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19 KFC Recipes To Recreate at Home

19 KFC Recipes To Recreate at Home

Kentucky Fried Chicken stepped into the spotlight in 1952 when the franchise opened its first fast-food restaurant.

KFC Popular fast food restaurant

The original recipe comes from Harland Sanders, also known as Colonel Sanders, who perfected his 11 herbs and spice mix in a motel he purchased in the 1930s. The exact recipe still lives on in the thousands of KFC locations we have today.

Crispy fried chicken is a favorite comfort food of many people around the world due to its delicious crunchy outside and juicy meat on the inside.

Sure, you can go to a KFC and buy some of this juicy goodness, or you can learn to make it at home. Here are some KFC copycat recipes that are worth a try.

You can make the classic KFC fried chicken you know and love with chicken pieces, a seasoned flour dredge, buttermilk, and eggs.

The trick to getting the perfect fried chicken is soaking the chicken in buttermilk and eggs for about half an hour. Then you can cover the chicken pieces in the flour mixture and fry them until golden brown. 

I love the crunch this recipe gives the chicken. It tastes like the real deal!

The chicken bowl casserole is a stomach-filling favorite that contains creamy mashed potatoes, corn, fried chicken, cheddar cheese, and savory brown gravy.

For this KFC copycat recipe, you can use pre-made options or create homemade mashed potatoes, fried chicken, and gravy.

I highly recommend using crunchy popcorn chicken, so each bite is easier to eat.

No KFC meal is complete without their signature coleslaw.

To make this fresh-tasting slaw at home, you’ll need cabbage, carrots, vinegar, mayonnaise, and some seasoning.

I recommend buying the cabbage that’s already shredded to make things easier. This crunchy, tangy dish is the perfect KFC side for fried chicken and even offers you about a third of your daily vitamin C!

Mashed potatoes aren’t the same without gravy. So, to make the KFC gravy at home, you’ll need to gather chicken broth, butter, flour, and some seasonings and cook it all in a pot.

The result should be a thick, flavorful brown gravy that’s perfect for pouring on your meal or dipping.

I like to drizzle it on top of my fried chicken and mashed potatoes.

If you’re a fan of spicy chicken, then this KFC copycat recipe for Nashville hot chicken tenders will be a winner for you.

To make it, you’ll dredge the chicken tenders in a seasoned flour mixture and a buttermilk mixture and then fry them until golden.

The last step is to create a heat-packed oil with cayenne and chili pepper to dunk the tenders in after they finish cooking.

I’m a big fan of spice, so I recommend dipping your crunchy tenders in the spicy oil while eating them as well.

If you like hot chicken, check out the best hot chicken chains to visit!

Copycat KFC biscuits are easy to make at home with flour, cream of tartar, butter, and a few other common household ingredients.

When you finish mixing the dough, cut out little circles, and bake them off until the tops are slightly brown. 

When you break open these buttery biscuits, there should be all kinds of nooks and crannies. I think these little pockets are perfect for catching gravy or melted butter.

Copycat KFC honey BBQ sauce is the perfect condiment to have your chicken bursting with flavor.

The recipe is quite easy, with the primary ingredients being tomato paste, brown sugar, and vinegar.

The final result should be a sweet, tangy, and flavorful sauce that goes well with copycat KFC fried chicken. I like to use it as a dipping sauce.

Check out KFCs other sauces.

The copycat KFC mashed potatoes recipe calls for instant mashed potatoes rather than real ones.

However, the recipe also uses butter, milk, and seasoning to make them creamy and flavorful, just like the real KFC mashed potatoes.

Ensure you also make the gravy to drizzle on top! I like to add a little extra butter on top of my mashed potatoes for a more buttery flavor.

If bone-in chicken or chicken tenders aren’t your thing, copycat KFC chicken nuggets are a great alternative to traditional fried chicken.

You’ll need to cut chicken breast meat into chunks, dredge them like normal fried chicken, and fry them.

They only take about five minutes to make! I find that these flavorful nuggets go rather well in the casserole bowl.

Chicken pot pie is another comfort food in itself. To create the copycat KFC chicken pot pie, you will need to cook chicken, peas, carrots, cream, and many other ingredients to make your delicious filling.

Once you cook everything down, you can pour the mixture into some ramekins and top them with puff pastry for a buttery and flaky crust.

I like to brush my pot pies with an egg wash to get a beautiful golden crust when they come out of the oven.

If you want the familiar and flavorful seasoning that Colonel Sanders used himself, you will need to combine 11 spices and herbs, including some of the following: Thyme, Basil, Paprika, Garlic salt, And seven more!

The result will give you a savory seasoning that makes your fried chicken taste just like the original KFC. I sometimes use this seasoning on plain grilled chicken as well!

KFC makes a mayonnaise-based macaroni salad that’s creamy and delicious.

The KFC copycat recipe for this includes elbow macaroni, mayonnaise, veggies, and a few seasonings. The pickles are a nice touch, as they add some sweetness and a hint of acidity.

I recommend chilling the salad in the fridge for at least an hour after making it to get it completely cold. 

You can make a healthier version of fried chicken by simply grilling it, but that doesn’t mean it lacks flavor.

The copycat KFC grilled chicken recipe entails brining the chicken in MSG and salt for a few hours, coating it in liquid smoke, covering it in KFC seasoning, and grilling it for almost an hour.

