By Ryan Sadick

What if the secret to elevating your cooking is hiding in your leftovers? We have all been there, buying a bunch of ingredients just for one specific recipe. While there is nothing wrong with this, most of the time you have enough to make the recipe once, but not quite enough to make it again, leaving you with a bunch of half-used ingredients that add up and often go to waste. Everyone is guilty of throwing away the last bit of chips at the end of the bag or just buying a jar of jam when there’s still some left. We just don’t see the value in it, and end up taking another trip to the grocery store instead. 

I mean, what could you really use it for? Except that the end of your chip bag is actually the perfect salty addition to your chocolate chip cookies. The last bit of jam is going to transform your grilled cheese. Kitchen sink is a growing trend designed to help reduce food waste. The design is to use whatever ingredients you have. Well, everything but the kitchen sink. The beauty of it is that it can be applied to so many different things, casseroles, sandwiches, pasta, and cookies. 

This approach to cooking began to gain some traction on social media. On TikTok, the creator Erin Hogaboom is gaining popularity for her kitchen sink sandwich series. Weekly, she posts a video of her making a sandwich out of whatever she wants to get rid of in her pantry. Some of her most popular videos include making sandwiches with ravioli, pizza, and mac and cheese.

Personally, I gained experience with this idea from cooking with my family. My mom would take any leftover vegetables or proteins from the week and combine them with pasta. Every time it was something new, different, and always delicious. While I have learned many things from my mom about cooking, one of my favorite things I have learned is that great meals do not require the perfect set of ingredients or strict rules. The kitchen is the perfect place to experiment and let your creativity shine. The best part about the kitchen sink trend is that there are no rules. No bounds to what you can mix, create, and combine. It is not just about reducing food waste, it teaches cooks to be resourceful and utilize the possibilities of every ingredient. Long-term, learning how to maximize ingredients will also cause you to save money. Reduce all of those frequent trips to the grocery store. Below is a recipe for a cookie base for a kitchen sink recipe, make it your own. Take a chance on all of your leftover ingredients and learn how great unexpected combinations can be!

Recipe for Kitchen Sink Cookies: 

Ingredients: 

• ¾ cup of browned butter 
• 1 cup light brown sugar 
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk 
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 
• 1 ½ cups of flour 
• ½ teaspoon of baking soda
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ½ cup of granulated sugars

Use whatever mix-ins of your choice! Some ideas include:

• Chocolate chips (White or Milk)
• Chips
• Pretzels
• M & M’s 
• Oreos 
• Peanuts or walnuts
• Jams 
• Cereal 

Instructions:

1. First, preheat the oven to 350F.
2. On a stovetop, heat up ¾ cup of butter on medium heat. The butter is done once it forms brown speckles towards the bottom and has a nutty smell. 
3. After allowing some time for the butter to cool, add to a large bowl. In the same bowl combine light brown sugar, egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract. 
4. In a medium sized bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt and granulated sugar.
5. Slowly add dry mix into a large bowl with butter mixture until fully combined. 
6. Add mix-ins into the dough mixture.
7. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet. 
8. Separate dough into about 2 tablespoon-sized balls. 
9. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.