The Dinner Plan

Joanne Lee Molinaro—known to her many fans as The Korean Vegan—may be a James Beard Award-winning cookbook author, but she doesn’t want anyone to feel bad about taking kitchen shortcuts. The former law partner knows exactly what it feels like to come home late and throw a meal together when you're exhausted. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, Joanne shares her advice for quick but flavorful meals...

When chef Mandy Yin's child was born a few years back, weeknight dinners had to get simpler. Her second book, Simply Malaysian , highlights these quick recipes, including a one-pot spin on Hainanese chicken rice, quick noodle dishes, and more. Get a recipe from Mandy and links to all of her cookbook recommendations at TheDinnerPlan. Substack.com . ___ Thanks to today's sponsors: The Zero Proof: Ge...

Arnold Myint juggles restaurant life with his role as a single dad. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, he shares his go-to quick dinners for busy weeknights, the ingredients that you really need for great Thai food at home, and the lessons he learned in his family's 50 year-old Nashville restaurant. Head to TheDinnerPlan. Substack.com for two recipes from Arnold and a chance to win the book. ___...

Hearty salads are at the center of Hetty Lui McKinnon’s new cookbook, Linger . But the book is also about the power of gathering friends to eat together. “The opportunity to stop, slow down and enjoy just other humans is something that we don't do enough right now," says Hetty in this episode of The Dinner Plan. Get a recipe from the book—and Hetty’s recent cookbook favorites—at TheDinnerPlan. Sub...

Natalia Rudin, author of Cooking Fast and Slow , shares her current hyperfixation meal, her freezer essentials, and tips on layering protein into plant-based dinners, plus the reason she always keeps a whimsical pasta shape on hand. Get Natalia's spicy sweet corn chowder recipe (made from frozen corn!) and her savory mushroom miso gnocchi at TheDinnerPlan. Substack.com . ___ Thanks to today's spon...

Polina Chesnakova's new book, Chesnok , opens at her family table, where Georgian food sits next to old Russian favorites and the classics of Armenia. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, Polina shares her soup-season go-tos, her flavor-packed pantry essentials, tactics for cooking dinner during a particularly busy time of her life, and a few beloved older cookbooks that still inspired her. Get two...

“I used to keep it so separate,” chef Melissa King explains, “Cantonese cooking at home, and then the sort of French, Italian cooking that I was doing in my career in all these Michelin kitchens.” But being on Top Chef showed her she could bring it all together—and her new cookbook, Cook Like a King , is full of Melissa’s signature recipes. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, Melissa shares dinner...

Sabrina Ghayour has a particular gift for simple recipes, and her eighth book, Persiana Easy, is full of dinner ideas that’ll save you during busy fall evenings. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, Sabrina shares her go-to weeknight meals, the cookbook authors that inspire her most, and her advice for anyone who’s struggling to cook these days. If you love food but meal planning feels overwhelming...

Peter J. Kim's new book, Instant Ramen Kitchen , is about making quick, delicious dinners from the pantry staple. But it's also about setting yourself free to improvise as a cook. In this episode of The Dinner Plan host Maggie Hoffman chats with Peter about essential flavor-boosting pantry staples, the best way to add richness and body to a bowl of ramen, plus the "perpetual stew" he adds to throu...

Ixta’s new Brazilian-inspired book, Fusão , demonstrates how much concentrated flavor you can pack onto a plate—and into a little jar. The building blocks to her recipes include pineapple hot sauce, gingery mango jam, and a must-have quick chile condiment that's great on eggs, rice, or tinned fish. In this episode, Ixta shares the flavor bombs she makes at home to jazz up simple meals, a peek at h...

This week, host Maggie Hoffman talks to cookbook author Dan Pelosi, also known online as Grossy Pelosi. Dan’s new book, Let's Party , is full of smart advice for dinner party hosts—and so many dishes you can make ahead. Dan shares tips for dialing down the stress when you’re feeding a crowd, the hosting mistake he’ll absolutely never make again, what he’s cooking from late-summer garden abundance,...

Host Maggie Hoffman talks with cookbook author Yasmin Khan, whose new book, Sabzi , shares vegetarian meals to cook at home. Yasmin shares her time-saving prep-ahead dinner tips, her essentials of salad-making, and thoughts on stocking the freezer if you've got a baby on the way. Get two vegetarian recipes from Yasmin at our newsletter at TheDinnerPlan. Substack.com. And be sure to enter the big 5...

