It is no secret that food magazine editors spend a significant portion of their professional lives developing, testing, and photographing recipes. Naturally, that culinary obsession rarely stops when they punch the clock for the day. Behind closed doors in their home kitchens, the editorial staff at Bon Appétit continues to cook, experiment, and lean into the reliable comfort of home-cooked meals. Whether they are rushing to get a nourishing dinner on the table after a long workday, entertaining friends on a crisp autumn evening, or simply trying to satisfy an impromptu sweet tooth while clearing out leftover ingredients, their off-duty kitchens tell a story of practical, creative home cooking.
Cheesy Leek Pasta
For Emma Laperruque, cooking director at the publication, inspiration often strikes right at the local weekend market. During a recent trip, a vibrant bunch of fresh leeks from her favorite vendor immediately sparked a culinary plan: she knew it was time to revisit colleague Rebecca Firkser’s recipe for baked cheddar and leek pasta. The dish had been an instant favorite in the Test Kitchen, striking a rare balance between minimalist preparation and visually dramatic results on the dinner table.
Laperruque recommends saving this particular recipe for a chilly night when friends are coming over for a gathering. Beyond its rich, comforting flavor profile, the recipe features a practical bonus for hosts: the savory sauce incorporates just one cup of dry white wine, leaving the majority of the bottle open to be poured and enjoyed alongside the meal itself. It is a hearty, unfussy centerpiece for a cozy evening, showcasing how simple, seasonal produce can be elevated with generous amounts of sharp cheese and a hot oven.
An Omelet Just for Me
While dinner parties and shared meals are a staple of food media culture, the reality of weeknight cooking often involves feeding just one person. Rebecca Firkser, a Test Kitchen editor, notes that she has been leaning heavily into solo dining routines lately. Nine times out of ten, that means making an omelet.
Firkser famously chronicled her affection for solo-dinner eggs in an essay for the publication’s ongoing series, Me, Myself, and Dinner, highlighting a favorite version featuring fried shallots, sliced apples, and melted fontina cheese. However, the true beauty of the solo omelet lies in its adaptability. When she has not had the chance to run out for groceries, Firkser simply raids the refrigerator to cobble together whatever ingredients happen to be on hand. Recent flavor triumphs have included chopped kimchi paired with sharp yellow cheddar; a classic Mediterranean combination of spinach, feta, and fresh dill; and a more adventurous mix of black beans, creamy avocado, and vibrant salsa macha. It is a testament to the fact that cooking for oneself does not require elaborate planning—just a hot skillet and a bit of imagination.
Roast Chicken for Days
For Laperruque, a recent culinary milestone involved undertaking a kitchen project she had neglected for years: roasting a whole chicken. Inspired by the straightforward methodology outlined in a cookbook by Kitty Cowles, the experience proved to be remarkably unfussy, immensely rewarding, and entirely revelatory.
The process began simply, with a generous dusting of salt and a brief resting period in the refrigerator to season the bird. After a rubdown with olive oil and the addition of a halved lemon and garlic cloves stuffed into the cavity, the chicken was roasted at the highest possible oven temperature with the convection setting turned on. While the bird rested, developing a deeply golden, crackling skin, Laperruque deglazed the roasting pan with white wine, allowing the accumulated drippings to simmer down into a rich, tangy gravy.
Served alongside a simple green salad, the meal felt like the epitome of cozy autumn dining. The benefits of the project extended far beyond a single evening. The following day, the leftover chicken carcass simmered in a stockpot with water, onion, and ginger, yielding a deeply savory broth destined to be sipped for days. The surplus meat found new life across multiple meals, morphing into a comforting rice bowl, a towering sandwich, a daycare lunchbox staple, and a late-afternoon protein snack. For Laperruque, the overall satisfaction derived from the endeavor was practically incalculable.
Repeat-Worthy Salmon Bowls
For senior editor Sam Stone, weeknight cooking requires a specific formula: meals must be protein-rich, relatively unpretentious, and fast enough to pull together on a whim. Above all, they have to taste exceptional, because Stone admits to a habit of cooking the exact same dish for five consecutive days before finally growing tired of it and beginning the search for a new favorite.
This week’s rotation features customizable soy-glazed salmon bowls. The preparation method involves cooking the salmon in a savory, salty-sweet glaze made from soy sauce and honey. To expedite the process, the fish is cut into bite-sized cubes before hitting the pan, ensuring it cooks quickly while maximizing the surface area for the sticky sauce. The salmon is then served atop a bed of steamed rice alongside whatever fresh vegetables happen to be lingering in the crisper drawer. For this iteration, Stone opted for shredded carrots and cucumbers, accompanied by crisp sheets of nori seaweed used as edible scoops for every bite.
Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Nina Moskowitz, associate editor of cooking, recently overhauled her approach to ground meat thanks to a clever technique shared by her colleague Shilpa Uskokovic. By mixing ground chicken with a pinch of baking soda—a well-known chemical tenderizer—the meat forms tender, bouncy clusters that retain their moisture exceptionally well during cooking.
Inspired by this texture hack, Moskowitz applied the method to a batch of spicy chicken lettuce wraps. The dish features a fiery, sweet sauce built from a blend of sriracha, brown sugar, soy sauce, and fish sauce, which clings tightly to the juicy meat. Spooned generously into crisp butter lettuce leaves and finished with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and a handful of torn mint for brightness, the wraps offer a dynamic contrast of textures and temperatures that make weeknight cooking feel vibrant and intentional.