegetables, or spread onto the iconic muffaletta sandwich

• Enjoyed whole on a snacky charcuterie or mezze spread

Try these and more on our app:

FRAMEWORK OF THE WEEK ✅

Punchy pasta salads

Pitted and chopped olives are the perfect addition to cold pasta salads, like this orzo version.

They add texture, color, and a punchy flavor to make bites more interesting. For more pasta salads, check out our recipe collection on the website, all of which you could add olives to:

READER Q&A 🧠

Buttermilk substitutes

You can make homemade buttermilk in a pinch by adding acid to milk, although the viscosity won't be exactly the same.

Answer: Buttermilk does two main things:

1. Adds tangy, cultured dairy flavor

2. Provides acidity, which tenderizes foods and activates leaveners (baking soda)

How you substitute it depends on what you’re cooking.

For baking (pancakes, biscuits, cake): Stir 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice into 1 cup milk and let sit 5–10 minutes. It won’t be as thick as real buttermilk, so you’ll have adjust batter consistency, but it gives you the acidity needed to activate the baking soda.

For dressings or dips (like ranch): Use thinned yogurt, sour cream, or creme fraiche for a similar tang and texture.

For marinades (like for fried chicken): You mainly need acidity, so yogurt + a splash of water works great, or milk + a little vinegar, or even just skipping the dairy entirely and using other sour marinade ingredients like pickle brine or hot sauce do the trick.

All-purpose: Kefir (a thin yogurt drink) is the closest 1:1 swap to true buttermilk.

• Often, you can buy a smaller container of kefir, a more convenient option if your store only sells large buttermilk cartons.

Storage Tip - If you’re baking often, real buttermilk might be worth buying, and extra freezes well (unlike normal milk). Just thaw and use like normal.

Have a culinary question? Reply to send it in for a chance to be featured and get your question answered.

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

Sichuan fish stew

This week’s dinner winner is Marci K, who made fish stew with pickled mustard greens (suancai yu). It’s beautiful.

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: What it took to reach a fine dining restaurant in the Himalayas

In a minute or less: Are sesame mills the new pepper grinder?

What we’re watching: Henry Laporte’s french dip shop

Plan out the week: Organize meals & groceries on the Cook Well App

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Good morning. In today’s edition, we cover

1. Fresh ginger

2. A stir-fry recommendation

3. CSA farm box shares

Let’s dive in.

INGREDIENT DEEP DIVE 🍳

Ginger

What is it?

Fresh ginger is the knobby, beige-brown rhizome of the ginger plant. Fun fact to drop at the dinner table: as a rhizome, it’s technically a stem, not a root!

It’s used across many cuisines as an aromatic that brings freshness and punch. Common in East Asian, Southeast Asian, Indian, and Caribbean cooking.

Can be used fresh, grated, sliced, minced, or smashed, depending on the dish & texture you’re going for. Usually sold whole in the produce section.

Buying tip: Look for firm, smooth-skinned ginger with a strong aroma. Wrinkly skin or soft spots mean it’s old.

What’s its flavor?

Aroma: Citrusy, slightly piney

Taste: Can be bitter if used in large quantities

Physical: Gentle pungency when raw, dissipates once cooked

Human: Immediately reminds us of certain cuisines

Why should you buy some?

A small knob is worth keeping around. It can keep for weeks in the fridge, and also freezes nicely if you don’t get through it (no peeling needed, just grate it from frozen).

• Cheap and widely available at almost every grocery store

• Can be used just like you would minced garlic (or paired with garlic)

• It balances rich or fatty foods well and wakes up bland dishes

Plus, it’s versatile in other areas of the kitchen: it can be used in tea, syrups, and cocktails too.

What can you make with it?

• Ginger–soy stir-fries, noodles, or fried rice

• Ginger-forward chicken soup or brothy dumplings

• Marinades for chicken, pork, tofu, or shrimp

• Ginger scallion sauce for rice, fish, or veggies

• Fresh ginger tea or ginger-honey syrup

Fresh ginger is one of those ingredients that just gives your food more energy. Check these out and more on our app.

RECIPE OF THE WEEK ✅

Chicken & ginger stir fry

While ginger is often used as a background aromatic, why not try is as a main ingredient? This stir-fry uses whole slices like a vegetable alongside the chicken. Don’t worry, the high heat tempers the ginger’s pungency and lets you appreciate its full flavor in big bites.

