Explore every episode of the podcast The Dinner Plan
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Even Yotam Ottolenghi Gets Nervous Before a Dinner Party | 01 Oct 2026 | 01:04:21 | |
Yotam Ottolenghi’s new cookbook, Simple Too, makes weeknight dinners even easier than the original book did. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, Yotam admits that he feels pressure to host the perfect dinner party, and so he’s set himself a few rules to cut down the stress of entertaining. He walks us through the whole menu he's preparing for guests tonight, and also shares his favorite no-fuss techniques for cooking vegetables, the shortcuts and simple recipes he relies on on busy weeknights, and a peek behind the scenes of the Ottolenghi test kitchen. Get the recipes on The Dinner Plan.Substack.com ➡️
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| Sara Bradley’s Soup Season Tips | 28 Sep 2026 | 00:52:02 | |
Two-time Top Chef finalist Sara Bradley loves to play with soup recipes, and in this episode of The Dinner Plan, she shares her favorite ways to dress up squash soup, tomato soup, corn soup, and cantaloupe soup. (Yes, cantaloupe soup.) Sara also shares the story of her famed cornbread salad, the flavor-boosting ingredients that she reaches for most, and the easy dinner she makes when she really needs to clean out the fridge and keep her family happy.
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| Meherwan Irani’s No. 1 Best Indian Cooking Tips in the World | 24 Sep 2026 | 01:00:11 | |
As a teenager, Meherwan Irani would sneak out to eat street food against his mother’s wishes. These days the chef of Chai Pani and Boti Walla shares the flavors of his childhood in India with guests at his restaurants, and cooks at home through the pages of his new cookbook, No. 1 Best Indian Cookbook in the World: At-Home Recipes from the Streets, Truck Stops, Villages, and Palaces of India. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, Meherwan shares his current cooking obsession; the key lessons home cooks can learn from street vendors; the best way to julienne okra, carrots, or ginger; and how to make better saag paneer for dinner tonight.
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| Nik Sharma Breaks Down the Science Behind His Best Cooking Tricks | 21 Sep 2026 | 00:36:39 | |
Nik Sharma wants home cooks to better understand food science; in this episode of The Dinner Plan, he shares some of the best cooking tips from his new book, Fundamentals of Flavor: 100 Recipes for the Science of Better Cooking, and why they work. If you’ve ever struggled with dry pork tenderloin, you’ll want to listen in before you try to make that quick dinner staple again. Hear about Nik’s favorite flavor-boosting pantry essentials, his favorite fall dinners, and the one ingredient he could have named this book after, too. Get Nik’s recipes for Caramelized Shallot Dip and Seared Gnocchi with Chili Garlic Shrimp enter by Wednesday, September 23, 2026
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| Swanky, Low-Stress Entertaining With Cortney LaCorte | 17 Sep 2026 | 00:48:30 | |
Cortney LaCorte—also known as Cheese Gal—joins The Dinner Plan this week to share her best advice on how to make a cheese plate and all the ways she makes entertaining more relaxed. That includes tips on what to cook for a dinner party, the most important thing you can do for a dinner party guest, and the cleaning detail you really can skip. What to make with Boursin? Cortney's all over that. On this episode, she also shares snack ideas for TV nights on the couch, memories of her mother's dinner parties, and her favorite recipe for a quick dinner you can make with grocery store fried chicken. LAST CHANCE to enter our September giveaway ➡️ ___ Check out this week's sponsors:
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| For Olivia Tiedemann, Rich People Food Comes Down to the Right Moves | 14 Sep 2026 | 00:44:01 | |
Olivia Tiedemann will be the first to tell you that working as a private chef isn't easy. You've gotta know what each guest likes and doesn't like, all the dietary restrictions, "who doesn't eat anchovies, who doesn't eat onions, who doesn't eat dairy. And there's 12 of them, and they're all there at one time," Olivia says. "How am I going to contort this same entree seven different ways?" But ultimately, she loves cooking for her clients, and shares everything she's learned in her new cookbook, Eat (Like) The Rich. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, Olivia talks with host Maggie Hoffman about what really matters in a great meal. Expensive lobster and steak is nice, but the difference all comes down to cooking technique. She walks us through a few favorite dinner recipes from the cookbook, the right way to sear a piece of fish, the way she thinks about creating a new dish for a dinner party, and reveals the popular ingredient she actually hates. 🍳 ENTER THE GIVEAWAY and get Olivia Tiedemann's Parsnip Gnocchi recipe on TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com 🍳 ___ Check out this week's sponsors:
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| Pati Jinich Cooks the Bold Flavors of the Mexican Border | 10 Sep 2026 | 00:51:21 | |
You may know Pati Jinich from her long-running series, Pati’s Mexican Table, or her previous cookbooks, but this fall you’ll be seeing a lot more of her, including her new docuseries, Panamericana, and her new cookbook, Foods of La Frontera. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, Pati chats with host Maggie Hoffman about the surprising dishes she tried while traveling along the Mexican-American border, and the way her time on the road has changed how she cooks at home. Pati shares favorite Mexican recipes from a wide range of border regions: lobster burritos, vegetarian pozole, surprising salsas, and easy tacos recipes you’ll want to cook this week. ____ Check out this week's sponsors:
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| Carla Lalli Makes Dinner the Best Part of a Bad Day | 07 Sep 2026 | 01:00:52 | |
When Carla Lalli separated from her ex and moved part-time into a sublet after decades of marriage, the first thing she did was make dinner. “I cooked because it gives me a sense of comfort,” Carla says in this week’s episode of The Dinner Plan. “It makes me feel like I’m in power, and it’s soothing, and it is a way to shut off other noise.” Carla shares the meals she made as she got in touch with her own cravings again and what freedom and flexibility she found cooking for one or cooking for two instead of four, and also gets into what she thinks a cookbook written by a human can offer in the age of AI. Carla’s new cookbook, Food Is a Feeling, is the rare cookbook that doesn’t start from the assumption that “every day is happy and perfect.” Instead, she says, “actually sometimes it's a really bad day, and that the best thing in your day might be this great thing that you make for dinner.” 📚📚📚 Get Carla's cookbook recommendations + the recipe for Carla's Chovy-Forward Fazool on our newsletter: TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com __________ Check out this week's sponsors:
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| The High-Protein Vegetarian Dinners Grace Elkus Makes on Repeat | 31 Aug 2026 | 00:49:48 | |
The high-protein vegetarian recipes in Grace Elkus's new cookbook, Protein-Packed Vegetarian, are exactly the kind of dinners I crave, packed with flavor and easy to make, even on a busy weeknight. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, I talk to Grace about her must-have kitchen gear, how to cook tofu so it actually gets crispy, and what to do if you just haven't come around to the idea of cottage cheese. I've been making the easy dinners from Grace's book over and over already, and I think you'll love them too. _____ Check out today's sponsors:
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| Fresh Thai Cooking With Pim Techamuanvivit | 24 Aug 2026 | 00:53:24 | |
I've been looking forward to chef Pim Techamuanvivit's Thai cookbook for years. It's an essential guide to cooking Thai food, including fresh curry pastes, grilled dishes, curries, soups, and laab. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, I talk to Pim about how she learned all the Thai recipes she'd missed from home, why it matters that you seek out Thai ingredients to cook these recipes, and everything she'd put on a September dinner party menu, whether the guests eat meat or are vegetarian. You'll hear about Pim's favorite cookbooks and her advice for dealing with cooking burnout, too. Get Pim's recipe for Kin Khao's chicken wings on TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. ___ Check out this week's sponsors:
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| Grocery Prices Are Wild. The 99% Cooking Club Can Help. | 20 Aug 2026 | 00:54:06 | |
Steel Russell started The 99% Cooking Club after walking out of the grocery store with a single bag of food that cost $150. He focuses on tips for making easy, cheap meals taste complex and flavorful, and shares recipes for family dinners that stretch your grocery budget. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, we talk through the best budget-friendly ingredients to buy right now, and how to think about meal planning when you're trying to save money. We’re all in this together, Steel reminds us. "I wanted to be able to show people how to make good food for cheap, but I also wanted to find a way to give people a place that they can come to and not feel isolated," he says. "I think we need to be reminded that, you know, my neighbor is going through the same thing I'm going through right now. On the other side of my house, they're going through the same thing I’m going through right now, but we don’t talk about it." Steel gets into the backstory that inspires this work. Trigger warning: addiction. ___ Check out this week’s sponsors:
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| Alex MacLaren’s 10-Day Grocery Strategy | 17 Aug 2026 | 00:44:49 | |
When you ask cookbook author Alex MacLaren how to save money on groceries, her answer is simple: don't go to the store for as long as possible. The author of We Use What We Have is known for making family dinners on a budget, thanks to smart substitutions and a lot of flexibility. Sometimes, you just gotta let things run out. In this episode, Alex explains why she doesn't think about meal plans until after she's already shopped, how she gets her kids to eat leftovers even when they claim to hate leftovers, and how she stretches a small amount of meat into a full meal. If back-to-school dinners are feeling overwhelming for you right now, you'll want to listen for Alex's easy dinner ideas and practical advice for cooking for kids. Get Alex MacLaren's recipe for honey garlic slow-cooker ribs on our newsletter at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com ➡️ ____ Discounts for you from this week's sponsors:
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| Pierce Abernathy’s Peak Summer Dinners | 13 Aug 2026 | 00:44:53 | |