The result is juicy, perfectly cooked chicken.

I love the slight char on the outside, as it helps bring out the flavor of the seasonings.

Creating a copycat version of KFC’s potato wedges is easy with ingredients, including russet potatoes, an egg dredge, and a seasoned flour dredge.

After you coat the wedges, you can place them in the oven or an air fryer to cook until golden brown.

I love the peppery taste that comes from the paprika in the flour dredge.

To create the copycat KFC hot chicken wing recipe, you’ll need to marinate your chicken wings in a seasoned buttermilk marinade and then coat them with a seasoned flour dredge.

They taste like KFC’s normal fried chicken but with a little heat. I recommend adding a pinch of chili powder if you want more spice.

The copycat KFC potato salad uses similar ingredients to the macaroni salad, such as mayonnaise, pickles or relish, veggies, and plenty of seasonings.

If you follow the recipe, your potatoes should come out soft yet firm so they don’t break apart.

I love how soft, creamy, and slightly acidic this potato salad is. It provides a great contrast to crunchy fried chicken.

If you want to make KFC’s spicy popcorn chicken at home, you’ll follow similar steps to the fried chicken nuggets.

You’ll need to cut chicken breast meat into small cubes, marinate them in a chili buttermilk marinade, coat them in a flour and breadcrumb mixture, and fry them until golden. 

These chicken pieces offer mouth-watering spice in the marinade and on the outside, as you’ll toss them in a spice mix when they finish frying. I think they have the perfect amount of heat without being too overpowering.

The KFC mac and cheese, another comfort food, is easy to make at home with elbow macaroni, milk, Velveeta, cheddar cheese, and a few other household ingredients.

The result is a thick, creamy, and extremely cheesy side dish. It’s a rather filling dish. This is one of my top favorite copycat recipes.

If you’re looking for a side dish that’s on the healthier side, the copycat KFC green beans are the perfect addition to your meal.

You’ll simply need to saute green beans, peppers, onions, bacon, and seasonings to create the dish. The bacon adds a nice salty and porky flavor to the green beans.

Green beans are delicious and can offer you healthy vitamins, including potassium, vitamin A, vitamin K, and folate.

Final Thoughts

Make your favorite KFC order at home with these recipes, and check out other fast food copycat recipes like McDonald’s recipes or Burger King copycat recipes!

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A taste of home: Park woman shares French culture through food

A taste of home: Park woman shares French culture through food
A taste of home: Park woman shares French culture through food

Photos courtesy of Gerard and Belevender
Marie Wallace is in her happy place making crêpes at The French Cow, a fixture at Eastern Market.

The reason Marie Wallace came to the United States from France and a big reason she remains are about as far apart as her home country and current residence.
“I was 23 and a big Eminem fan,” Wallace recalled. “I loved hip-hop and Eminem. I wanted to write a screenplay; I’m a screenwriter. My dream was to come to Detroit, meet Eminem, give him my screenplay and he would produce it.”
Though she came close — she met Eminem’s manager, Paul Rosenberg, multiple times and, as a singer, worked with Luis Resto, who co-produced the rapper’s Oscar-winning “Lose Yourself,” from the film “Eight Mile” — she has yet to meet the man himself and her screenplay was turned down.
But the rejection turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Wallace at the time was starting a business that has since become a popular Eastern Market destination.
“I’m very passionate about French food, about food in general,” she explained. “I was disappointed when I tasted crêpes here. They’re not the quality I was used to (in France). I had crêpes all the time with my family; we made crêpes constantly.”
In 2008, Wallace mentioned to her husband she’d like to start a crêpe business, but the timing wasn’t right as she was busy raising their two sons.
“Then Good Girls Go to Paris Crêpes opened in Detroit,” she said. “It broke my heart. It was very popular and it got big. People were lining up for crêpes.
“… When I got my divorce, I took my kids there and they said, ‘You should make your own,’” she added.
That’s exactly what she did. Using her own crêpe recipe and with her mother’s help, Wallace set about creating The French Cow crêpes shop.
“I started at Coffee & … on Jefferson and Chalmers,” she said. “I was scared. I didn’t know if people would like it.”
She voiced her concerns to the cafe owner, who encouraged Wallace to give it a try.
“She kept saying, ‘Just do it,’” Wallace recalled. “So each month, I had a pop-up there.”
Though she had some success, the shop wasn’t enough to support her, so she landed a job at Selden Standard in Detroit, which helped her learn more about the industry.
“They hired me knowing I was starting my own company,” she said. “I studied a lot there. I learned about kitchen service. I learned the ropes through Selden. Two years later, I started at Eastern Market.”
Wallace said some customers were skeptical at first. Her savory crêpes, for instance, are made with buckwheat flour, so they come out darker.
“But that’s how we make them in France,” she explained. “Black is for savory, white is for sweet. Little by little, they began tasting them. They say, ‘This is how they’re done in France? OK, let’s try it.’
“Now people are there before we even open, every time,” she continued. “We sell 200 to 350 crêpes, which is a lot. Now I have employees, two to four during the season. I started with just my mother.”
The French Cow currently is a fixture at Eastern Market on Saturdays, though during summer months, hungry patrons can find the shop there three days a week. The French Cow also handles catering requests.
“Anything where we can sell crêpes we are doing,” Wallace said. “I also make baguette sandwiches and sell them at Milwaukee Cafe near New Center.”
Among The French Cow’s most popular savory crêpes are the Pigalle and the Big Mack.
“The Pigalle is inspired from the Red District of Paris,” Wallace said. “It’s delicious, but also a little bit dirty. It’s Swiss cheese, ham, caramelized onions, then I make a homemade cilantro-garlic sauce I put on top.
“The Big Mack has corned beef,” she added. “I named it after a customer who’s Irish, named Cormack. The crêpes have some very strange names because they’re named after things in my life, like The Wallace Boys — Nutella, bananas and walnuts — is named after my sons.”
Another popular sweet crêpe is Jessica’s Secret, featuring homemade rhubarb jam, strawberries and ricotta. But don’t expect to find this tasty treat at the shop during winter.
“I try to do everything seasonal and strawberries are not in season now,” Wallace said. “I use the freshest ingredients. The market is an amazing place to find fresh ingredients all year round. So many people don’t know that Eastern Market is open all year. It’s one of the only cities in the United States that has that.”
Wallace currently is compiling a cookbook, “with crêpes and other things, picturing the authentic French way of living,” she said.
“I feel like sometimes Americans are infatuated (with France) for the wrong reason,” Wallace said. “They fall in love with Paris because of the Eiffel Tower, because it’s so romantic. They don’t dig deep into what the culture really is, of what the feeling of sharing food really is. It’s not that they don’t want to, but now I’m forcing them to. If I ever open a shop, it will be a real culture shock for them, because I will keep it authentic.
“I would love to have my own place in Grosse Pointe Park,” she added. “I would love it to have a Parisian feel where people can walk to it.”

