Good morning. If you think of peanut butter solely as an ingredient for making PB&J’s, today we’re diving into how to view it as a versatile pantry staple for everyday cooking.
Let’s dive in.
INGREDIENT DEEP DIVE 🍳
Using peanut butter
What is it?
Peanut butter is a paste made from ground roasted peanuts & salt, although many brands stabilize the mixture with added sugar and oils.
Natural peanut butter is made from pure peanuts + salt, which will naturally separate into layers, so the oil on top can be a good sign. Just mix to recombine before using.
What’s its flavor?
Taste: Lightly salty and mildly sweet (depending on brand)
Aroma: Roasted & deeply nutty
Texture: Thick, creamy, clingy (or crunchy)
Human: Core to weeknight cooking plus Southeast Asian sauces and West African flavors
Why should you buy some?
You probably have some around for PB&J’s, but it can be used as a savory cooking ingredient way more often than you might think.
Peanut butter is the ideal texture to be a sauce base, thickener, and quick flavor addition.
Adds richness and body to sauces without cream
Balances spice, acid, and bitterness (thanks to it’s fat content)
Makes a great stir fry sauce or salad dressing base (see tip below).
And, of course, it’s shelf-stable, affordable, and available basically everywhere.
Sauce Formula: peanut butter + something salty (like soy sauce, fish sauce) + something acidic (lime juice, vinegar) + a little heat (chili oil, sriracha) = foolproof stir fry/noodle/dipping sauce.
What else can you make with it?
Peanut noodles with soy sauce, chili crisp, garlic, and lime
West African–style peanut stew with sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and greens
Add it to yogurt bowls like this to replace sugary breakfasts or late night desserts
Peanut-lime dressing for slaws, grain bowls, salads, or roasted veg
Great substitute to tahini/sesame paste — try it in dan dan noodles!
Satay-style sauce for grilled chicken, tofu, or skewered vegetables
GEAR REC ✅
Favorite cutting board
From chopping vegetables to rolling out dough, a comfortable prep setup makes cooking easier and enjoyable. That’s why we designed the Foundations Cutting Board, which is our most used piece of cooking equipment.
Our board is a generous 24x18" for comfortable prep work. It’s large, but fits horizontally or vertically on standard counter depths.
Recessed handles and chamfered edges make the board comfortable to flip, rotate, and transport.
Made in the USA with high-quality American hardwood maple or walnut.
This butcher block-style board is meant to live on the counter, and the edge grain design makes this a natural kitchen centerpiece.
FOOD TRENDS 🚀
Sliding sheet pan nachos
Why were “sliding” sheet pan nachos all over your feed?
If you didn’t see these, it’s where you bake cheese and hot toppings on one sheet pan, spread chips on another, then slide the molten topping layer directly over the chips in one dramatic move.
Does it have culinary merit? It might be a bit of a stretch, but there are a few things to learn from this trend:
1) Better chip integrity: By baking toppings separately, the chips don’t steam and sog out in the oven.
2) More even distribution: Instead of piling toppings in the center, the sheet-pan method spreads cheese and fillings across a wide surface area.
3) Visual payoff: The “slide” is undeniably satisfying. For parties, that reveal moment adds a bit of fun to a familiar dish.
That said, it does mean extra dishes, and yes, some cheese stays behind on the original tray. The theatrics are mostly for Instagram, so we’ll probably stick to making nachos the standard way.
WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆
Bibimbap
This week’s dinner winner is Rory M, who made a beautiful bibimbap.
Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!
EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️
A read: Where to eat: fall back in time
In a minute or less: Garlicky hands
What we’re watching: NYC's best school lunch
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