It’s a great summer dish. Try the recipe for yourself here:

FOOD TRENDS 🚀

CSA boxes

CSA = community supported agriculture. A quick google search can pull up options near you.

Here's how Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes work: Farmers sell a limited number of “shares” to the public. When you buy a share, you get a box of whatever the farm harvests each week during the season, usually vegetables, and sometimes extras like eggs, flowers, or bread.

By joining, you share in the ups and downs of farming. If the harvest is plentiful, your box is fuller. On tougher weeks for the farm, you might get slightly less.

Despite these potential inconsistencies, the CSA model has grown in popularity for both consumers and growers alike.

Advantages for farmers:

• Market and take care of sales during the off-season and before the long days in the field begin.

• Receive payment early in the season, which helps with the farm's cash flow

Advantages for consumers:

• Eat ultra-fresh produce and get exposed to new vegetables

• Develop a relationship with a farm and a farmer who grows their food

If you’re an adventurous cook, CSA’s are an amazing opportunity to be inspired by fresh seasonal produce. Most summer CSA’s are starting up right now, but many farms offer fall packages too.

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

Seared scallops

This week’s dinner winner is Adrian D, who made scallops in a lemon caper brown butter sauce. Looks great.

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: Do restaurants save the best tables for reservations?

In a minute or less: Simple cake

What we’re watching: Wok hacks

Plan out the week: Organize meals & groceries with the Cook Well App

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Good morning. If you're looking for a way to organize your cooking ideas, groceries, and weekly cooking plans all in one place, check out our Cook Well app. We’ve recently rolled out a bunch of improvements, so it’s a great time to give it a try.

INGREDIENT DEEP DIVE 🍳

Sesame oil

What is it?

Sesame oil is an oil pressed from sesame seeds, most commonly used as a seasoning rather than a cooking fat. There are two main types you’ll see:

• Toasted sesame oil has a dark amber color and is made from toasted seeds. It is intensely aromatic and used in small amounts for flavor

• Light or untoasted sesame oil is pale in color, has a neutral aroma, a higher smoke point, and is used more like a standard cooking oil (less common in Western groceries)

When people say “sesame oil,” they almost always mean the toasted kind, the one that smells like instant takeout.

• You’ll find it in the Asian or international aisle, usually in small bottles (which is ideal, you don’t use much at a time)

Buying tip: Look for bottles labeled “toasted” or “100% or pure sesame oil.”

What’s its flavor?

Aroma: Deeply toasted, nutty, unmistakable

Texture: Can add a final glossy sheen to dishes

Human: One of the most recognizable ingredient smells that transports you to the world of Asian food

Why should you buy some?

A few drops can completely change the flavor of a dish. If you want to start making Asian food, you’ll quickly have to pick some up, and it’s worth it:

• A small bottle lasts a long time (keep it sealed and ideally in the fridge to protect the aroma)

• It adds instant aroma to rice, noodles, proteins, sauces, marinades, and vegetables with zero extra effort

When using, always drizzle on at the end of cooking to preserve its aromas. The sesame oil smell can easily “cook off” if added too early!

What can you make with it?

• Finish stir-fries, fried rice, or noodle dishes right before serving

• Soy sauce + sesame oil + vinegar = instant dipping sauce

• Drizzle over eggs, dumplings, vegetables, or rice bowls

• Add a few drops to soups or broths at the very end

• Fry scallion pancakes in it

FRAMEWORK OF THE WEEK ✅

Stir-fry sauce

Soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil alone can make an aromatic stir-fry sauce, but you can follow this recipe or customize with extra seasonings like chile flakes for heat.

A great use case for sesame oil is to combine it with other pantry staples to make an all-purpose stir-fry sauce.

• Make a batch of this stuff and you can quickly whip up noodles, stir fried vegetables, or even as a fried rice seasoning shortcut.

You’ll find even more sesame oil recipes like cold sesame noodles, three cup chicken, and egg drop soup on our app:

READER Q&A 🧠

Preheating the oven

Answer: Sometimes yes. Other times it’s not actually necessary!

In baking and quick cooking applications, you need food to be hit with immediate, consistent high heat.

• Baked goods like cakes, muffins, cookies, and biscuits rely on ‘oven spring,’ an initial blast of heat that activates leaveners and sets the structure of the crumb. No preheat = flatter, denser results, especially in the case of biscuits or cookies, where butter can seep out before the dough cooks through.

