The NYT Cooking tour of Melissa Clark’s kitchen is a fun, warm ride. Clark’s spice drawers are a modern marvel, as is her impressive collection of salt, her massive jar of homemade vanilla extract, and her two (2) spaetzle makers. But the video isn’t just 11 minutes and 14 seconds of “look at my stuff!” Clark also makes the film crew a snack and dispenses two very good kitchen hacks.
The first is simple: Keep a paper bag in a drawer for bread heels. This, friends, is your bread crumb bag. Clark demonstrates how to use the bag by taking a “gorgeous heel” from a loaf of bread her husband baked, cutting it into manageable chunks, placing the chunks in the bag, then putting the bag in the drawer and letting them dry out. Once the bag is full, she chucks the chunks in the food processor to make fancy homemade breadcrumbs. Elegant.
Then there are the cutting boards. As Clark explains, only three of her cutting boards can be used for garlic and onion. At first I thought this seemed a little precious but, given how the smell of both alliums permeates anything they come in contact with, I changed my mind. It’s not precious; it’s genius. Tasting or even smelling garlic while you’re trying to enjoy a piece of fresh fruit is not great, and having at least one cutting board dedicated to smellier stuff can protect you and your family from such an experience.
Finally, there is the snack—perfectly constructed anchovy toast with butter, tomatoes, and more of that bread her husband made. She also explains how to pick the perfect anchovies for toast, which is quite illuminating. (I didn’t realise there were so many different kinds!) Watch the video, is what I’m saying. You’ll learn a lot about anchovies.
Inside Melissa Clark’s Home Kitchen | NYT Cooking
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