Amanda & Merrill

The Steak Salad Our Co-Founder Loves To Make With Her Kids

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October 14, 2016

Our co-founder Amanda Hesser and her family cook and eat together often—and this bright Thai-inspired steak salad is one of their go-tos. We partnered with Beef Checkoff to give you a seat at their table and see how they use steak throughout the week.

We're big proponents of strategies to batch your cooking in one time frame and then use what you've made throughout the next few days, or even the following week—we like the idea of it so much, in fact, that our co-founders have written a book about it!

Cooking lots of food at once (to dole out during the week) is also a pretty fun and functional way to get everyone cooking together, be it partners, roommates, or families. We caught up with our co-founder Amanda and her 10-year-old twins Walker and Addison in their own kitchen in Brooklyn while they prepped one of Amanda's favorite cook-ahead meals, Spicy Thai Steak Salad from our community member Merav. Lately, the kids have been joining Amanda more often than not while she's cooking.

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"The kids now are just so comfortable in the kitchen, and we should be getting them in there, because it will really make for a lifetime of better eating," Amanda says in the video above. "They're certainly way more advanced than I was at their age!"

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Top Comment:
“Oh Amanda! I think we have to make this with our almost 11 year old soon. Salad and sandwiches for lunch the next day! Walker and Addison are wonderful spus chefs, aren't they?”
— Shalini
Comment

When she cooks steak, Amanda explains, she'll often buy more than she needs, maybe for a couple of meals. Then she'll cook a bunch, and the steak she isn't using she'll just save in a container in the fridge to riff with throughout the week. (You can find the additional recipes she mentions in the video in her and Merrill's new book, A New Way to Dinner.) There's a special trick to the marinade for the steak in this salad—so watch the video above and then check out the recipe to double (or triple!) for your own salads, sandwiches, and more.

We teamed up the Beef Checkoff to share recipes, tips, and videos all season long, showing you how to prep and cook beef at home like you've been doing it forever.

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A New Way to Dinner, co-authored by Food52's founders Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, is an indispensable playbook for stress-free meal-planning (hint: cook foundational dishes on the weekend and mix and match ‘em through the week).

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See what other Food52 readers are saying.

  • Babette's sous chef
    Babette's sous chef
  • Shalini
    Shalini
  • tamater sammich
    tamater sammich
  • coffeefoodwrite
    coffeefoodwrite
  • Maureen
    Maureen
I love oysters and unfussy sandwiches.

16 Comments

Babette's S. October 15, 2016
Hi Amanda. I'm 62 and an accomplished cook & Foodie. I was blessed that I was brought up with great food and inspiration from both my Irish (Mum) and Italian (Dad) sides. Mum is still a fantastic cook and baker at 88, cooking for Dad (89). So wonderful you have started your kids in the kitchen early and to appreciate food and cooking. It's never too early to learn one's way around the kitchen.
I was hoping you would share your riff on the recipe, as presented on the video, with all of the accoutrements. Thanks. I saved the basic recipe from community member Merav, but it would be terrific to have your embelishments.
 
Ali S. October 15, 2016
You can find the additional riffs in Amanda and Merrill's new book, A New Way to Dinner: https://food52.com/shop/products/2840-signed-copy-a-new-way-to-dinner-by-amanda-hesser-and-merrill-stubbs. Hope this helps!
 
Shalini October 15, 2016
Oh Amanda! I think we have to make this with our almost 11 year old soon. Salad and sandwiches for lunch the next day! Walker and Addison are wonderful spus chefs, aren't they?
 
Shalini October 15, 2016
Sous!
 
tamater S. October 15, 2016
The article and the video, (and the kids!) - fabulous.
 
coffeefoodwrite October 15, 2016
Looks delicious!
 
Maureen October 15, 2016
Looks delicious and I'd love to make this but parts of recipe seem missing. How do you cook the crispy rice? And the onions used in video looked like they had been pickled which I would prefer to raw but how to do it properly?
 
Ali S. October 15, 2016
Hi Maureen: The crispy rice riff, as well as the sandwich, can be found in Amanda and Merrill's new book (out next week!): https://food52.com/shop/products/2840-signed-copy-a-new-way-to-dinner-by-amanda-hesser-and-merrill-stubbs
 
Pisanella October 15, 2016
Oops!
 
Pisanella October 15, 2016
I think this video is charming!
 
Pisanella October 15, 2016
I think this little video is charming.
 
Rhonda35 October 15, 2016
I am so impressed with your kiddos' kitchen skills, Amanda! This salad, and the sandwich made from leftovers, look delicious - looking forward to trying both.
 
Kate's K. October 15, 2016
I enjoyed it - the recipe can be found thru the link on Spicy Thai Steak Salad. Love the cat ears the most!
 
Charles A. October 15, 2016
I was expecting a recipe and a list of ingredients and cooking and prep times,
Not a family biography,
 
Rhonda35 October 15, 2016
Click on the Spicy Thai Steak Salad link in the paragraph just below the video and it will take you to the recipe, etc.
 
Isabel M. October 14, 2016
This is one of the weakest articles I've ever seen on Food52! It does not engage the reader or make Amanda and her family relatable even though I believe that was the intent.