Carla Lalli Music
Food Director Emeritus
Carla spent 10 years working in NYC restaurants and was the first General Manager at Shake Shack before making the leap to food media. Her books include the James Beard Award-winning Where Cooking Begins and That Sounds So Good. Since leaving Bon Appétit in 2020, Carla has increased her online presence via a podcast, cohosted with fellow BA alum Rick Martinez, and YouTube channel. She spends most weekends cooking for friends and family, and packs one helluva school lunch.
Recipes
Buttermilk Spring Chicken
People have been brining chicken in buttermilk since forever, often as the first step in a dredged and fried chicken situation. But we have chef and cookbook author Samin Nosrat to credit for the idea of roasting poultry straight out of a buttermilk bath, which not only imparts delicious tangy flavor, but also helps the skin achieve a walnut-colored hue when roasted at high heat.
Cooking
When I Don’t Feel Like Cooking, I Remember Canned Tuna
100% pantry-friendly and 100% delicious
Culture
I Love Everything About This Popcorn (Except the Name)
Lesser Evil’s branding makes me bristle, but I can’t find a flaw with what’s inside the bag.
Recipes
Vegetarian Carbonara
Swapping traditional ingredients like guanciale and pancetta for vegetable-based umami bombs (hello, garlic and smoked paprika) isn’t the only thing to consider when making a vegetarian carbonara. Many hard cheeses (including Parmigiano-Reggiano) use animal rennet, so if you want to seek an alternative, ask your cheesemonger.
Recipes
Classic Carbonara
The classic reconsidered: less pasta, more crispy-chewy strips of guanciale, and more silky creamy egg to hold it all together.
Cooking
How to Make Do With Some Smart Swaps
When the getting isn’t good, your dinner can still be great.
Cooking
I Dread Making Dinner Every Night, But It’s Also the One Thing I Look Forward to Each Day
Everything everyone said about family dinner is true.
Culture
The Only Kitchen Scrubbing Pad That Matters Is Homax Steel Wool
For the gunkiest stuff on my pots, pans, Dutch ovens, and baking sheets, I count on these steel wool pads.
Cooking
3 Things to Make You Feel Better About Cooking at Home
Finding relief, and release, in front of the stove.
Cooking
Vegetarian Cooking Can Feel Hard, But This Crispy Tofu Is Easy
I felt like Goldilocks trying to find the perfect tofu recipe, but this one is juuuuuust right.
Recipes
Risotto With Mushrooms and Thyme
The Italian word for the ideal risotto texture is all’onda—literally, “like a wave.” Risotto should spread and move and undulate. If you can stand a spoon up in it, it needs more liquid.
Recipes
Risotto With Mushrooms and Thyme
The path to perfect risotto is all about treating the rice right, but the added umami from torn mushrooms and thyme sure doesn’t hurt.
Cooking
Before You Buy a Persimmon, Remember This
They’re winter’s greatest delight. But keep in mind which type you’re buying.
Cooking
Memorize These 3 Words and Eat Well Forever
Beans, greens, and sardines—a healthy rhyme you can actually eat.
Culture
Yes, I Splurge on Fancy Aprons—and I Haven’t Regretted it Once
These ones from Alder & Co. make me feel great, and that’s worth it!