Pierce Abernathy is my go-to source for summer vegetable inspiration, and he's exactly the recipe developer I turn to when I want to make the most of summer corn and tomatoes in every dinner I cook before the season ends. But Pierce's new cookbook, Every Leaf, Every Stem, goes beyond the pretty produce that gets all the attention and aims to help you fall in love with celeriac and rutabaga, mushrooms and squash. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, we talk about the best way to cook corn, Pierce's dream low-stress end of summer dinner party menu, and the way he'd meal plan for a week of eating more vegetables every day. Get Pierce's recipe for the ultimate tomato toast with corn compound butter on The Dinner Plan's newsletter at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. _____ Thanks to this week's sponsors:
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| Caroline Chambers Needs Even Quicker Dinners Now | 10 Aug 2026 | 00:59:32 | |
Caroline Chambers knows how to make easy dinners easier, and the mother of four needs quick weeknight recipes now more than ever. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, Caroline shares a bit of her behind-the-scenes chaos and her strategy for meal prep that won’t leave you bored. She says everything that’s going on has made her an even better recipe developer, because her mindset is "if you’re putting any effort into it, it better freaking be good! Or else just get pizza!" Caroline's new book, What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking: Make It Fast, is full of quick dinner ideas that you can fit into busy back-to-school season. Get a preview recipe over at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. ____ Thanks to this week's sponsors:
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| Omi Hopper Cooked Through the Hardest Year of Her Life to Get Here | 03 Aug 2026 | 00:45:23 | |
Next Level Chef contestant Omi Hopper has published a new cookbook full of essential Puerto Rican recipes—the ones that feel like a welcome home to the folks who follow her on Instagram and TikTok. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, she shares her story. She was working as a makeup artist when her husband was laid off; she worried about how they'd pay for groceries. Find out how she ended up cooking on TV and writing her own cookbook, Cooking con Omi, plus learn what she cooks for parties and how she stays creative in the kitchen. For Omi's recipe for stewed beans, head to our newsletter at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. ____ Thanks to this week's sponsors:
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| Serena Wolf’s Easy Summer Dinner Ideas | 27 Jul 2026 | 00:57:26 | |
Serena Wolf hosts a big pool party every year, and in this episode of The Dinner Plan, she's sharing her go-to bbq menu and the mac and cheese trick that always impresses her guests. Her new book, You Do You, is full of easy dinner recipes, all including advice on simple ingredient swaps. She offers meal planning advice that's really helpful, too. Quick summer dinners shouldn't be stressful, and Serena's tips will make you feel more confident in the kitchen, whether you're hosting a dinner party with friends or figuring out what to make with melon or nectarines for dinner at home tonight. __________ Thanks to this week's sponsors:
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| Recipes for College Cooks and First Apartments from Claire Thomson | 20 Jul 2026 | 00:48:43 | |
Getting your kid ready to go to college includes a lot of tangible stuff, like dorm setup. But they might also be cooking dinner for the very first time in their first apartment or a university-housing kitchen, and chef Claire Thomson has all the advice they need for that. Her new book, Dear Grace, is full of quick dinner recipes and meal planning advice for new cooks, including ways to cook on a budget—even when you're feeding friends after a night out. In this episode, Claire shares some of the most important cooking advice she'd give to first-time cook: how to make the most of cheap pantry staples, how to lean on your freezer for dinner ideas, and the most important part of meal planning: how to adjust a batch-cooked meal to eat other versions throughout the week. Get Claire's recipes for Creamy Tomato Pasta With Sausage and her Roast Sweet Potatoes With Black Beans and Spiced Pumpkin Seeds at our weekly newsletter at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. While you're there, enter The Dinner Plan's Big Summer Giveaway by July 29, 2026. _____ Thanks to today's sponsors:
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| Tuscan Summer Cooking: Giulia Scarpaleggia’s Vegetable Playbook | 13 Jul 2026 | 00:49:24 | |
This episode highlights so many Italian vegetable recipes: ideas for cooking eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers and all the other produce that's at its peak right now. Your expert guide: Tuscan cooking teacher and cookbook author Giulia Scarpaleggia, whose most recent book is Vegetables the Italian Way. Tune in to learn why you should salt your eggplant even though modern versions aren't as bitter, what to make with tomatoes that aren't fantastic, and the most important steps to making pesto. Recipes and links, plus our big summer giveaway: TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com –––––– Thanks to this week's sponsors:
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| Relaxed Summer Entertaining With Mélanie Masarin | 06 Jul 2026 | 00:41:22 | |
Mélanie Masarin wants you to feel less stressed out about hosting. She says that her rule with friends is: “If I’m home, you can come over.” Her pantry is stocked with tinned fish and olives, and other little snacks to serve—but her ideal setup for a dinner party is prep-ahead recipes like ratatouille that can be served at room temperature. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, Mélanie shares a behind-the-scenes look at her new cookbook, Riviera, and her advice for making homemade aioli to eat with crunchy vegetables. This episode is full of seasonal recipes that are more about assembly than actual cooking. Get the aioli recipe and the ratatouille recipe on this week's newsletter at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. ______ Thanks to this week's sponsors:
