Photography: Rob Palmer
If you’ve never heard of RecipeTin Eats, you’ve probably found and made the recipes without even realising it. Look up whatever you want to make for dinner tonight and Nagi Maehashi’s recipes will pop up every time. Why? Well, they’re just that good.
The cook, photographer and videographer behind the mega successful recipe website RecipeTin Eats is so prolific and has honed such an extensive repertoire of ‘everyday’ recipes that it’s impossible to avoid – not that you’d want to. It’s a well-known fact that Nagi Maehashi’s recipes never fail.
Formerly working in finance, she threw it all in to pursue her passion for food. It began as a blog in 2014 and the website has since amassed a large and devoted audience, with 500 million views by 2024. Nagi’s talent for recipe developing has well and truly taken over the internet.
Nagi was born in Japan and her parents are Japanese – her mother, Yumiko, even has her own website, RecipeTin Japan, where she collates the family’s favourite home-cooked Japanese meals. In 1981, when Nagi was a child, they migrated to Australia. The beloved blogger is now based in Sydney, where she’s undertaking a $950k renovation of her $7m Hunters Hill home.
Nagi’s recipes are tried-and-tested as many times as it takes to make them foolproof – she tells us the record is 89 times. For those who prefer their recipes in book format, her second award-winning cookbook, Tonight, has recently been released and it smashed the record for the highest first week of sales for a non-fiction title, selling 78,000 copies.
As if that wasn’t enough, in 2021 Nagi launched a food bank, RecipeTin Meals, which involves three full-time chefs making meals that are donated to the vulnerable five days a week.
Five minutes with… RecipeTin Eats founder Nagi Maehashi
Here, we talk to RecipeTin Eats founder Nagi Maehashi about the release of her new cookbook and dive into all of her most-asked questions.
Why is your blog called RecipeTin Eats?
“This is one of the questions I get asked the most! I named my website this as a homage to those old-school ‘recipe tins’ that people in decades past used to keep, and store, their handwritten recipes in. The irony of being an online platform named after such a retro thing is not lost on me!”
What’s the secret to a tasty and frugal meal?
“The cost of living is on everyone’s minds these days. I was really mindful of the impact this has made on households since Dinner (published October 2022). To keep costs as low as you can, I always recommend researching recipes that use seasonal produce. The cost variants between in-season and out-of season fresh produce is remarkable, and can make all the difference to the success of a dish.”
Is there a dish you’ve created that’s turned out to be especially popular?
“It’s so not glamourous or very exciting, but the most popular recipe on my website is for Oven Baked Chicken Breast. Can you believe it? I feel the reason is that people want to learn, and finesse, the ‘basics’ so they can get more experiential with things a little more adventurous. And I’m always happy to help people do that! In fact, it’s one of my favourite things to do.”
What’s been your biggest career highlight?
“I’ve always been at my most comfortable (outside of the kitchen, of course) behind the keyboard, in my trackies, connecting with readers and food fans from the comfort of my house! But when my first cookbook Dinner was published, and I did a number of events to promote it, I got the bug for seeing people in real life! I get SO MUCH enjoyment from meeting the people who enjoy my website and getting their feedback or personal experience of my recipes. That is definitely the best part about writing cookbooks!”
What’s been the biggest surprise since leaving your accountant job?
“I’ve enjoyed transferring some of the tools I used as a corporate accountant into running the website, but to be honest, it’s such a different life that the two don’t really cross over.”
Your dog Dozer has gained almost as big of a fan base as you. How did that happen?
“Have you seen him? I mean, he is the most handsome, loving and loyal friend I could ever ask for. I have no doubt in my mind that I would be nowhere near where I am now if it wasn’t for featuring Dozer as my sidekick since day one.”
What do you make when you’re stuck on what’s for dinner?
“Worst-case scenario – cheese and biccies! (I will NEVER not have cheese in the fridge.) Best-case scenario – leftovers from a day of recipe testing in the kitchen!”
Do you have any tips for feeding a crowd affordably?
“Absolutely – always shop in-season and research suitable recipes so you can accommodate for what’s available. Look at volume verse cost – for example, salmon might be on special in the week that prawns aren’t, so rather than insist on serving prawns, think outside the square.”
Are there any new cooking skills you’re excited to master?
“There are always so many! I’m very lucky to work with a Michelin-trained chef JB Alexandre for some of my recipe testing so I always feel like I’m learning new techniques.”
When recipe testing, how do you know when you’ve got it just right?
“By lots of trial and error. I will never publish a recipe unless I have confirmed it ticks all the boxes in regards to flavour and accessibility. I do a lot of testing. I think my record is 89 trials (for My Very Best Vanilla Cake) – my neighbours, friends and family ate well that week!”
Your new cookbook, RecipeTin Eats: Tonight just came out. What can we expect in it?
“Tonight was created to answer the everyday dilemma of, “What are we having for dinner tonight?” There are literally hundreds of dinner-dish options included, with a big focus on ingredients that you may already have in the kitchen. I hope it makes everyone’s lives easier when it comes to eating wholly, healthily and affordably!”
RecipeTin Eats: Tonight by Nagi Maehashi, Macmillan Australia, RRP $49.99.
