Good morning. Last week’s poll results are in — about 55% of you think keeping food scraps for homemade stock isn’t worth the effort. The other 45% are dutifully adding to the freezer bag.

• If you want to try homemade broth for yourself, here’s our framework guide.

RECIPE BREAKDOWN🤯

The stir fry blueprint

Learning this framework can change your life in these four ways:

1. Transform proteins, vegetables, and pantry ingredients into delicious meals

2. Never run out of ideas to make

3. Learn to make healthier, high-protein stir fries

4. The leftovers are amazing

Layer the following components and you’ll have a tasty and filling meal:

The Sauce

• Make your own ahead of time or use a favorite store bought

Aromatics

• Generally, every stir fry starts with an aromatic base (or they get mixed into the sauce)

• Try adding in garlic, ginger, chilies, shallots, lemongrass, or onions

Protein

• It doesn’t matter - use whatever you have: tofu, chicken, pork, egg, beef, shrimp

Vegetables

• They can be used as the stir fry base instead of noodles or rice, or just to bulk up the meal

• Try baby broccoli, snow peas, onion, peppers, etc.

Starch base (optional)

• Rice or noodles — think about how you want to serve the dish: over plain rice or noodles, or everything stir fried together?

Tips:

If you have to make each ingredient from scratch every time you make a stir-fry, it will be complicated. Instead, try implementing small tactics to be ready for a future meal:

• Buy sauces in advance or make a large batch for the month.

• Buy a bag of frozen vegetables or keep some on hand in the refrigerator. Keep aromatics (like onion, garlic and spices) in the pantry — they last for months.

• Thinly slice proteins and store in the freezer. These can be cooked straight from frozen.

• Lastly, make a double batch of rice or noodles at the beginning of the week that you can use on various dishes throughout the week.

RECIPE RECOMMENDATIONS ✅

Our top stir-fry recipes

If you want to put the above framework into action, try it out with some of our favorite rice and noodle dishes here:

FOOD TRENDS 🚀

Tres Leches

Why does this moist cake make sense?

Two weeks ago we covered tiramisu, today we’re diving into another cake soaked in flavorful liquid:

Tres leches is a cake soaked in three different types of milk: evaporated, condensed and whole milk. This sponge cake originated in Latin America, but now can be found all over the US.

• Thanks to the combination of these dairy products, the richness and flavor of tres leches is hard to replicate in other desserts.

The texture of the cake is light & airy, which allows it to soak up all of the milks. The liquid adds moisture and richness to the cake, in addition to extra flavor. The sponge cake doesn’t get soggy because of its sturdy crumb.

It’s forgiving to make at home: it’s just baking off a simple batter and then pouring over the soaking liquid. Plus, your cake doesn’t have to look perfect because it gets in a layer of whipped cream.

READER Q&A 🧠

Does Guinness taste better in Ireland?

Answer: Many people don’t realize beer has an expiration date! Seriously, go check the cans in the back of your fridge. Brewers recommend drinking canned or bottled beer from the fridge in 6 months or less. If beer is stored in the pantry at room temps, oxidation and off-flavors will develop even sooner.

It makes sense when you think of beer like bread: a fermented grain and yeast-based product that stales over time. With that perspective, it’s a reality that beer’s flavor changes over time:

• Beer that is imported overseas is going to be altered the most due to transportation variables: temperature, light, movement, etc.

• Guinness is made in Ireland, so naturally it will be fresher there than anywhere else in the world (even the Guinness breweries in the US serve beer made in Ireland).

Although freshness matters, ambiance also contributes to the taste of beer. Our surroundings influence how things taste because of the way we experience food through emotions.

Even though you might not be able to tell in a blind taste test, a Coors will likely still taste better on a snowy day in Colorado, & a Guinness might taste crisper in a Dublin pub. That’s the human element of flavor in action.

Have a culinary question? Reply to send it in for a chance to be featured and get your question answered.

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

Breakfast for dinner

This week’s dinner winner is Alison M., who made eggs paired with rosemary, garlicky mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes.

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

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: How to Throw a Great Hot Dog Party

In a minute or less: Cinnamon Toast

What we’re watching: Where Michelin Starred Restaurants Get Their Ingredients

Food science: Charring Techniques

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