Admittedly, I’m not the best cook. You’re more likely to see me buried in the snack cabinet than busy over a stove. You might be thinking, “But wait! Doesn’t she have over 8 years of experience in food media?” Sure, I do! I know how to make it look good for camera and how to eat it after we wrap a shoot. But actual real-life cooking experience? Not so much.
I’m completely obsessed with food. I love to film it, I love to eat it, but I'm not exactly skilled at eating it. When I first moved to New York City, I subsisted on leftovers from the Delish test kitchen after long days of shooting instead of cooking my own meals. And once I started living with my now fiancé, who’s an incredible cook who has published recipes on this very website, the need to improve my cooking skills fell low on the priority list.
So when I was abruptly thrown in front of the camera by Culinary Producer Justin Sullivan, I instantly went into panic mode. I had flashbacks to the last few times our team subjected me to cooking challenges on camera. One instance involving cheesecake went relatively smoothly, but one attempt at making a chicken cordon bleu nearly destroyed my kitchen!
The idea of cooking on camera again is anxiety-inducting enough. But throw in the fact that I had to make an entire Thanksgiving turkey and the prospect becomes even more stressful. But with the help of our tried-and-true Delish recipe, I ended up making a turkey that even the harshest critics could love. It turns out that I’ve learned a thing or two about cooking from all those shoots I’ve directed. Frankly, if I can cook a turkey, so can you!
