Deb Perelman of “Smitten Kitchen,” is world renowned for her kitchen skills. With a blog drawing in chefs from all over the world, Deb has an endless supply of tips and life hack that she generously she shared with The Knockturnal during her time at Ford’s Life Hack Academy Live
Meal Prep Tips For College Students:
“I really think that soups and stews really are something when you make it at once you can reheat it all week. Also, this is such a first world problem, but you get kind of tired of leftovers. Just because you made it Sunday doesn’t mean you have to eat it Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. You can freeze it in one cup containers with a little ziplock bag, even a sandwich size and then in a couple weeks you can eat it again. So I feel like soup and stews work really well and also casserole-y things, maybe some potatoes, some vegetables, throw in some cream cheese (just a little bit) and make enough so you don’t mind eating it all week. So whatever the balance is, because that stuff reheats any well. That’s the big stuff but you can also always do a good loaf of bread and throw and egg on it, and sautee some vegetables to make a really nice dinner for one and that’s always a good foundation.”
Deb’s Number One Kitchen Hack:
“I’m always looking for ways to add extra flavor to stuff, for example, if you put nuts in things I feel like the difference between toasted nuts and un-toasted nuts is miles apart. Literally, toasted pecans taste like pecan pie and untoasted taste a little waxy. So if you’re coming from the grocery store on a Sunday, I would throw pecans on a pie and roast them at 350, 7-10-12 minutes, depending on what it is. Let it cool off, then put it in a jar and you can use it in a salad in place of croutons. I feel like even if it comes like roasted almonds, if you could get a little more color on them then they taste all the better. Also, you can put a little bit of fine sea salt on it, so now when you’re looking for a snack it’s amazing because it’s low calorie. So that’s something that I do when I don’t feel like making the extra effort after I’ve come home from the grocery store. Also for college students I would say bread is a go-to. Buy a loaf of bread, slice it up, and freeze it, that way when you need it or you want something you can defrost it by toasting it.”
What’s Up Next For Deb:
I just finished a big tour for my book that came out in October, so I did 24 cities. So I’ve been doing very well and I like it (laughs) I feel like I should say something like here’s my plan for world domination (laughs) but first I’ll be taking a nap.But no, just getting back to the normal routine of things cook some new recipes, try out new things, and re-fill the well a little bit. I’m thinking about doing some travel this year, and just really soaking it all up- then after that I’ll start planning my next project.