Grosse Pointe Park resident Marie Wallace brings an athentic Parisian food experience to Eastern Market with sweet and savory crêpes inspired by her hometown.

Wallace said making crêpes helps her express her creative side, which knows no limits.
“I’m also a trained actor and screenwriter and a singer,” she said. “I love to decorate. I feel like crêpes may seem odd, but I create a lot when I’m coming up with a menu or decorating the booth creatively at the market. I am a content creator and a constant creator.”
Wallace put her creativity to use during the pandemic by writing the screenplay, “13 Weeks,” for which she is trying to get representation.
“It’s about two people who start a conversation during the pandemic, apart from each other, in different cities,” she said of the romance.
When she’s not peddling crêpes, Wallace, who has lived in Grosse Pointe Park since 2016, enjoys spending time with her two boys, ages 12 and 14, both students at Pierce Middle School.
Learn more about The French Cow on Instagram @thefrenchcow, on Facebook at The French Cow crêpes, by visiting thefrenchcowcrepesshop.net or emailing thefrenchcowcrepes@gmail.com

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The best gifts for home cooks in Oakland and Berkeley

The best gifts for home cooks in Oakland and Berkeley

For thoughtfully designed gifts that blend both practicality and style, look no further than kitchen tools and accessories. These are the gifts that they’ll reach for again and again throughout the year, truly relying on essential cookbooks and sharp knives, and taking pleasure in speckled ceramics and soft linens. 

Sure, it’s easy to stock up at Williams-Sonoma, a Bay Area tastemaker since 1956. But there are so many small and independent shops that are actually local to the East Bay, places where you can find gifts that go way beyond the same-day-shipped.

Here are the highlights this holiday season, whether you’re shopping for your best food friend, or craving something for your own wishlist.  

For someone who eats everything in bowls

Oakland ceramicist Sarah Kersten’s basin collection. Courtsey: Sarah Kersten

Listen, eating food in bowls is no longer a trend, it’s officially a lifestyle. And local ceramicist Sarah Kersten’s new basin bowl collection is breathtakingly pretty: wide and shallow bowls, speckled as naturally as quail eggs or Appaloosa ponies. 

She handshapes them all in her studio in Oakland, and supplies many cool restaurants across the Bay, from Sister and Jo’s Modern Thai in Oakland to Octavia in SF and Valley Bar + Bottle in Sonoma. And they come in a range of colors and sizes, from the tidiest olive dish to the broadest pasta bowl. 

Sarah Kersten, 2725 Magnolia St. (near 28th Street), Oakland. Check website for in-person shopping hours most Saturdays in December, or order online.

For someone who’s into sustainability with style

These Palm + Perkins napkins embrace the mismatch. Courtesy: Palm + Perkins

This local general store carries a wide range of clothing, homewares, and other gifts, and they love featuring sustainability this season. But it doesn’t feel like a lecture with these handsome napkins, mismatched in blues and grays, and sporting jaunty stripes and checks. 

The fabric just happens to be made from 100 percent recycled materials (80 percent cotton from clothing and 20 percent poly yarn from plastic bottles, to be precise). Plus, it’s a festive time of year to set out cloth napkins, and inspiration to avoid tossing so many paper towels. 

Palm + Perkins, 2950 College Ave. (near Ashby Avenue), Berkeley. Shop in person 11 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, or purchase online.

For the cocktail connoisseur living that highball life

Even tap water tastes better when it’s from a cool glass, like this one from Aderia. Credit: Umami Mart

The highball craze keeps high rolling across cocktail menus in the East Bay. And they do go down easy, don’t they? Thanks to good whisky, lots of ice and bubbly mix-ins, which help lower the ABV. Everyone’s favorite Japanese market has several cool sets of tall glasses, so you can keep chilling and sipping at home. 