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| King Arthur Baking’s Secrets for Better Pizza at Home | 29 Jun 2026 | 01:01:18 | |
Want to make better pizza at home but not sure how to start? Today's guest, David Tamarkin of King Arthur Baking Co., is the co-author of The Book of Pizza. This episode of The Dinner Plan podcast is packed with advice, sharing how to hack your oven for better pizza crust, how to choose toppings depending on the style of pizza you're making, and how to fit pizza-making into a weekday schedule. Why is your pizza soggy? David has the answer to that, too. Get the recipe for King Arthur's Weeknight Detroit Pizza at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. ____ Thanks to this week's sponsors:
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| Going Camping? Here’s What to Cook | 25 Jun 2026 | 00:49:18 | |
Camping food doesn't have to mean freeze-dried meals you reconstitute with water. On this week's episode of The Dinner Plan, Emma Frisch, the author of Feast by Firelight, shares cooking inspiration for your next outdoor adventure, and tips for camping trip meal planning, the best way to pack your cooler, and thinking ahead so you don't end up cooking dinner in the dark. Get Emma's pork chop and corn salsa recipe this week at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. ______ Thanks to this week's sponsors:
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| Easy Meal Prep, the Japanese Way | 22 Jun 2026 | 00:57:02 | |
A traditional Japanese meal highlights a range of flavors and cooking methods, but that doesn't have to mean a ton of weeknight cooking. The key, according to cookbook authors Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat, is a common version of meal prep that's highlighted in their new book, Japanese Comfort Cooking. So many sozai—those side dishes that go with your rice—can be made in advance to serve over the course of a few days. In this conversation, Tadashi and Harris share a few favorite recipes that work especially well for meal prep, as well as a handful of quick Japanese recipes that they recommend you add to your meal-planning repertoire. Get their cookbook recommendation links and a preview of the book over at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. ––––––– Thanks to this week's sponsor:
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| Best Cookbooks of 2026 (So Far) With Matt Rodbard | 17 Jun 2026 | 00:50:30 | |
It's early to name the best cookbooks of 2026, but spring was so impressive and jam-packed that The Dinner Plan team joined up with Matt Rodbard of This Is TASTE, another favorite food podcast, to produce this special episode highlighting the best cookbooks from the first half of the year, along with a preview of some of the really exciting new cookbooks that will be published this fall. Get links to the cookbooks mentioned here, plus a special limited-time discount on paid subscriptions to The Dinner Plan at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. ______ Thanks to this week's sponsors:
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| Salads for Every Season With Alexandra Stacey of French Family Food | 15 Jun 2026 | 00:50:27 | |
You've probably seen Alexandra Stacey's Instagram account, @frenchfamilyfood, but now she has a whole cookbook of salad recipes that make the most of whatever produce is in season. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, host Maggie Hoffman talks with Alexandra about the French salads Alex grew up with, the way she devises new dressings for different types of salads, and the worst salad she ever had. When it's too warm out to turn on the stove to make hot food, this new cookbook is going to be your go-to for meal planning. TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com: recipes + a chance to win Salads for All Seasons ___ Thanks to this week's sponsors:
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| Georgina Hayden’s Best Tricks for Modern Mediterranean Cooking | 08 Jun 2026 | 00:45:18 | |
Georgina Hayden has written cookbooks that highlight traditional Mediterranean recipes, but her latest, MEDesque, is a little looser, full of weeknight dinner ideas inspired by various ingredients and dishes that are beloved in the region. "I've interviewed priests and grannies" about traditional Greek and Cypriot cooking, Georgina says, "But with this one, I've just had a bit more fun and been a bit playful with it." In this episode of The Dinner Plan, Georgina explains how she simplifies Greek classics like spanakopita and moussaka, offers advice for cooking and meal planning when you're feeling burnout, and shares all the pantry staples she's added to her kitchen to get flavorful food on the table easily. To get Georgina's antipasti pasta salad recipe and links to the cookbooks she recommends, check us out over at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. ____ Thanks to this week's sponsors:
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| Claudette Zepeda’s Secret Ingredients for Bigger, Bolder Flavor | 01 Jun 2026 | 00:42:42 | |