• Same goes for quick, high-heat roasting. Tossing vegetables into a cold oven means they’ll slowly warm up, steam, and stick before they ever brown.

Pro move: For roasting, preheat your sheet pan while the oven heats. Add oil & vegetables to the hot pan, and you’ll hear an instant sizzle, meaning less sticking and dramatically better browning.

Other situations matter far less.

Braising, for example, is a long, slow process. The pot and the meat are going to come up to temperature gradually anyway. You can put a Dutch oven into a cold oven and let everything rise together — it won’t ruin the dish.

In fact, when cooking items where rendering fat is needed (like bacon or chicken thighs), a slow temperature climb can actually help. Starting in a cold oven or cold pan gives fat a head start to melt away gently.

Have a culinary question? Reply to send it in for a chance to be featured and get your question answered.

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

South Indian breakfasts

This week’s winner is Nandana N., who shared two examples of South Indian breakfast plus fruits and nuts:

1. Neyypathiri (rice pancakes) with green peas curry

2. Appam (rice & coconut crepe) with egg roast curry

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: How ice cream took over the dessert menu

In a minute or less: Why is the more expensive pasta better?

What we’re watching: Cheese expert tries every Trader Joe's cheese

Download the Cook Well App: Save 30% when you choose an annual subscription

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Good morning. In today’s edition, we cover:

1. Using fish sauce

2. Classic Thai takeout recipes

3. The temaki bar trend (sushi hand rolls)

INGREDIENT DEEP DIVE 🍳

Fish sauce

What is it?

Fish sauce is a fermented liquid seasoning made from anchovies (or other small fish) layered with salt and aged for months to years. Over time, the fish breaks down into a clear, amber liquid that’s intensely savory and salty.

• A staple across Southeast Asian cuisines (Vietnamese, Thai, Filipino, Cambodian, Lao)

• Sold bottled, shelf-stable, usually in the Asian/international aisle

Despite the smell right out of the bottle, it doesn’t make food taste “fishy” when used correctly. Its pungency is easily balanced by other ingredients, and the fishy aroma transforms into a “meaty” flavor when cooked.

Buying tip: Look for bottles with just fish + salt listed in the ingredients. Avoid ones with added sugar or additional “extracts” if possible.

What’s its flavor?

Taste: Deeply salty & umami

Aroma: Pungent straight from the bottle, mellow and meaty once cooked

Human: Immediately reminiscent of Southeast Asian food (e.g. how you achieve the Thai takeout flavor profile)

Why should you buy some?

If you want to venture into Southeast Asian cooking, you’ll need fish sauce.

• Its high salt content makes it super shelf-stable. A bottle lasts a long time since you usually only need a small amount at a time.

• Adds savory depth to non-Asian food too (pasta sauces, stews, beans, chili)

Pro move: If something tastes flat but is already salty enough, add a tiny splash of fish sauce instead of more salt.

What else can you make with it?

• Simple dipping sauces with lime, sugar, and chile (nuoc cham)

• Stir-fries, fried rice, or noodle dishes

• Added to tomato sauce, chili, or braised greens for umami

• Mixed into marinades for chicken, pork, or beef

• Caesar-style dressings or vinaigrettes instead of anchovies

Check these out & more on our app.

TLDR: Smells scary, but makes food addictive. Once you start cooking with fish sauce, you’ll add it to dishes like you might add a sprinkle of MSG.

RECIPE RECS ✅

Thai classics

Most people pick up a bottle of fish sauce to recreate a Thai takeout dish at home. Here are some favorites that use fish sauce as a core ingredient but don’t overpower the dish:

• Pad See Ew

• Pad Thai

• Som Tum (Papaya Salad)

• Bahn Mi

• Tom Kha Soup

• Tom Yum Soup

• Pad Kra Pao (Thai Beef Basil Stir Fry)

For the full collection of Thai takeout recipes and frameworks, check out our app:

GEAR REC 🔪

Favorite cutting board

As Ethan covered in a recent vegetable prep video, a comfortable cutting setup makes cooking easier and more enjoyable.

That’s why we designed the Foundations Cutting Board, which is our most used piece of cooking equipment.

• Our board is a generous 24x18" for comfortable prep work. It’s large, but fits horizontally or vertically on standard counter depths.

• Recessed handles and chamfered edges make the board comfortable to flip, rotate, and transport.

• Made in the USA with high-quality American hardwood maple or walnut.

