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Amiel Stanek head shot - Bon Appétit

Amiel Stanek

Contributing Editor

Amiel has worked at Bon Appétit in some capacity since 2012(!)—a sentence that makes him feel very old indeed. In that time, he has focused primarily on writing and editing service-driven cooking content across all platforms but has also developed recipes, penned travel guides, and hosted more than a few videos. These days, he mostly works on the Basically section of the print magazine and helps to report BA’s annual Best New Restaurants package. He has worked as a line cook, caterer, private chef, and in various other kitchen roles since he was 18, and is currently the culinary director of Moonburger, a plant-based fast food restaurant in Kingston, NY. Amiel lives in the Hudson Valley with his wife, Lauren, their snaggle-toothed puggle, Chunky, and more than a few jars of bubbling ferments.

This $14 Caviar Sandwich Makes Me Feel Like a Million Bucks

I’m filled with giddy delight every time I order it at Grand Central Oyster Bar in New York City.

French Onion…Beef Noodle Soup?

There’s a special satisfaction in taking the star ingredient of a dish you could take or leave and shoehorning it into one you already adore with a passion.

French Onion Beef Noodle Soup

This super-savory dish draws inspiration from Taiwanese beef noodle soup, then gilds the lily with a Dutch oven’s worth of sweet, slow-simmered onions.

I’d Like All My Beer in a 54-Ounce Bottle From Now on

This Nashville bar serves beer in a way I can get behind.

Make Pretzel Focaccia, Buy Good Sausages, Win the Super Bowl

Even the easiest homemade bread will make a store-bought spread sing.

Pretzel Focaccia

One of the easiest breads to make at home gets pretzel-ified with a highly burnished, salt-coated crust and a delightfully bitter twang. 

I’m Too Old For Shots But Not “Thimbles” of Liquor

Fadensonnen’s biergarten has tiny cups of aquavit, and I’m here for it. 

The Wine Pairing That Changed the Way I Think About Wine Pairings

I didn’t realize how wine could electrify the food its served with, until I went to Beckon.

My Totally Racous, Très French, Super Wine-Soaked Weekend in the Loire

At an epic gathering of natural winemakers in France’s verdant river valley, I slurped oysters and downed magnums and got a sense of what makes this community, and its wine, so special.

Lobster Pasta

A creamy, eye rollingly rich pasta sauce that tastes deeply lobstery, but even more deeply of love.

The Lobster Pasta You Can Make Without Breaking the Bank

This recipe doesn’t let an ounce of lobstery goodness go to waste.

The One-Ingredient DIY Food Gift You Should (Actually) Make This Year

Enough with the granola, already! Say it with boiled cider.

When Life Gives You Too Many Doughnuts, Make Day-Old Doughnut Bread Pudding

We can all thank my “freegan,” dumpster-diving, liberal-arts-school friends for this one. 

Day-Old-Doughnut Bread Pudding

It’s rich, it’s sweet, it’s unapologetically over-the-top, even skeptics have a hard time turning down seconds.

Who Needs Fancy Pasta When You Have D.I.Y. Hamburger Helper?

It’s silky. It’s satisfying. And it contains no dubious ingredients. What’s not to like?

All-American Cheeseburger Pasta

Whether you know it as American Chop Suey, Chili Mac, or American Goulash, this deeply flavorful, super-comforting pasta dish is greater than the sum of its humble parts.

This 20-Cent Wedge of Plastic Will Make You a Restaurant Hero

I’ve made a point of keeping at least one in every tote bag, fanny pack, and backpack I’ve ever owned.