On How I Work, we like to find people with especially challenging jobs.
AtPlated(acquired last year by grocery company Albertsons), that job belongs to Elana Karp.
We talked to her about creating and testing recipes, shooting video guides, and her evolving culinary career.
I began cooking when I was about 6 years old.
I would help my mom or dad in the kitchen and it soon became one of my favorite hobbies.
After college, I taught second grade with Teach for America.
Take us through a recent workday.
My day always begins with coffee.
What apps, gadgets, or tools cant you live without?
Coffee maker (I use a Bodum French press, the big one), Instagram, Google Maps.
I useResyto make dinner reservations all over the city.
I especially love their notification feature.
Thanks to that feature, Ive ended up getting to try places that were impossible to get into!
Whats your workspace setup like?
We have really open workspace and I sit with a mix of people from the Culinary and Studio teams.
Whats your best shortcut or life hack?
When cooking chicken or other proteins, deglazing the pan is one of my favorite shortcuts.
This loosens up the little leftover browned pieces that cling to the bottom of the pan.
Then you stir and scrape up the bits to make a flavorful sauce.
Take us through an interesting, unusual, or finicky process you have in place at work.
We are serious about our recipe testing.
We give individual reviews of the dish covering a variety of characteristics, from flavor to composition.
Well give candid feedback to the tester and writer.
For me, these tastings are critical.
How do you keep track of what you have to do?
Im an obsessive calendar organizer.
I use my Google calendar for work, personal, and everything in between.
I like having all my plans together in one place.
How do you recharge or take a break?
For me, a great spa is the perfect place to unwind and relax.
They arent phone-friendly which is a really good thingit forces you to disconnect from your daily routine.
Plus, a great massage or facial can make you feel like a new person!
Whats your favorite side project?
What are you currently reading, or what do you recommend?
I recommend the bookCreativity Inc.by Ed Catmull.
I read it several years ago when Plated was getting off the ground and growing rapidly.
Whats the best advice youve ever received?
Several years back, I made a mistake that seemed huge to me at the time.
It was one of those things that I lost sleep over.
Answers have been lightly edited and links have been added.
Have someone you want to see featured, or questions you think we should ask?
