I'm knee-deep in#cook90, and though it's only the first week, it's already forcing me to reevaluate the way I cook. How have I been managing with this chef's knife that so badly needs to be sharpened? Why have I been throwing away so many herbs? On #cook90, I'm not just cooking more—I'm figuring out how I'm going to keep on cooking all year. And that means one thing: resolutions. Lots of them. Here's my list.
1. Write better grocery lists
That means scouring your kitchen before heading out andwriting a "Do Not Buy" list.
2. Get an Instant Pot
Whether you think it's agame-changeror a fad, the Instant Pot can do everything. Seriously. I'm talkingyogurt,carnitas,enchiladas,cobbler.
3. Stop letting fresh herbs go to waste
If I had a dollar for every time I bought a big bunch ofparsleyonly to use a quarter of it and let the rest go limp, I would be embarrassingly rich. Whether I need to throw together afridge-dive pestowith leftover tender herbs,freeze them, makeherb saltorinfused drinksorcompound butter, or just learn tostore them better, 2018 will be the year of fewer wasted herbs.
4. Try a new recipe once a week
It's easy toget in a cooking rut. (Case in point: anyone who ate at my apartment over the summer atethis.) So this year, I'm making a concerted effort to try at least one new recipe every week (parchment-roasted salmon, I'm coming for you).
5. Refresh your kitchen gear
Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there are7 items that need to be replaced annually. Time to get on that.
6. Zest!
A small but impactful habit to get into: before slicing and juicing citrus,zest themand add that concentrated flavor to whatever you're using the juice in—baked goods,pastas,cocktails...evenon potato chips.
7. Read the classics
There are 10 essential cookbooks inthe Epicurious canon, and, really, they're all worth owning. And reading. And filling with post-its and dog-eared pages.
8. Learn how to make the staples
Do you eathummusevery day? And spend five bucks onkombucharegularly? Learn how to make these things yourself and you'll never go back to store-bought again.
9. Shop earlier in the day
If you put off your big weekly grocery shop until Sunday night, there's no way in hell you're going to have the energy torinse your fruit, de-stem your kale, or marinate your meat——事情会使你一周的烹饪easier. So resolve to shop early in the day, then prep for the week at your leisure.
10. Host more
You don't need to go all-out to host a killer dinner party. In fact, you don'treallyneed tocook at all. But hosting friends for dinner, no matter how simplethe meal, is a powerful tool for happiness.
11. Cook through an entire cookbook, à laJulie and Julia
Naturally, we've gotsome suggestions.
12. Clean the freezer out
It's time. Get rid of thatgross iceand thatpair of jeans, and make room forchicken kofta meatballsandcheesy cauliflower.
13. Clean the oven, too. And your range hood.
Those corners of the kitchen get really grimy.Give 'em a refreshand feel like a champ.
14. Start making doughs from scratch
Put down the store-boughtpizza doughand that weird tube ofcookie dough. Those are easy to make at home! And once you master those, you can move on to more complex stuff, likehomemade puff pastry.
15. Get a smaller garbage can
Because smaller trash cans encourage lessfood waste.
16. Label leftovers
I plan ongoing all Marie Kondoon my freezer this year, especially in the wake of#cook90. That means labeling every container with the dish name and the date, and tossing the weird old containers that have been kicking around in there forever.
17. Make spice blends from scratch
Store-bought blendsmake great gifts, but this year, I want to trymaking them myself.Bonus aspect of this project: it will get me to purge my spice cabinet of anything and everything that's expired. (Yes, spicesdo go stale!)
18. Invest in a good knife
Everybody needsone good chef's knife. It also helps to know how tosharpen and hone itproperly. Once all that is in place, cooking gets easier, safer, and more fun—in 2018, and...forever!
Need an even bigger goal to kick off 2018? Try cooking every meal you eat this month.