This butcher block-style board is meant to live on the counter, and the edge grain design makes this a natural kitchen centerpiece.

Buy one now on our shop page:

FOOD TRENDS 🚀

Temaki bars

Why are temaki hand roll bars popping up everywhere?

Temaki are cone-shaped sushi rolls meant to be eaten by hand immediately after they’re made to best enjoy the crisp nori exterior with warm rice and fresh fish tucked inside.

• Unlike traditional sushi restaurants with long menus, temaki bars focus on a tight lineup of rolls, often served one at a time directly from chef to guest.

Why have they been so well received?

1. Texture and temperature contrast: Crisp seaweed against warm, seasoned rice and cool fish hits multiple sensory notes at once.

2. Easy ordering: The streamlined, focused menus mean diners aren’t overwhelmed by the options. Often, you can choose from a preset omakase-style tasting of a set number of rolls for a value price.

3. Interactive, social format: Temaki are passed across the counter one by one. You eat, chat, then wait for the next. It slows the meal down and turns dinner into a shared experience. The spirit of omakase, but in a more casual setting (and easier price tags).

Bigger picture: Like izakayas and tasting-menu counters, temaki bars reflect a shift toward experience-driven dining: tighter menus, high-quality ingredients, and meals designed as a memorable event, not just a meal.

WINNING PHOTO SUBMISSION 🏆

Breakfast burger

This week’s winner is Jamie P, who made a bacon, egg, & cheese breakfast burger “with lots of spicy mayo and good coffee.” A great way to start the day.

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: The best bars in Singapore

In a minute or less: The best eggs for a sandwich

What we’re watching: Hot dog taste test

Plan out your week of meals & groceries with the Cook Well App

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Good morning. In today’s edition, we cover:

1. Why pesto isn’t just a pasta sauce

2. A sandwich for the spring & summer

3. How to achieve fluffy pancakes

INGREDIENT DEEP DIVE 🍳

Pesto

What is it?

Traditional Genovese pesto is just basil, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan, and olive oil. We think of pesto more as a general condiment and formula, not a set recipe: a loose blend of greens or herbs, some kind of nut or seed, alliums, olive oil, and something salty. From there, it’s endlessly adaptable.

• Use it to clean out your fridge: wilting herbs, leftover greens, half-open bags of nuts.

• It can be smooth or chunky, bright or earthy, cheesy or dairy-free.

Whether you make it yourself or grab a pre-made jar, pesto is really about having a saucy flavor booster on hand.

What’s its flavor?

Taste: Mildly salty, savory, lightly bitter, depending on the greens

Aroma: Nutty, herbaceous, garlicky

Texture: Unctuous, anywhere from coarse to creamy

Color: Adds green vibrancy

Human: Although strict traditional versions exist, pesto has become a universal sauce with versatile applications beyond Italian cooking

Why should you make some?

Pesto is one of the highest-effort-to-reward ratios in cooking. A 5-minute blitz turns scraps into a ready-to-use sauce (check out our framework here)

• It instantly upgrades simple food: pasta, eggs, grilled meat, roasted veggies. It works hot or cold, as a sauce, spread, or finishing touch.

Storage: Pesto keeps well in the fridge for a week, or frozen for months in small portions. spoon it into ice cube trays or flatten in zip-top bags and break off chunks as needed.

What all can you use it on?

• Toss with hot pasta and pasta water for an instant sauce

• Spread on sandwiches, wraps, or grilled cheese

• Spoon over roasted vegetables, chicken, fish, or steak

• Stir into rice, grains, or beans

• Mix with breadcrumbs to crust proteins with

• Swirl into soups, eggs, or yogurt for a quick sauce

Check these out & more on our app.

RECIPE OF THE WEEK ✅

A sandwich for spring & summer

Of course, you can use pesto to throw together quick weeknight pastas. But we also use it as a condiment to bring color and vibrancy to sandwiches as the weather warms up, like the one pictured here.

Check out this focaccia turkey sandwich on the website, or remix the recipe to make it your own on the Cook Well app:

READER Q&A 🧠

Fluffy pancakes

Answer: Fluffy pancakes come from thick batter + leavening agents, plus a few other tactics you can try:

1) Thicker batter

A slightly thicker batter spreads less on the pan, giving you height instead of wide, thin cakes. Use less liquid when mixing your batter.

2) Boost the leavening

Make sure your baking powder is fresh, and use slightly more than the recipe might call for.

