She may be a “beginner” in the kitchen, but she’s now a professional food magazine cover star.
On Aug. 4, TODAY’s own Savannah Guthrie was announced as the fall 2023 cover star of AllRecipes magazine, marking the first time a person (as opposed to a dish) has appeared on the publication’s cover.
Allrecipes’ latest issue continues the periodical’s tradition of honoring real home cooks who enjoy sharing their recipes. But, instead of its usual covers of summer shortcakes or holiday cookies, this one shows Savannah enjoying stack of Darnell Ferguson’s “Perfect Pancakes” — one of the many recipes within the issue’s pages.
The wife and mother to 9-year-old Vale and 6-year-old Charley may be well-known for her aversion to showing off her knife skills in the kitchen, but that’s what makes her the perfect choice for the publication focused on empowering home cooks.
“The TODAY Show has been trying to teach me to cook for years,” Savannah says in the pages of AllRecipes, adding that when she cooks on TV, everything is prepped. “Of course, that’s not actually cooking — and the things that intimidate me are the basic techniques.”
That’s why, in her TODAY All Day series “Starting From Scratch,” Savannah is joined by culinary greats like Marcus Samuelsson and Pilar Valdes to focus on the basics. Savannah stresses that beginners will learn a lot from watching, just like she did.
“I’ve never had a burning desire to know how to cook, but I wanted to learn some things that I could make for my kids on the weekend,” Guthrie said ahead of the Season One finale. “The only way to learn that is to do it, and a faster way to learn that is to do it with a really great chef. This was like my own personal Butterball hotline.”
In addition to sharing her favorite cuisines, what’s in her fridge, her go-to snack and what she would want her last meal to be (hint: it involves a chocolate milkshake!), Savannah shares photos from her personal album, including Mother’s Day brunch with her kids and a photo with her TODAY colleagues Carson Daly, Craig Melvin, Al Roker and Hoda Kotb.
She even shares who inspires her most in the kitchen — Al!
“He loves to cook, he’s so inventive, and he’s always trying something new. He’s unafraid.”
And her favorite person to cook for is her husband, Savannah says, “because he’s so appreciative. It makes him unreasonably happy to see me try to cook.” (Meanwhile, her kids are her “toughest critics,” she reveals.)
On the show, Savannah is making two muffin tin breakfasts perfect for the back-to-school rush. Alongside Allrecipes’ senior culinary producer, Nicole McLaughlin, the cover star will be making Sweet Potato and Black Bean Taco Cups, which use flour tortillas and a range of fillings to great effect, as well as Hash Brown and Bacon Omelet Cups, a cheesy breakfast bite that’s ideal for busy mornings.
While in the pages of the magazine, Savannah estimates her cooking ability is a “1 to 1½. Possibly a 2” out of 10, she also notes that she started at zero, so she’s making progress, and invites others to learn alongside her. “Stick with me and together we’ll learn how to try something new in the kitchen,” she says.
You can get the latest issue of AllRecipes magazine on Aug. 18 through its subscription page or by visiting your local newsstand. Check out the full Q&A here, and get Savannah’s go-to lunch here and cookie recipe here.
