Cooking & Quarantine: Tips from Food Studies Faculty, Part 1
We’re fortunate at Chatham University to have one of the most delicious programs around— Food Studies, which examines the history, systems, economy, and social climate surrounding what we eat. So with everyone stuck inside, faced with the challenge of feeding ourselves consistently, we thought we’d tap the expertise of our Food Studies faculty. Read on for tips on how to menu plan, grocery shop, and eat well under quarantine, and don’t miss Part 2 of this series where our faculty experts weigh in on some of the larger issues within our food systems that COVID-19 has laid bare.
Many people are cooking at home now, far more than they ordinarily would. Do you have any tips on “menu planning” that would be useful to new home cooks?
Alice Julier
From Alice Julier, Associate Professor, Food Studies Director, Center for Regional Agriculture Food and Transformation (CRAFT):
1. There’s no shame in ordering takeout:
People come to cooking with such a range of experience and feelings, it’s hard to generalize what a “new” home cook would be like. If you are not someone who cooks usually and find it daunting or hard to fit into your schedule, I highly recommend that you order takeout from one of the many restaurants that have shifted to it — they need the business and many of them are selling meals or easy-to-assemble meals (Baby Loves Tacos in Millvale or City Fresh Pasta are both doing this). Black Radish Kitchen, where some alums work, has a weekly market pickup now. There are inexpensive options, so I hope people don't presume it’s the same cost as eating at a high end restaurant.
2. Make what’s familiar:
What I see most people saying is: make what’s familiar, use recipes (online if you don’t have cookbooks), and join social media groups like “Kitchen Quarantine” where people share what they’re making, no judgements, and you can ask how they did it. My favorite online resource right now is Samin Nosrat (the author and tv host of Salt Fat Acid Heat)’s new podcast and her website — here’s a nice article from Vogue that sums it up.
3. Start with a starch:
There’s what’s comforting, what’s familiar, and what’s accessible, so the question to start with is: what are the basics that you normally eat? If people have the capacity to stock up on that, particularly a starch that you can build meals around, that helps reduce the number of times you have to shop or go out. If rice is your go-to starch, you can get a big bag through Lotus’s online ordering (click on the top for English or Chinese). Similarly, a big bag of cornmeal, potatoes, or pasta are all shelf stable. Think about protein(s) for a four-day time frame — beans are trending like crazy, but if you are not vegan, eggs, cheese, and cured meats are more versatile and last longer.
4. Go frozen, fresh, and flavorful:
Bread baked during a recent CRAFT workshop featuring sourdough fermentation.
I’m with Samin Nosrat — don’t be afraid of frozen vegetables. But there are so many options for fresh farm produce, too. Bloomfield Farmer’s Market will reopen in May and the Farmer’s Cooperative in East Liberty is always open on Saturdays. And finally, I’d say add spice — hot sauces, dried herbs, chutneys, mustard, and fresh herbs make a big difference.
Bonus advice from the experts: Assistant Professor Chris Murakami wrote an amazingly thorough guide for buying, preparing, and repurposing chicken and beans; check that out here.
“Our students are interested in fermentation and preservation as a practice. I have dropped off bags of flour and kombucha scobies to quite a few fermentation enthusiasts with different levels of experience. Sophie Remer, a current MA in Food Studies student and a baker has been giving students (and others) her sourdough starter as a way to help people maintain connections through the nourishing and cathartic activity of baking. She’s writing her MA thesis on the topic and plans to create a fermentation culture library at Eden Hall with the hope that individuals will gain interest in fermentation through participation and subsequently sharing knowledge and cultures with their communities. ”
Do you have any tips on preventing food waste & shopping smart?
Christopher Murakami at an Eden Hall Campus community event at the new wood-fired oven
Christopher Murakami PhD, Assistant Professor, Agroecology:
1. Assess what you have:
Preventing food waste and creating a solid plan for shopping starts with an attentive review of what you already have on hand. I assess the pantry and try to mentally assign ingredients to different meals throughout the day. I like to treat it as a challenge to minimize wasted ingredients. Once you’ve allocated as much of what you have in your pantry, figure out the ingredients that you need to complete the meals that you and your family want to enjoy. If you’re new to cooking, start with simple staples like a cheese quesadilla, grilled cheese, pancakes, bacon, and eggs. For great recipes on a budget, check out Leanne Brown’s Good and Cheap; the pdf is available for free on her website.
2. Practice “First in, First Out,” and Freely Use Your Freezer:
Restaurants and other food businesses operate under a policy of “First in, First Out” - in other words, if you have two different gallons of milk, use the one that was purchased first or has the earliest best buy date. When you’re unloading groceries, set the older/opened milk in front of the new one to make sure that one is conveniently used before the other. This will prevent things getting lost in the dark recesses of your fridge or pantries and keep food from rotting. If perishables are getting ripe too quickly while your fridge is filling up with leftovers - freeze them! There are a wide range of options for freezing fruits and vegetables, but this guide from Penn State covers the basics.
3. Be organized; be respectful:
When I do go out, I try to have a solid shopping plan in place for meals and normal purchases. My partner and I have a shared note on our phones that we can check things off of as we go. In the past week, I’ve chosen to wear a mask to minimize exposure for other customers and workers, and not wear disposable gloves. I try to genuinely thank the cashier for what they are doing while also asking if they are getting everything they need to stay as safe as possible. I try to be in solidarity with these workers and to be ready to take personal action as I can.
4. Find local alternatives:
I’m solidifying an alternative food supply chain by figuring out which farmers in my area are offering Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares and no-contact payment and pickups/deliveries. I joined Kretschmann Farms’ CSA recently and had a super smooth experience purchasing meat through Fallen Aspen Farm. For folks living in other places in the state, CRAFT has a GIS interface for finding farmers and producers and there’s another curated list of CSAs in Pittsburgh here. Some of our neighbors at the Eden Hall Campus are Harvest Valley Farms (offers no-contact pick-up), Blackberry Meadows (on-farm and in Pittsburgh pick-up), Tiny Seed Farm (on-farm pick-up and delivery).
Farms are working incredibly hard to keep food production plans in order while adapting to different conditions. CSAs allow consumers and farmers to share the mutual risk and reward of agricultural production and provide farmers with an injection of cash early in the season that can help weather these current uncertainties.
5. Shop smart and socially distant:
“Shopping Smart” means procuring and eating food in a way that brings you comfort and joy while being aware of how your behavior impacts others. In the context of COVID-19, it means shopping in a way that limits the spread of the virus and minimizes the threat for people who are working in high-traffic and high-risk environments. It also means practicing good personal hygiene to minimize the spread of germs in your home. This guide here offers some solid tips in this ever-changing landscape. As of now, I’m trying to stay home. I try to help my neighbors stay home by offering to pick up any essentials for them and dropping them off without face-to-face contact. These exchanges help us continue to build social relationships and strong communities while staying home as much as possible.
Find part two in our series “Cooking & Quarantine: Tips from Food Studies Faculty” here. Visit our website for offerings and information on our Food Studies program.
