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    How to Make Dinner Out of Pantry Ingredients

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    Make those everyday staples anything but boring with these expert tips.It’s coming up on five years since the pandemic lockdown instigated our collective spate of panic-buying groceries. And I’m pleased to report that I’ve finally gotten through my bulk order of canned sardines.I ate those sardines on buttered toast (divine, with a squeeze of lemon, some sliced red onions, loads of black pepper), stirred them into chickpea salads and mashed them with sautéed garlic for quick pasta sauces. And if I wasn’t feeling sardine-ish, I also had a minor sea’s worth of tuna, salmon and anchovies rubbing fins with the canned beans and tomatoes, bags of rice, boxes of pasta and jars of tahini, preserves, pickles and chiles packed tight on every shelf. My pantry is comfortingly and reassuringly filled to the gills (and not just with gills).I know I’m not alone. Because if there’s one thing the pandemic underscored, it’s that having a well-stocked pantry goes beyond the convenience of fast, easy meals. All those pastas and beans bring peace of mind. No matter the havoc raging in the outside world — be it pandemics and hurricanes or just too much work to think about grocery shopping — there’s a grounding calm in knowing you always have something on hand to make into dinner tonight. Also inherent in pantry cooking is thrift. Cooking at home is already a money-saver compared with eating out or ordering in, especially when it’s based on an economical roster of beans, rice and pasta.All that said, pantry cooking is more than merely getting a meal on the table. Now that you’ve assembled all those ingredients, what are the best, most flavorful and appealing ways of using them both quickly and easily? After all, if you already don’t have the time or energy to shop, you might not have much in the reserves for cooking, either.As I’ve worked down my bulk orders, I’ve learned that finding ways to turn everyday staples into meals that sparkle isn’t hard, as long as you have the right ingredients on hand. Here are some of my best strategies, tips and shopping suggestions to making pantry meals with style.Color With CondimentsThink of your pantry staples as blank canvases, waiting for the Abstract Expressionism of your condiments. Stock up on bright, bold items that you know you love, and throw in a couple of new ones to play with. My palette includes chile crisp and chile paste, Dijon and whole-grain mustard, olive tapenade, red curry paste, several hot sauces, Indian pickles (lime, mango and mixed), red and green salsas, and I use them with an open hand. Adding a few spoonfuls of your favorite condiment to classic pantry recipes can transform them from workaday to wonderful.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      A Local’s Guide to Chiang Rai, Thailand

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      Four insiders on where to stay, eat “micro-seasonal” dishes and shop for handmade pottery and textiles.T’s monthly travel series, Flocking To, highlights places you might already have on your wish list, sharing tips from frequent visitors and locals alike. Sign up here to find us in your inbox once a month, along with our weekly roundup of cultural recommendations, monthly beauty guides and the latest stories from our print issues. Have a question? You can always reach us at tmagazine@nytimes.com.Travelers to the northern provinces of Thailand have long been drawn by two things — elephant camps and campy temples. The most famous examples of each are within or near the 13th-century city of Chiang Rai, where the Wat Rong Khun, or White Temple, stands as an artist’s parable of the world’s ills, as depicted in the form of pop culture villains and other icons of kitsch. (If crossing a sea of grasping arms at the entrance doesn’t terrify you, beware the Freddy Krueger-themed hanging planters.) Chiang Rai is also where the Emerald Buddha, a national treasure now housed in Bangkok’s Grand Palace, was reportedly discovered in 1434. According to legend, a bolt of lightning cracked the stupa in which it had been hidden years prior.Chiang Rai — the city shares its name with the surrounding province — has gained a reputation as something of a tourist trap, thanks to the tour buses that ferry visitors from the White Temple to the equally gaudy Blue Temple and then to the very bleak Black House (which the artist Thawan Duchanee, who died in 2014, decorated with elephant skulls and antlers and a table runner made of snakeskin). But the city, having played second fiddle to the luxe-boho paradise of Chiang Mai ever since King Mang Rai moved the capital of the Lanna Kingdom — which ruled over most of what is now northern Thailand — to the “new city” in 1296, has more recently emerged as an unhurried haven for serious artists and other creative professionals seeking to escape the heat and sprawl of Bangkok.The third edition of Thailand’s roaming Biennale, which brought dozens of international and Thai artists to Chiang Rai this past winter and spring, shed light on an often-overlooked aspect of the city — its long history as a cultural crossroads. Owing both to its proximity to Laos and Myanmar and, to some degree, the Golden Triangle’s uncomfortable past as a center of the global drug trade, Chiang Rai has been the site of intermingling cultures for centuries.“The constant migration of people of different races and religions make this an interesting place both geographically and culturally,” says the Chiang Rai-born artist and gallerist Angkrit Ajchariyasophon. In 2023, Chiang Rai was also recognized by UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network for its sustainable architecture design and landscapes. “My house is near the city’s oldest Christian church, close to an Islamic mosque and a Buddhist temple off the same road,” says Ajchariyasophon. “This is where I grew up and learned about cultural diversity, which I find wonderful.”Today, multigenerational family-run restaurants featuring traditional Thai, Chinese and Myanmarese specialties likewise share a slow-movement sensibility with hipster cafes that serve coffee from beans grown on local farms, and stylish home stays that incorporate teak wood scavenged from nearby forests. Here, Ajchariyasophon and other Chiang Rai enthusiasts offer their recommendations on where to stay, eat, shop and sightsee in and around the city.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Join NYT Cooking for an ‘Easy Weeknight Dinners’ Book Talk in N.Y.C.

