58 MONEY.COM MARCH^2019
LONG BEFORE AVOCADO TOASTbecame a joke
about millennials’ frivolous spending, it was
just a go-to breakfast meal for Gaby Dalkin.
The chef and blogger behind the simple,
fresh recipes on What’s Gaby Cooking loves
the fruit so much, she wrote an entire
cookbook about it in 2013.
Since then, Dalkin has written a new,
broader cookbook; debuted a line of salsas
and seasonings for Williams-Sonoma; and
eaten approximately 1,825 avocados—one
aday.BEATING THE
BUDGETING BLUES
I think planning your
menu is really helpful. I
do menu planning every
Sunday on my blog. I
know exactly what I need,
and I’m not going to buy
anything that will end
up going to waste.
And then, cook in pat-
terns. For example, I am
making easy shredded
Mexican chicken Sunday
night for tacos, but then
I know I’m going to have
leftovers, so I’m going to
make enchiladas that
next night. Stretching out
protein is really helpful
when you’re budgeting.
HOW MUCH SHOULD
SOMEONE SPEND TO
STOCK A PANTRY FROM
SCRATCH?
You need probably $100
worth of pastas and
grains, oils and vinegars,
salts and seasonings. And
then from there you can
build out.
Trader Joe’s is incredi-
ble because you can go
get pasta for 99¢ and a
bag of quinoa for $1.99.
Olive oil is $6.99 there.
You can get a lot for
your buck when you’re
stocking up.HOW MUCH SHOULD I
SPEND ON KNIVES?
That’s a great question.
I use two knives, and I’m
a professional chef—I
went to culinary school.
I probably dropped about
$200 on my chef’s knife.
Then you need a paring
knife, which is way less,
like $70 or $80. Both of
them are Global. They’re
my favorite knife brand.
That’s literally all I use,
and a good pair of kitchen
scissors. Good knives,
when taken care of,
will last you forever.
I splurged on mine a few
years back and just take
them in once [every three
months] to get sharp-
ened. Sharp knives help
you prep faster, and dull
knives can actually lead
to more injuries. Also,
never put your knives in
the dishwasher. They al-
ways need to be washed
by hand. That way they
last forever and you only
have to invest once.
A CHEAP GUILTY
PLEASURE IS ...
I make this pasta. It’s
spaghetti noodles with
a ton of olive oil and
10 cloves of sautéed gar-
lic. I’ll toss it together
with red pepper flakes.
It probably costs 50¢
per serving.HACK YOUR KITCHEN: EVERYDAY SAVING TIPSWHAT’S
GABY
COOKING
I’d make chicken larb bowls. It’s one of
the most popular recipes from my cook-
book—so much so, I put it on my website.
It’s incredibly flavorful without breaking
the bank.MY $2O DINNER PARTY
Best-Kept Secrets