Good morning. Last week, many of you wrote in with your favorite hard boiled egg uses.

Common responses were: marinated eggs, egg salad sandwiches, chopped into rounds for garnish, or eaten whole as a snack.

• Our favorite was from Kacey Y, who recommends enjoying halved eggs with “a little drop of mustard and buffalo sauce on each half”. All the flavors of deviled eggs, but way faster.

LIFESTYLE PROTOCOL 🤝

Triple batch of rice

In previous editions, we’ve covered the Sunday braise protocol, where you cook a large portion of meat on the weekend and then use it to make various meals throughout the week.

This batch cooking approach works great for other ingredients too - from grilled chicken to sheet pan vegetables.

Today we’re proposing you get in the habit of batching a large quantity of rice at the start of your week or to freeze for later use.

• You may be part of a culture that already does this, but we’ve found most of our American audience isn’t in the habit yet.

How to do this protocol:

Cook a large batch of rice using your preferred method (rice cooker, Instapot, stovetop). Allow to cool, then store a few portions in the fridge and the rest in the freezer.

When you’re ready to cook, use the rice as a starting point. Often you just need a protein + a veg or sauce to make a complete meal.

• Precooked rice allows for quick stir-fries, fried rice dishes, or congee.

Why to do this protocol:

• Getting started can be the hardest part of cooking a weeknight meal. Having rice already done means you are halfway there already and shaves off prep time.

• Rice can be quickly warmed up to flush out a meal, even from frozen.

• Plain rice can pair with almost any cuisine, and seasoned with any kind of sauces or ingredients at a later time.

For more ideas on how to use up pre-prepped rice, check out the collection below…

RECIPE RECOMMENDATIONS ✅

Our best rice recipes…

Many of these recipe can be done with pre-cooked rice.

• Even dishes like dirty rice or biryani could be modified just incorporate already cooked rice, which will cut the cooking time down substantially.

FOOD TRENDS 🚀

Custard-based desserts

Once you look at enough recipes across global cuisines, you start to notice more similarities than differences. This applies to savory dishes and desserts alike.

US-based readers might be most familiar with flan, the jiggly pudding-like tart served on Mexican restaurant menus everywhere.

Flan is a version of creme caramel, the original custard dessert that broke free from mainland Europe in the 19th century into many regional variations like quesillo, crème brûlée, and pudding.

• Some people argue cheesecake, creamy dessert pies, and ice cream bases are related to these custard desserts (just cooked in a different way).

All of these contain eggs, sugar, and a creamy product to set the custard, but some are made with condensed milk, cheese, evaporated milk, cream, or even coconut products.

• Most are topped with a layer of caramel, molten sugar, or dulce de leche for sweetness and color.

But why are custard-based desserts so popular worldwide?

• They are made with simple ingredients (eggs, dairy, sugar) accessible to most cultures, but with technique, resulting in a rich and decadent product.

And now, the desserts are coming back in vogue to the masses. What once started as a simple treat can be given a chef makeover (and a fine dining price tag). It seems humans will always love a creamy, decadent dessert, especially when it’s topped with bittersweet caramel.

READER Q&A 🧠

How to reheat frozen bread?

Answer: Frozen bread slices heat up surprisingly similar to normal bread slices in most cases, except they take just a bit longer (because of defrosting and evaporating extra moisture).

So if you wanted to toast bread not in a toaster, you could heat it up & crisp it in a pan with a bit of butter or oil, warm it through in an oven, air fry it, or even microwave it for 30 seconds at a time until warmed through and fluffy.

If the bread was frozen before it got stale, it will return to life once reheated in almost any method. That’s it!

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

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

Dahl for dinner

This week’s dinner winner is Vilmos K., who made dahl cooked with tomatoes and onion, topped with sour cream, chili oil, sumac and parsley.

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: Staub vs. Le Creuset

In a minute or less: How to Make Sweetened Condensed Milk

What we’re watching: The Secret to Perfect Boiled Eggs

Food science: The Best and Worst Olive Oils

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