Checking back in as the world continues facing COVID-19. By now you’re hopefully either following a mandatory stay-at-home order or respecting recommended social distancing guidelines, which have been extended nationally until April 30. And to all the essential workers out there, I hope you’re staying safe and I commend you for carrying a huge burden for the rest of us.
If you’re still not convinced to stay home as much as possible, I urge you to check out these models from the Washington Post to understand why going out makes you a potential vector for transmission even if you feel healthy. You help the community and yourself by staying home if you are able.
Cook through a cookbook
I usually look for recipes on Bon Appetit and allrecipes, which are great resources, but there is something really nice about browsing through a curated cookbook. My favorites reflect the cuisines of places I’ve been, places I want to go, and vintage recipes. I especially enjoy the sense of time travel you feel opening an older recipe collection–it offers a glimpse into the tastes and sensibilities of an earlier era. For example, I have a Japanese-American cookbook from the 1970s–now available digitally–that even includes an index in the back of where to buy then-rare ingredients like fresh ginger and shiitake mushrooms.
Binge watch food shows
An exclusive viewing diet of cable news has made my blood pressure spike faster than eating a salt lick sprinkled with salt. (New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s daily press conferences are the only information source of that consistently makes me feel informed but not panicked.) Once you’re done watching the breakout hit Tiger King, it’s a great time to fire up some food shows to take your mind off of the world’s craziness. Netflix just released Nailed It! season 4, a show in which good-spirited amateur bakers poorly try to recreate decadent desserts and I laugh in return. I’m also streaming a lot of Bon Appetit YouTube and Try Guys’ Eat the Menu. I have a bunch of other Netflix shows I want to watch, including the widely praised Salt Fact Acid Heat.
Order delivery and tip generously
Many restaurants are open during the crisis and have made adjustments to maximize their pickup and delivery options. If you get food dropped off, you can opt for “contactless delivery” and have it left at your door. As I’ve previously written, the risk of food transmission for coronavirus is low; experts still advise to put takeout into your own containers and wash your hands.
Please do not forget to leave an ample tip for your delivery person! Now more than ever, it’s a small way to give recognition to an important yet often thankless job.
(A topic for another day is that the restaurant industry is in for a massive change in the wake of this prolonged pandemic, which has already hit small, independent restaurants especially hard. Some places tried offering takeout but ended up closing for financial reasons or the health and safety of their employees. This underlines the importance to tipping people generously while places are still open, given the uncertainty of employment facing workers.)
Virtual foodie meetups
Pull up a seat at the online table and gather around the screen. Physical distance doesn’t mean you have to stay disconnected. You can go live on Instagram to stream your kitchen exploits or tag your friends in a Story template about favorite foods. Skype or FaceTime or GoogleHangouts over lunch or a virtual happy hour. (Is that just drinking by yourself over the Internet? Maybe.) And I’m embarrassed to admit that my mom has done a Zoom meetup with her friends before I have.
Learn how to make cocktails
Having a bar cart seems like something that sophisticated cool people do. I don’t have one, but I do have a shelf of kitchen knick knacks with alcohol on the bottom. Why not learn to become an at-home mixologist of cocktails and mocktails? I’m especially excited to experiment with a tiki drink app that lets you fill in your ingredients and shows what drinks you can make. And if making your own drinks aren’t your thing, some bars are offering carryout and delivery options for alcohol and mixer kits.
Use your rarely touched kitchen tools
Now is a great time to learn how to use that immersion blender, or pasta attachment for the stand mixer, or milk frother. The tools you’ve been “saving for a special occasion” or when you had free time. I’d like to try my hand at using the humble cocktail shaker. (See above about becoming a mixologist.) I’m also embarrassed to admit I have a bucket ice cream maker that has remained in its original packaging since I got it in 2013.
Bake bread
Americans are loving their carbs right now. Bread was one of the first items that sold out once Americans began paying attention to coronavirus. Flour and yeast are also hot ticket items. But assuming you have a couple of simple ingredients on hand or can find them, fresh bread can be quite easy to make and delicious. I may have to devote a whole separate post to this topic, because no-knead focaccia has changed my life.
