What types of recipes do you always need more of? e.g. Quick pantry dinners? Big-batch stuff? Something else entirely?

Question

I'm hunting recipes for the next Genius cookbook (for beginners) and I need your help! I'll be asking a series of questions here on the Hotline as I develop the book, and I'd be very grateful for the community's wisdom, as always.   

This week, I want to hear what recipes YOU need more of—I always assume quick dinners (because that’s what I need), but maybe you want specifically the kind you can get simmering and then ditch to clean up and pay the bills for 45 minutes before sitting down at the table. Or lunch to take to work, or brunch for a big vegetarian crowd. Or… you tell me!  

Here's a bit more on the book: https://food52.com/blog...
 
And the last 3 questions:
What's the very first recipe you learned to make? https://food52.com/hotline... 
What book (or TV show or magazine) taught you how to cook? https://food52.com/hotline... 
What are the biggest cooking mistakes you've ever made? https://food52.com/hotline...  

Thank you all, 
Kristen

Louise G. · Answer

As a vegan, I always like more vegan main courses and side dishes. I like the Plenty cookbook; however, I do not like have to hunt for exotic ingredients, especially if I am going to use them only for one recipe.

Margaret · Answer

My husband taught me to cook because I couldn't cook at all, in fact I had trouble boiling water when we first married. I would love to see more recipes that are not necessarily quick, but definitely easy and without the fancy ingredients that you sometimes use. We have very English tastes and I find some of your recipes difficult to play with because you have some ingredients there that we don't have in NZ. All that said, I love to read your recipes and have a lot of fun adapting them.

Kristen M. · Answer

This is all incredibly helpful—thank you all for sharing your thoughts!

Julia R. · Answer

Dinners that can be used to make lunch the next day!

mdavis26 · Answer

Meals that are easily adaptable to vegetarians/vegans, but that omnivores will still feel fed by!! Not everyone feels full on just chickpeas, unfortunately. I'm thinking of things like fajitas, where there are plenty of beans and veggies already present, but meat, too.

Adel W. · Answer

I'd love quick freezer / pantry dinners! Sometimes i'd realize that I have a full freezer / pantry of food but have no idea what to cook, so I end up going out to buy groceries to cook and my pantry + freezer remains full. Bonus if it's scaled to feed 2 people since I only live with my husband and scaling recipes sometimes ends up giving me "1/8 teaspoon of fresh thyme" or "1/3 of one egg".

Mallory · Answer

Vegetable sides! A lot of the time I'll want to round out a meal with one or two vegetable sides and I have a hard time coming up with new ideas that are quick but flavorful

Carol N. · Answer

I need more gluten-free recipes. I think biscuits were the first thing I learned to make. (Southern family). I loved watching Julia Child cook but The Joy of Cooking was my favorite cookbook.

CPMI · Answer

My mother and I are now gluten free due to her celiac disease.  I need more gluten free recipes for things like bread, waffles, and quick bread.  I also need more non-meat and non-tofu recipes with protein - Mom is not big on meat and dislikes tofu.

Sondra P. · Answer

I love having people over for dinner and I love good homemade food, but I don't enjoy all the time it takes to prepare. Between my family, friends and my kids' friends I often have 10-14 people showing up to dinner. I would love recipes that I can make ahead and that do not require a full day of shopping/chopping/cooking. I find even doing something simple like braised chicken thighs requires browning that I just don't have the time to do. Also, I'd love some ideas for pairing certain salads/sides with entrees. Often I know my main dish doesn't feel related to my side dishes.

HalfPint · Answer

Would love to have recipes/ideas for simple side dishes that aren't salads or breads.  Lots of great recipes for entrees and such out there but would like to round out my meal (ie. dinner) with a side dish that tastes great and does not add too much extra work for the cook.

PHIL · Answer

How about foods that travel well?  Seems like people are always asking what can I bring to someone's house or what holds up well at room temperature etc....    Wow dishes to bring to a party.

jane F. · Answer

Instant pot quick dinners- Often you think the Multi-Cooker (AKA Instant Pot) recipes are going to be quick because you use the pressure cooker setting but in all actuality, they are not that quick. I think there would be a ton of interest in Multi-Cooker (Instant Pot)recipes in 30 minutes or less!

I also think sheet pan cooking in another winner, if you can make the full meal on one pan in under 40 minutes from start to finish with just a few on-hand ingredients.

My last idea is simple desserts for weeknight meals. Often I am craving a simple (easy) dessert that I can be literally(/figuratively) whipped up in no time.

Geoffrey W. · Answer

I would like big batch meals to make on Sunday (maybe marinate or soak or whatever on Saturday night), split the leftovers into 5 servings, and take it into work for lunch each day that week.  I like the new way to dinner cookbook, and i would like something in that vein, but much more simple!  For example, one thing i have done a few times this summer is ribs, corn salad, cole slaw, and corn salad from Smitten Kitchen.  I make it on Sunday and pack my five lunch containers Sunday evening.  (You may be able to tell that i am a creature of routine and do not mind having the same thing for lunch each day, particularly if it is so delicious.)

Hel · Answer

Pantry staple dishes. Plus quick and tasty vegetarian dishes you can make with limited fresh ingredients--I am in a place where the choice is not high!

Carolyn · Answer

Easy potluck recipes!

Caroline S. · Answer

It would be helpful to have a block of white space or a box for writing a quick note near each recipe. Sometimes I find one and it's a winner--or a dud--, but the next time that ingredient is in season or whatever, I have forgotten which recipe I had actually used.

heather · Answer

Make ahead meals for company.

Susan · Answer

Seasonal bounty recipes - fresh veg++ in summer and slow cooker wonders for winter for example

DeDe D. · Answer

Vegetarian recipes that carnivores will love, too. Easy appetizers Large batch cocktails

Ida S. · Answer

Cooking tuff grass fed beef. Quick appetizers.

Nancy · Answer

Two types of questions I've noticed recurring on the hotline.
1) how to make substitutions in a recipe (where ingredient is unavailable, disliked or not edible by some at table).
2) how to plan a meal, whether for an occasion or starting from one dish and wanting to complement it.
Could your cookbook address one or both of these?

Gammy · Answer

Two person family here.   I love making up a batch of something I can portion out and freeze half for relatively quick meals down the road.  Pasta sauces, casseroles I can cook in two smaller dishes so I can freeze one, baked goods that can be frozen raw or half-baked. Not opposed to leftovers, but so many cookbook and magazine recipes serve 4 or 6 people, and it is difficult to scale down for only two.

What types of recipes do you always need more of? e.g. Quick pantry dinners? Big-batch stuff? Something else entirely?

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