We All Need Dip for Dinner
Scroll down for the Buffalo chicken dip of my dreams...
When I talked to Alyse Whitney for this podcast episode, she’d just posted a dinner photo on Instagram stories that stopped me in my tracks. Inspired by Katsuya in Los Angeles, she made a baked crab handroll starting with a big container of crabmeat from Costco.
After mixing some of the crab with Kewpie mayo, a little splash of rice vinegar, soy sauce, and scallion, she broiled it just until bronzed on the top before sliding into nori and rice. “It’s bubbly and creamy and crabby,” she said. And just a third of the container made a full dinner.
Alyse also generously shared some more weeknight dinner favorites that she’s been cooking for years (you know the drill, just scroll down for links), and talked about how she avoids flavor fatigue when cooking for one.
Alyse, whose book Big Dip Energy is an absolute delight, also offered tons of crucial dip intel that’ll come in handy for anyone with football-watching plans. Or honestly, for anyone right now.
Buffalo chicken dip for dinner might be just what we all need, and Alyse’s epic version is reprinted below, along with an elote-inspired dip that uses frozen corn. You can even use the microwave to make both of them.
Get the podcast playing while you stir up some dip; if you can take a moment to leave a rating or review, even better.
But first! Win a copy of Big Dip Energy
Layered dips. Veg-packed dips. Warm dips. Cool and creamy dips. Quick microwave dips. Dip-serts. To enter to win your own copy of Big Dip Energy, make sure you’re subscribed to this newsletter and simply leave a comment on this send by Wednesday, February 5. Winner will be alerted by DM and email—be sure to check your messages!
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Send us a voice memo, get a dinner plan
Every episode of the show wraps up with a voice memo from a listener, sharing a few things they have in their fridge. Then we Tetris those ingredients into a dinner plan designed specifically for you.
But we need more fridges! Can you help us out?
Just Record a voice memo or mp3 on your phone, stating your first name, location, and six to eight ingredients in your fridge, pantry, or freezer. (One minute max.) Send by email to thedinnerplanpod@gmail.com, then listen to the show to get our ideas!
Alyse mentioned:
Souffle & Quiche 2-in-1 Cookbook by Paul Mayer (vintage book, available on Etsy here and here)
Alyse’s recipe for Anything-Goes Jeon
Korean crispy pancake mix
Wanja Jeon from Maangchi (can be made with pork or shrimp too)
Miso, Sweet Potato & Broccoli Bowl from Smitten Kitchen
Garlic Noodles from Budget Bytes
Miso-Carrot Soup With Crunchy Ramen Croutons from Alyse’s Cosmopolitan column, Doing the Least with Alyse
Say “Kimcheese!” Dip and Spanakopidip (from Big Dip Energy, excerpted in Cosmopolitan)
Green Goddess Hummus (from Big Dip Energy, excerpted in Synonym)
Caesar Salad Dip (from Big Dip Energy, excerpted on KCRW.com)
Alyse’s cookbook picks:
Barefoot Contessa at Home by Ina Garten, especially the zucchini pancakes, coconut cake, and lemon-yogurt cake
Maangchi's Big Book of Korean Cooking by Maangchi Kim
Chinese Enough by Kristina Cho, especially the steamed pork patty
Savory Baking by Erin Jeanne McDowell especially the cheddar ale soup
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Ranch Reinvented
From Big Dip Energy by Alyse Whitney. Copyright © 2024 by Alyse Whitney. Reprinted by permission of William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Cranch happened by accident. I didn’t have any sour cream and wanted to make ranch dip, so I thought, why not cream cheese? Now I won’t make it any other way, because cream cheese has this slightly sweet, less tangy flavor and a creamier, thicker consistency to make sure you actually are eating a dip, not a salad dressing. It’s an important dipstinction! Note that you can always subdiptute plant-based dairy, but make sure to taste as you go for salt levels and consistency.
You can go with the OG version or level up by adding blue cheese and Buffalo sauce for a vegetarian version of the beloved Buffalo Chicken Dip, or cooked chicken for the best version of the real deal. And there’s also Everything Cranch, a French onion–ranch hybrid, and a spicy chili crisp version to play with.