If you looked in chef Claudette Zepeda's fridge, you’ll likely find the sauce she needs to turn a Costco rotisserie chicken into quick weeknight enchiladas for her kids, but there are a few more key flavor boosters, which she tells us all about in this episode of The Dinner Plan. Claudette shares some of the techniques and iconic Mexican dishes highlighted in her new cookbook, Cooking the Borderlands, plus the story of her attempt to recreate the original Caesar salad to the exacting requirements of the family that owns Caesar's Restaurant in Tijuana, where the dish originated. This episode is a must-listen for lovers of Mexican food. Head over to TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com for a free recipe preview and a chance to win a copy of the cookbook. ___ Thanks to this week’s sponsors:
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| Move Your Meal Prep to the Grill With Noah Galuten | 23 May 2026 | 00:53:26 | |
Meal prep is much easier when you're grilling, and Noah Galuten's new cookbook, Grill Time!, will inspire you way beyond boring containers of plain grilled chicken. Noah offers fun ways to season grilled vegetables, smart salad inspiration, and the trick for turkey burgers that never dry out (and don't fall apart either). In this conversation with The Dinner Plan host Maggie Hoffman, Noah shares lots of advice, including how to grill sausages without making them burst, how to grill chicken breast that's evenly cooked, and how to think about grilling over the weekend for easy weeknight meals in the days ahead. If you've been feeling meal planning burnout, this episode will help you get inspired. Get two free recipes from the book (and a chance to win a copy of Grill Time!) over at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. ____ Thanks to today's sponsors:
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| What It’s Actually Like at America’s Top Culinary School, With Brigid Washington | 18 May 2026 | 00:52:07 | |
If you’ve been watching Next Gen Chef on Netflix, you’re probably curious about what it's really like to go to school at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. Brigid Washington’s new memoir, Salt, Sweat & Steam, is set at the same culinary school as the Netflix show. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, Brigid recounts her kitchen triumphs and failures—and what she learned from things not always going right. For an easy dinner recipe from Brigid, head to this week’s newsletter at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. _____ Thanks to today's sponsors:
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| How Chef Hillary Sterling Found Her Kitchen Spark Again | 11 May 2026 | 00:49:45 | |
In her new cookbook, Ammazza!, chef Hillary Sterling writes that “a scathing NewYork Times review left me with so much self-doubt that I stopped creating new dishes for fear of judgment and failure.” In this episode of The Dinner Plan, Hillary talks with host Maggie Hoffman about how she lost her confidence and creative drive in the kitchen, and how she found her cooking creativity again. If you’ve ever struggled to come up with dinner ideas night after night, this episode is for you; Hillary shares her go-to easy spring dinners, her favorite cookbooks from a vast collection, and her no-boredom family-friendly meal prep method. For pasta recipes from Hillary and a chance to win the book, head over to The Dinner Plan’s newsletter at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. __ Thanks to today's sponsors:
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| Özlem Warren’s Weeknight Shortcuts for Turkish Classics | 08 May 2026 | 00:41:10 | |
If you love Turkish food, you probably already know about cookbook author Özlem Warren. Her newest book, Istanbul, offers a chance to taste the kinds of dishes you'd find in different sorts of eateries around the city. “One of the reasons that I wrote Istanbul was the fact that, it really is not just kebabs and this and that, that you might just see superficially, perhaps in a touristy areas. You really need to dig deep. Go to different neighborhoods to check out delicious regional specialties.” In this episode of The Dinner Plan, Özlem shares her weeknight shortcuts for Turkish recipes, and paints a picture of her favorite dishes from Istanbul's grilling restaurants, all-day cafés, and more. If you've been wanting to add some Turkish recipes to your repertoire, this new book is a great place to start. Get a preview over at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com—and enter our spring giveaway by May 13. ___ Thanks to today's sponsors:
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| How Anna Stockwell Makes Hosting a Whole Weekend Feel Like No Big Deal | 04 May 2026 | 00:48:41 | |
Anna Stockwell literally wrote the book on how to host dinner parties—it's called For the Table and it's great. So it's no surprise that she has great hosting advice to share in this episode of The Dinner Plan, including how to juggle a full weekend of meals when you have houseguests visiting. She also shares tips for enhancing easy dinners, simple desserts, and evenings with friends with one key ingredient: butter. In the process of writing The Butter Book, Anna learned tons of butter history, plus which brand of butter is worth the price (and how to get the most out of it), tips on how to make browned butter (don't use that cast-iron skillet!), how to make molded butter shapes, butter boards, and butter mountains for a party, and how to make the world's best buttered pasta for kids or adults. Get the recipe on this week's newsletter at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. And don't forget to enter our big spring giveaway! ___ Thanks to today's sponsors:
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| How Alana Kysar Swaps Pork for Produce in Hawaii’s Favorite Dishes | 27 Apr 2026 | 00:43:23 | |
