3 SF Celebrity Chefs Share Must-Know Cooking Hacks, Gadgets + Recipes
San Francisco knows how to do some things really well that I get to show off to out-of-town friends whenever they visit. Those things include (but are not limited to): stealth, legal, public almost-nudity, beautiful, accessible nature and AMAZING FOOD. Oo, and equally delicious cocktails. Coincidentally, some of our favorite creatives at Brit + Co are chefs, mixologists, bakers and makers of the delicious variety and we got to ask a few of our dream dinner party guests/hosts to dish their favorite cooking hacks, what we should bring to our first summer BBQ and what tools are in their kitchens.
Sara Spearin (founder of the delish Dynamo Donut), Jonny Raglin (founder of classic cocktail spot Comstock Saloon) and Nicole Krasinski (founder + chef of crazy popular SF hot-spot-where-Ryan-Gosling-ate-omg State Bird Provisions) are all coming together tomorrow, May 14 for the 5th Annual Taste of Potrero, where the SF food + drink scene explodes into one feel-good fundraiser benefitting a local elementary school. Get your tickets here if you’re in the Bay area and and pull up a seat at the Brit + Co round table with Sara, Jonny and Nicole below:
Brit + Co readers love making their lives (and dinners) easier. What is your favorite go-to cooking hack?
Jonny Raglin: Instant aioli — mix mayo, olive oil and fresh pressed garlic with salt, pepper and sherry vinegar.
Sara Spearin: When I have to measure honey or molasses, I coat the measuring cup with a little oil so it will come right out!
Nicole Krasinski: When I need to slice a bunch of cherry tomatoes I put (up to 10) in between two plastic “deli” lids and then cut them horizontally all at once.
What are your favorite, MUST-have kitchen tools at home? Let’s go with one “old school” and one gadget of the future that you have or reeeeally want.
JR: Favorite tool: Vitamix Barboss Blender; wishful gadget of the future: Anti-griddle for instant frozen treats.
SS: I cannot live without my cast iron pans — I use them every day. It’s not from the future, but I have been wanting to buy a rice cooker, I’ve never had one, and I don’t make very good rice.
NK: Old school: Donabe rice cooker, and “Gadget of the Future:” I’d love a Thermomix.
Summer’s coming! What’s your hottest (pun intended, but the dish doesn’t have to be) recipe idea for when you have a BBQ to go to and not a ton of time to get your potluck on?
JR: Cherry bounce cocktail from Comstock saloon — bourbon, brandied cherry juice, lemon juice and sparkling wine. [It’s a] quick, easy punchbowl drink that pairs well with grilled meats and the people cooking them!
SS: I like to make campfire potatoes. I make a foil pouch with potatoes, oil, garlic salt and rosemary, seal it up and cook it on the coals.
NK: Berry + stone fruit slab pie.
Exciting news! Your favorite famous person just called to get a rez at your restaurant — who is it and what are you serving them?
JR: Bill Murray walks into my bar, I serve him Manhattans, he then proceeds to take me and my staff all over town to party!
SS: Since this is not real, I would have Lucille Ball come into Dynamo. I would feed her as many donuts as I could, as fast as I could!!!
NK: It would make my day to have Key + Peele come to dinner and I’d be so happy to serve them our “dates à la mode, St. George NOLA, hazelnuts & chocolate” dessert.
What’s the last thing you made that you were really excited about? (PS, it doesn’t have to be food!)
JR: A new cocktail for our yet-to-be-opened Spanish restaurant called bellota. The cocktail is called “puesta del sol” — mezcal, lemon and saffron-honey gomme.
SS: Last year I made a vertical garden out of a palette and burlap coffee bags and grew strawberries.
NK: The Progress employee hand wash signs using the 100 year old banners from the former Progress Theatre we found in the rafters of the building during construction.
Are you heading to Taste of Potrero? Find your Brit + Co friends there! And share your favorite SF restaurant with us below!
(Photos via TasteofPotrero.com)