They’re made by Aderia, a collectible glass maker in Japan, whose whimsical and retro designs date back more than 200 years. Umami Mart carries several of their patterns, including this “slash” design, with cuts fanning around the base of the drink. Of course, Umami Mart also stocks excellent Japanese whiskies, if you want to pair with a bottle.  

Umami Mart, 4027 Broadway (near 40th Street), Oakland. Open 12-6 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday, 12-7 p.m. Saturday, also available online.

For the gastro-traveler who won’t shut up about their trip to Portugal

This little terracotta pig does double duty as a cute centerpiece and as a showy assador. Credit: The Spanish Table

May we present the real party animal of this holiday season: A little terracotta pig who serves as an assador — a mini tabletop grill for sausages. Set him out with drinks and snacks, pour alcohol into his belly and strike a match. Then throw chourico or linguica sausage onto his back, and let it roast in the flame. 

Is he a one-trick pig? Maybe, but look, that’s never stopped anyone from gifting a Swiss fondue set. So for the friend who keeps going on about the anchovies they ate in Lisbon, this could be a fun party trick. Plus, how cute!  

The Spanish Table, 1814 San Pablo Ave. (near Hearst Avenue), Berkeley. Open 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11-5 Sunday, or order online.

For the dedicated diner who still misses Brown Sugar Kitchen

The cover of Oakland chef Tanya Holland’s latest book, California Soul. Credit: Ten Speed Press

Chef Tanya Holland closed iconic soul food restaurant Brown Sugar Kitchen in January 2022, serving her last fried chicken and waffles. The Oakland chef remains front-and-center, however, with her latest cookbook, California Soul.

Holland’s book features Black farmers and foodmakers from across California, while serving fresh interpretations of Dungeness crab gumbo, collard green tabbouleh and lavender buttermilk pie, among 80 recipes. It’s available wherever good cookbooks are sold, but if you pick up a copy at local Marcus Books, you’ll be supporting another Black-owned business in the East Bay. 

Marcus Books, 3900 Martin L King Jr Way (near 39th Street), Oakland, open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 12-4 Sunday, also available online.

For the serious cook who deserves a Japanese knife

The Hida Santoku at Hida Tool is serious knife business. Credit: Hida Tool

Berkeley cooks get their knives sharpened at Hida Tool, a hardware store that sources the finest kitchen, woodworking, and gardening tools from Japan. For serious cooks, they carry an array of chef’s knives, from straight to western handles, and with different lengths and curves of blade. 

The Hida Santoku is their own original creation, crafted in collaboration with knifemaker Sakai Kikumori. It features modern and durable stainless steel, but finely sharpened to a Japanese bevel, and fitted with a traditional octagonal handle made of lightweight magnolia. Your minced herbs may never be the same. 

Hida Tool, 1333 San Pablo Ave. (near Gilman Avenue), Berkeley. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, or purchase online.

For the neat freak who lives for pantry organization

Hard to imagine a spice rack more Instagrammable than this one from Sweet July. Credit: Sweet July

For anyone who thinks heaven must resemble the Container Store, here’s a sweet little slice of organization. At Sweet July, Ayesha Curry’s airy retail shop in Oakland, the television star and domestic polymath stocks a variety of different ceramics, linens and other home goods. Including this simply perfect spice rack, made of blonde acacia wood, petite enough to slide into most cabinets, and offering a triplet of tiered steps. 

So you can easily spy what’s inside every bottle! No more rummaging around in the spice cabinet up to your armpit. Either place existing bottles on the rack, or invest in the matching glass set with acacia stoppers (sold separately). At only twenty-something bucks for the rack, you could even throw in a bottle of Jamaican curry or jerk seasoning from Oaktown.  

Sweet July, 455 23rd St. (near Valley Street), Oakland. Open Monday, and Wednesday-Saturday from 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday 11-6 (closed Tuesday), or order online.

For the farmer’s market rat who stalks seasonal produce

If time must pass, a calendar from Maria Schoettler makes it do so more deliciously. Credit: Maria Schoettler

She’s an icon. She’s a legend. She is the iconic vegetable calendar from Oakland illustrator Maria Schoettler. If you’ve ever stood in a kitchen, scrutinizing the brushstrokes of a lovingly hand-painted red kabocha or leaf of dino kale, perhaps you already understand. 

Schoettler has been making these kitchen calendars since 2008, and she paints them fresh every single year. “Fresh produce for a fresh year, baby,” as she writes on Instagram. They’re printed on thick and textured art stock and hang on a sturdy wire hook, so you can flip through the months and get excited for every microseason. There is no greater gift for hyperlocal produce obsessives in the East Bay. 

Maria Schoettler, stocked at shops across the Bay Area (and beyond) or available online.

Featured image: the blueberry, cornmeal and candied lemon teacakes with olive oil from California Soul. Credit: Aubrie Pick

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The best gifts for home cooks in Berkeley and Oakland

The best gifts for home cooks in Berkeley and Oakland

The winter holidays approach, which means gift-giving season is here. All this week, Nosh is bringing you ideas for unique, local food-related gifts that are easy to snag in a local East Bay venue, or can be ordered and shipped with a few clicks of the keys. After all, everyone on your gift list has to eat!

For thoughtfully designed gifts that blend both practicality and style, look no further than kitchen tools and accessories. These are the gifts that they’ll reach for again and again throughout the year, truly relying on essential cookbooks and sharp knives, and taking pleasure in speckled ceramics and soft linens. 

