How to store produce so it doesn't spoil?

Welcome!

Here is your weekly recipe inspiration newsletter. Our goal is to get your cooking juices flowing and inspire you to try new meals.

As always, a full grocery shopping list in Notion is linked at the end of this email.

In This Week’s Edition

Try Something New 🤯 — Pro-Level Tuna Salad

Throwback Time 🍳 — Mexico’s Answer to the Fried Chicken Sandwich

The Leftover Shelf 🥡 — 10-Minute Chicken Parm

Extra Helpings 🍽 — Viral Mayo, Produce Storage, and More

Try Something New 🤯

The best thing I ate this week.

Tuna Salad Sandwich (that doesn’t suck)

If you have bad canned tuna memories from the past, this is the recipe to redeem this amazing ingredient. The key is to get tuna packed in olive oil — the difference will blow your mind. As we’ve discussed on the channel several times, fat carries flavor compounds, but also helps them linger on our tongue as we eat increasing our enjoyment, so using a tuna packed in olive oil will significantly enhance the overall dish.

It’s such a simple recipe, so the key is to use the best ingredients only. For example, a bad-tasting mayo can throw the whole dish off — try what you have before adding it in.

Tuna Salad Components

• 10 oz high-quality canned tuna, packed in olive oil.

• 1-2 tbsps high-quality mayo, or to taste (Recommendations: Dukes, Kewpie, or homemade)

• 1-2 tsp dijon mustard, or to taste

• High-quality Extra Virgin olive oil, to taste & texture preference

• 1/2 medium red onion, diced

• 1-2 celery stalks, diced

• Kosher salt & black pepper, to taste

• Optional: chopped herbs like scallion, parsley, or cilantro

Sandwich Components

• Bread slices, toasted. Pick your fighter.

• (Optional) Additional mayo and/or mustard for the bread. Player’s choice.

• (Optional) Veggies: iceberg lettuce, sliced tomatoes, or pickles. You do you.

*You can of course, just eat the tuna salad with crackers, in a lettuce wrap, or on its own.

Instructions

1. In a bowl, combine tuna, celery, onion, and optional herbs. Add in a starting amount of mayo and mustard. Making salads like this is an exercise in eyeballing and adjusting — so start with less, because you can always add more.

2. Use a fork to incorporate all the ingredients. About a tablespoon at a time, add in the olive oil, and then mix with your fork until it emulsifies into the mix. If it doesn’t seem to be binding, you can add in a bit more mayo.

3. Continue adding and mixing in olive oil until desired consistency and taste are reached. Adjust with salt, pepper, and optionally more mustard for acidity.

Pro Tip - Don’t throw away the celery leaves! Chop those up and add to the recipe. In general, these are some of my favorite herbs to use. So fresh.

Throwback Time 🍳

This summer, we made one of the greatest sandwiches of all time. The Milanesa Torta.

Check out the video, or read the written recipe here.​

The best part of the recipe, however, is that it shows you how to prep breaded chicken cutlets and freeze them for use at a moment’s notice.

Making these chicken cutlets ahead of time sets you up for the best leftover meals ever…in under 10 minutes.

The Leftover Shelf 🥡

Leftovers are back in style…if you know how to use them.

This week’s move:

Fried Chicken Torta → Chicken Parmesan

Get some tomato sauce and cheese, and you’re ready to turn the leftover breaded chicken into a whole different weeknight meal.

Components

• Fried chicken cutlet, leftover/prepared from the Torta recipe

• Jarred marinara, or make a quick tomato sauce (3-ingredient version here)

• Low-moisture mozzarella, or equivalent melting cheese, grated

• Parmesan, grated on the finest holes of a box grater

To assemble:

On a sheet pan, top your fried chicken cutlet with a layer of tomato sauce, followed by a generous layer of the grated cheeses. Pop under the broiler until the cheese layer is melted and browned. Optionally serve over cooked pasta, with more sauce.

Extra Helpings 🍽

🚀 Viral Eats

The latest cooking trends explained.

Why are so many influencer food accounts using Kewpie Mayo, and what even is it?

A: Kewpie Mayonnaise is a Japanese product recently popularized by social media. In our opinion, it’s the best. Its glossy, thicker texture eats more like an aioli than a mayo. What makes it so different? Kewpie is made with more egg yolks for richness and umami-boosting ingredients (yeast extract, msg) add a signature savoriness.

🤔 Reader Q&A

Q: How do you stop your produce from going bad so fast? I feel like I waste a lot of food each week from the grocery store. Thanks! — Jake N.

A: Great question, Jake. Some vegetables should always be refrigerated, while others actually last longer on the counter. Onions, garlic, and potatoes do better on the counter. Putting those in the fridge can rot them out with moisture — they’re meant to store for months in dry, cool air. Sometimes cherry/grape tomato packages instruct to keep them on the counter because a fridge will be too cold. Everything else should go in your fridge, in the crisper drawers. Citrus and fruits look great out in a bowl, but they’ll shrivel soon. Take care of your herbs and keep scallions alive in water.

🏆 Dinner Winner! Reader Photo Submission of the Week

Reply with a picture of the best meal you made this week for a chance to be featured in a future email.

🤤 More Yummy Content

A Read: The Birria Craze​

In a Minute or Less: How to cure ramen eggs​

What We’re Watching: Alex tours a pasta factory​

Food Science: Does onion dice size matter?​

Upgrade your feed: Connect with Ethan everywhere.​

Ready to shop? 🛒

​10/23 Sunday Shopping List