Who is Ethan?

Ethan Chlebowski hosts a YouTube cooking show that focuses on techniques and “the why” behind cooking, with plenty of food inspiration along the way. Follow his YouTube channel and Instagram to learn more.

Key Takeaways from Our Deep Dive

1. It’s All About Spices

The key to making a delicious meal at home is all about finding the right mixture of spices. Many times, different cuisines use similar types of foods (vegetables, grains, meat, etc.), but the spices are critical in separating one cuisine from another. While stocking your spice cabinet feels expensive upfront, it can pay dividends in the long run by allowing you to cook tasty, healthy, cheap meals at home instead of turning to other more expensive options, like restaurants or fast food. In this video, Ethan reviews cost-saving strategies of purchasing and storing spices.

In our What’s for Dinner? episode, we learned about the health improvements and cost savings that can be achieved by reducing or eliminating red meat consumption. Tasty spice combinations are helpful in switching to a diet that has a higher concentration of veggies and legumes. Check out Ethan’s 4-Way Lentil and Vegetable Korma videos for inspiration.

2. Use Your Scraps

In our Save the Food episode, we discussed strategies for repurposing leftovers and food scraps to create new dishes out of food that we otherwise would have thrown away. By reducing food waste, you reduce how much money you spend on that thrown-away food in the first place. Ethan uses vegetable scraps and chicken bones to make vegetable broth and chicken broth, respectively. He also reuses frying oil and pickling liquid a few times while the flavors are still rich. Ethan uses leftover vegetables to make stir fries and curries.

3. Know Your Basics

The basic components of any dish boil down to salt, heat, fat, and acid. If you can learn how to manipulate these aspects of a dish while you cook, you’ll have much higher success with the quality of your meals. For an example of how Ethan applies one of these basic concepts, check out his video about pickled onions. By using pickled onions in a dish, he provides an acidic component that brightens the flavor.

Disclaimer: Please consult with a professional before making any changes to your diet, kitchen, or cooking strategies. Any and all changes should maintain proper health, safety, and sanitation levels within your daily lives. It All Adds Up and its affiliates are not responsible for any household damage or personal injuries that should occur from following any suggestions from It All Adds Up.

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