Sure, it’s easy to stock up at Williams-Sonoma, a Bay Area tastemaker since 1956. But there are so many small and independent shops that are actually local to the East Bay, places where you can find gifts that go way beyond the same-day-shipped.

Here are the highlights this holiday season, whether you’re shopping for your best food friend, or craving something for your own wishlist.  

For someone who eats everything in bowls

Oakland ceramicist Sarah Kersten’s basin collection. Courtsey: Sarah Kersten

Listen, eating food in bowls is no longer a trend, it’s officially a lifestyle. And local ceramicist Sarah Kersten’s new basin bowl collection is breathtakingly pretty: wide and shallow bowls, speckled as naturally as quail eggs or Appaloosa ponies. 

She handshapes them all in her studio in Oakland, and supplies many cool restaurants across the Bay, from Sister and Jo’s Modern Thai in Oakland to Octavia in SF and Valley Bar + Bottle in Sonoma. And they come in a range of colors and sizes, from the tidiest olive dish to the broadest pasta bowl. 

Sarah Kersten, 2725 Magnolia St. (near 28th Street), Oakland. Check website for in-person shopping hours most Saturdays in December, or order online.

For someone who’s into sustainability with style

These Palm + Perkins napkins embrace the mismatch. Courtesy: Palm + Perkins

This local general store carries a wide range of clothing, homewares, and other gifts, and they love featuring sustainability this season. But it doesn’t feel like a lecture with these handsome napkins, mismatched in blues and grays, and sporting jaunty stripes and checks. 

The fabric just happens to be made from 100 percent recycled materials (80 percent cotton from clothing and 20 percent poly yarn from plastic bottles, to be precise). Plus, it’s a festive time of year to set out cloth napkins, and inspiration to avoid tossing so many paper towels. 

Palm + Perkins, 2950 College Ave. (near Ashby Avenue), Berkeley. Shop in person 11 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, or purchase online.

For the cocktail connoisseur living that highball life

Even tap water tastes better when it’s from a cool glass, like this one from Aderia. Credit: Umami Mart

The highball craze keeps high rolling across cocktail menus in the East Bay. And they do go down easy, don’t they? Thanks to good whisky, lots of ice and bubbly mix-ins, which help lower the ABV. Everyone’s favorite Japanese market has several cool sets of tall glasses, so you can keep chilling and sipping at home. 

They’re made by Aderia, a collectible glass maker in Japan, whose whimsical and retro designs date back more than 200 years. Umami Mart carries several of their patterns, including this “slash” design, with cuts fanning around the base of the drink. Of course, Umami Mart also stocks excellent Japanese whiskies, if you want to pair with a bottle.  

Umami Mart, 4027 Broadway (near 40th Street), Oakland. Open 12-6 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday, 12-7 p.m. Saturday, also available online.

For the gastro-traveler who won’t shut up about their trip to Portugal

This little terracotta pig does double duty as a cute centerpiece and as a showy assador. Credit: The Spanish Table

May we present the real party animal of this holiday season: A little terracotta pig who serves as an assador — a mini tabletop grill for sausages. Set him out with drinks and snacks, pour alcohol into his belly and strike a match. Then throw chourico or linguica sausage onto his back, and let it roast in the flame. 

Is he a one-trick pig? Maybe, but look, that’s never stopped anyone from gifting a Swiss fondue set. So for the friend who keeps going on about the anchovies they ate in Lisbon, this could be a fun party trick. Plus, how cute!  

The Spanish Table, 1814 San Pablo Ave. (near Hearst Avenue), Berkeley. Open 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11-5 Sunday, or order online.

For the dedicated diner who still misses Brown Sugar Kitchen

The cover of Oakland chef Tanya Holland’s latest book, California Soul. Credit: Ten Speed Press

Chef Tanya Holland closed iconic soul food restaurant Brown Sugar Kitchen in January 2022, serving her last fried chicken and waffles. The Oakland chef remains front-and-center, however, with her latest cookbook, California Soul.

Holland’s book features Black farmers and foodmakers from across California, while serving fresh interpretations of Dungeness crab gumbo, collard green tabbouleh and lavender buttermilk pie, among 80 recipes. It’s available wherever good cookbooks are sold, but if you pick up a copy at local Marcus Books, you’ll be supporting another Black-owned business in the East Bay. 

Marcus Books, 3900 Martin L King Jr Way (near 39th Street), Oakland, open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 12-4 Sunday, also available online.

For the serious cook who deserves a Japanese knife

The Hida Santoku at Hida Tool is serious knife business. Credit: Hida Tool

Berkeley cooks get their knives sharpened at Hida Tool, a hardware store that sources the finest kitchen, woodworking, and gardening tools from Japan. For serious cooks, they carry an array of chef’s knives, from straight to western handles, and with different lengths and curves of blade. 

The Hida Santoku is their own original creation, crafted in collaboration with knifemaker Sakai Kikumori. It features modern and durable stainless steel, but finely sharpened to a Japanese bevel, and fitted with a traditional octagonal handle made of lightweight magnolia. Your minced herbs may never be the same. 

Hida Tool, 1333 San Pablo Ave. (near Gilman Avenue), Berkeley. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, or purchase online.