A combo of baking powder + baking soda (with something acidic like buttermilk or yogurt to activate the soda) gives an even better rise.

• For even more bonus points, try adding yeast to the mix for yet another layer of air bubbles (you’ll have to budget for fermentation/proofing time, though).

3) Use egg whites strategically

For maximum fluff, whip the egg whites separately and fold them in. This traps air and creates a lighter texture. It’s more work and clean up, but can yield almost soufflé-like pancakes (the jiggly, towering Japanese-style pancakes use this method too).

4) Control the shape

Try the Golden Diner-style one-pan method: cook in a small, rounded nonstick pan so the batter sets upward instead of spreading flat like it would on a wide griddle.

The bigger picture: Pancakes are the ultimate dish to play with the variables and practice experimentation. Check out Ethan’s pancake video investigation, website recipe, or for app users, we have a framework loaded there for you to remix and document versions easily.

Have a culinary question? Reply to send it in for a chance to be featured and get your question answered.

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

Yucatan tacos

This week’s dinner winner is Drew C., who made Yucatan chicken & steak tacos with chiltomate salsa.

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: The Atlanta belt line has changed how the city eats

In a minute or less: Banana pudding

What we’re watching: How one of the oldest Japanese snacks is made

Plan out your week of meals & groceries with the Cook Well App

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Good morning. In today’s edition, we cover:

1. Why roasted jarred peppers are worth stocking up on

2. Pasta salad recipes

3. The ‘crisp plates’ snack trend

INGREDIENT DEEP DIVE 🍳

Roasted & jarred peppers

Ethan’s homemade peppers, made easily following this method.

What are they?

Roasted peppers are usually made from bell peppers cooked until their skins blister and blacken, then peeled to reveal soft, sweet, deeply flavored flesh underneath.

You can roast them yourself over a flame or in the oven—or buy them already peeled and packed in jars.

• Roasting drives off water, softens the flesh, and adds light smokiness

• Typically stored in oil, brine, or vinegar when jarred

What’s their flavor?

Taste: Sweet, lightly acidic if seasoned with vinegar

Aroma: Roasted, vegetal, lightly smoky if charred

Texture: Silky, tender, almost jammy when cooked

Sight: Adds pops of red color

Why should you buy some?

Jarred peppers are versatile for weeknight cooking They add sweetness, body, and color to dishes. They blend right into sauces, spreads, and soups.

• Diced up, they can be used as a condiment addition on sandwiches, eggs, grain (try mixing into beans or lentils), or pasta dishes

Buying tip: Look for jars packed with just peppers, oil or water, salt, maybe vinegar. Avoid brands with added sugar or excessive preservatives. Once opened, keep them submerged in their liquid and refrigerated.

Homemade note: If roasting yourself, let them rest covered so they steam and the skins slip off easily.

What can you make with them?

• Roasted red pepper pasta sauce or soup (blended smooth) with added feta

• Romesco-style sauce with nuts, garlic, and olive oil

• Layered into sandwiches, wraps, or grilled cheese

• Blitzed into hummus, mayo, or yogurt sauce

• Super quick ‘Muhamarra’ dip

Check these out & more on our app.

RECIPE RECS ✅

Pasta salads

A great use case for jarred roasted peppers is adding them right into pasta salads, which take on vegetables and condiments really well. They’ll add pops of color, texture, and sweet bites of flavor to the dish.

Check out the collection:

FOOD TRENDS 🚀

Spanish-inspired crisp plates

Why are “crisp plates” taking over?

Crisp plates are an assembled pile of salty, crunchy, or briney toppings on a bed of potato chips, often with ingredients from the Iberian peninsula: olive oil fried potatoes, brined olives or peppers, anchovies, Marcona almonds, jamón, crumbled aged cheese, or even tinned fish.

Last year, the trend took off as the snack of the summer, but we’ve been seeing it on dinner party and wine bar menus ever since.

Why does it work?

1. Pure salt, fat, acid without filler: It’s what we all really want from a plate of food, especially a snack:

   • Salt (and umami) from the crisps, cured meats, & anchovies

   • Fat from olive oil, nuts, and cheese, or oil-packed tinned fish

   • Acid from briny olives or additions like pickled peppers or hot sauce

2. Satisfying textures: Contrast is one of the fastest ways to make food exciting. Chips and nuts are crispy and crunchy, olives and anchovies are soft but meaty, and cheese and ham provide a nice chew. The textural interplay keeps simple ingredients interesting.