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      Emily Weinstein, Melissa Clark and Eric Kim will discuss the new cookbook, recipe writing, their go-to meals and tips for simple yet delicious cooking in a special event with Taffy Brodesser-Akner on Oct. 7 at the Times Center.Join us in person at the Times Center in New York City to celebrate the publication of New York Times Cooking’s new book, “Easy Weeknight Dinners,” by Emily Weinstein, editor in chief of Cooking and the Food section, with recipes from Cooking’s extraordinary contributing writers. Inspired by one of The New York Times’s most popular newsletters, Emily’s “Five Weeknight Dishes,” this book offers 100 fast and flavorful meals that will satisfy whether you’re seeking a standout dinner for one, crowd pleasers for picky kids or something special for company. Just because you’re busy doesn’t mean that you can’t have something excellent to eat.As a guest of this exclusive event you’ll have an opportunity to hear directly from Emily, who will be joined onstage by Melissa Clark and Eric Kim, two Cooking columnists. They’ll discuss recipe writing, go-to meals and tips for easy excellence in the kitchen, in conversation with Taffy Brodesser-Akner, a New York Times Magazine contributor and the author of “Long Island Compromise.”Come to ask questions, mingle and meet Emily, Melissa and Eric. Stay for a Cooking tasting to enjoy samples of the recipes, buy a copy of the book and get it signed. Click here to register.Doors open at 6 p.m.Event runs from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.Signing and reception until 10 p.m.This invitation is nontransferable, and admits two people. Please indicate on your registration the number of tickets you’re requesting. An ID is required for entrance. More

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      An Easy Vegetarian Dinner That Starts With Corn

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      Seared on a sheet pan with crisp pillows of tofu and green chiles, corn kernels are the center of this summery recipe.Corn on the cob may get all the attention, but I’m here to make the case for corn off the cob, which is superior in so many ways.First of all, it’s egalitarian, suitable for middle-schoolers in braces, seniors in dentures and really anyone who doesn’t carry floss around in their pocket. It’s also faster to prepare, because slicing the kernels off the cob generally takes less time than waiting for a giant pot of water to come to a boil. As a bonus, you don’t have to wash that big awkward pot in the sink afterward.Recipe: Sheet-Pan Tofu With Corn and ChilesThat said, it helps to have a good kernel-removal technique. My favorite is to lay the ears flat on the cutting board to slice off the kernels, rotating as you go. This is not only easy, but also surprisingly tidy, allowing the kernels to fall into a neat pile rather than catapulting them all over my kitchen.In terms of precious summertime fridge space, loose kernels take up less real estate than whole ears, leaving room for the many watermelons I seem to keep lugging home. Packed in a container, the kernels will keep for two or three days, after which, if there’s any left, I’ll stick them in the freezer to brighten my winter. Corn that I freeze myself seems to taste better than the frozen stuff I can buy, perhaps because it feels so virtuously thrifty. Or maybe it just satisfies my summer urge to preserve food as lazily as possible, without the hassle of canning, pickling or jam-making.Once you’ve got your kernels at the ready, corn off the cob is an excellent foundation for a weeknight meal.For this recipe, I go the sheet-pan route and roast the kernels at high heat, which turns them golden at the edges and a little chewy. Sweet corn goes well with bold, spicy flavors, especially chiles, both powder and fresh. Here, I season the corn with chili powder (a mix of ground chiles, black pepper and other spices), and balance it out with the tangier heat of sliced jalapeños and a poblano.Then, for protein, I’ve paired everything with cubed tofu, coated in cornstarch so it becomes browned and crispy on the exterior while staying soft and pillowy on the inside.It all makes for a colorful dish with a lively mix of textures — and no toothpicks required.Follow New York Times Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Pinterest. Get regular updates from New York Times Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice. More

