A Spotlight On Allrecipes Allstar: Lisa Childs

Lisa is one of the 60 million cooks in our Allrecipes community as well as an Allrecipes Allstar.

What is an Allstar? Food bloggers, registered dietitians, and more home cooks (just like you!) make up our enthusiastic squad of 100+ brand ambassadors. This crew of food lovers has submitted thousands of recipes, photos, and reviews over the years, plus shared their cooking expertise all over our website and social channels. In short, they make all of our cooking adventures more successful. Interested in becoming an Allrecipes Allstar? Learn more, and sign up here.

Q&A with Lisa

Allrecipes: Tell us about yourself! 

Lisa Childs: Hi! I’m Lisa, and I’m obsessed with all things food. I live in Salt Lake City with my husband and two kids. I love Jeni’s ice cream (all ice cream, really!), flaky almond croissants, seared salmon nigiri, gouache paint, riding bikes with my family, and jamming out to Taylor Swift. I’m also a best-selling cookbook author, publish a recipe website, and produce a Youtube channel where I help my readers find joy and confidence in the kitchen. When I’m not working, I’m usually running my kids to their many sports and activities, and shopping at Costco!

AR: What kitchen tools can you not live without?

LC: There are so many essentials that I cannot function without in my kitchen! But the things I use every day are my Thermoworks Thermapen One thermometer and silicone trivets, my drink frother, and this Japanese rice washing bowl that is specially designed to wash rice perfectly without losing a single grain. I’m Japanese, so we take our rice extremely seriously at our house!

AR: What is in your fridge?

LC: My fridge always has milk because my husband and daughter drink it like water! I recently started loving oat milk, so I usually have that in the fridge as well. I go to Costco each week and try to keep our fridge stocked with the kid’s lunches, eggs, and a couple of kinds of fresh veggies.

AR: What is your favorite thing to cook?

LC: Honestly my favorite thing to cook is something I’ve never made before! I love the challenge and the excitement of trying new techniques or working with a new ingredient in cooking. The research and experimentation are a thrill for me. I’m currently researching and getting ready to make a smoked brisket for the first time.

AR: What do you like most about Allrecipes? 

LC: The best part of Allrecipes is the community and their generous recipe reviews. There’s no other place on the internet where you can get so many recipe testers to make a recipe and share their modifications, opinions, and photos of a single recipe. I always read most of the reviews on Allrecipes before planning and making a dish because the community always provides little tips or modifications that help me make the best version of it for my family. 

Lisa’s Cooking

Lisa celebrated our 25th anniversary with us by sharing a video about her favorite dish, Garlic-Lemon Double Stuffed Chicken. She adds “We use Japanese panko breadcrumbs, but the rest of the recipe is basically the same!” A touching story and a delicious recipe, this video sparked conversation, and the video's comment section was flooded with users reminiscing about the first Allrecipes dish they ever made!  “It’s a family-favorite with a fun sentimental story”, says Childs.

At Home with Lisa

Having an inviting house has always been important to Lisa. “My dream as a kid was to have a safe and welcoming home where I could invite anyone over, anytime! Now, most of the time my home is a little messy, but knowing that people enjoy time here and can make memories together is everything to me,” says Lisa. From big family gatherings to their simple Saturday family breakfast, Lisa enjoys creating these delicious memories together with the ones that mean the most. 

Most Saturdays Lisa’s family makes German pancakes, thick-cut bacon, and fresh fruit. Her kids are in charge of setting the table, while she and her husband prepare the feast. “It was never intentional, and it’s such a simple thing, but it’s definitely become one of our most cherished traditions”, Lisa says.