When cooking feels like a chore, turn to your pantry and freezer for a good meal

A few weeks back, a colleague told me about a chef called Musashi from New York who was doing the rounds on TikTok. He’s gone viral for sharing his post-double-shift meals. Forget cheese on toast or frozen soup – Musashi makes poached salmon collar with ponzu butter sauce, teriyaki chicken legs with cured egg yolk, and hour-long stews. My first reaction? As if!

Eyes rolled at the test kitchen, too. After a long day of cooking and tasting, you’d struggle to find a cook who would spend another three hours over the stove. Cooking after work might ease the doldrums of a nine-to-five desk job, but for chefs who’ve been chopping, frying and grilling for more than 15 hours, making dinner feels a bit like running the last two miles of a marathon. We usually prefer simpler fare at home.

Days at the test kitchen are spent grazing over the building blocks of new dishes – we taste confit leeks and spicy mushroom lasagnes before most people have finished their morning coffee. A little bit here, a little bit there, and by 6pm I’ve had at least three of Verena’s buns and a few bites of Jake’s fennel and grape tart, before heading home with zero appetite.

It’s much the same in professional kitchens. Lunch service blurs by, sampling sauces and grabbing the first few fresh pastries from the oven. As the rush fades, we shop the fridge for untouched fruit, sip an espresso, then dive into evening prep. A bite here, a sip there and, come midnight, you’re leaving both starving and sick of the sight of food.

So, when we get home, we want something simple. And we follow the Midnight Rules.

Rule one: stock up. Those tins of fish or jar of homemade kimchi in the cupboard, or that stock in the freezer are no-effort help. Development chef Katja shared a genius tip with me: giant ice cube trays filled with chicken stock. Toss them into a mix of frozen udon or gyoza, along with some dashi and kimchi, and voila: a comforting dinner that feels like a warm hug. And if, heaven forbid, the stockpile runs dry, another freezer gem comes to the rescue: parathas. Fry them with an omelette (such as pictured top) and a drizzle of chilli oil or whatever other condiment you have to hand.

Then there’s rule two: the flavour boosters. A spoonful of tamarind paste, a clove of black garlic, a dash of hot sauce, or a sprinkle of spices from your pantry can transform a simple dish into a flavour explosion. Follow Kat’s lead and add a dollop of chilli crisp to your dumplings for an extra kick. Angelos swears by leftover chicken jazzed up with chilli oil and sesame paste or mayo and curry powder, served with boiled rice. Sheets of seaweed, hot sauces and quick pickles all add maximum flavour with minimal effort.

Sauces, marinades and spices are convenient shortcuts to elevate quick dinners to something delicious (in fact, that’s what led us to create Ottolenghi Pantry – more below). And I’ve learned from Chaya that baking fish with roast veg and a generous dousing of our green harissa is a foolproof dinner winner (roast courgette with rose harissa is also a winner).

Be ready for those moments when cooking feels like a chore: keep your pantry stocked, your freezer loaded and the harissa on tap. And if all else fails, never underestimate the power of toast. Whether it’s slathered with Marmite or topped with bitter marmalade, sometimes the simplest snacks are the most satisfying after a long shift. We really aren’t that picky when we get home.

What I’ve read this week | Karla Zazueta’s new cookbook Norteña has just arrived on our shelves – I’ll be tucking into its caldo de queso (cheese broth) this week. Her ability to bring authentic Mexican flavours to your dinner table is second to none.

Pantry pleasers | Last week, we threw a little bash to toast the launch of our new product line with Waitrose and, naturally, the test kitchen handled catering duties. Verena turned her chickpea, chard and feta puffs with green harissa into bite-sized delights. We thought we were being savvy by doubling up on the batch, hoping for some leftovers, but they all vanished by 9.30pm. And I snagged only two.

Unleash the quiche | According to Feast’s Kitchen Aide, it’s time to unleash the quiche. I always miss hearty pies in the spring and summer, but I’m excited about lighter options, such as quiches and tarts. Our membrillo and stilton quiche always hits the spot when I crave a savoury pastry.