For the neat freak who lives for pantry organization

Hard to imagine a spice rack more Instagrammable than this one from Sweet July. Credit: Sweet July

For anyone who thinks heaven must resemble the Container Store, here’s a sweet little slice of organization. At Sweet July, Ayesha Curry’s airy retail shop in Oakland, the television star and domestic polymath stocks a variety of different ceramics, linens and other home goods. Including this simply perfect spice rack, made of blonde acacia wood, petite enough to slide into most cabinets, and offering a triplet of tiered steps. 

So you can easily spy what’s inside every bottle! No more rummaging around in the spice cabinet up to your armpit. Either place existing bottles on the rack, or invest in the matching glass set with acacia stoppers (sold separately). At only twenty-something bucks for the rack, you could even throw in a bottle of Jamaican curry or jerk seasoning from Oaktown.  

Sweet July, 455 23rd St. (near Valley Street), Oakland. Open Monday, and Wednesday-Saturday from 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday 11-6 (closed Tuesday), or order online.

For the farmer’s market rat who stalks seasonal produce

If time must pass, a calendar from Maria Schoettler makes it do so more deliciously. Credit: Maria Schoettler

She’s an icon. She’s a legend. She is the iconic vegetable calendar from Oakland illustrator Maria Schoettler. If you’ve ever stood in a kitchen, scrutinizing the brushstrokes of a lovingly hand-painted red kabocha or leaf of dino kale, perhaps you already understand. 

Schoettler has been making these kitchen calendars since 2008, and she paints them fresh every single year. “Fresh produce for a fresh year, baby,” as she writes on Instagram. They’re printed on thick and textured art stock and hang on a sturdy wire hook, so you can flip through the months and get excited for every microseason. There is no greater gift for hyperlocal produce obsessives in the East Bay. 

Maria Schoettler, stocked at shops across the Bay Area (and beyond) or available online.

Featured image: the blueberry, cornmeal and candied lemon teacakes with olive oil from California Soul. Credit: Aubrie Pick

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The Best Kitchen Gadgets For Home Chefs Who Have Everything

The Best Kitchen Gadgets For Home Chefs Who Have Everything

Who doesn’t love new kitchen toys? This year gift the chef, baker or foodie in your life a gadget that’ll transform their cooking game for the better. There’s nothing like having exactly what you need when you need it — especially when it comes to cooking! From larger gadgets that will impress even the most esteemed chef to smaller, yet extremely useful gadgets that will round out any kitchen, here’s a list to help you with your holiday shopping.

PURE Juicer, PURE Chef Package

For your health conscious friend, check out this top-of-the-line juicer. PURE Juice features a sleek, minimalist design and a hydraulic two-stage juicing press, making it one of the most advanced on the market today. First, the 8-blade cutter extracts nutrients from the produce and fiber using its half-horse-powered motor. Next, the press applies 2.5 tons of pressure, ensuring every last drop of juice is squeezed out. Also worth noting is this juicer can offers multiple grids for produce, nut butter and baby food. This package includes a starter kit of all of all PURE’s juicing supplies for at least three to six months of juicing, as well as an apron, press cloth, press bag, and more.

Buy: Pure Chef Package, $2,595.00

Breville, The Barista Express

The Barista Express is Breville’s newest and most innovative espresso machine to date. This state-of-the-art machine is perfect for the caffeine addict in your life thanks to it’s ability to go from bean to espresso in under a minute. With its special Impress Puck System, the perfect dose of beans; precise temperature and water pressure; and amount of microfoam milk for impressive latte art is just a touch away. Plus it even has a self-correcting dosage system that will remember how you liked your coffee last. Enjoy this professional cafe machine in the comfort of your own home.

Buy: The Barista Express Impress, $899.95

Harry & David

Harry & David have a number of kitchen gadgets that any chef would love to add to their repertoire. This Garlic Baker is made with terra cotta and features a top handle shaped like a clove of garlic and can be used in both convection and microwave ovens. This White Marble Cheese Slicer gives you perfectly uniform cheese slices, perfect for making charcuterie and cheese boards. This slicer comes with a white and gray marble board and two extra slicing wires. This Apple Slicer, Corer, and Peeler can do anything with apples. It’s a handy tool that is made with cast aluminum and chrome-plated steel.

Buy: Harry & David® Garlic Baker, Harry & David® White Marble Cheese Slicer, Harry & David® Apple Slicer, Corer, and Peeler, all $29.99

Black Rain Pepper Mill

Freshly ground pepper is a necessity for so many recipes, so why not gift a high tech pepper mill to your favorite at-home chef? This high tech pepper mill from Black Rain is a one-hand, push button pepper mill that quickly dispenses fresh ground pepper, at the exact grind you want. With 5 preset settings, fine to extra coarse, enjoy the perfect amount of pepper every time.

Buy: Black Rain Pepper Mill, $149.00

Anova, Nano Sous Vide Precision Cooker

This cool kitchen gadget from Anova perfectly cooks anything from fish and veggies to pork and chicken (any anything else) perfectly thanks to its circulation of water at the exact temperature required to cook you ingredients just right. This style of cooking locks in flavor and moisture and uses precision to cook with exceptional results. Also, its small size makes it easy to store in any sized kitchen. It is easily attached to any stock pot or container.