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      Cristeta Comerford, White House Chef to 5 Presidents, Retires

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      Ms. Comerford, known as “Cheffie” and the first woman and person of color to serve as White House executive chef, reflects on three decades of feeding first families.Growing up in the Philippines, Cristeta Comerford helped her mother, a seamstress, cook for a household of more than a dozen. They were simple meals: rice, a vegetable and fish or chicken, sometimes with extra potatoes to stretch the meal.She never considered that nourishing people, and doing a lot with a little, could be a job. But her father did.“He was like, ‘Cris! You should go to Cordon Bleu and be a chef,” Ms. Comerford, who goes by Cris or “Cheffie,” said in an interview on Thursday. She never did go to culinary school, but she became the first woman and person of color to serve as White House executive chef.Ms. Comerford, 61, retired last week, having cooked for five presidents and their families, charted out more than 50 state dinners, and overseen a renovation of the White House kitchen that was built more than a century ago. But she has not forgotten what first stirred her about cooking.“You see the public life, but at the end of the day the people that we serve are just people like us who want nourishment and good food,” Ms. Comerford said.Jill Biden, the first lady, praised the chef’s commitment to the first family in a statement announcing her retirement.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Rosa Ross, Late-Blooming Author of Asian Cookbooks, Dies at 86

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      She was, she said, unable to cook a basic meal into her mid-20s. But she went on to a successful career as restaurateur and an authority on Asian cuisine.Rosa Ross, a Hong Kong-born chef who, despite lacking even basic kitchen knowledge into her 20s, became a noted cookbook author, Chinese cooking instructor and restaurateur on the North Fork of Long Island, died on June 28 at her home in East Marion, N.Y. She was 86.The cause was pulmonary fibrosis, her daughter Sarah Ross said.Drawing from a swirl of culinary influences from her youth — Chinese, English, Indian, Malaysian — Ms. Ross began her rise in the food world in the early 1980s by traveling to homes around New York City to provide Chinese cooking lessons with a business she called Wok on Wheels.She published the first of her four cookbooks, “365 Ways to Cook Chinese,” in 1994. Ten years later, after moving to Greenport, N.Y., she veered from classic Chinese cooking by opening the restaurant Scrimshaw there.Scrimshaw, which closed in 2016, was an early farm-to-table American restaurant that blended in elements of the Asian cuisine of her youth, including heritage-pork dumplings and duck-confit spring rolls that became the stuff of local legend.The restaurant also showcased Italian fare, which she first learned to make while living in Milan and honed under the tutelage of her friend Marcella Hazan, the author of “The Classic Italian Cook Book” (1973).Diners at Scrimshaw, Ms. Ross’s restaurant in Greenport, N.Y., in 2004, the year it opened. Scrimshaw showcased Italian and American cooking, but it was also noted for its heritage-pork dumplings and duck-confit spring rolls.Deirdre Brennan for The New York TimesWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      David Liederman, Who Found Sweet Success With David’s Cookies, Dies at 75

