Only department store Santa Clauses are busier than chef Shereen Pavlides during the holiday season.
As a recipe developer, corporate culinary consultant, regular TV contributor, social media influencer and frequent party host, Pavlides is never not tinkering with her favorite foods in her cozy New Jersey kitchen. “Right now, I’m cooking every day,” Pavlides says. “It’s actually perfect because my husband works all day and my two kids are away at school, so I’m here not disturbing anyone. But I could probably use a little more space.”
Pavlides, who is known for her 60-second “Cooking with Shereen” demonstrations on her platforms, has some go-to favorite dishes this time of year, including everything from baked ziti (“I’m an Italian girl!”) to Yorkshire pudding and popover rolls. The common ingredient? Eggs. Recently, the cookbook author partnered with The Incredible Egg to spread the word on how eggs are baking essentials. “I rely on eggs for all my sweet and savory dishes because it makes a recipe foolproof,” she explains. “And we all want to create those holiday moments with those foods we know and love.”
Pavlides, in fact, notes that cooking warms her heart when the weather turns cold because that extra time in the kitchen leads to meaningful time around the table.
“There are always certain dishes that you only make during holidays because it brings back memories of your family and childhood,” she says. “I very rarely will repeat a dish, but for the holidays, I make the same dishes every year. And the menu never changes. I love creating those nostalgic feelings for my kids.”
Ahead, she dishes on her favorite holiday kitchen musts for CNN Underscored.
Little things can make a big difference. Example: this set of metal spice containers that comes with 269 labels, transparent shaker lids and a magnetic conversion chart. “These jars are functional and help you stay organized,” Pavlides says. “And if you love to follow recipes, it’s easy to just take your measuring teaspoon and stick it in the jar to get it exactly right.”
Pun intended: “This knife has an edge,” she says. For starters, “It’s absolutely sexy and gorgeous with a nice good handle. I like that it’s not so heavy, so it feels nice for a woman to hold it.” The Japanese-made “Super Steel” razor-sharp blade also enables effortless chopping, slicing and cutting.
Pavlides proudly declares that she’s owned this waterproof, stainless steel frying pan for over 20 years. With its heat-resistant flat base and flared sides, “it gives me restaurant-quality results super quickly,” she says. Her skillet specialty is her mom’s breaded chicken cutlets, which come out of the pan with a golden-brown sheen.
Per Pavlides, this round chopping block is truly a cut above the rest. “It’s not cheap, but it’s worth the investment because you’ve got good quality wood,” she says. “I also like the height of it. I’m not doubled over on my countertop. Cutting feels good.” This one’s for her vegetables only. She uses a different board for her meats to avoid cross-contamination.
Berry Christmas! Pavlides calls out this tart fresh fruit — good for a garnish sauce and baked goods — as one of her seasonal go-tos. “I used to think I could just put them in a bag and store them in a freezer and then circle back to them for the rest of the year,” she says. “But no other recipes really call for cranberries!”
Pavlides was first introduced to this brand of coarse and textured salt when she was working in the restaurant of the Four Seasons hotel in New York City. She’s been using it in holiday dishes like pumpkin soup ever since. “It’s all about control,” she says. “The granules are large and dry, so you can see how much you’re salting your food. I need that visual.”
This gold-standard electric mixer allows her to multitask in the kitchen — especially when she’s combining eggs, cream cheese, flour and sugar to make her famous salted caramel pumpkin pecan cheesecake. “I love that I don’t have to just stand there and hold on to something,” she says.
“For me, being in the kitchen without an apron is like Superman being without his cape,” she jokes. “It’s like, ‘OK, now I’m in the mode.’” And though her two-pocket canvas apron — emblazoned with the name of her popular cooking show — won’t make her cook faster than a speeding bullet, it does provide excellent protection, thanks to its neck adjuster and waist tie.