On the Biscuits & Jams Podcast, she shares recipes for every Southern potluck, shares her three must-have kitchen tools, and shares her secret funeral potato casserole topped with potato chips. I’d like to think that we’re basically best friends with Ree Drummond.
OK, that might be an exaggeration, but we were lucky enough to interview and showcase enough of her delicious Pioneer Woman cooking that you feel like you’ve researched and tasted it all .
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But thanks to the complete archive of her Food Network shows now available on Discovery+, we were able to dig into hidden details in episodes old and new. Now over 10 years and 34 seasons into her career, Drummond continues to teach us old fans new tricks. Read on for her five of her best cooking tips.
1. The best way to prepare cinnamon toast is without a toaster.
Drummond has ~thoughts~ about cinnamon toast. In her April 2010 blog post, she explains: “If you want to make the worst cinnamon toast on the planet, put the bread in the toaster, let it toast, then take it out. Then, spread it out until it’s soft. Spread butter on warm toast, and the cinnamon and sugar will melt. It’s sprinkled. There’s no room for the butter to soak into the bread.”
Instead, Drummond swears by her seat pan method. She’s so supportive of this process, in fact, that she explains it not only on her blog, but also on her TV show and Instagram Stories.
Fans are now calling it “my all-time favorite toast! Perfectly indulgent and so simple,” adding, “I’ve been making cinnamon toast for years. Toast the bread, spread it with butter, “I just sprinkle cinnamon sugar on it. But this. This is a whole new level of amazingness.”
Drummond says there are three steps you need to follow to make the best cinnamon toast.
Spread softened butter, cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla on slices of untoasted bread. Transfer the prepared bread to a sheet pan and bake at 350°F for 10 minutes, then until bubbly. If desired, sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar before using. Using a pizza cutter, smoothly slice each piece in half diagonally.
2. The egg in the hole is just the beginning.
In other breakfast news, we’ve long loved Drummond’s classic 5-minute Egg in a Hole. This quick and easy one-pan recipe has been a morning staple in her family since she first posted it on her blog in 2008.
I can’t think of a better breakfast than a few slices of bacon and a fruit salad. That wasn’t until 2018, when Drummond raised the bar with the Egg-in-a-Hole sandwich, which one fan called “the best sandwich ever.”
To recreate this, bake two Eggs in a Whole and stuff them with your favorite BLT (or other sandwich) fillings.
3. Waffle makers are useful for more than just waffles.
Here at Southern Living, we’ve tried cinnamon roll waffles, rainbow waffles, and of course our favorite is cornmeal waffles. You’ll notice that these have a theme. They are all sweet.
So when we saw Drummond bring out his waffle maker and expand his repertoire, trying everything from waffle maker hash browns and waffle maker pizza to Reuben Waffle Witches and Turkey Bacon Waffle Witches, we… I was surprised and happy.
4. Are you having trouble getting your family to eat vegetables? Make a salad with their favorite foods.
When we have dinner with picky eaters, we usually hide them in a vegetable casserole or cover them with a flavorful sauce. Thanks to Drummond, we’ve added a new weapon to our sneakily healthy arsenal: comfort food-style salads, or salad-topped comfort food.
Her Herbed Chicken Caesar Salad Pizza has all the elements of an entree-style chicken Caesar salad on a pizza crust. Buffalo chicken salad is basically everything you’d find in a pub wing basket (including blue cheese, celery, and spicy, saucy chicken) on a bed of lettuce.
But perhaps best of all is Drummond’s next-level Cheeseburger Salad, which features romaine lettuce, ketchup- and mustard-smothered ground beef, cheddar cheese, pickles, and other fast-food sandwich fixings, along with croutons on an adorable hamburger bun.
5. Reduce food waste with three recipe concepts that are perfect for overcoming challenges.
Over the course of 34 seasons, Drummond has produced several episodes that focus solely on the concept of a meal he makes to clean out his refrigerator at the end of the week. This is a wise strategy for many reasons.
This is the route from my Pawfuska Ranch home in Drummond, Oklahoma, to the nearest grocery store. This reduces food waste for her family. It’s a budget-friendly move to make the most of your inventory.
It takes just 10 minutes to mix up refrigerator gazpacho (made with strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers). The produce drawer primavera can be adjusted to suit the season. In the spring, Drummond “shops through the produce drawer and adds bell peppers,” along with pumpkin, mushrooms, asparagus, and fresh oregano. ”And for a refrigerator-raiding shakshuka that’s perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, Drummond throws in extra kale, plenty of green pepper, cherry tomatoes, and feta cheese.
