By: Chef Owen and Chef Amanda Haas
Amanda Haas is an authority on healthy eating and anti-inflammatory cooking. She is an accomplished food writer, cooking instructor, video host, and cookbook author. After spending seven amazing years overseeing the test kitchen as the Culinary Director of Williams Sonoma, she left to focus on her own culinary pursuits and to inspire others to eat and cook with a focus on health and wellness.
My cooking style focuses on improving our health by eating real food. My motto is “I make food that tastes so good, you don’t even realize it’s good for you!”
Chef Haas is a best selling cookbook author of The Anti-Inflammation Cookbook: The Delicious Way to Reduce Inflammation and Stay Healthy (Chronicle Books, 2016) and The Vibrant Life: Eat Well, Be Well (Chronicle Books, August 2019). And her healthy recipes have been featured in The Everygirl; The San Francisco Chronicle; Taste of Home; Katie Couric’s Wake-Up Call; and on the cover of Sunset Magazine.
Chef Haas has partnered with Hestan Cue to bring five of her most popular (and guilt-free) recipes to the Cue app. Now you can recreate her Turkey Minestrone with Lentils, Chard and Cannellini Beans, Butternut Squash Soup with Crispy Sage and Panko, Gluten Free Stuffing with Italian Sausage and Dried Cherries, Smoky Sweet Potato Hash with Seared Trumpet Mushrooms, and Fall Fruit Crisp in your own kitchen.
Our own Chef Owen recently sat down with Chef Haas to talk all things food, how Cue allows her to cook with confidence; plus her tips and tricks to stay healthy this holiday season. Read on to learn more and look for these new recipes in the Guest Chefs category in the Cue app.
How did you become involved in the culinary industry? What drew you to be a chef?
I have loved food my entire life. When I went to college, I found myself cooking for my roommates and planning dinners for us. That continued as I moved to San Francisco and started my first job. I finally left the corporate world to attend culinary school when I was 29 and I've never looked back.
I was drawn to be a chef because cooking is how I express my love for the people I care about most. I am happiest when I’m cooking for others-and myself! I also love teaching people that cooking does not have to be difficult or expensive to be terrific.
What has driven your culinary vision and led you to be a proponent of the Anti-Inflammatory diet?
My own health struggles have driven my desire to understand the connection between what we eat and how we feel. Although I have learned a lot about which foods make me feel lousy vs. which ones make me feel great, I am always learning more. In addition, I love sharing my learnings with others so they can benefit from my work as well.
What is your food philosophy and how does it fit into your lifestyle?
It’s simple: Eat Real Food! The more I stick to ingredients that come from the earth, the better I feel.
How did you first learn about the Hestan Cue Smart Cooking System?
When I was the culinary director at Williams Sonoma, I was introduced to Cue and asked to test it out to provide feedback. I was immediately in awe of the technology, and the confidence it could provide for novice cooks.
What is your favorite way to use Cue?
I love that it sears food perfectly, even the trickier ingredients that intimidate people like scallops or steaks. I also love using it for crepes, because it’s a wonderful example of how temperature matters so much when cooking.
Why is precise time and temperature important to you?
So many people read recipes and rely on the time prompts to cook, but if the temperature of your pan or cooking surface isn’t accurate, time is an unreliable source for understanding when things are done. By adding such precise temperature gauges, food is cooked to perfection.
What is your favorite recipe from your collection of Cue recipes?
I love the Butternut Squash Soup with Crispy Panko Crumbs, and the Fall Fruit Crisp is on heavy rotation in my house.
And any additional tips or tricks when cooking your recipes?
I always encourage people to read the recipe before starting, and to gather all of the ingredients as well so you don’t have to keep pausing throughout the cooking process. If you can remember these two things, Cue will do the rest of the work for you!
Do you have any tips or tricks on how to survive the holiday madness?
I sure do! Because Thanksgiving is my favorite day of the year, I insist on hosting and cooking almost everything, but I do not recommend that for others! I say divide the work so others can contribute, and select an assortment of recipes that can be made a day or two ahead so there are only 1-2 recipes you’re cooking the day of the event. Also, I always take out my dishes, serving platters, and serving utensils a few days ahead to ensure I'm not missing anything. It will save you time and energy at the last minute. And last but not least, make sure you know who is on dish duty. I’ve had years where I’ve washed dishes for days after Thanksgiving. Now I’m smart enough to assign it when someone says, “Really, how can I help?” This year we’re starting a new tradition-the teenagers are on dish duty.
To learn more about Chef Amanda Haas visit her website or follow her on Instagram at @amandahaascooks
We love to see what you are cooking on Cue. Look for more inspiration and share your recipes or ask our Chefs for advice in our Facebook community.
For more recipe inspiration check out the Cue app, where you can discover over 500 chef-crafted recipes, all with step-by-step video guidance from prep to plating. Download the Hestan Cue app for iOS and Android and learn more about precision cooking with Cue, and all the things you can do!
