'Top Chef' Judge Tom Colicchio Started The #CookingInACrisis Trend To Offer Advice To Inexperienced Cooks

From Delish

As people are staying inside of their homes to practice social distancing and as many restaurants are adjusting their dining options as a safety precaution during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, many find themselves at home having to brush up on their cooking skills. To help out inexperienced cooks, chef Tom Colicchio started the Twitter trend #CookingInACrisis.

On Monday, Tom tweeted to his followers, "Ok, if you are not used to cooking for yourself and have questions ask away. For instance. I would cook vegetables now and freeze them for future use." He went on to encourage people to use the hashtag #CookingInACrisis so all of the advice he offered could be found in one place.

Questions flooded in about how long certain foods could be frozen, how to cook for big families with limited groceries, and the foods Tom would suggest to have on hand. When it comes to pizza dough, Tom said that would keep in the freezer for about a year until it needs to be used.

If you happen to eat a lot of salads but aren't sure how to keep lettuce fresh for long periods of time, the Top Chef judge says that keeping the lettuce heads whole until use is a good way to keep them fresh. When it's time to put together a salad, only take leaves from the outside and then work your way to the center as needed rather than cutting up all at once.

As for what Tom suggests as good groceries to have on hand during times like these, he sticks with basics like beans, pasta, frozen fruits, and vegetables. His main piece of advice is that if you can't find any frozen vegetable bags at your store, you can simply buy the produce fresh, slice it, season it, sauté it, and then freeze it after you've prepared it.

While Tom was offering sound advice to inexperienced cooks, some of his followers who have more knowledge about cooking also chimed in to help each other. One woman tweeted out a 13-meal plan that she made for her family of five, including a grocery list, that Tom then shared with his nearly one million followers.

Tom's interactive tweets show that in times like these, it's all about looking out for each other. Check out the rest of his #CookingInACrisis advice on his Twitter page.

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