3. Mediterranean minimalism: A handful of high-quality ingredients served simply. It’s all about the spirit of Spanish aperitivo culture of low effort, flavorful eating.

Cooking takeaway: Sometimes assembling a few punchy ingredients beats a complicated recipe.

• Btw, the above-mentioned jarred peppers would work great on crisp plates!

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

Detroit-style pizza

This week’s dinner winner is Hans. B, who made Detroit-style pizza with bacon jam, ricotta, and pepperoni.

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: Your phone belongs in your pocket, not on the table

In a minute or less: Kitchen techniques with Samin Nosrat

What we’re watching: Three corn hacks

Interact with all linked recipes on the Cook Well App

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Good morning. Canned tuna is one of our all time favorite ingredients that we use and talk about a lot. Below are some practical tips to take full advantage of it at home.

INGREDIENT DEEP DIVE 🍳

Canned tuna

_{📷: Epicurious}

What is it?

Cooked tuna preserved in a can, usually packed in either water or oil. It’s one of the most reliable protein shortcuts you can keep around—cheap, shelf-stable, and endlessly flexible.

• Common varieties include albacore (often labeled “white”) and skipjack (usually labeled “light”)

• Found in every grocery store, from bargain brands to high-end, olive-oil-packed options

• Fully cooked and ready to eat with minimal prep required

You might think of it as pantry survival food, but we’ve become obsessed with it as a staple for quick meals.

What’s its flavor?

Taste & aroma: Mildly briny, savory, gently fishy (more so with “light” tuna than “white” albacore)

Texture: Flaky and firm; oil-packed tuna can be unctuous

Physical: Lean and protein-forward

Why should you buy some?

Canned tuna is one of the highest payoff proteins you can own. It turns nothing into something, fast. It’s inexpensive, widely available, and lasts for years in the pantry.

It plays well with bold flavors (mustard, capers, olives, hot sauce) and subtle ones alike (mayo, lemon, herbs) Even with zero planning, discovering a can in your pantry can be combined with other leftover ingredients to make a high protein meal.

Our favorite dishes to make:

• Classic tuna salad (mayo or olive oil, mustard, lemon, celery & onion, herbs)

• Tuna melt with sharp cheese and good bread

• A simple dressed salad boosted with chunks of tuna for protein

• Pasta with tuna, garlic, chili flakes, and olive oil

• Rice bowls with tuna, soy sauce, sesame oil, and scallions

Check these out & more on our app.

Buying guide — what’s the best tuna to buy?

Tuna in water makes a cleaner, lighter salad. Tuna packed in oil adds richness with slightly better texture. Look for sustainably caught brands (line or pole caught) if possible.

“Solid” tuna will have more intact filets with bigger pieces, while “Chunk” tuna will be more broken up. “White” tuna is albacore, and has a milder flavor, while “Light” tuna is skipjack, and has a stronger flavor.

Common label examples:

• Solid White: Larger, intact pieces with mild flavor (often more premium)

• Chunk Light: Broken up flakes with a fishier, stronger aroma (often more economical)

We go into all of these terms in this deep dive. Experiment to find your favorite, or even mix a few different cans to get the best flavors and textures of both (as mentioned below).

RESOURCE RECS ✅

Tuna salad testing

On the Cook Well channel, Ethan broke down all the different canned tuna terms, then used a blend of two to make an optimized tuna salad. Follow along in the video for the recipe, or check out the written tuna salad framework in the app:

READER Q&A 🧠

Avoiding grainy melted cheese?

Answer: Cheese is a mix of fat, water, and milk proteins. When heated gently, those components stay suspended and creamy. But if the heat is too high, the fat separates from the proteins. That’s when you see oily pools and gritty texture.

Here are the most common culprits:

• Too much heat → proteins tighten up and squeeze out fat

• Aged cheeses → less moisture, more prone to breaking

• No stabilizer → nothing holding fat and water together

• Adding cheese too quickly to a recipe → uneven melting & heating

For queso or mac & cheese, a traditional roux can help emulsify liquid and cheese, but it makes for a grainier end result and won’t always get you a perfectly smooth sauce — especially with sharper, aged cheeses.

If you want ultra-creamy results, use a modern emulsifier:

• A cornstarch slurry or gel is a simple, homemade stabilizer

• A sprinkle of sodium citrate (the emulsifier in American cheese) keeps everything silky, available online or in specialty stores.

