We’re so excited to sit down with Caroline Chambers, bestselling cookbook author and the voice behind Make It Fast.
Known for making home cooking feel approachable, Caroline Chambers is back with What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking: Make It Fast, a new cookbook filled with quick, realistic recipes for busy nights. We sat down with Caroline to talk about feeding a family of six, embracing shortcuts in the kitchen, and the everyday moments around the table that matter most.
1. Your first cookbook, What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking, resonated with so many families because it made dinner feel approachable and realistic. What inspired you to write Make It Fast?
My readers! I have six years of data from writing What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking, plus two years of hearing from my readers of the first book. And what I heard over and over again was that people try everything, but the recipes they come back to over and over again are the recipes that take under 30 minutes! So I wrote a book of 15- and 30-minute recipes that still feel really exciting and special to eat. No matter the reason, too busy, too stressed, too tired, too pregnant, too whatever, we all have seasons where we just do not feel like cooking. These are the recipes for those moments.
2. This new book is organized around 15-minute, 30-minute, and “walk away” meals. Why was structuring it around time so important?
There are just three chapters: 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and “walk away,” where the active cook time is under 30 minutes but there's at least an hour of inactive time working in the background. That's it! This is the ultimate collection of low-effort, high-reward recipes, and I wanted the structure itself to do the thinking for you. I wanted the book to meet you exactly where your evening is, instead of making you guess whether a recipe fits your night until you're already halfway through it. But there are also alternative tables of contents in the back! One allows you to pick your recipe by what protein it uses, and the second organizes the recipes by need, i.e., “what to cook when you’re in charge of the meal train,” “what to cook when you don’t want to chop a single thing…”
3. As a mom of four, what has this season of life taught you about feeding your family without spending hours in the kitchen?
Mostly that “from scratch” and “fast” aren't opposites! I just had to get ruthless about which steps actually earn their place in a recipe. With four boys, I don't have hours, I have minutes, and I've learned to be at peace with that instead of mourning the meals I don't have time for. And I've learned to let the kids help even when it makes more mess than it saves time. My three-year-old cracking eggs everywhere is not efficient, but it gives me an activity with him, and he's so proud of himself, so who cares! Take a deep breath and let the mess happen. It only takes a few extra minutes to clean up at the end. So worth it.
4. What are a few simple habits, shortcuts, or pantry staples that instantly make weeknight cooking easier?
Good olive oil, flaky salt, and something acidic (a lemon, good vinegar) can really make a simple ingredient shine. A rotisserie chicken is an excellent starting point for any meal. Pre-peeled garlic and frozen ginger cubes are such a great shortcut without skimping on quality or flavor. And prepping a sauce or dressing on a slower night that can carry three different dinners through the week.
5. Is there one recipe from Make It Fast that's become a favorite in your own home? What makes it a family favorite?
The easiest ever shredded beef really holds its own. It's one of my “five ways” recipes in the walk-away chapter. You make one big batch of shredded beef (just beef, salt, pepper, onion, garlic, and a little wine or broth), and it becomes five completely different dinners: pasta with meat sauce, loaded beefy pitas, garlic soy beef bowls, crispy beef tacos, or a cheesesteak. I made it again just yesterday. My boys ask for it by name, and I love that spending 15 minutes chucking a few ingredients into a Dutch oven and then throwing the whole thing in the oven for hours buys me a whole week of dinners that don't feel repetitive.
6. You've built such an incredible community through your Substack and cookbooks. What has surprised you most about the connection you've built with your readers?
How many people needed permission to use a shortcut without feeling like it made them a bad cook. I thought I was building a place for dinner ideas, and what I actually built was a place where people stopped feeling guilty for starting dinner with a bag of frozen rice or a package of frozen wontons instead of from total scratch. Every week I hear from readers about how a recipe went, what they subbed, who loved it and who didn't, and it's made me a better recipe developer, but honestly, it's made me feel a lot less alone too.
7. At Danrie, we love celebrating the little moments of childhood. Are there any simple traditions or everyday moments around your family's dinner table that you hope your boys remember one day?
We eat most meals gathered around our kitchen island, not some perfectly set table, and it is loud and messy, and someone is always negotiating the vegetables. My own parents both worked full time growing up, and dinner was still a huge deal to them, even if it was just a giant bag of Sam's Club taquitos on a sheet pan with iceberg lettuce and salsa! That's one of my siblings' shared core memories. I learned really young that it's not about how much time or effort went into the meal; it's about who's around the table. That's what I hope sticks for my boys too!
8. As you prepare for a new season with your family, are there any favorite pieces from Danrie's new FW26 collection you'll be reaching for this fall?
Oh man, the Bobo Choses and Tiny Cottons fall items are sooo good. I need my 3-year-old in this ASAP. My kids live in Oso and Me Bingo shorts, and fall is HOT here in Carmel Valley, CA, so we’ll be reaching for those over and over. Cashy wore this shirt in a photo in my new cookbook, and it’s so darling.
9. For readers ready to simplify weeknight dinners, where can they purchase Make It Fast? And where can they follow along with you for more recipes and inspiration?
Make It Fast is out now wherever books are sold: Amazon, Target, Barnes & Noble, or most importantly, your local bookshop! And you can find a new recipe from me every single Saturday on my Substack, What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking, and I’m on Instagram @carochambers.
