What’s in New York Times Food Correspondent Kim Severson’s Fridge?

As national food correspondent for The New York Times, Kim Severson tells the stories of US food culture. The fridge at her home base in Atlanta stays stocked, even with her nomadic lifestyle, filled with staples and special items from her trips. The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and James Beard Award-winning food writer has authored several books, including Spoon Fed: How Eight Cooks Saved My Life (Riverhead, 2010) and The New Alaska Cookbook (Sasquatch Books, 2009). On writing, she says details should be treated like ingredients: “You don’t want to put too many ingredients in the dish. But the ones that you put in, you have to really select them and think about them.”

5 Things in Kim Severson’s Fridge

1. Irish butter
   The flavor and texture of Irish butter earns it a consistent spot in Severson’s fridge. “I like that higher butterfat content.
2. Soy sauce
   “What’s better than soy sauce on some rice?” She has two kinds, a heavier shoyu sauce and a Kikkoman sauce, which she likes because it has used the same recipe for over a century.
3. Cabbage
   Longevity and versatility are key. “Cabbage lasts a long time. You could do a quick slaw, you can throw some in a salad, and it’s always a supplemental vegetable that you can throw in a stir fry or noodles.”
4. Cheese
   “I have everything from American cheese slices to some rare Swiss blue cheese that they only make X number of pounds a year,” says Severson, who has a “great local cheese guy” in Atlanta.
5. Gem lettuce
   At home, Severson says her family eats salads almost every day, and gem lettuce is a favorite. “It lasts for a while. It’s got that nice crunch—I love the crunch.”

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