Q&A with food52 Founders Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs
Yesterday we told you why we love food52--the web site that asks home cooks to submit their best recipes to weekly contests that determine which recipes will make it into a cookbook at the end of 52 weeks.
Today we bring you an interview with the projects founders', New York Times food writers Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs. Check back tomorrow, and every Thursday, to see which recipes Hesser and Stubbs have chosen as that week's finalists.
We hope you'll get involved in food52 and help link our passionate food community to theirs!
Bon Appetit: What part of this project has been the most fun?
Hesser/Stubbs:Getting to know cooks all around the world. There is incredible community on the site--and for the Internet, a remarkably supportive community. Everyone seems intent on making food52 a place they'd like to hang out.
The most challenging?
Choosing between recipes--there are so many great recipes and we want to recognize all the good work. That's why we started our Editors' Picks system, so that exceptional recipes that weren't finalists would still have a chance at recognition. (Also we want the community to easily find all the best recipes, so a recipe that's named an Editors' Pick gets elevated in search.)
The most surprising?
All the food52 potluck parties that have been cropping up around the country. We're thrilled and delighted that people are taking this offline and getting to know each other in person.
What has been each of your favorite recipes so far?
Really there are so many. One recipe that Amanda found revelatory was Pink Greens, which adds chilies, sugar, and vinegar to a standard sauteed green and transforms them completely into a balanced and addictive dish. Merrill has made the Absurdly Addictive Asparagus a couple of times since it won.
What has the community responded to and what have they not responded to?
They've responded really well when we solicit advice about the direction and features of the Web site. To our surprise, whenever we write about anything kind of "restauranty," we don't get a huge response. People really want to talk about home cooking!
What are your goals going forward for Food52? What's the deal with the second book? Have you started any part of the process for the 1st book?
We'd like to grow into a comprehensive food site that's fundamentally created and curated by our community. We'd like to do a book every year--as a snapshot of that year in cooking (a cross between a community cookbook and a yearbook). Right now, we're just beginning to think about how the first book will be assembled. We'd like for there to be a fair amount of original content, so we're thinking about that--and also about how we can include our community in all aspects of the book editing process, from the cover design to the charity we give part of the proceeds to.
What is something that each of you has learned about cooking that you didn't know before starting Food52.
Hesser: Cooking a chicken in a tube pan leads to a really crisp skin all around
Merrill: You can beat chocolate cake batter for 4 minutes, with lovely results
What kitchen utensil could you not have done this without?
Definitely Amanda's meat pounder!
How do you choose the two finalists recipes from all the entries?
We (and 3 recipe testers) read through every entry and make a list of the ones we think are both the most interesting and have the most promise. Then we test the top six to eight that have the most votes among us. From these we select the best two and these are our finalists. We make these two dishes again for the photo shoot and for the video.
What is a theme that you want to do but don't think you'll have time?
Blackberries! But there's always next year.
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