• Or, more practically, add ~25% processed American cheese to a more flavorful cheese, which will add enough sodium citrate to smooth out your homemade queso or cheese sauce.

Ethan tested this in the mac & cheese science video and found that even small additions of American cheese dramatically improves smoothness — without making the sauce taste like stadium nachos.

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

Steak burrito bowl

This week’s dinner winner is Steve S. who made a steak burrito bowl with grilled flank steak, fire roasted corn, and spicy black beans.

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Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: The smartest way to ask servers for recommendations

In a minute or less: Panda Inn orange chicken

What we’re watching: Microwave hacks

Download the Cook Well App on iOS or Android

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Good morning. In today’s email, we cover:

1. Why arborio rice is worth

2. How to figure out what to cook each week

3. Baking soda vs baking powder

Let’s dive in.

INGREDIENT DEEP DIVE 🍳

Arborio rice

What is it?

Arborio is a short-grain Italian rice variety best known for being called for in risotto. It’s grown primarily in northern Italy and prized for its high starch content (specifically amylopectin) which is what gives risotto its signature creamy texture even before adding dairy.

• You’ll usually find it near other rice or dry pantry items, sold in most supermarkets these days.

What’s its flavor?

Taste: Mild, slightly sweet, neutral (a great canvas)

Aroma: Pleasantly nutty, especially when toasted before cooking

Texture: Creamy and saucy on the outside, with a gentle bite at the center when cooked properly

Why should you buy some?

Arborio should earn pantry space beyond just making classic risottos. It absorbs flavor extremely well, whether that’s stock, tomato sauces, saffron, or seafood juices. That’s why it can work in a pinch for dishes like paella, baked rice casseroles, or even rice puddings (even though purists may object).

Its starchiness makes it fairly forgiving. Even if you slightly overcook it, you usually still end up with something rich and creamy. Cooked al-dente, and it makes a great grain base for bowls that are texturally more interesting than standard medium grain rice.

If you don’t want to stock five types of rice for specialty dishes, Arborio is an economical & widely available option that can cover the following niche varieties:

• Carnaroli or Vialone Nano: Often considered the king & queen of risotto rice, but arborio performs almost as well for cheaper.

• Bomba or Calasparra: Spanish rices used for paella. Not traditional, but you can sub in Arborio in a pinch.

• Calrose or other short-grain rice: Arborio might not work for sushi, but if you’re after the slightly sticky short grain feel, it’s much close to these varieties than long grain.

What else can you make with it?

• Risotto variations (like mushroom) or even paellas

• Cheesy baked rice casseroles

• Rice pudding or creamy coconut rice

• Congee or savory porridge-style rice

• Sticky grain bowls

Check out all of these & more on our app.

RESOURCE REC ✅

How do you figure out what to cook each week?

We all face the same problem as home cooks — what to plan, shop for, and cook for yourself or others, week in and week out.

We just launched a new feature on the Cook Well app that helps with this exact issue: Meal Plan of the Week. 

Each week, we share a fresh guide of four dinners (Monday-Thursday) with overlapping ingredients to make shopping easier. If you buy enough for leftovers, you’ll have lunches covered too.

We’ve found that planning just four meals is a realistic starting point. It’s enough structure to know “what’s for dinner?” while still leaving room for eating out or a change of plans here or there. Weekends are intentionally open.

And if you’re not feeling this week’s plan? Scroll through the previously published meal plans to find one that fits your week.

So if you want to start cooking better meals this week (and save 30% when you sign up for the yearly plan), click the link below:

READER Q&A 🧠

Baking soda vs. baking powder

Answer: Both are leavening agents that help baked goods rise, but they work slightly differently.

1) Baking soda: pure sodium bicarbonate. It needs an acid (like buttermilk, yogurt, lemon juice, or even brown sugar) to activate. Once mixed with liquid + acid, it reacts immediately, so get it in the oven quickly.

• Because baking soda is alkaline (basic), it aids caramelization and the Maillard reaction for nice golden brown colors.

2) Baking powder: baking soda + built-in acid. It’s a complete system, so it only needs moisture and heat to activate. Most baking powder is “double-acting,” meaning it reacts first when wet and again in the oven.

When to use which:

• If your recipe has acidic ingredients → baking soda works on its own

• If it doesn’t → use baking powder for a more reliable lift

Or, just use both, which is what many recipes use to ensure consistent rise & better browning.

Have a culinary question? Reply to send it in for a chance to be featured and get your question answered.

