Molly Baz is always down to talk about food. As a senior food editor in Bon Appétit’s test kitchen, she’s more often than not whipping up new recipes. Known for go-tos like Pasta al Limone, Adult Mac and Cheese, Basque Burnt Cheesecake, and Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Walnut Dressing, she also hosts a series on the brand’s YouTube channel where she’s forced to attempt uncommon techniques, like wilderness survival cooking and cooking ostrich eggs.
Lately, she’s been working double duty on a cookbook set to be published by Clarkson Potter in early 2021.
I caught up with Baz to talk about her favorite Brooklyn haunts, her snacking schedule in the test kitchen, and what she’s going to cook next.
What have you been eating lately?
At this current moment in my life, I’m working on a cookbook, so I’m spending four to five nights a week in my own kitchen testing recipes and eating my own food. The recipes are simple, sort of entry-level, home-cookable dishes that don’t require any wild ingredients or special equipment. So, a lot of my meals have been my own cooking lately, which isn’t exactly my preference — I love to eat out. A few days ago I actually wrapped up the 100th recipe for my book, so I’m excited to be going out to eat again.
What’s a day in the life of a test kitchen chef look like? Can you walk me through your day of eating?
I generally don’t eat breakfast before I get to work. That’s mostly because I really like to build an appetite for the day. I’ve found that once things kick into gear in the test kitchen — from that moment until I go to sleep — I’m never hungry because I’m just eating and tasting all day.
At 11 a.m., things heat up in the kitchen and my meal plan turns into this constant stream of snacking for six hours or so. I’m usually working on one, two, three recipes throughout the day and putting them up for official tasting with other BA editors. I’m…