Buy: Nano Sous Vide Precision Cooker, $94.00

ROBAM R-Box CT763

This is a super gadget from Robam Living that any at-home chef would love to get creative with. This is a 20-in-1 steam oven that features an air fry function using a vortex cyclone technology; two baking modes, three levels of steam to cook with ranging from 185 degrees to 300 degrees F (great for healthy recipes) and so much more. It offers 30 preset recipes to get started with and even self cleans. Good to note? It comes in a selection of nice colors that include mint green and garnet red.

Buy: ROBAM R-Box CT763, $549.00

Banana Loca

This fun gadget is one you probably never knew you needed — the Banana Loca is a simple tool that cores and fills your bananas while in their peel to make a tasty treat. This new innovative kitchen gadget straightens a banana, cores it while still in the peel, and allows you to fill it with a variety of fillings like honey, jams and jellies, peanut butter and Nutella.

Buy: Banana Loca, $28.99

K-Café® SMART Single Serve Coffee Maker

For the at-home barista, gift them the K-Cafe Smart which is designed to craft everything from fancy coffee beverages to holiday cocktails. The K-Cafe Smart includes an upgraded Keurig app and offers new features like Cafe Creations with over 70 coffeehouse recipes to choose from and a built-in milk frother. With this high tech machine, you can also connect to WiFi and brew from anywhere with a Alexa or Google Home voice routine.

Buy: K-Café® SMART Single Serve Coffee Maker, $249.99

Countertop Pellet Grill

This gift from Halo is great for your friend with an outdoor kitchen or anyone who enjoys camping and tailgating with premium food. This is the world’s first battery powered pellet. It features 300 square inches of cooking space allowing you to masterfully sear, braise, bake, roast, smoke, and grill whatever you desire — all powered by wood pellets.

Buy: World’s First Battery Powered Pellet , $549.00

Airmega 150

This compact air purifier from Coway Airmega is ideal for small kitchen with poor ventilation. It purifies up to 214 square feet and features a three-stage filtration system that eliminates 99.97{d2b09b03d44633acb673e8080360919f91e60962656af8ade0305d5d8b7e4889} of particulates in the air. Whether you need to clear out smoke from an over broiled steak or burnt cake — or simply need to freshen the air — Airmega is what you need.

Buy: Airmega 150, $189.99

Cheese Fondue Set Party

Everyone loves cheese! Gift this BOSKA fondue set that serves enough delicious cheese for two to four people. This set includes a white ceramic pot, four fondue forks, a stainless-steel base and three tea lights to keep the melted cheese warm for a long time! Also good to note? The fondue pot and fondue forks are dishwasher-safe.

Buy: BOSKA Cheese Fondue Set Party, 25.4 fl oz, $32.99

Vinci Nitro Cold Brew

Gift the coffee lover in your life the gift of quality nitro cold brew right at home. Enjoy the creamy texture and vivacious flavor of nitro cold brew coffee with this Vinci Nitro Cold Brew that allows you to infuse Cold Brew Coffee with nitrogen (8g N2O cartridge) as it streams from the tap. Infusing cold brew coffee with nitrogen creates a velvety, smooth coffee with a slight sweet flavor and a rich, creamy foam.

Buy: Vinci Nitro Cold Brew, $149.99

Swiss Army Fruit Tool

This is a fruit multi-tool from Prepara that’s ideal for anyones kitchen. Equipped with seven different tools that each have their own specific function and encompassed in a compact body that doubles as a citrus reamer, this is the perfect swiss army knife for kitchen use. In this tool is a citrus zester, serrated fruit peeler, paring knife, strawberry huller/ cherry pitter and apple corer.

Buy: Swiss Army Fruit Tool ,$27.00

Pi Pizza Oven

Pi is a backyard pizza oven that features Dual Fuel capability (wood or gas, depending on your flavor presence) with Solo Stove’s Signature Airflow and Demi Dome Construction, allowing it to capture and maintain heat for the perfect pizza. Ideal for the pizza enthusiast, this oven also comes with a cordierite pizza stone and can make between 3-4 pizzas an hour.

Buy: Pi Pizza Oven, $399.00

Ninja™ CREAMi® Deluxe 11-in-1 Ice Cream and Frozen Treat Maker

Who wouldn’t love a machine that fulfills all your ice cream and frozen treat dreams? This 11-in-1 ice cream and frozen treat maker from Ninja can make everything from slushies and Italian ices to sorbet and gelatos. This elegant machine fits enough ice cream to feed a family and offers completely customizable treats for those who may have allergens and dietary restriction.

Buy: Deluxe 11-in-1 Ice Cream and Frozen Treat Maker, $249.99

Panasonic Bread Maker

Give the gift of freshly baked bread this holiday season with Panasonic! With this useful gadget, you can bake a variety of breads and baked goods, including gluten-free options, from the comfort of your own kitchen via customizable manual settings and 20 pre-set program. In addition to artisanal style kneading, it also features a raisin or but dispenser for just the right amount of added deliciousness to your breads. Loaves, pizza dough, cakes, and more await.

Buy: Panasonic Bread Maker, $299.99

8-in-1 Cast Iron Always Pan

This functional non-stick pan From Our Place is made of heirloom-quality, easy-to-care from enameled cast iron and comes in a variety of rich colors like dusty pink and grey-blue. Get this for your friend who’s constantly using too many pans — this 8-in-1 cast iron pan replaces eight piece of cookware (think frying pan, griddle, baking dish… etc.) and can be baked in up to 500 degrees Farenhite. With this beautiful pan you can pan fry, grill, sear, braise, fry, saute, roast, bake, broil, stew, serve and more.