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

Cod grenobloise

This week’s dinner winner is Adrian D with an impressive French classic.

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: How to throw a dinner party

In a minute or less: Spicy rigatoni

What we’re watching: 5 Star chicken parm

Download the Cook Well App on iOS or Android

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Good morning. In today’s edition, we cover:

1. Ground beef & why we always keep it on hand (in the fridge or freezer)

2. Recipes to expand your ground beef horizons

3. How to fix a dish that’s too salty

Let’s dive in.

INGREDIENT DEEP DIVE 🍳

Ground beef

What is it?

This might be obvious, but it’s beef trim or tougher, economical cuts that get pushed through a meat grinder, and then can be kept loose (as pictured) or vacuum-packed into tubular or square packaging.

It’s sold by fat percentage (80/20, 85/15, 90/10, 93/7), which means you can get a wide variety of textures out of it.

What’s its flavor?

Taste & aroma: Mild, savory, and beefy (acts more like a flavor sponge than a dominant ingredient)

Texture: Crumbly when browned, juicy when higher-fat, bouncy if made into meatballs or kofte

Human: A foundational protein across cultures—tacos, dumplings, pasta sauces, kebabs, burgers, rice bowls, etc

Why should you buy some?

Because it’s one of the more affordable and widely available proteins in any grocery store, and freezes exceptionally well, we consider it one of our top “always-have-around” ingredients.

• Cooks in minutes, making it perfect for weeknights or last-minute meals

• Takes on spices, sauces, and aromatics better than almost any whole cut of meat

• Easy to stretch with beans, rice, pasta, or vegetables

Freezer Tip: Portion ground beef into thin, flat slabs in a zip-top bag before freezing. It defrosts incredibly fast—and can even be cooked straight from frozen with a hot pan, breaking it up as it sears.

What can you make with it?

• Weeknight tacos, burrito bowls, or lettuce wraps

• Bolognese-style pasta sauce or quick beef ragù

• Smash burgers, meatballs, or kofta-style kebabs

• Stir-fried ground beef with soy sauce, garlic, and scallions

• Beef fried rice or Korean-inspired beef bowls

Check out all of these & more on our app, or peruse the free online recipes below:

RECIPE RECS ✅

Use ground beef in these recipes

Ground beef cooks fast, absorbs flavor easily, and adapts to almost any cuisine you throw at it. It can sub other ground meats like lamb or pork

We’ve put together a collection of recipes to expand your ground beef horizons, which cover a variety of cuisines, textures, and flavor profiles:

READER Q&A 🧠

Correcting saltiness

Answer: It depends on the dish, but you have a few options:

1 — Balance it: The first thing to try is to add contrasting flavors. Salt perception can be softened with acidity, sweetness, or fat.

• A squeeze of lemon or a splash of vinegar balances salt with sourness.

• A small pinch of sugar can counter sharp salinity.

• Adding cream, yogurt, olive oil, or avocado can mellow the intensity.

While you’re not removing salt, you’re rebalancing the five tastes so it doesn’t dominate. This works on lightly over-seasoned dishes, but won’t correct a huge error.

2 — Dilute it: A more drastic fix is to increase the total volume of the dish without adding more salt. This works best for soups, stews, sauces, and grains. Add more unsalted broth, water, vegetables, rice, or beans. The total salt content stays the same, but it’s spread across more food.

• If it’s very salty, you could make a second unsalted batch of the same recipe and combine the two (like Ethan showed here with a pico de gallo)

3 — Change the temperature: Cold foods require more seasoning to taste flavorful. If a dish is slightly over-salted, serving it chilled (when appropriate) can reduce perceived saltiness.

• This won’t save everything, but it can help with grain salads, soups, vegetables, or proteins that make sense serving chilled instead of hot.

But to avoid over-salting in the first place, season gradually and taste as you go. Be especially careful when reducing sauces, broths, or liquids (salt concentrates) or adding salty finishing ingredients like Parmesan, soy sauce, olives/capers, or cured meats. Those last-minute additions can quickly tip a dish over the edge.

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

Teriyaki salmon

This week’s dinner winner is Tosh M., who made teriyaki pan-fried salmon with rice and homemade miso soup. Pro!

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: The best meal I had in Copenhagen was an airport hot dog

In a minute or less: Special BBQ sauce

What we’re watching: Chefs around the world make toast

Interact with every mentioned recipe on the Cook Well App

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