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Food is everything. A publication from the Bittman team.

13/08/2025

Dinner Tonight, Dinner Tomorrow by

Sure, leftovers are great for the next day’s lunch. But what if tonight’s meal ended up as tomorrow’s supper—yet in a totally new, unexpected way? This is “Dinner Tonight, Dinner Tomorrow,” a monthly series that we hope you find as useful as we do.

For tonight, start with Marinated and Grilled Chicken Skewers with Onions.

Something about the smell of grilled chicken skewers on the table during summer always excites. When they’ve been marinated with garlic, oregano, lemon zest, and Calabrian chilis, and stacked with onions and grilled until charred and ultra juicy, they’re extra special. Note: Depending on the size of your skewers, this recipe should make approximately 8 of them. Save 2-3 for tomorrow night.

For tomorrow, try a Rigatoni with Zucchini, Garlic, Lemon, and Chicken:

Nothing beats a big bowl of pasta for dinner, especially one that comes together quickly with grilled chicken and onions you’ve already prepared, as well as zucchini coins that almost dissolve into a sauce when cooked down with garlic before being stirred together with lemon zest, parmigiano reggiano, and pasta water. Rigatoni is an ideal noodle size for this dish, but feel free to swap it for whatever pasta you have on hand. Garnished with a squeeze of lemon juice, extra cheese, and fresh basil, this is a summer classic.

Find the recipes in our bio!

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04/08/2025

Broiling eggs is great if you’re cooking for a crowd but want something other than a scramble. This muffin-tin method gets you pretty close to the elegance of poached eggs, with the added benefit of all the eggs cooking—and finishing—at the same time. Toast is the natural accompaniment, cut into sticks or “soldiers” for easy dipping.

Ingredients:
2 to 4 tablespoons (¼ to ½ stick) butter
6 to 12 eggs (depending on your muffin tin)
Salt and pepper
1 small bunch of chives for garnish (optional)

Instructions:
Turn the broiler to high; put the rack 6 inches from the heat. Grease 1 or 2 muffin tins (for a total of 6 or 12 cups) with 2 to 4 tablespoons butter.

Carefully crack 1 egg into each of the cups and put the muffin tin in the oven and broil until the eggs are just set (the yolks should still be slightly runny and the whites opaque), 6 to 8 minutes.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve, garnished with the chives if you like.

18/07/2025

This is too good not to share! Plus, we love hearing from you all, so if you have any questions or awesome stories like this, send them our way! Thank you for sharing Ryan!

Comment: “Dear Mark, I’m not sure how to get a hold of you and I’m sure you will not read this, but maybe I’ll get lucky.

It’s 1997. I have just moved into a crappy Detroit apartment with my girlfriend after a six week whirlwind romance. We are playing house, but flat broke. Can’t eat out, so we better start learning how to cook. We decide to buy our first cookbook.

Overwhelmed in Border’s Books, she says “How about we just go with How to Cook Everything? I mean, it says ‘Everything’—we should be good.”

28 years, four houses, and as many kids later, we are still putting it to use. The pancake section in particular has taken a beating.

Just wanted to say thank you for sharing your knowledge. And, FYI, it worked. My wife says I am an awesome cook now!” – Ryan

05/07/2025

❓Question Mark: You asked, and we answered! We love hearing from our community and can’t think of a better way to get a conversation going by answering your questions. Link in bio to ask us anything!

Question: I’m starting to get into using cast iron—I find nothing beats it for browning ingredients—but am intimidated by the care instructions. Can I use soap on cast iron? Do I actually have to “season” it? (And if so — EVERY time I use it?) – Tania

Answer: Caring for a cast iron pan is necessary but not onerous, especially if you cook with it frequently. Once a cast iron pan is seasoned with a combination of heat and fat, it works like a pan with a nonstick coating. For remedial or first-time seasoning: Heat the oven to 350°F and use a basting brush or towel (or your fingers) to spread a tablespoon or so of vegetable oil around the inside of the pan, sides and all, so that it’s shiny without pooling oil. Bake the pan for about an hour, then turn off the oven, leave the pan inside to cool, then wipe out any excess oil. There should be no sign of rust or crusty-flaky build up. That’s how you know the pan is perfectly seasoned.

To maintain cast iron in that state, it helps if you occasionally do relatively high-oil tasks (like sautéing or frying). Once the iron is seasoned, you can also use a mildly abrasive scouring pad to wash it; mild soap is fine, too. After washing, I dry my cast iron skillet on the stovetop over low heat. When the water begins to evaporate, wipe the pan dry with a towel, use the towel to smear around a little oil, let it sit over the heat for a few more minutes, then wipe it out again.

To fix rusty legacy and thrift-store cast iron, first scrub away rust with a stiff wire brush or plain steel wool; then do the first oven-seasoning described above. After that, proper care can avoid the need for major re-seasoning. – Kerri

Photo: Envato

29/06/2025

❓Question Mark: You asked, and we answered! We love hearing from our community and can’t think of a better way to get a conversation going by answering your questions. Link in bio for a chance to be featured in a future “Question Mark” email.

Question: “I love to grill, but there is one thing that I always find slightly upsetting. When I’m finished grilling whatever I’m having for dinner, there are usually a ton of coals still glowing away. I put the lid on the kettle grill to try to save them, but they still lose a large percentage of their volume. It seems like such a waste. Any ideas?” ♨️ – Bill

Answer: I’m really glad you asked this question, because it’s one of those times when a perceived vice can be transformed into a definite virtue. Instead of going to waste, those waning coals can be used to create excellent, slightly smoky pantry items for future meals.

The best choices are things that only get better as they get more tender, so you don’t really have to worry about overcooking them; you can just put them over the coals when you take the main dish off, put the lid on the grill, and come back to harvest them in an hour or so, when you’re done eating the meal.

Red bell peppers, eggplants, and tomatoes are all good options, since each can spend a long time over low heat without suffering, and their future uses are many. For bolder flavors, try halved lemon or limes (my personal favorites) or whole jalapeños. Or, maybe best of all, go with Holly’s suggestion—whole heads of garlic. Talk about powerful future uses! – Doc

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