Buy: Cast Iron Always Pan, $105.00

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19 Cooking Tips That Home Cooks Ignore In Their Kitchens

19 Cooking Tips That Home Cooks Ignore In Their Kitchens

The internet is full of cooking tips and hacks, but not all of them become tried-and-true habits for every cook. I learned that for myself when I asked the BuzzFeed Community to share the well-known pieces of cooking advice that they ignore in their own kitchens, and TBH, it made me reconsider some of the tips I consider to be “fact.”

These are some of the most surprising responses.

1.

“I always use salted butter in recipes, even when it calls for unsalted. I don’t get the point of using unsalted and then adding salt separately. Plus, if I want butter in the house for bread, I don’t want to have to buy two different kinds.”

2.

“I’ve never, in 45 years of life, run water over my chicken to clean it. That’s an easy way to spread germs all over your sink and kitchen. I’ve patted it dry so that slimy ick is gone, sure…but run it under running water? Nope. Cook your chicken to 165°F and anything on it will give up the ghost.”

3.

“I never, ever measure vanilla. I’m well aware that baking is chemistry and proportions matter, but nothing’s ever been hurt by having approximately triple the amount of vanilla in a recipe.”

4.

“Pouring the rendered fat away from ground beef. That’s where all the flavor is! Unless you’re using really cheap, really fatty beef, there’s no need to dump it down the drain.”

5.

“Slowly adding stock to risotto and standing and stirring it for ages. Some people claim they find it therapeutic, but I find it tedious. I just dump all the stock in and let it do its thing, and I’ve never made a bad risotto! I’m convinced the whole thing is a myth.”

6.

“I press down on my burgers on the grill to get those nice grill marks and keep them flat. It does NOT make them dry, I swear!”

7.

“Bringing eggs to room temperature before baking with them. I understand the reasoning, but seriously, when has this ever made a difference in taste or texture?”

8.

“Sifting flour isn’t always necessary, and the lumps usually come out when you combine it with your wet ingredients anyway. I just use a whisk to blend it together, and I’ve never encountered any ‘lumpy’ flour in my baked goods.”

9.

“I don’t mind ‘crowding the pan’ when cooking mushrooms. Yes, it’s true the mushrooms will steam instead of brown, but that’s only at first! If I walk away for a bit, the water will eventually evaporate and the mushrooms will, in fact, brown. It’s my lazy-mom method to cooking because who the hell has time to do ‘batches?’ My pan is as crowded as my schedule.”

10.

“I was a certified executive chef for 15 years and I never once salted my pasta water. There is a ton of sodium that naturally occurs in most food that you serve with pasta and if you season your food and sauce correctly, there’s no need to salt the water.”

11.

“I always rinse my cooked pasta. Chefs will claim that if you rinse your pasta, the sauce won’t stick to it well. That may be true in a restaurant environment where sauces aren’t cooked long enough to thicken properly, but not in a home kitchen. My grandparents were from Italy and they rinsed their pasta. If you make your sauce properly, it’ll stick.”

12.

“I live in Colorado and I have never once followed the ‘high altitude’ cooking instructions crap. Things may take a bit longer to boil and yeasted baked goods definitely take a bit longer to rise, but for everything else, from baked goods to rice, I’ve never followed the high-altitude directions. Most of it says ‘one more egg,’ ‘more water,’ ‘more oil.’ Meh, I’ve noticed nothing different in terms of taste and texture.”

13.

“I cook pretty much all the time and I never let the oven entirely preheat — unless I’m making baked goods like cookies or cakes. I don’t have the patience for it and for most things you’re cooking, it’s really not that important.”

14.

“I almost always disregard cooking times in recipes. Timing is more like a guideline than an actual rule! Your stove and oven are not calibrated the same way as the recipe’s author. Use your senses to tell when something is done. You can see if the chicken is golden brown, you can hear if the oil you put your veggies in is hot enough, and you can smell if the garlic is fragrant. Trusting yourself in the kitchen is a chef’s best tool!”

15.

“I cook every day, and I ignore expiration dates 99.9{d2b09b03d44633acb673e8080360919f91e60962656af8ade0305d5d8b7e4889} of the time. In most cases (especially foods like dairy or meat), you can tell by sight, smell, or texture if an ingredient is still good. Ingredients are usually fine past their expiration dates, so why waste them unless they’ve actually turned?”

16.

“People still have this old, racist idea in their head (from old anti-Asian propaganda) that MSG is bad. It is not any less healthy than any salt and it tastes amazing! If you don’t use it, grab a shaker of Accent the next time you are shopping for spices and give it a try.”

17.

“When I’m cooking pasta, I only fill the pot with enough water so that my noodles will barely be fully covered. Catch me never filling up all six cups of water when making a package of Kraft mac ‘n’ cheese.”

18.

“I ignore the common advice that fresh herbs are always better. This isn’t always true. A lot of times they can be either overpowering or don’t come through at all!”

19.

“I generally don’t mix wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls when recipes call for it. I mix up the wet ingredients, then pour in the flour and other dry ingredients, then mix it all together. I’ve never noticed a difference between when I do it that way or the ‘right’ way if I’m being perfectly honest.”

What’s a piece of cooking advice that you always ignore in your own kitchen? Sound off in the comments. 👇