On this episode of The Dinner Plan, host Maggie Hoffman talks to Rosie Kellett, author of In for Dinner , about all the lessons she's learned about budget-friendly cooking and feeding a crowd through her years living communally in London. Warning: Listening to this episode may lead to some daydreaming about an entirely different life. Don't miss the big pantry, cookbook, and kitchen gear giveaway...

This is the 50th episode of The Dinner Plan podcast! Host Maggie Hoffman talks to Alexis de Boschnek, the author of Nights and Weekends , about juggling caretaking and cooking, the staples she keeps around in case of a power outage, and the quick dinner she makes from that box of greens that's always lingering in the fridge. See Alexis's recipes and what we cooked after this recording at TheDinner...

In the 49th episode of The Dinner Plan, host Maggie Hoffman talks to cookbook and cookware reviewers Sarah Jackson and Bryn Jackson, creators of Cult Flav. Listen for their cookbook picks of the year so far, recent recipes that really stood out to them, and tips on outfitting a beginner's kitchen—plus the pricey kitchen gadget they can't help but love. __ Thanks to this week's sponsor, Made In Coo...

The Amateur Gourmet by Adam Roberts was probably one of the first food blogs you ever read. Now he's written a fun novel called Food Person, and joined host Maggie Hoffman for a conversation about the cookbooks that shaped his path, what he tries to remember about giving up dinner perfection, and the hosting lessons he's gleaned over the course of many, many dinner parties. __ Thanks to today's sp...

Food stylist and cookbook author Susie Theodorou shares tips for no-cook dinners for summer, including many, many ways to turn a rotisserie chicken into an appetizing dinner. Get Susie's recipes and more every week at TheDinnerPlan. Substack.com . __ Thanks to today's sponsors: Find Nature's Soy Soy Milk on Weee! or wherever you shop. Made In Cookware : Use code DINNERPLAN for 10% off your purchas...

If you've ever felt bored with your fish-cooking routine, or intimidated by a seafood recipe, this Dinner Plan episode with chef Ari Kolender of Found Oyster and Queen St. in LA is for you. Ari shares tips for easy prep, thoughts on pairing flavors, and ways to save money every time you're at the fish counter. Find recipes and links at TheDinnerPlan. Substack.com . — Thanks to today's sponsors: Is...

You may know cookbook author Sami Tamimi from his longtime partnership with Yotam Ottolenghi. With Boustany, Sami steps out on his own, with deeply flavorful vegetarian recipes inspired by his Palestinian upbringing. Sami shares his summer favorites, his best ways of transforming leftovers into a new dish, and thoughts on why vegetarian cooking can be more exciting than anything made with meat. Ge...

You've seen Eric Kim’s NYT Cooking recipes and videos. In this episode, host Maggie Hoffman chats with Eric about what he really craves when summer hits, the old cookbooks and Food Network shows he loves most, and the recipe developer he considers his food media soulmate. ___ Thanks to Anyday for supporting this episode. Curious about Anyday’s microwave-safe, freezer-safe, dishwasher-safe glass co...

Rebecca Firkser is an expert in budget-minded cooking, and the writer behind the long-running series Nickel & Dine . On this episode of The Dinner Plan, she shares crucial grocery-shopping and meal-planning tips, plus a handful of her go-to quick and easy weeknight recipes. Find all the links on TheDinnerPlan. Substack.com . Rebecca is also the author of the new book Galette!, which focuses on...

On this week's episode, host Maggie Hoffman catches up with Molly Baz, the author of More is More and Cook This Book , about all the projects she's working on these days, including her recipe club and an upcoming book. Molly shares how her cooking has changed since her son was born and she lost her home in the LA fires. Get all of Molly's recipe links and cookbook recommendations at TheDinnerPlan....

How does an idea make its way into Food & Wine magazine? What older recipes should we all be making now? Hear Karen Shimizu, Food & Wine's executive editor, answer these questions—and share her weeknight dinner favorites and the lessons she's learned through her years at the magazine. Get all the links from this episode at TheDinnerPlan. Substack.com . ___ Thanks to House Foods and America...

On the 40th episode of the podcast, host Maggie Hoffman chats with cookbook author Chetna Makan about her love for grilling, her go-to sides and salads for a barbecue, plus her favorite ways to use up zucchini and eggplant once they come into season. Hear Chetna's advice for staying inspired in the kitchen, plus learn about her favorite summer desserts. Get recipes and recommendations from Chetna...

Chef Scott Clark has run recipe R&D at fancy restaurants like Saison and Benu in San Francisco—but these days you'll find him cooking in a little traincar on the side of Highway 1 in Half Moon Bay. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, Scott shares tips for organizing a small kitchen, memories of the amazing California road trips featured in his new cookbook, Coastal , and his philosophy on cook...