Episode Overview

Podcast: The Joy of Cooking Podcast
Episode Title: Maggie Hoffman: A Casual Culinary Chat About Budget Recipes
Date: November 26, 2025
Host(s): Shannon Larson, Megan Scott, John Becker
Guest: Maggie Hoffman (Dinner Plan Podcast/Newsletter, ex-Serious Eats, Epicurious)

This episode features a relaxed, convivial conversation with food writer, cookbook obsessive, and podcaster Maggie Hoffman. The hosts and Maggie dive into the creative heart of everyday cooking, discuss the stress and joy of holiday hosting, modern recipe pet peeves, cookbook collecting, batch cocktails, what to do with unusual ingredients, and strategies for avoiding burnout in the kitchen—all with an eye toward home cooks looking to make delicious, affordable food.

Main Discussion Themes

The Joy of Cooking’s Influence

• Maggie reflects on Joy's presence in her childhood home: a 1964 edition with handwritten notes, food stains, and mysterious family history.
• Megan describes Joy as a “silent partner” in countless kitchens:

  “It has been behind many, many, many, many dinners in this country and beyond...it makes me feel part of a really big community of home cooks...” (14:03)

Thanksgiving Traditions & Non-Traditions

• Maggie shares her “Thanksgiving Moments” approach—making a few favorite dishes across several days, not all at once (07:23).

• Discussion about non-turkey Thanksgivings: seafood gumbo, lamb, and stretching holiday sides throughout the month.

• Family un-negotiables:

  “Pumpkin pie from an old community cookbook...there’s a picture of the stained page we text each other every year.” (09:48, Maggie)

• Home cooks discuss cooking “by feel” versus following tradition—embracing cracked pies, quick caramel hacks, and “going all in.”

Recipe Writing Pet Peeves and Process

• Maggie’s editorial perspective:

  “When I see a recipe that has a little bit of voice in it, a little bit of personality, that always makes me happy...but I want a visual, I want you to really describe what I should be smelling and seeing.” (15:17)

• Everyone agrees that testing and editing are essential:

  “Everybody needs an editor...you still gotta have somebody look at that, get new eyes on it.” (16:21, Megan)

• “Salt to taste” in recipes that can’t be tasted raw (e.g., with raw eggs/meat) is Maggie’s “red flag.” (18:08)

Cookbook Obsessiveness

• Maggie admits to owning “somewhere around 500” cookbooks, with “sagging shelves” and a heap of vintage food magazines. (20:23)
• Tips on holiday cookbook gift-giving:
  • Tamar Adler’s Feast on Your Life—a gratitude journal for the kitchen—is highly recommended:

    “Truly, truly wonderful. Rather than supposing you know what someone wants to cook, it’s a nice way to support someone in the kitchen.” (21:38)

Stress-Free, Budget-Friendly Entertaining

• Maggie advocates “radical casual entertaining”:

  “Your goal is to make people feel comfortable. The more of a show you put on, the less comfortable they’re going to feel—have your holiday party be a pajama party, just do cookies and cheese...” (25:22)

• Outsource some dishes, batch spirits, avoid being stuck in the kitchen:

  “The point of entertaining at home is inviting people to linger—not being kicked out in 90 minutes like at a restaurant.” (27:13)

• “Tater tot waffles” and bagels for dinner are encouraged as silly, low-stress party food ideas.

• Pro hosting organization tips: fridge whiteboards for prep and leftovers, lists, and visual reminders, especially to avoid forgetting ingredients. (28:58)

Everyday Dinner Planning & Avoiding Burnout

• Maggie’s “Dinner Plan” process—never plans five days ahead, focuses on “muddling through” with what’s at hand:

  “I do this thing where I organize my entire life around that half a cabbage...it doesn’t get any smaller!” (32:45)

• Burnout resonates with many:

  “If you like to cook, the act of cooking can feel good, but the thinking can feel overwhelming. The planning can feel really overwhelming.” (34:00, Maggie)

• Strategies for inspiration: “follow your excitement,” expose yourself to new ingredients, try new cookbooks, and “change your ‘should’ thoughts to ‘I want’ thoughts.” (35:29, Shannon)

Q&A: Using Expensive Black Currant Vinegar (42:52)

• Suggestions:
  • Add to caramel for desserts (43:07)
  • Finish sauces for duck, beets, carrots, or sweet potatoes
  • Drizzle on ice cream or panna cotta (44:36)
  • Plump dried fruit for salads (45:04)
  • Add to cocktails, seltzer, or with ginger for a shrub (45:53)
  • Vinegar chicken (Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat-style), wild rice salad with sausage, braised cabbage, pickled raisins, or finishing touch for roasted sausages and grapes

Batch Cocktails & The “Infinity Bottle”

• Maggie’s house cocktail:

  “It’s sort of a Manhattan, a little bit bitter...we’ve been serving this cocktail since Thanksgiving two years ago...every time you top it up, you could use slightly different ingredients...hundreds of ingredients by now.” (46:28)

• Preserves leftover vermouth and creates a fun family tradition.