Alana Kysar has always needed to be flexible in the kitchen: In Hawaii, most ingredients are shipped from thousands of miles away, and sometimes you simply can't get what you were hoping for. But her new book, Aloha Veggies, goes even further, celebrating Hawaiian flavors but without ahi, shrimp, spam, or beef. In the 100th episode of The Dinner Plan podcast, Alana shares how she figured out vegetarian versions of her favorite Hawaiian foods—and the dish that finally convinced her skeptical mother that the project was a good idea. Get a preview with two of Alana's recipes on this week's newsletter at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. ____ Thanks to today's sponsors:
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| 29-Minute Dinner Shortcuts From Isa Chandra Moskowitz | 23 Apr 2026 | 00:42:43 | |
Isa Chandra Moskowitz has been writing about vegan cooking for decades now, and so many vegans and vegetarians have learned to cook and bake from her many cookbooks. In this week's episode of The Dinner Plan, Isa shares a peek into her new book, which focuses on truly quick vegan dinners—meatless and dairy-free weeknight dinner ideas that work even when you only have 30 minutes. Isa explains how to choose a plant based protein, how to make the ultimate hearty vegan sandwich, and all the ways she's learned to speed things up in the kitchen over the course of her research and recipe development for this cookbook. For a peek at The 29-Minute Vegan including two free recipes, head to TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. ___ Thanks to today's sponsors:
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| How Trinity Mouzon Wofford Makes Weeknights Easy, Without a Meal Plan | 20 Apr 2026 | 00:54:32 | |
Trinity Mouzon Wofford doesn’t want to be locked into meal planning. Her advice: get into the routine of putting together a base layer of component cooking, transforming raw ingredients into something that's easily assembled into a salad, a soup, a rice bowl, or a pasta. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, Trinity urges home cooks to relax into the process of doing some things by hand on a slow day, so our quicker meals can build on that foundation. What kinds of dinners does she assemble? Trinity answers that, and shares her go-to summer entertaining menu, her method for cooking more flavorful beans, and the best soup she's ever had in her life. Get the free recipe of the week—Trinity’s easy broccoli pasta recipe from Eating At Home—on TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. ___ Thanks to today's sponsors:
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| Use Up That Vegetable Box With Joe Woodhouse | 13 Apr 2026 | 00:55:32 | |
If you get a weekly vegetable box or CSA box—or you just go a bit wild buying vegetables at the market—this episode of The Dinner Plan is for you. Host Maggie Hoffman interviews Joe Woodhouse, the author of Weeknight Vegetarian, a cookbook that's full of appealing vegetable recipes. In this conversation, Joe shares his weekend meal prep routine for getting vegetarian dinners on the table throughout the week, his must-have condiments and sauces, and tips for avoiding wasting food, as well as cookbook favorites and rethinking how making dinner feels. Get two recipes from Weeknight Vegetarian at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com, plus a chance to win a copy of the book for your kitchen. — Thanks to today's sponsors:
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| Hands-Off Moroccan Recipes With Nargisse Benkabbou | 09 Apr 2026 | 00:42:37 | |
London-based chef Nargisse Benkabbou has contributed a lot of quick weeknight recipes to NYT Cooking, but in this conversation with The Dinner Plan's host Maggie Hoffman, the author of Madaq shares her preference for big batch dinners that cook low and slow. These hands-off meals don't require more prep time, but the flavors deepen in the oven or on the stove, and each dish can be used multiple ways throughout the week. Nargisse shares her perspective on meal planning, her most treasured condiments and marinades, and the links she'd send a friend looking for dinner ideas. Get two modern Moroccan recipes from Nargisse Benkabbou in The Dinner Plan's newsletter at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. ____ Thanks to today's sponsors:
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| Tacos, Tostadas, and Tamales at Home With Jorge Gaviria and Fermín Núñez | 06 Apr 2026 | 00:43:04 | |
Jorge Gaviria and Fermín Núñez's new book, Vitamina T, highlights recipes for homemade versions of beloved Mexican street foods like tortas, tamales, tacos, and more. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, Jorge and Fermín share stories behind their favorite recipes—and their tricks for making even your simplest, easiest dinners at home more delicious. They also offer advice for using up everything in your fridge and avoiding food waste. Peek at some recipes from the cookbook (and get a chance to win a copy) over at The Dinner Plan's newsletter at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. ____ Thanks to today's partners:
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| Chef Sheldon Simeon’s Potluck Rules | 30 Mar 2026 | 00:38:23 | |
Top Chef alum Sheldon Simeon has a new cookbook out, called Ohana Style, that's all about cooking family dinners. But sometimes feeding your people is a bigger affair, and Sheldon has opinions about the best things to bring to a potluck. On this episode of The Dinner Plan podcast, Sheldon Simeon chats with host Maggie Hoffman and shares his strategy for potluck leftovers, his advice for prepping food for hot weather gatherings, and a few cookbooks he turns to for inspiration. Get Sheldon's shoyu chicken recipe and a chance to win the book on this week's newsletter at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. ___ Thanks to today's sponsors:
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| Reilly Meehan Shares What Private Chefs Really Cook | 26 Mar 2026 | 00:43:05 | |
Reilly Meehan really knows his stuff in the kitchen, which means his private chef videos on social media are especially compelling. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, Reilly shares his path from the competition cooking circuit to the life of a private chef cooking dinners for clients, what he actually cooks for their weeknight dinners, and insights on how you can add a little flourish to your daily meals. He has lots of advice for what to cook using pantry staples like quinoa, beans, and farro, tips on getting more flavor into your easy dinners, and advice for meal planning during a busy week, plus a favorite high-protein dinner. Reilly's new book, A Little Bit Extra, offers lots of fun cooking techniques that'll come in handy at your next dinner party. Get a recipe preview at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. ___ Thanks to today's sponsors:
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| Learn to Love Leftovers With Christine Flynn | 23 Mar 2026 | 00:46:32 | |
Chef Christine Flynn has cooked in restaurants in Nantucket, Toronto, and Beaune, but these days, she's trying to feed a family great food on a budget. Her new book, Easy Does It, offers chef-inflected weeknight dinners, impressive sides, salads, and sauces. It's also particularly smart about leftovers. "I think when people get leftover fatigue," Christine says, that's because they're simply reheating last night's dinner. "And, you know, nobody wants to eat the same thing like five times in a row. No, thank you. But I think the cool thing about leftovers," she notes, "is if you sort of reimagine them, sometimes the leftovers are better than the original dish." Learn how Christine thinks about meal planning and avoiding waste in this week's interview, and head over to The Dinner Plan's newsletter at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com for a peek at one of Christine's new recipes that's really great in a taco the next day. ____ Thanks to this week's sponsors:
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| Ham El-Waylly’s Comfort Food | 19 Mar 2026 | 00:47:04 | |
Ham El-Waylly has a restaurant—Strange Delight in Brooklyn—but the chef's new book, Hello Home Cooking, is not a restaurant cookbook. In this interview with host Maggie Hoffman, Ham shares his most important tips for home cooks, including smart farmers market shopping advice, thoughts on your nonstick cookware, and his favorite thing to put on a salad. He also shares his most beloved out-of-print cookbooks, memories of his mother's cooking, and the snacks and comfort food he'd sneak from the freezer while playing video games as a kid. Hop over to The Dinner Plan's newsletter at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com to get the free recipe of the week. ____ Thanks to today's sponsors:
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| Cook a Lebanese Feast With Anissa Helou | 13 Mar 2026 | 00:40:38 | |
Anissa Helou wrote her first book about Lebanese cooking in 1994. In this week's podcast conversation (recorded February 24), Anissa shares the story of that book, which largely focused on her mother's recipes, and the differences between that first 250-recipe collection and her new cookbook, Lebanon: Cooking the Food of My Homeland. Anissa's new book dives into Lebanese regional specialties, and in this episode, she shares the most memorable dishes of her travels throughout the country, her recommended menu for a Lebanese feast, and the cookbooks that inspire her most when she's cooking at home. For a preview recipe from Lebanon, go to The Dinner Plan's newsletter at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. ___ Thanks to today's sponsors:
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| Anna Hezel’s Party Tricks for Relaxed Entertaining | 09 Mar 2026 | 00:51:31 | |
Anna Hezel's new book is full of fun party food you can serve when you're entertaining—and this conversation with Anna offers tips for hosting without stress. Learn how Anna likes to serve party food in courses of quick snacks, heartier appetizers and warm dishes, and even dessert, and get her thoughts on the things we can learn from cocktail parties of generations past. If you've been in a cooking rut, it could be that planning a casual gathering is exactly what you need: "Asking yourself the question of, 'what do I want to cook for my friends?’ is a good answer," Anna says, "to the question of 'what do I want to cook for myself?'" Get Anna's matrimonio tartine recipe on The Dinner Plan's newsletter at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com—you'll need to scroll all the way down. ____ Thanks to this week's sponsors:
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| This New Book Shares the Farm-to-Table Indian Cooking the World Hasn't Tasted | 05 Mar 2026 | 00:53:43 | |
Spice importer Sana Javeri Kadri and her team traveled for four and a half months across the length and breadth of India and Sri Lanka to learn family recipes from the spice farmers she works with. They joined a wedding feast in Kashmir and a pakora party in Gujarat, toured a women's market in Manipur, and learned to make fish puffs like the ones at a legendary Sri Lankan bakery. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, Sana shares the bites and cooking techniques that surprised her most during these travels—and how, back in California, they were translated into a cookbook for an American audience. Sana also mentions the recipes she leans on most when cooking at home for her stepdaughters. Get a preview of The Diaspora Spice Co. Cookbook on this week's newsletter at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. ___ Thanks to this week's sponsors:
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| Maxine Sharf’s Day-of-the-Week Cooking Strategy Will Banish Your Dinner Boredom | 02 Mar 2026 | 00:49:50 | |
Cookbook author and content creator Maxine Sharf organized her new cookbook, Maxi's Kitchen, by day of the week. Easy recipes for Mondays anticipate lower energy and keep things simple, while Tuesday recipes cut down on dishes. Wednesday mixes things up a bit, and Thursday is date night, with restaurant-worthy dishes you can make at home. Listen to the full episode to learn how she plots the rest of the week, the important thing she does before serving every meal, and why she thinks it's worth building up a regular repertoire of dinner ideas of your own. For Maxine's easy teriyaki chicken meatballs recipe and a list of her favorite cookbooks, head to TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. ____ Thanks to today's sponsors:
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| 1500 Recipe Tests Later, Ella Quittner Knows the Best Way to Cook Everything | 23 Feb 2026 | 00:58:11 | |
Ella Quittner conducted around 1500 recipe tests as a part of her research for her new book, Obsessed With the Best. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, Ella and host Maggie Hoffman discuss the pros and cons of the internet's preoccupation with pronouncing certain foods and cooking techniques "the best," and what Ella was looking for as she attempted to figure out the best roast chicken, crispy smashed potatoes, and other favorite dishes. Ella shares one game-changing pantry staple that’s worth adding to your pantry, the struggle meals she makes when she's out of energy at dinner time, and the weird and fun dinner party tradition she's started with a few friends. Get Ella's Definitely Not a Lasagna and vodka sauce recipe at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. ____ Thanks to today's sponsors:
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| Phoebe Lapine’s System for Getting Kids to Eat More Than 3 Things | 19 Feb 2026 | 00:58:02 | |
If you find feeding your kid frustrating, you're absolutely not alone. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, host Maggie Hoffman interviews cookbook author Phoebe Lapine, who is also the voice behind the Munch Menus newsletter on Substack. Phoebe's menu system helps busy parents figure out kid dinners, and in this conversation, she shares her advice for increasing variety if your child is picky (perhaps the word "rigid" is a better one.) She also talks about the ways her experience with auto-immune disease and SIBO changed her thinking about food and home cooking. Listen for Phoebe's favorite store-bought shortcuts for easy dinners, how she strategizes using the freezer to make weeknights less stressful, and how the logistics actually work in her family's busy schedule. Get Phoebe's favorite sheet-pan chicken recipe from Carbivore here at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. ___ Thanks to today's sponsors:
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| One-Pot Cooking the Japanese Way With Naoko Takei Moore | 16 Feb 2026 | 00:50:57 | |
They call Naoko Takei Moore "Mrs. Donabe"—she’s taught classes on cooking with these Japanese clay pots, and wrote the first English-language book on the topic. Her new book, Simply Donabe, focuses on simple one-pot meals made in the donabe. In this week’s episode of The Dinner Plan podcast, host Maggie Hoffman asks Naoko about the advantages of donabe cooking, the best things to cook in the pot, and how she chooses between the many types of miso she always keeps on hand in the fridge. Over on The Dinner Plan's newsletter, you'll get Naoko's recipe for salmon steamed over quinoa. Find it at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. ____ Thanks to this week's sponsors:
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| How Jerrelle Guy Cooked Her Way Out of Burnout | 09 Feb 2026 | 00:50:48 | |
Jerrelle Guy was in the midst of a serious case of burnout when she began to dream up her new book, We Fancy. It's not a cookbook highlighting high-end ingredients or elaborate meals—it’s about finding magic in everyday weeknight dinners. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, Jerrelle talks to host Maggie Hoffman about how to calm your nervous system if your kitchen is stressing you out, what to make for dinner when time and energy is limited, and the ways that creativity in the kitchen relates to the kind of creative flow she feels as an artist. Get Jerrelle's jerk mushroom taco recipe and her cookbook recommendations for free on our newsletter at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. ____ Thanks to this week's sponsors:
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| How Chef Vivian Howard Juggles Dinner When Time Is Tight | 02 Feb 2026 | 00:45:46 | |
Chef Vivian Howard has written two cookbooks—and now she's the star of a public television series called Kitchen Curious. But she still struggles with the challenge of cooking on busy weeknights. In Episode 82 of The Dinner Plan, Vivian chats with host Maggie Hoffman about her real-life dinner routine, the way she's cut down her grocery spending, and some important fridge safety tips that she learned in professional kitchens. Get links to Vivian's recipe recommendations and favorite cookbooks at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com. ____ Thanks to today's sponsors:
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