Saveur’s Editor-in-Chief Has Pie Advice for You
Plus, her favorite cookbooks and cozy winter recipes.
Kat Craddock’s Thanksgiving advice can be summed up pretty succinctly: “Revel in the shortcuts,” she says in this week’s podcast conversation, “and take the time to do the things that matter to you.”
That means you’ll definitely find canned cranberry sauce on her table—“it’s like pâte de fruit or something! It’s so delicious!” she says—and you won’t find her using a food processor to make quicker pie crust.
“I’ll usually start by just kind of pressing the cubes of butter into little chips,” she explains. “I’m not overworking it, not letting the warm palms of your hands overheat it too much, but just kind of breaking down those little cubes…and then tossing in the ice water by hand.”
Rolling the dough out a day or two early and keeping it in your fridge on a sheet pan with parchment paper between each layer, Kat says, isn’t just about getting ahead. Giving the dough time to relax in the fridge means that “when you go to settle it into your pie pan and over the top, you’re going to get a lot less spring-back when you bake.”
Kat reminds us all that if you’re in the kitchen and feeling overwhelmed, it’s time to pause and have a little snack. “It’s hard to make decisions and it’s hard to be creative and think clearly” when your blood sugar’s low, she notes. “My first approach to any problem is to eat a piece of cheese.”
Tune into this week’s episode to hear how the Saveur team added scratch-and-sniff to their latest issue—and hit follow on your favorite podcast app so you can listen while you’re cooking this week.
Win a copy of SAVEUR and more
This week’s giveaway includes a copy of SAVEUR Issue 205: F/W ‘25, plus a SAVEUR Market Tote, their 1994 Hat, and a SAVEUR x Burlap & Barrel Spice Trio.
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Kat mentioned:
Butternut squash soup (Saveur)
Canadian butter tarts (Saveur)
Salsa macha (Saveur)
Fatima Khawaja’s Desi Omelet With Tomatoes and Scallions (Saveur)
Ryan McCarthy Pan-Roasted Pork Chop with Apples and Mustard-Onion Gravy (Saveur)
Macaroni du Chalet (Saveur)
Spaghetti and clams (Saveur)
Spiced Quince Sharbat (Saveur)
Gabriella Martinez’s Mole Pumpkin Pie With Citrus Crema (Saveur)
Edward Lee’s Gochujang-Glazed Ham (Vice)
Eric Kim’s Maple Milk Bread (NYT Cooking, gift link)
Kwame Onwuachi’s Peel-and-Eat Shrimp (Saveur)
Diane Kochilas’s Avgolemono Soup (Saveur)
Turkey Congee (Saveur)
Tuscan Bean Soup (Saveur)
Kat’s family pecan pie isn’t online, but she loves this one too.
Scottish shortbread (Saveur)
Eric Kim’s Korean American (Bookshop here)
Diana Kennedy’s Cuisines of Mexico, especially the cream cheese flan (Used on AbeBooks here)
Romy Gill’s On the Himalayan Trail (Bookshop here)
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Maggie mentioned:
Deuki Hong and Matt Rodbard’s Koreaworld (Bookshop here)
Island Creek Oysters Littleneck Clams with Confit Garlic (Code DINNER15 is still live for a discount!)
Cranberry relish (I use clementine and add ginger)
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This week’s mini gift guide:
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This super-crunchy Chili Nut Crunch is good on pretty much everything. ($24/each or $45/two.)
A stunning marble cake stand that can go sweet or savory. ($152)
Sage advice from Saveur editor? Yes please
“My first approach to any problem is to eat a piece of cheese.” I think this would solve so many problems!