Specialty Shopping & Budget Buys

• Shop with lists but allow for impulse and seasonal finds.
• Pro tips: stock up on sale items like organic pasta, yogurt, and specialty ice cream (41:01–42:33).
• Frozen dumplings and pelmeni are weeknight saviors; H Mart is favorite for adventurous, affordable groceries. (39:26)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “She used [Joy of Cooking] all the time...I think it was fundamental in those early years. By the time we were cooking together, she was confident, you know?”
  —Maggie (13:00)

• “You want to be present with the people you’ve invited over...it’s not the time for fast, hot cooking. You don’t want to smoke up the kitchen. You don’t want to even be in the kitchen.”
  —Maggie (23:39)

• “Your goal is to make people feel comfortable. The more of a show you put on, the less comfortable they’re going to feel.”
  —Maggie (25:22)

• “Sometimes the act of cooking can feel good, but the planning is overwhelming.”
  —Maggie (34:00)

• “Just use your common sense. I don’t think mustard needs to be refrigerated...I think people have been storing mustard without refrigeration and it’s fine.”
  —Megan (37:26; legal note: always check product instructions!)

• “I keep a whiteboard on my fridge — that is my active prep list. I will write down the menu because I will forget something in the fridge if it is not on the fridge itself.”
  —Maggie (28:58)

• “It’s three ingredients—if you don’t count oil and salt!” (joking about recipe minimalism)
  —Megan (50:05)

Key Timestamps

• 00:38 — Episode welcome and introductions
• 06:29 — Recipe of the week: Cabbage gratin (for Thanksgiving)
• 07:17 — Maggie Hoffman joins; Thanksgiving strategies
• 14:03 — Joy of Cooking as a “silent partner” in kitchens
• 15:05 — Recipe-writing pet peeves
• 17:01 — Importance of editing recipes
• 18:08 — Recipe “red flags”
• 21:38 — Cookbook recommendations for gifts
• 23:39 — Approaches to low-stress, “radically casual” holiday hosting
• 28:58 — Whiteboards, lists, and fridge prep for organization
• 32:42 — Dinner planning, burnout, and inspiration
• 42:52 — Q&A: Creative uses for black currant vinegar
• 46:28 — Batch cocktails and the “infinity bottle” tradition
• 50:05 — Joy Scouts recipe: Grapes and Sausages
• 53:12 — Next week’s topic: Favorite budget-friendly Joy recipes
• 54:26 — What the hosts and guest are cooking this week
• 56:32 — Where to find Maggie and Dinner Plan podcast/newsletter

Episode Takeaways

• Joy in everyday cooking comes from flexibility, finding inspiration, and building traditions with family and friends (even if it means making gumbo instead of turkey).
• Batch cooking, prepping ahead, and letting go of culinary “performance” can make entertaining truly joyful.
• Recipe writing should be clear, edited, and trustable, with personality—a contrast to the Internet’s unreliable plethora of directions.
• Special ingredients (like expensive vinegar or frozen dumplings) can be used creatively and without fuss—don’t be intimidated!
• Holiday hosting doesn’t have to be performative—comfort and presence matter more than polish.

Links & Further Reading

• Dinner Plan Podcast & Newsletter by Maggie Hoffman
• Maggie's recommended cookbook: Feast on Your Life by Tamar Adler
• Joy of Cooking recipes mentioned: Cabbage Gratin (p. 225), Grapes and Sausages (p. 512), Wild Rice Salad with Sausage
• Julia Turshen’s Chicken Scarparello, Silver Palate’s Chicken Marbella, Allison Roman’s Vinegar Chicken (NYT Cooking)
• For batch cocktails: Maggie’s The One-Bottle Cocktail and Batch Cocktails

For questions, stories, or participation, call the Joy of Cooking Hotline: 503-395-8858.

Next episode: Budget recipes with the Joy of Cooking crew.