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      His innovative version of the chocolate chip cookie, studded with irregular pieces of dark Swiss chocolate, led to a chain of more than 100 stores worldwide.David Liederman, whose confections redefined the chocolate chip cookie and whose chain, David’s Cookies, eventually grew to more than 100 stores nationwide, died on Thursday in Mount Kisco, N.Y., near his home in Katonah. He was 75.His wife, Susan Liederman, said the cause of his death, at a hospital, was a heart attack. He was also being treated for myelofibrosis, a type of blood cancer.Mr. Liederman’s innovative version of the chocolate chip cookie will keep his name alive.The cookie’s unique feature was that it was not made with standard Toll House chocolate chips but was studded with irregular pieces of dark Swiss Lindt chocolate. He chopped the chocolate by hand, the way Ruth Graves Wakefield did when she created the Toll House cookie in 1938 in Whitman, Mass., before Nestlé took over and began manufacturing its little chocolate drops. Mr. Liederman called his cookies chocolate chunk, a term that has become widely understood and used in the world of baking and confections.But long before his revisionist cookie came on the scene, creating his reputation and cranking up his income, his career in food, as a chef, was starting to simmer like a good pot-au-feu.He was 19, still an undergraduate, when he went to France. Intrigued by Michelin three-star restaurants, of which there were but a handful at the time, he decided to eat at Troisgros in Roanne, near Lyon, because it seemed to be the cheapest. The meal set him back $19 (the equivalent of about $172 today); the food was an epiphany.He persuaded the Troisgros brothers to let him hang out in the restaurant’s kitchen and work for the next few summers, despite his lack of culinary training. While he was studying for a degree at Brooklyn Law School and clerking for Judge Maxine Duberstein of the New York State Supreme Court, he began taking classes at night in the culinary program at New York Technical College (now the New York City College of Technology) in Downtown Brooklyn.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      How a Death Doula Throws a Dinner Party

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      At the Baroque guesthouse she runs in Portugal, Rebecca Illing hosted old friends for a meal suffused with nostalgia.As a child, Rebecca Illing would spend vacations with her parents and brother, Alex, at Paço da Glória, a gothic mansion turned guesthouse in Portugal’s lush Minho region. A 40-minute drive north of Porto, then the family’s hometown, the property is surrounded by dense cork oak woodland, and Illing loved getting lost on its grounds and exploring its winding corridors. Parts of the house date to the 14th century, and it grew haphazardly from there: An imposing dark gray stone facade topped with medieval-style merlons was added in the 1700s; later, the English peer Lord Peter Pitt Millward reimagined the home in the style of a Baroque palace. In the 1970s, it became a guesthouse under the stewardship of another Briton, Colin Clark, the filmmaker and author of the 2020 memoir “My Week with Marilyn.”For the past 21 years, the 10-acre estate — with its bright green lawns and grand granite swimming pool — has been owned by Illing’s family. (Her mother, who met Illing’s father in Porto, had always dreamed of buying the place.) And since 2022, following renovations of the nine guest rooms and the installation of a yoga deck and indoor pool, the property has been run exclusively by Illing herself as a guesthouse of a different sort: one that is, to use her phrase, “grief literate.”A view of the garden beyond the archway that connects the home and its adjacent chapel.Matilde ViegasThe group, including Illing (center), gathered on the lawn for drinks.Matilde ViegasThe walls of the main hall are lined with busts of celebrated Frenchmen, statues reportedly put in place by the British aristocrat Lord Peter Pitt Millward, who bought the property at auction in 1932.Matilde ViegasWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      5 Festive Juneteenth Dishes

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      Make one, or make them all. Just make them yours.On Kiva Williams’s Juneteenth table, pops of red — barbecue ribs and watermelon, a symbol of freedom — share the table with hot dogs, burgers, potato salad and baked beans. Sometimes, foods from her past, like fried fish and spaghetti, and coleslaw, “my favorite meal from back home” in Tennessee, also make an appearance.For Ms. Williams, who runs the Fun Foodie Mama blog, the celebration is a relatively small one, and recent. Ms. Williams, 44, didn’t grow up celebrating Juneteenth — she’d learned about the holiday from her parents, but didn’t celebrate.But, “as I grew older and had a family of my own, I wanted to be intentional with my kids on celebrating,” she said, adding that she hopes to pass down the celebration, its recipes and cooking traditions to her children. She and her family attend local festivals, spend time learning about the holiday and, of course, gather around a meal.Red foods are customary for Juneteenth, the annual commemoration of the freeing of the last enslaved Africans in Galveston, Texas, two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. The scarlet hue symbolizes ingenuity and resilience while in bondage. It’s been three years since Juneteenth became a national holiday, and people are carving out their own traditions.The daughter of Congolese parents who grew up in Paris, Karen Tshimanga, 37, of Harlem, started celebrating Juneteenth in 2020, after the George Floyd protests.She honors the holiday in a number of ways: eating, dancing, laughing, volunteering. And when it comes to food, she celebrates with friends at a potluck, the table set with food from different parts of the world.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More