The Simple Way Alex Guarnaschelli Punches Up The Flavor Of Any Meal

Master chef and TV personality Alex Guarnaschelli has built an entire career around perfecting classic dishes made with simple, fresh-tasting ingredients. Naturally, she knows a thing or two about boosting the flavor of a home-cooked meal. Whether you happen to be making one of Guarnaschelli's most popular recipes like her double decker patty melts or marinated skirt steak burritos, or simply preparing one of your favorite recipes, follow her advice and use a refreshing topping like scallions to take these flavorful meals to the next level.

Sure enough, scallions have just the right amount of distinct flavor to give any hot or cold meal a fresh, vegetal, sometimes onion-y upgrade. Though before you start adding this raw topping to all your favorite dishes, make sure you know the primary differences between chives, green onions, and scallions. For starters, green onions and scallions are generally regarded as the same vegetable with different names, making them interchangeable. Unlike chives — which are thinner, fully green, and classified as herbs — scallions are vegetables that are harvested before they're fully grown. And while chives have a more mild, grassy flavor, green onions have a varied flavor profile that benefits a wider assortment of meals at different points in the cooking process.

Additionally, besides adding distinct flavor to the base of certain meals like flavor-rich curry or pasta, green onions are a great way to liven up the color and taste of both savory and fresh-tasting dishes upon serving. Though, to properly follow Alex Guarnaschelli's best culinary practices, keep in mind, when it comes to produce (specifically scallions) nothing goes to waste.

Given the fact that Alex Guarnaschelli's favorite meal is a pasta dish that changed her life yet was made with a simple basil pesto, it's proof that any meal can be made spectacular with fresh ingredients. That said, Alex Guarnaschelli uses scallions as both a multi-purpose vegetable and topping. 

Especially if one of your primary goals in the kitchen is to minimize food waste, try and be strategic with how you utilize your next batch of scallions. Believe it or not, white and green scallions actually have different purposes in cooking. To get the most out of these herb-like veggies, Guarnaschelli recommends using the hardy white parts of scallions (located near the roots) when you want your meals to have a more pronounced onion flavor. These layered stems are the perfect substitute for leeks or shallots, especially with a little preliminary cooking. Saute them to help build a flavorful base for soup, chili, or pasta. Or, heat them in your next pan of vegetable stir-fry before serving. You can also pan-fry them with a little oil and garlic and add them to oven-baked meals like loaded beef taco casserole.

Conversely, the thinner, more vibrant ends of your scallions should be used to give any dish a fresh yet flavorful finishing touch. Use them to liven up a variety of hearty hot and cold meals like chunky slow cooker split pea soup, beef stew, potato salad, and egg salad sandwiches.