Serve with crudités, such as carrots, cucumbers, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, or sweet peppers; vegetable ribbons; homemade tempura, or go store-bought with Fritos Scoops, or another type of corn chip; tortilla chips, especially Tostitos Scoops, French fries, or tater tots.
Can it be made in advance? Yes, even days ahead.
How long will it keep? With no chicken, up to 2 weeks in the fridge in an airtight container. With chicken, 5 days.
Serves a lil’ get-together (4 to 6)
ORIGINAL CRANCH
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 cup mayonnaise
2 packets (1 ounce each) ranch seasoning (about ¼ cup)
2 garlic cloves, grated
2 tablespoons whole milk, for thinning, as needed
1 teaspoon sugar
4 cranks black pepper
BLUE CHEESE CRANCH
Original Cranch plus ½ cup freshly crumbled blue cheese
BUFFALO CRANCH
Original Cranch plus ½ cup Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Wings Sauce or Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce
BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP
Buffalo Cranch plus 1 cup cooked and shredded chicken, such as store-bought rotisserie chicken. This can also be done with Chili Crisp Cranch!
FRENCH ONION CRANCH
Original Cranch plus 2 tablespoons dehydrated or fried onions
EVERYTHING CRANCH
Original Cranch plus 2 tablespoons everything bagel seasoning
CHILI CRISP CRANCH
Original Cranch plus 1 or 2 tablespoons chili crisp of your choice (adjust for spice)
FOR ALL THE CRANCHES
Combine everything in a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer or your actual hands . . . holding a spatula . . . for an arm workout.
FOR BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP
Combine everything in a large microwave-safe bowl, microwave for 1 minute, stir, then microwave for another minute. (You may need to repeat for up to 5 minutes if you have a lower-wattage microwave.)
If you don’t have a microwave, transfer the mixture to a 9-inch pie plate or square baking dish and bake in a 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbly. The only benefit to using the oven over the microwave is the browning, but since this doesn’t have a cheesy top, it doesn’t matter as much, so I opt for the quicker version.
Elote to Love Dip
From Big Dip Energy by Alyse Whitney. Copyright © 2024 by Alyse Whitney. Reprinted by permission of William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
When mayonnaise is heated to too high a temperature or for too long, it can separate and become a greasy mess. So after baking, broiling, and cooking this dip on the stovetop, I realized the best way to make it is in the microwave without the mayonnaise, stirring in the mayo after everything else is melty, cheesy goodness. That way it just gets a kiss of residual heat and won’t cause a breakdown in the dip, or in your psyche. And although Tajín is prominent in classic elote, I found that more than just a finishing dash of it overpowered the dip with sourness.
Serves a lil’ get-together (4 to 6)
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cut into chunks for quicker melting
1 cup frozen or drained canned corn (no need to thaw)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ jalapeño, seeded and minced
¼ cup crumbled cotija cheese, plus more for garnish
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 lime)
3 tablespoons aggressively rough chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Tajín or chili powder, for garnish (optional)
1. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, place the cream cheese, corn, garlic powder, chili powder, jalapeño, and cotija cheese. Microwave for 1 minute, stir to combine, then microwave for another 30 seconds and stir again. Everything should be smooth and thoroughly combined, but if not, microwave for another 30 seconds. (If you don’t have a microwave, you can do this over medium-low heat in a small saucepan.)
2. Stir in the mayonnaise, lime juice, and 2 tablespoons of the cilantro. Top with the remaining 1 tablespoon cilantro, as much cotija as you want, and a sprinkle of Tajín, if using.
Can it be made in advance? You can mix the initial ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate, then heat and finish the dip later. But it’s so fast that you don’t need to!
How long will it keep? A week in the fridge in an airtight container.
It’s really helpful if you hit that “heart” at the top or bottom of this post—and don’t forget to comment to enter the book giveaway!
I've done cheese and crackers for dinner but never dip. This cookbook opens up a new world of possibilities!
Dip dinners are the best dinners. This book looks great!