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Chef Kwame Onwuachi's Guide to Quarantine Cooking

March has been one of the worst months in the history of the dining industry. As restaurants close or shift to take-out only, estimates say millions of restaurant workers are at risk of losing their jobs. In New York alone, over 250,000 already have. It is an unprecedented disaster. And according to Chef Kwame Onwuachi, one the government isn't addressing.

"I'm trying to stay positive," he says, when I caught him on the phone last month. "But honestly, it's a state of vulnerability right now."

To hear Onwuachi, the jovial mastermind behind D.C.'s Kith and Kin and former Top Chef, prone to full-face smiles, be this worried was striking. It's not like he hasn't faced adversary before. His memoir—out this week in paperback—details the startling harassment he faced in his journey from cooking on a ship for people cleaning up after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to stints at Michelin-starred restaurants. But this is a whole new reality for him and his peers.

"It's a scary time. I'm thinking even past the immediate, the longevity," he says. "If we're in quarantine for two months, how do we get back into a normal status quo?"

Though his restaurant staff will be eligible for unemployment, Onwuachi has been vocal that they still need more relief. "The CARES Act that became law on Friday is a good first step in providing relief for restaurants and their workers, but not enough to keep our doors open," he wrote on Instagram. "That money will only [float us] for a few months at best."

Still, Onwuachi is trying to do what he can. He's been going on TV to try to ramp up support for the Independent Restaurant Coalition, an organization lobbying for more restaurant relief through an income replacement program for restaurant workers and suppliers. And he's using Instagram Live to encourage his followers to push their kitchen skills and stay active. We asked him about how to keep your home-cooked meals interesting, how to batch-cook and store meals for later, and all the unexpected pantry staples he swears by that you probably forgot to pick up on your last trip to the grocery store.

Pantry Upgrades to Kick Up Your Dinner

As you get into what might be your third or fourth week of quarantine, you might be getting a little bit bored of the simple egg dishes, pastas, and plain beans. Onwuachi says you can do a lot to even the most simple recipes just by being a bit more intentional about building flavors. If you're making a lot of rice or beans, consider making them with some sort of stock, rather than just by boiling them in tap water. "Don't skip on the chicken stock," says Onwuachi. "It adds so much flavor."

Kitchen Basics unsalted chicken stock

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"I'm a fan of making my own jerk paste, but if you're in a pinch and don't want to buy 20 ingredients to make a simple sauce, just buy it," Onwuachi says. "Put it on chicken and ribs."

Walkerswood jerk seasoning

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Another pantry staple Onwuachi always has on hand is recaito. "It's a pureed onion and chili and cilantro mixture. I add it to sauces and to chicken."

Goya "Recaito" cooking base

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Food storage containers like these are a staple of Onwuachi's fridge both at home and at his restaurant. He uses them to store homemade bases or completed meals he'll finish later, like an entire roast chicken. "Don't be afraid to roast a whole chicken," Onwuachi says, noting how simple it is to get a lot of food out of one. "You get dark meat and the white meat to make your own stock and flavor your sauces. It's so good."

DuraHome food storage containers (24-pack)

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If you're a relatively new cook, you're ability to go from idea to meal might be hampered by the dinky chef's knife you own. Onwuachi says you probably don't need to spring for some Hattori Hanzo-grade cutlery, but consider an upgrade if you're feeling held back by a dull, awkward blade. "My first knife was a standard Wushtof knife that was just in my house. I brought it with me everywhere." Hone it with a ceramic steel frequently (ideally after each use) and bring it to a knife sharpener periodically, and it'll last forever.

Wusthof "Classic" chef's knife, 8-inch

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A Power Shake to Match Your Home Workouts

In the last few months, Onwuachi has really started to take his health seriously, which can be difficult for a chef. "One day, I counted how many times my bartenders offered me a drink," he says. "[There were days] when it was like 6 before 5 pm. It's just part of the culture, unfortunately."

With the advice of a nutritionist and a trainer, Onwuachi has stopped drinking alcohol entirely and changed his personal approach to eating. He now does three full workouts a day, with cardio in the morning, weight lifting in the evening, and a body weight workout before going to sleep. That hasn't changed since he's started social distancing. His body craves it now. "I just made it a habit and went to the gym everyday, If I don't go it's all that I'm thinking about."

After his morning workout, Onwuachi drinks 10 ounces of egg whites mixed with this protein powder. "[The egg whites offer] just straight protein, it absorbs into your body faster," he says. "Sometimes I'll just blend it in my smoothie. I'll do spinach, mango, I'll use oat milk and blend it up. You don't really taste the protein powder. I enjoy it."

Less Naked Pea vanilla protein powder, 5 lbs

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Get Off a Kitchen Fit

"There's a common misperception that [chefs] only wear things that are functional because we're always in the kitchen," he says. "But I think a lot of us, myself included, like to dress up." Nothing about being stuck working from home has changed this for Onwuachi. "When you want to perform at a high level, you want to perform at a high level with everything you do. It becomes more of a way of life."

Maison Margiela was one of the first brands Onwuachi fell in love with—he's bought several pairs of their German army trainers over the past few years. "Sometimes I wear them on the line [while cooking]. That's why I get the patent leather," he says. "I can wipe them down!"

Maison Margiela "Replica" sneakers

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Originally Appeared on GQ