A Cooking Show Host’s Recipe for Kitchen Success

The Food Network provides Ellie Krieger with all the kitchen gadgets and cooking space she needs to whip up meals for her weekly cooking show, “Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger,” but as a bona fide New Yorker, she knows that when it comes to cooking in the city, less is often more.The focal point of the Upper West Side two-bedroom co-op Ms. Krieger, 42, shares with her husband, Thom Schuchaskie, and their 5-year-old daughter, Isabella, is a well-organized kitchen with an open layout that is visible from both the adjacent living and dining rooms. This allows Ms. Krieger to feel like she’s part of the action while she’s prepping and cooking.When they bought the pre-war apartment 10 years ago, Ms. Krieger and Mr. Schuchaskie decided to gut the kitchen. They put in granite countertops, removed old appliances, and added custom-made, cherry-stained maple cabinetry that goes with the dark wood furniture around the rest of apartment. “We wanted beautifully crafted cabinets that made maximum use of the space,” she said. “They are taller than standard cabinets, but not so tall that you can’t reach things on top shelves, and I have pullout shelving for pots and pans, which makes it easier to access everything.” They also added a bread drawer with a Plexiglas cover that balances moisture and keeps bread from drying out, and a root vegetable drawer that has an aerated bottom to keep it cool and dry.As part of the renovation, the couple also extended a one-tier, single-level butcher block island into a dual-level work/bar area covered in granite, and added a built-in wine rack to make better use of space.For those without the extra space, Ms. Krieger recommends buying a self-standing island, which is a cheaper but equally successful way to extend counter and storage space.She also recommends investing in a few good items instead of collecting gadgets. “All you really need to cook is a really good knife, a good nonstick pan, maybe a sauté pan, and a food processor and blender.”The meals featured on Ms. Krieger’s show and in her recent cookbook, “The Food You Crave,” require only the basics. “I don’t want people to have to go out and buy new gadgets,” she said.There is one particular gadget she admits having taken a liking to: an all-in-one electric grill pan. “It’s perfect for pancakes. We’re a big pancake family,” she said.While pancakes might seem a strange staple for a woman who hosts a show called “Healthy Appetite,” the health regimen Ms. Krieger promotes on her show and in her books is actually about enjoying healthy food and making small lifestyle changes that don’t cause feelings of deprivation.“I consider ‘diet’ a four-letter word,” Ms. Krieger, a registered dietitian, said. When cooking, she uses spices rather than oil to kick up flavor, and often substitutes lighter ingredients for fattening ones., For example, she uses part whole wheat flour in her signature pancakes.Thanks to her laid-back approach to healthy eating, Ms. Krieger said she even approves of many New Yorkers’ favorite culinary pastime — ordering in. She does suggest doing so in moderation. “A great thing about this city is that we have all this wonderful ethnic food at our fingertips, but the problem is that it can be very unhealthy,” she said. So, she suggests “ordering in a main dish, and then rather than ordering a side dish covered in oil, amp up the nutritional value by making your own vegetable.”While she admits to the occasional takeout indulgence, Ms. Krieger always makes sure that healthy food is within easy reach in her home, with a bowl of fruit permanently planted on the island in her kitchen. “People are very visual — if they see junk food, they’ll grab it and eat it,” she said.According to the svelte Ms. Krieger, getting healthy is about more than just food. “It’s a three-legged stool, comprising nutrition, activity, and emotional wellness,” she said. Living sandwiched between Riverside Park and Central Park helps make walking, running, and biking easy. But, she emphasizes that all New Yorkers, in all neighborhoods, can take advantage of opportuniites to exercise. “The best thing about living in New York is how much walking everyone does. I always tell people that they should choose walking over taking a cab or a train; they should make walking their default.”When not spending between 12 and 14 hours a day shooting her Food Network series, testing recipes in a studio a couple of blocks from her apartment, or writing books, Ms. Krieger enjoys using her kitchen for more relaxed culinary adventures. “When I’m cooking for the show everything is so measured, so it’s fun when I get to just cook like a normal human being,” she said. “I usually go to my local butcher, or farmer’s market, and just buy whatever’s fresh.“I used to plan formal dinner parties and things, but ever since having my daughter, it’s become more casual,” Ms. Krieger said. “Now, I’ll call my friends and say, ‘Come over, I’m making a pot of chilli and laying out all the fixings.'” She often includes her daughter in the cooking process. “When kids help, they’re more invested in their food,” she said.If she can’t finish the food she makes, she has neighbors who are more than willing to help out. “I was once testing soups for a cookbook and invited some people on my floor to taste them,” she said. “Before I knew it, it had turned into this impromptu tasting party.”

A Cooking Show Host’s Recipe for Kitchen Success

A Cooking Show Host’s Recipe for Kitchen Success

More from the New York Sun

Trump and Mamdani To Parley at Gracie Mansion Ahead of UN General Assembly Meeting

House Democrats Begin To Believe in a ‘Blue Tsunami’ as Senate Polls Show Tight Races in Traditionally Red, Swing States

The Best Place To Get Away From Detroit Is Detroit

New California Law Aims To Prevent Trump Allies From Deploying Guardsmen Into State

Angelina Jolie’s ‘Without Blood’ Fights On, Largely Unseen

Trump Arch To Act as Drone Warehouse, Military Installation

The Human Brain Is Actually Two Separate Organs, Stanford Study Finds

What’s Weird and Wonderful?

More from the New York Sun

Trump and Mamdani To Parley at Gracie Mansion Ahead of UN General Assembly Meeting

House Democrats Begin To Believe in a ‘Blue Tsunami’ as Senate Polls Show Tight Races in Traditionally Red, Swing States

The Best Place To Get Away From Detroit Is Detroit

New California Law Aims To Prevent Trump Allies From Deploying Guardsmen Into State

Angelina Jolie’s ‘Without Blood’ Fights On, Largely Unseen

Trump Arch To Act as Drone Warehouse, Military Installation

The Human Brain Is Actually Two Separate Organs, Stanford Study Finds

What’s Weird and Wonderful?