Image credit: Instagram/@kimkardashianwest

I think the catalyst behind my sudden obsession with cooking was moving into an apartment with a bigger kitchen. Also, I was gifted Alison Roman’s second cookbook, Nothing Fancy for Christmas. Suddenly, Sunday’s were spent roasting chickens and picking up fresh herbs. My regular Tuesday salmon and greens was elevated thanks to an anchovy butter recipe I found on Bon Appétit. Cucumbers weren’t chopped anymore, they were smashed.

This week, amid the COVID-19 health crisis, I’ve been working from home like so many others and I’ve noticed a trend in friends and colleagues who are turning to cooking as a form of comfort: stress baking or anxiety baking as dubbed by the internet. I figured so many of us can’t turn to normal coping mechanisms like a walk outside (hell, forest bathing), the gym, or coffee with friends. Instead, we’re stuck at home social distancing, and there’s only so much cleaning/organising/Netflix-binging one can handle. I’ve been fervently stress baking (but using up what I’ve got and only buying what’s necessary), and thought I’d share my go-to sources for anyone who wants to follow along at home. There’s cook books (buy online of download a digital version), YouTube channels, IG stories and websites you can consume below. Social distancing never tasted so good.

Alison Roman: Nothing Fancy

Think easy roast chickens, herby salads, crispy fried shallots, lemony tea cake and reason to believe anchovies are the holy grail pantry staple. Try the Sticky Chilli Chicken with Hot and Sour Pineapple.

Alison Roman Nothing Fancy, $35. SHOP NOW

Ottolengi: Simple

If you want fresh, delicious, shareable meals that don’t require 20+ ingredients you’ll never use again, this cook book is for you. Great vegetarian options, too.

Ottolenghi Simple, $40. SHOP NOW

Pia Baroncini: Cooking with the Baroncini’s on Instagram 

 

Each week, Pia and her Italian husband Davide show us a new pasta recipe. Simple, authentic, wholesome content. Our pick is the Rigatoni All Norma.

Paris Hilton: YouTube Channel

Inject a little fun in the kitchen by way of Paris Hilton’s cooking channel, Cooking With Paris. Her first (and only) tutorial is lasagna. The blonde DJ isn’t exactly Wolfgang Puck, but her dry humour and blasé attitude are iconic.

NYT Cooking

Image credit: Ryan Liebe for The New York Times

NYT Cooking is populated with reader-vetted recipes that cover everything from breakfast for one to dinner with 20. Look for top-rated recipes and ideas like sardines and tomato on toast, at-home lunch bowls and the most debated NYT Cooking recipe of all time, The Stew.