Helen Salter
We asked the cookery team what’s on the menu after a day of recipe testing in the Good Food test kitchen.
It turns out that simple, fresh meals which are ready in minutes reign supreme, with any opportunity to throw in veggies lurking in the fridge or plant a jammy boiled egg on top. A low-cost dinner which puts storecupboard ingredients to use also scored highly, such as our spaghetti puttanesca, or even a packet of instant noodles, jazzed up with heaps of crispy chilli oil.
What do you like to cook after a long day at work? Let us know in the comments.
For quick and easy dinner inspiration, see our healthy dinner recipes, vegetarian dinner recipes and budget dinner recipes.
Managing editor Lulu Grimes
On the menu A bowl of greens with fried firm tofu and dressed with lemon ponzu
After a day of food at work, if left to my own devices and not feeding the family, I eat either a bowl of a load of different greens (I have five-six types in the freezer, very fond of Pack’d frozen veg as a stand by) with some fried firm tofu and dressed with lemon ponzu, or scrambled egg on toast.
Food director Cassie Best
On the menu A packet of instant noodles topped with veggies
If I’m not eating all the leftovers from testing, I’ll usually knock up something quick and easy, like a packet of instant noodles, topped with any veggies I have lurking in the fridge, a jammy soft boiled egg and heaps of crispy chilli oil.
Senior food editor Anna Glover
On the menu Pasta with anchovies and chilli flakes
I always make sure I eat everything I’ve recipe tested, so it’s usually warming something up that I’ve cooked that day. If I’ve been testing in the test kitchen, and haven’t brought any home with me, I often don’t want to spend too much of my evening cooking, so my go-to speedy meal is pasta tossed in olive oil, a dash of balsamic, some chopped sun-dried tomatoes, anchovies, capers, olives, and a pinch of chilli flakes. I toss everything in the warm pan with the cooked pasta, and lots of black pepper.
If the testing has been really heavy that day and I’m looking for something a little lighter, another dinner I often make is a salmon salad – cold poached salmon over loads of leaves, shredded mangetout and coriander, with a zingy sriracha Marie Rose style dressing spiked with lime juice.
Food editor Ailsa Burt
On the menu A sandwich or a picky plate
Usually I’ll eat whatever I’ve tested that day or I’ll take elements of it and turn it into something slightly different – if in doubt, throw an egg on it! If I have been testing sweet things all day I typically crave something deeply savoury and for me, that’s some kind of sandwich. My standard super quick and easy go to is a jar of beans, lightly smashed and fried with something like chorizo or pancetta, piled into a warmed corn tortilla with fried eggs, hot sauce and some lime juice.
Either that or I adore a picky plate, and mine is usually filled with seasonal veg, pickles, sourdough and tinned fish.
Food content creator Helena Busiakiewicz
On the menu Tuna Niçoise salad
After a day of recipe testing, my palette is usually a bit overwhelmed, so I want something light and bland. I like a tuna Niçoise salad, or sometimes just a ‘girl dinner’ of cheese, veggies and crackers.
Food copy editor Samuel Goldsmith
On the menu Egg-fried rice
I will usually go for an egg-fried rice or just a bowl of rice with some melted butter. I tend to crave the simple flavours if it’s been a big day of testing.
Magazines editor Keith Kendrick
On the menu Pastas, pies, curries or stews from the test kitchen
As the editor of Good Food magazine, I don’t actually test recipes, but I am a grateful and enthusiastic recipient of the brilliant creations that my colleagues create in the test kitchen, so I always bring in Tupperware boxes in case there are any leftovers for me to take home for my wife and kids. It’s a win-win-win: my family gets to eat amazing food; I don’t have to cook after a day staring at my screen; and it ensures nothing from the test kitchen ever goes to waste. Pastas, pies, curries and stews are particular favourites.
